The Abingdonian 2019

67 www.abingdon.org.uk Summer Term to converse with several of these people for years to come. In addition to witnessing the evident benefits to the children’s lifestyles, confidence, and - most notably - English-speaking ability, I am pleased to have also gained much invaluable experience from teaching and running the activities; this trip really does provide unique opportunities that no other trip can. It is indeed a satisfying feeling to look back and know that you have made a difference. Oliver Williams, 6RP Our hosts were incredibly hospitable to us, despite us being strangers living in their home. The kindness shown by the family was also shown by everyone else we met throughout our visit: the volunteers, the children, and the teachers at the school. Although I have never really been good at crafts, sport or English, the children were happy to learn from me and the other boys, developing their understanding of the language with every lesson and enjoying our company. We all learned more about the other country’s culture and the different traditions that we all had. I have made many new friends, whom I will not be forgetting, and I hope that we have left a memorable impression with all those we saw in our travels. I can say I was proud of all that they had accomplished and I hope that what we have taught them will be useful for all those involved as they move forward in life. James McRae, 6AMP Without having heard about Moldova before, I had no idea what I was expecting from the trip. All I expected was that it would be some sort of ordinary voluntary experience. Yet, after a fantastic 10 days, the truth is that the experience was far from ordinary. The exciting, inspiring and intense content of this trip has really blown me away. Before I knew it, the 10 days had gone by in a flash. The idea of having to organise and run lessons and activities for children seemed daunting at first glance. After having planned and done my first activity, however, I realised how enjoyable it was to teach and communicate with the children, who were all eager to take away something new every day. This motivated me to give my best not just during activities but also when planning them; I was determined to give them not just knowledge but also a big smile on their face to bring home. It was not only the children who learnt something during this camp; I have also learnt lots of things, from not only the children, but also the people of Moldova: the host family, the translators, the teachers, and members of Agape. The unique opportunity to be submerged in Moldovan and Romanian culture was definitely eye-opening. The joy and satisfaction when seeing children take something away from this project is what makes the Moldova Project such a unique and fruitful experience. Perry Tsai, 6NJSK Travelling to Moldova and Romania has provided me with a new insight into how similar we all are to one another. Having never visiting Eastern Europe before, I had no idea what the culture was like and how this would impact the relationships to come. With the apparent differences in upbringing between a boarder at Abingdon School and a student living in a community house in Moldova I was very worried how well we would be able to ‘connect’ with the children. After the first day all of my worries were blown away. Seeing the children improve at English throughout the week so rapidly was truly amazing and filled me with a sense of accomplishment. The children were really well-mannered and had their priorities well-set. This allowed connections to form which I would not have thought possible over such a short period of time. These friendships will surely last for a long time to come. Tommy Macphail, 6NJSK