Kerri Jang - Medicine and Healthcare, Medicine in Moldova

I have always been someone who loves helping others, and I have always had a desire to travel. Thus, I was ecstatic to learn that Projects Abroad could offer me an opportunity to satisfy both of these desires at the same time. I eventually made the decision to volunteer in Moldova, a country that I had never heard about. With no command of Romanian or Russian (the two main languages of the country), and not knowing what to expect, I was soon off on an exhausting 15 hour flight to Moldova.

Never having traveled to a foreign country all by myself before, I was both a bit nervous and extremely excited upon arrival. I spent a total of three months in the country with one month on a medical project in the capital city of Chisinau and two months on a care project in the nearby village of Vadul lui Voda. During the three months, I stayed with two different host families who proved to be some of the most friendly and hospitable people I have ever met.

I visited various hospitals and clinics for my medical project, often spending one week at each location, mostly observing the medics and at times providing a helping hand. My shifts were often from 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and I would take the trolleybuses to where I needed to be. As many of the medics and nurses could not speak English, I had a translator to accompany me. My first week was spent at a clinic with a homeopathy doctor. Prior to this, I knew nothing about the field of homeopathy and it was interesting to learn about a different kind of approach to medicine. My second week was spent at the No.1 State Republican Hospital in the physical therapy department learning about procedures such as electrotherapy, paraffin wax therapy, inhalation therapy, and massage.

I visited the Oncology Institute in my third week and for my last week, I spent time in the Central Children’s Hospital, which definitely proved to be the most exciting and interesting week of my medical placement. Here I observed surgeries in the face and jaw ward and I was surprised at how welcoming and accommodating the doctors were. I was allowed to stand right next to the surgeon and the doctors were always happy to answer any questions that I had. Having never observed a surgery in real life before, the experience was overwhelming at first but I eventually became used to the sights. I also spent a few days in the children’s burns ward and witnessed some of the most heart-wrenching sights that I have seen so far in my life.

During my stay at this hospital I observed surgeries involving a cleft-lip, cyst removal from around the larynx, tumor removal from the lip, as well as surgeries dealing with the after-effects of burn incidents. I even assisted a doctor when she needed to stitch up a deep gash on a child’s forehead and assisted another doctor with a quick tongue operation. Despite some of the rather gruesome sights that I saw, I did learn a lot and the medical aspects of all the cases were very interesting.

For my care project, I was placed at “Motivatie,” also known at Motivation. The Motivatie Association is a non-governmental organization providing rehabilitation services and social activities for young people with disabilities and has two locations in Moldova, one in Chisinau and one in Vadul lui Voda. Throughout the year, there are programs usually lasting two weeks devoted to specific programs and activities. A new set of residents would come to the centre at the beginning of each stage and then return back to their homes once the stage ended.

The first staging that I took part in was a wheelchair basketball program, involving ten males from ages 15 to 31. Every morning, I would wake up at 7:00 am, have breakfast, and then walk to the center to meet the residents. We would then head to the nearby gymnasium together where they would practice under the guidance of a coach. Sometimes I had to participate in their drills if they required an extra body and at the end of their practice, I helped put all the wheelchairs into two cars that drove us all back to the center. Squishing a crew of grown men and all their wheelchairs into two beat-up cars was definitely an interesting and comical experience for me. Quite often I would need to sit on somebody with my neck bent at an angle as we drove back on the bumpy roads.

I had never observed individuals play wheelchair basketball before so seeing the players practice and improve with each passing session was extremely interesting. I was amazed by the abilities of the players to manoeuvre themselves so smoothly during play. At the end of the two weeks, the players’ skills were tested when they played two exhibition games in Chisinau, during which the Motivatie Association was promoted to the public. I also participated in a wheelchair tennis program. The routine was similar to the basketball one: I would wake up in the morning, walk over to the center, and go with the new residents to the gymnasium.

Besides the basketball and tennis programs, there was also a youth program in between, when a group of teenagers stayed at the center to learn more about how disabled individuals can lead independent lives. During this time, I participated in their discussions, took photographs of the youths during their activities, helped with cleaning and cooking, and even drew a poster for the center.

I am definitely glad that I made the decision to travel abroad. I was able to witness an entirely different culture and participate in it myself. Traveling alone almost forces one to be independent and to rely on one’s own knowledge and resources; it is definitely a character builder. I faced many challenges during my stay – not knowing the customs and routines, not knowing the language, missing home, feeling a bit self-conscious that I was often the only Asian person on the scene – but these challenges came mostly in the beginning when I was still trying to establish myself in the country. Now I realize that those challenges were necessary in the learning process that I went through and I have come out stronger emotionally, mentally, and intellectually.

I was overwhelmed by how friendly the people of Moldova were and I met so many people from all over the world and have made so many new friends through this experience. I entered Moldova with no idea of what to expect: my mind was a blank slate ready to be filled, and after three months, that slate has been engraved with memories of beautiful sights, wonderful people, and unforgettable experiences.

Kerri Jang

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