http://moldova.usembassy.gov/ph03032010.html
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
More Pictures
Moldova 2010: Mission CompleteAlmost the entire team:
Standing L-R: Alina Samson, Mike Mango, Britany Wright, Vannessa Klein, Diana Danu, Natalia, Dr. Horwitz, Dr. Glenn Garland, Caroline, Dr. Diana Uncuta
Kneeling: Radu, Patrick Galloway
Our last night together at Beer Mania
Stefan cel Mare (Moldovan National Hero) with a some random Americans in front :-)
Dr. Horwitz being Dr. Horwitz
Walking the Blvd.Oxsana, Caroline, Brittany, and Patrick
Oxsana decided to climb the frozen fountain and Elise was gullible enough to follow.
Elise and Patrick
Chateau Vartely
Oxsana decided to climb the frozen fountain and Elise was gullible enough to follow.
Elise and Patrick
Chateau VartelyEscape from Moldova!
Sunday March 7, 2010
Escape from Moldova
Diana and Oleg (our driver) came to get us from the apartments at 5:15am to go to the airport. We knew with 6 inches of snow on the ground it would be a challenge so Diana wanted to be ready extra early. And it was a wise decision! The van was stuck in the snow and couldn’t make it up the hill to our apartment. So we grabbed our luggage and met at the bottom of the hill. And then solidified our ability to work as a team when we spend 20 minutes in the freezing cold getting the van unstuck! Elise and I both hit the ground once :-D It was worth it thou! We were back on the road and headed to the airport to go home. We made it in plenty of time.
A 3 hour flight from Moldova to Moscow. Elise slept through breakfast and the Romanian-speaking flight attendants were not happy to go back and give her food, but they did. She scarfed it down in four minutes flat. We were already to run thru the Moscow airport for an hour trying to finding our gate, but luckily there was someone waiting to take us there. But going through security was a little different. They literally stopped the line to questions the Americans—What kind of electronics do you have? Why were you in Moldova and for how long? Have your bags been with you the whole time? It was a little ridiculous, but it just proves their general distrust of Americans. Even after the inquisition, Olga (the security guard…no really) was actually pretty nice to us. We even got a smile!
The 11 hour flight to Washington was long, but it ended up working out because I had an entire row to myself. I rescued Elise shortly into the flight from the over-cologned Russian ‘ambasssador’ she was seated next too. She’s a sweetie—she definetly drew little pictures of fruit and cows to help him fill out his US Customs form. Patrick was asleep in the back of the plane—on the shoulder of the man seated next to him. We got a good laugh out of that!
I was so happy to finally be back in the States! As we were going through passport control, I told the man he was the first Black person I’d see in 10 days. He smiled, gave me a high-five, and told me to get some barbeque. We met up Dr. Horwitz and Caroline and we all caught a quick 40 minute flight back to RDU.
There’s no place like Home!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Dr. Garland and Vannessa were suppose to leave but missed their flight because they weren’t 90 minutes early (apparently they are very strict about that here).
While Diana sorted through that glitch, Elise, Patrick and I spent a very lazy morning in our apartments. Around noon, we met at the Hotel Nobil cigar bar (one of our favorite lounge spots). We decided it was time to get an international taste of McDonalds! Dr. Horwitz, Caroline, Radu, Oxsana, Elise, Patrick and I reacquainted ourselves with an American favorites. The food was good—just like home! Did you know they sell beer in McDonald’s outside the US? I thought that was funny! Since Patrick didn’t get to do any site-seeing before we put him to work, we decided to take a stroll down Blvd. Stefan cel Mare (the main street in Chisinau). Oksana was our guide this time. There was plenty of snow on the ground from the night and there’s nothing like a good snow ball fight while walking to the cathedral and ‘central park’ to see the Stefan cel Mare statue. Oxsana won! Patrick lost!
We spent Saturday evening at Beer Mania! I know the name doesn’t fit, but its actually a very classy restaurant with German food. We enjoyed great conversation and food and pride over the success of this trip. When the night was over we said our goodbyes to good friends!
Friday March 5, 2010
Elise and Patrick covered the most important points of Friday—tea with the ambassador, souvenir shopping, and the winery. I must have caught a 24 hour stomach bug because I was sick for most of it so I wasn’t much company. This was one day of the trip I’d like to forget!
Escape from Moldova
Diana and Oleg (our driver) came to get us from the apartments at 5:15am to go to the airport. We knew with 6 inches of snow on the ground it would be a challenge so Diana wanted to be ready extra early. And it was a wise decision! The van was stuck in the snow and couldn’t make it up the hill to our apartment. So we grabbed our luggage and met at the bottom of the hill. And then solidified our ability to work as a team when we spend 20 minutes in the freezing cold getting the van unstuck! Elise and I both hit the ground once :-D It was worth it thou! We were back on the road and headed to the airport to go home. We made it in plenty of time.
A 3 hour flight from Moldova to Moscow. Elise slept through breakfast and the Romanian-speaking flight attendants were not happy to go back and give her food, but they did. She scarfed it down in four minutes flat. We were already to run thru the Moscow airport for an hour trying to finding our gate, but luckily there was someone waiting to take us there. But going through security was a little different. They literally stopped the line to questions the Americans—What kind of electronics do you have? Why were you in Moldova and for how long? Have your bags been with you the whole time? It was a little ridiculous, but it just proves their general distrust of Americans. Even after the inquisition, Olga (the security guard…no really) was actually pretty nice to us. We even got a smile!
The 11 hour flight to Washington was long, but it ended up working out because I had an entire row to myself. I rescued Elise shortly into the flight from the over-cologned Russian ‘ambasssador’ she was seated next too. She’s a sweetie—she definetly drew little pictures of fruit and cows to help him fill out his US Customs form. Patrick was asleep in the back of the plane—on the shoulder of the man seated next to him. We got a good laugh out of that!
I was so happy to finally be back in the States! As we were going through passport control, I told the man he was the first Black person I’d see in 10 days. He smiled, gave me a high-five, and told me to get some barbeque. We met up Dr. Horwitz and Caroline and we all caught a quick 40 minute flight back to RDU.
There’s no place like Home!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Dr. Garland and Vannessa were suppose to leave but missed their flight because they weren’t 90 minutes early (apparently they are very strict about that here).
While Diana sorted through that glitch, Elise, Patrick and I spent a very lazy morning in our apartments. Around noon, we met at the Hotel Nobil cigar bar (one of our favorite lounge spots). We decided it was time to get an international taste of McDonalds! Dr. Horwitz, Caroline, Radu, Oxsana, Elise, Patrick and I reacquainted ourselves with an American favorites. The food was good—just like home! Did you know they sell beer in McDonald’s outside the US? I thought that was funny! Since Patrick didn’t get to do any site-seeing before we put him to work, we decided to take a stroll down Blvd. Stefan cel Mare (the main street in Chisinau). Oksana was our guide this time. There was plenty of snow on the ground from the night and there’s nothing like a good snow ball fight while walking to the cathedral and ‘central park’ to see the Stefan cel Mare statue. Oxsana won! Patrick lost!
We spent Saturday evening at Beer Mania! I know the name doesn’t fit, but its actually a very classy restaurant with German food. We enjoyed great conversation and food and pride over the success of this trip. When the night was over we said our goodbyes to good friends!
Friday March 5, 2010
Elise and Patrick covered the most important points of Friday—tea with the ambassador, souvenir shopping, and the winery. I must have caught a 24 hour stomach bug because I was sick for most of it so I wasn’t much company. This was one day of the trip I’d like to forget!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Ministries, Extractions, Ambassadors and Wine!
Thursday:
Brittany, Patrick, Dr. Mango and I (Elise) went to the Ministry of Health early in the morning to learn more about Moldovan public health policy.
Outside the Ministry of Magic
After the brief meeting, Dr. Mango and Brittany headed to Straseni, Patrick went with Dr. Garland and Vannessa to meet with the Moldovan military dentists and I headed to Diana Uncut's office to continue working with the children. With the help of Dr. Horowitz I sped through children performing mainly sealants and fillings. Right before we broke for lunch, I had a patient named Efrim on whom I did one filling on his molar, but the other molar needed to come out. Guided by Dr. Horowitz and a lot of prayer I PULLED MY FIRST TOOTH!!! I was so excited! Afterwards, Dr. Horowitz looked at me deadpan and said, "Elise, you're not a virgin any more." Haha, I feel like a real dentist now.
Efrim, whose tooth I pulled still loved me afterwards
I coaxed him through it by telling him he could go to McDonald's afterwards - which he had never been too, and giving him two bouncy balls.
Patrick with his patient at Diana Uncut's office
Dr. Garland, Dr. Mango, Amb. Chaudhry and Dr. Horowitz
Patrick, Brittany and Elise at tea
Patrick, Elise and Brittany on the winery tour
Dr. Garland, Vannessa, Patrick, Oxsana, Elise and Brittany in the wine cave
Dr. Horowitz and Patrick in the barrel room
Wine tasting - we tried 7 varieties!
Diana Danu and her husband Radu - our fabulous translators and probably the cutest couple ever
When we left the winery, it started snowing - and it hasn't let up yet!
Brittany, Patrick, Dr. Mango and I (Elise) went to the Ministry of Health early in the morning to learn more about Moldovan public health policy.
Outside the Ministry of MagicAfter the brief meeting, Dr. Mango and Brittany headed to Straseni, Patrick went with Dr. Garland and Vannessa to meet with the Moldovan military dentists and I headed to Diana Uncut's office to continue working with the children. With the help of Dr. Horowitz I sped through children performing mainly sealants and fillings. Right before we broke for lunch, I had a patient named Efrim on whom I did one filling on his molar, but the other molar needed to come out. Guided by Dr. Horowitz and a lot of prayer I PULLED MY FIRST TOOTH!!! I was so excited! Afterwards, Dr. Horowitz looked at me deadpan and said, "Elise, you're not a virgin any more." Haha, I feel like a real dentist now.
Efrim, whose tooth I pulled still loved me afterwardsI coaxed him through it by telling him he could go to McDonald's afterwards - which he had never been too, and giving him two bouncy balls.
Patrick with his patient at Diana Uncut's officeFriday
(How is it Friday already?!)
After a long night out after dinner with John Maxemchuck and company, we were invited to tea at the Ambassador's house since he was ill the night we were supposed to have dinner. Ambassador Chaudhry was an excellent host and it was great to visit with him in such intimate company. The residence has a lot of great art on the walls courtesy of the Art in Embassy program which allows Ambassadors and their families to chose artwork to be displayed on loan from American artist. The Ambassador and his wife have chosen to theme their collection after the Pacific Northwest where they are from and he gave us each a book with a description of their pieces. After the tea, he gave us a tour of the residence, including a fabulous wine cellar where he and his colleagues go to discuss matters that they don't want listened in on since the entire house is almost assuredly bugged. The Cold War apparently isn't over this far into the former USSR.
(How is it Friday already?!)
After a long night out after dinner with John Maxemchuck and company, we were invited to tea at the Ambassador's house since he was ill the night we were supposed to have dinner. Ambassador Chaudhry was an excellent host and it was great to visit with him in such intimate company. The residence has a lot of great art on the walls courtesy of the Art in Embassy program which allows Ambassadors and their families to chose artwork to be displayed on loan from American artist. The Ambassador and his wife have chosen to theme their collection after the Pacific Northwest where they are from and he gave us each a book with a description of their pieces. After the tea, he gave us a tour of the residence, including a fabulous wine cellar where he and his colleagues go to discuss matters that they don't want listened in on since the entire house is almost assuredly bugged. The Cold War apparently isn't over this far into the former USSR.
Dr. Garland, Dr. Mango, Amb. Chaudhry and Dr. Horowitz
Patrick, Brittany and Elise at teaAfter tea, we went souvenir shopping at the local market and said goodbye to Dr. Mike Mango who is headed back to the states. We then headed about an hour outside of town to Chateau Vartely, a winery built in 2005. We had a great tour and tasting followed by a much needed dinner.
Patrick, Elise and Brittany on the winery tour
Dr. Garland, Vannessa, Patrick, Oxsana, Elise and Brittany in the wine cave
Dr. Horowitz and Patrick in the barrel room
Wine tasting - we tried 7 varieties!
Diana Danu and her husband Radu - our fabulous translators and probably the cutest couple ever
When we left the winery, it started snowing - and it hasn't let up yet!We wish Dr. Garland and Vannessa a safe trip home tomorrow!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Feets and Toasts!
Dr. Mango has already given you the heads up on our meeting with the Minister of Health. Afterwards, the teams split up again. Dr. Mango, Oxsana, and myself went back to the orphanage in Strasheni while Patrick, Dr. Garland, and Vanessa went to the military hospital. Elise, Dr. Horowitz and Caroline dis some work at Dr. Uncuta's office. So...the ride to Strasheni was terrific! Oxsana was telling us about her research in endodontics (that's root canals for all you non-dental folks!), we talked about our families and a bunch more. Once we reached the orphanage we got straight to work! We saw 8 children total--practiced a few more restorations and sealants and extracted another tooth. I met the most amazing little boy, Petra! I was working on his maxillary molar (it was bombed out!) and I tried to tell him "No dare" (which means no pain) and tell him to raise his hand if it hurts (but he doesn't speak English). So I'm off to the races just working away and I look down there are little tears falling from his eyes. The kids are so amazing here! Most children would kick and scream and he just sat there and didn't say a word. They are all so brave! So I numbed him up real good but the decay was too deep and we ended up having to pull the tooth. He was actually laughing while Dr. Mango was extracting. He was so excited to see that tooth came out of his mouth. He gave me a hug and hurried off to lunch.
John Maxemchuck, an American who now lives in Moldova and owns the television station here took us to the exclusive Grill House. The food was delicious! I had mashed potatoes and the best steak I've eaten in life. Great conversations, great food, and great times in Moldova -- Feets and Toasts!!! (which is the American simplified version of how the Moldovans say Cheers) . Then it was time to celebrate.
Once again the 'kiddie table' hit the town. The after party at Dance Planet left something to be desired. As soon as we walked in the door, the bouncer was being a jerk. Col. Mix and I couldn't really get into the techno music so we were ready to leave. The After-after party was at Deja Vu. The bartenders definetly remembered us from the Tuesday night. We didn't set the place on fire this time, but the night was spectacular (no suprise!) ...and we paid for it in the morning....lets leave it at that :-D!
John Maxemchuck, an American who now lives in Moldova and owns the television station here took us to the exclusive Grill House. The food was delicious! I had mashed potatoes and the best steak I've eaten in life. Great conversations, great food, and great times in Moldova -- Feets and Toasts!!! (which is the American simplified version of how the Moldovans say Cheers) . Then it was time to celebrate.
Once again the 'kiddie table' hit the town. The after party at Dance Planet left something to be desired. As soon as we walked in the door, the bouncer was being a jerk. Col. Mix and I couldn't really get into the techno music so we were ready to leave. The After-after party was at Deja Vu. The bartenders definetly remembered us from the Tuesday night. We didn't set the place on fire this time, but the night was spectacular (no suprise!) ...and we paid for it in the morning....lets leave it at that :-D!
Ministry of Magic
Brittany, Elise, Patrick and myself had the joy to attend the Ministry of Health, Republic of Moldova. We met with Valeriu Sava MD PhD MPH who was Head of the Department.
We sat around a table with 2 other officials and our wonderful interpreter Radok. We discussed our mission here and what we wanted to accomplish. He told us that in 2001 he stayed with the Vice-President of United Health care and studied how insurance works in our country. I was able to tell him that my next door neighbor is President of United Health care. He spoke to us in English and Moldovan. He described how their public health system works and that they do have similar programs as medicare and medicaid to help the children and the elderly. They have minimum funds from their taxes to distribute among all the programs.
He sincerely asked several times what we would recommend to help his country.
We talked about fluoridated water as the best solution and that we have similar problems in both countries from the urban to the rural areas. They have several cities that have too much Fluoride in their drinking water.
A major differences in our culture applies to service. Their culture is from the Soviet times or communistic times where no one helps anyone and no one volunteers. They hold on to their possessions (of which they have so little). We discussed that other people in Moldova see what we are doing and that they will want to do the same. I said a better approach is to change the children and get them to volunteer at elderly houses during the school year.
Their medical school students must work in the public health for 2 years after school.. I recommended that they should do the same for their dental. Dr. Horwitz and I discussed that this would be the best way to get dentist to work in under privileged areas in North Carolina and save tax payers millions vs. building a new ECU dental school.
We left with a better understanding of their health care system and realized that we have the same problems in America. Their is never enough money to help everyone, but you do the best you can do for the most.
We sat around a table with 2 other officials and our wonderful interpreter Radok. We discussed our mission here and what we wanted to accomplish. He told us that in 2001 he stayed with the Vice-President of United Health care and studied how insurance works in our country. I was able to tell him that my next door neighbor is President of United Health care. He spoke to us in English and Moldovan. He described how their public health system works and that they do have similar programs as medicare and medicaid to help the children and the elderly. They have minimum funds from their taxes to distribute among all the programs.
He sincerely asked several times what we would recommend to help his country.
We talked about fluoridated water as the best solution and that we have similar problems in both countries from the urban to the rural areas. They have several cities that have too much Fluoride in their drinking water.
A major differences in our culture applies to service. Their culture is from the Soviet times or communistic times where no one helps anyone and no one volunteers. They hold on to their possessions (of which they have so little). We discussed that other people in Moldova see what we are doing and that they will want to do the same. I said a better approach is to change the children and get them to volunteer at elderly houses during the school year.
Their medical school students must work in the public health for 2 years after school.. I recommended that they should do the same for their dental. Dr. Horwitz and I discussed that this would be the best way to get dentist to work in under privileged areas in North Carolina and save tax payers millions vs. building a new ECU dental school.
We left with a better understanding of their health care system and realized that we have the same problems in America. Their is never enough money to help everyone, but you do the best you can do for the most.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Americans and Moldovans!
Day 4: Wednesday March 3, 2010
Elise hit all the high points from Wednesday. But I just noticed a few differences between Moldovans and Americans today. After struggling to get out of bed this morning and waking up with a headache we went to the 'McDrive' at McDonalds. All the Americans ordered coffee, but the Moldovans didn't. I didn't think much of it at first but they knew something we didn't. There's no such thing as fast food and eating in your car in Moldova. The roads have tons of potholes and as we were bouncing up and down on the way to Strasheni--coffee and sugar was flying everywhere.
Once we arrived, we did our photo-op and interviews and then got to work. I was so pumped about the extractions that I jumped on the opportunity to do it again. This time...not so much. Victor, my patient, cried his way out of getting the extractions. No amount of reassurance helped him (plus he didn't understand English). Oh well...
I worked with Oxsana (the PhD student) today and we had our ipod shuffles playing. She's shy and reserved, but very sweet and funny. I died laughing when Coolio's 'Gangster's Paradise' came on and she started rapping the lyrics to me. We were having too much fun! I guess Moldovans and Americans aren't that different after all....
Elise hit all the high points from Wednesday. But I just noticed a few differences between Moldovans and Americans today. After struggling to get out of bed this morning and waking up with a headache we went to the 'McDrive' at McDonalds. All the Americans ordered coffee, but the Moldovans didn't. I didn't think much of it at first but they knew something we didn't. There's no such thing as fast food and eating in your car in Moldova. The roads have tons of potholes and as we were bouncing up and down on the way to Strasheni--coffee and sugar was flying everywhere.
Once we arrived, we did our photo-op and interviews and then got to work. I was so pumped about the extractions that I jumped on the opportunity to do it again. This time...not so much. Victor, my patient, cried his way out of getting the extractions. No amount of reassurance helped him (plus he didn't understand English). Oh well...
I worked with Oxsana (the PhD student) today and we had our ipod shuffles playing. She's shy and reserved, but very sweet and funny. I died laughing when Coolio's 'Gangster's Paradise' came on and she started rapping the lyrics to me. We were having too much fun! I guess Moldovans and Americans aren't that different after all....
Guerrilla Dentistry in the Countryside
Tuesday
Patrick, Dr. Garland, Vanessa his dental assitant, Oxsana (a Moldova dentist) and I were at Straseni ("Strah-SHEEN") orphanage in the countryside screening and working with children. The room I was in had only one overhead light working and an old dental chair whose suction didn't work. We made do with what we had and practiced what we call "guerilla dentistry" - having the children spit in a bowl instead of sucking out saliva, using the instruments we had efficiently and fashioning the items we needed. I was able to do a couple of fillings and a lot of sealants for the kids who are so sweet! Even when they're scared you can tell that they are grateful to receive treatment.
After helping at the orphanage all afternoon, we loaded up in the van to run home and get ready for dinner with the US Ambassador at his residence. We only had about 30 minutes to grab a quick shower, but Brittany and I found out that our hot water wasn't working! Again, when in Moldova you have to make do, so we cleaned up as well as we could and made it out the door. Unfortunately when we arrived we found out Ambassador Chaudri had the flu so he was unable to make it, but we enjoyed his delicious dinner anyway.
After the dinner, most of the team went out on the town to celebrate Dr. Mango's 40th birthday! What a great end to a good day in the field.
Wednesday
Today the entire team was at Straseni (after a quick trip through the "McDrive" at McDonald's for some coffee). The Moldovan media came and interviewed Dr. Horowitz, Col. Mix and the director of Straseni orphanage while filming us working with the children so I hope that this generates some public intrest in our cause. We practiced more Guerilla Dentistry today, but more supplies came so it made the task easier. After another long, but great day in the field we headed back to our apartment. On our way, we stopped by the grocery store and Patrick, Dr. Mango and I managed to successfully exchange money and buy dinner without a translator! Security continued to follow us up and down the aisles and we garnered more than a few staring eyes, but we made it.
Tomorrow: Ministry of Health (which in my head I keep referring to it as the "Ministry of Magic"...) and then on to Straseni and Dr. Uncuta's office to continue on our mission.
Brittany, Patrick and Elise in front of the US Ambassador's residence before dinner
Elise, Caroline, Brittany, Diana and Vanessa
The girls at club Deja Vu celebrating Dr. Mike Mango's 40th birthday!
Patrick working at Straseni in the newly donated dental chair
Dr. Mike Mango donating a laptop to the orphanage to start keeping electronic patient records
Vanessa and Elise working at Straseni
Playing with the orphans at Straseni
Dinner of fresh bread, apples, cheese, salami, turkey and pickles at the apartment
Patrick, Dr. Garland, Vanessa his dental assitant, Oxsana (a Moldova dentist) and I were at Straseni ("Strah-SHEEN") orphanage in the countryside screening and working with children. The room I was in had only one overhead light working and an old dental chair whose suction didn't work. We made do with what we had and practiced what we call "guerilla dentistry" - having the children spit in a bowl instead of sucking out saliva, using the instruments we had efficiently and fashioning the items we needed. I was able to do a couple of fillings and a lot of sealants for the kids who are so sweet! Even when they're scared you can tell that they are grateful to receive treatment.
After helping at the orphanage all afternoon, we loaded up in the van to run home and get ready for dinner with the US Ambassador at his residence. We only had about 30 minutes to grab a quick shower, but Brittany and I found out that our hot water wasn't working! Again, when in Moldova you have to make do, so we cleaned up as well as we could and made it out the door. Unfortunately when we arrived we found out Ambassador Chaudri had the flu so he was unable to make it, but we enjoyed his delicious dinner anyway.
After the dinner, most of the team went out on the town to celebrate Dr. Mango's 40th birthday! What a great end to a good day in the field.
Wednesday
Today the entire team was at Straseni (after a quick trip through the "McDrive" at McDonald's for some coffee). The Moldovan media came and interviewed Dr. Horowitz, Col. Mix and the director of Straseni orphanage while filming us working with the children so I hope that this generates some public intrest in our cause. We practiced more Guerilla Dentistry today, but more supplies came so it made the task easier. After another long, but great day in the field we headed back to our apartment. On our way, we stopped by the grocery store and Patrick, Dr. Mango and I managed to successfully exchange money and buy dinner without a translator! Security continued to follow us up and down the aisles and we garnered more than a few staring eyes, but we made it.
Tomorrow: Ministry of Health (which in my head I keep referring to it as the "Ministry of Magic"...) and then on to Straseni and Dr. Uncuta's office to continue on our mission.
Elise working at Straseni
Brittany, Patrick and Elise in front of the US Ambassador's residence before dinner
Elise, Caroline, Brittany, Diana and VanessaThe girls at club Deja Vu celebrating Dr. Mike Mango's 40th birthday!
Patrick working at Straseni in the newly donated dental chair
Dr. Mike Mango donating a laptop to the orphanage to start keeping electronic patient records
Vanessa and Elise working at Straseni
Playing with the orphans at Straseni
Dinner of fresh bread, apples, cheese, salami, turkey and pickles at the apartmentDr. Mango - Tuesday, March 2, 2010
We awoke earlier and meet then divided up. I went to Dr. Uncata personal dental office where there are only about 3 private office in all of Chasiniau because there are no banks to loan money. Her mom is a dentist and they sold their 2 bedroom apartment to move into a one bed room apartment to get the money. Dr. Uncata husband is a head of Neurosurgery in Moldova and only was only making $35 per week. They sold their apartment and moved in with her brother to be able to afford her office. Her office had 1055 sq feet and 3 operatories, but was nicer than some American offices. We saw 6 kids from special needs orphange and 6 from the normal orphange. I mostly taught the one dental student with us, Brittany. I got to teach her how to extract her first 2 teeth after she told Dr. Horwitz and I that she was not cleared from the school and we told her that we were sworn professors and that we were in charge. She was very nervous, but did great. The children were well behaved and responded to care witht the help of translators and Dr. Uncata assistants. I treated a cerely palsy patient who was terrified and the other dr. thought that she might have had teeth done without extractions in past. I did 2 feelings and wanted to extract some of her decayed out first molars at the gum line, but feel that she will need an oral surgeon here or build trust for the next group. I think they will just decay out in her mouth over time. I bought lunch for the group 450 leu or about $40 that had 5 pizzas and 10 salads.
Pictures From Day 3
Dr. Horowitz screening orphans from Ialoveni.
Our translators, Radu and Natalia, Caroline, and Dr. Uncuta.
Vasile(This was BEFORE the extractions)
The team at DiaDent (Dr. Uncuta's office)
Feeling like a champ because.."I CAN EXTRACT HUMAN TEETH!!!"
At DejaVu
Told ya we set the place on fire!!!
At DejaVu
Told ya we set the place on fire!!!"I Can Extract Human Teeth!"
Day 4: Tuesday March 2nd, 2010
Location: DiaDent
Today the teams split up and got to work! Dr. Horowitz, Caroline, Dr. Mango, Stella and myself went to DiaDent (Dr. Uncuta's office in Chisinau) and saw kids from the Ialoveni orphanage. Today was a day of first! The kids arrived at about 9am and we got to work! In the first operatory, Dr. Horowitz and Caroline screened children. I did a few occlusal fillings and sealants then came the big stuff. Vasile, a 9 year old, needed two extractions! Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Mango told me "Do 'em". I was a little nervous but Dr. Mango coached me through it and Vasile did amazing. I felt like a champion afterwards! Dr. Mango told me when he extracted his first tooth he told everyone who would listen "I CAN EXTRACT HUMAN TEETH!!!". I smiled like a fool the rest of the day. The kids were pretty excited too--going to the dentist meant a trip to McDonald's! There are only 4 in all of Moldova and its' considered a nice restaurant--people even dress up in their best clothes and fur coats. All the kids left with bouncy balls and plastic rings and tons of goodies from Mickey D's.
Location: Strasheni Orphanage
On the end of Moldova, Elise, Patrick, Oxsana, Dr. Garland, and Vanessa got to practice 'guerilla dentistry' at the orphanage in Strasheni. There's a new operatory that the Moldova Project from NC just installed, but there's another older one that has no suction and a handpiece that just won't stop! The supplies were short and there was a done of work to do. It really makes you appreciate all the luxuries -- working equipment and plenty of supplies--we have at the UNC clinics.
Location: US Embassy in Moldova
We finished the day a little early so we could freshen up before dinner at the ambassador. We were really disappointed that he had the flu and couldn't join us but we really enjoyed the great food and a little conversation.
Location: Hotel Nobil
In Moldova, dinner is followed by wine! Hotel Nobil has this fabulous cigar bar where we chatted and drank wine. It was just winding down after a busy day, but you know the kids had to kick it up a notch. We didn't come all the way to Moldova to sit in our apartments...
Location: DejaVu
The party continues at DejaVu, a local club in Chisinau. The 'kiddie' table went out to celebrate Dr. Mango's 40th birthday! And we lived it up!!!! Our manual actually says "NEVER TRY TO OUT DRINK A MOLDOVAN". And we tried to give them a run for their money. After the wine and few amaretto sours, the cognac and the tequila came out! Everyone got loose on the dancefloor--Dr. Garland and Col. Mix even busted some moves and the Moldovans got to see some crazy Americans! We set the place on fire...literally! The bartenders put on a show for us juggling bottles lit of fire and set the bartop on fire! It was amazing!!! The only way to cap off the night is with a little bit of 'drunk pizza'. We crashed for the night (which was really the morning) and just hoped we could wake up to work tomorrow. Tonight was a good night :-D
Monday, March 1, 2010
Martisor Pictures
Pictures from March 1st: Martisor
(you can click on pictures to make them larger)
Clinic at the Dental School
Dr. Horowitz playing with the ancient belt driven handpiece
Touring the National Museum of History and Archeology of Moldova
Condrita Manastire
Wearing our head scarves in the Orthodox church at Condrita
Overlooking the countryside
Capriana Manastire
Traditional Moldovan Restuarant: Popasul Dacilor
Traditional Moldovan Restuarant: Popasul Dacilor
Martisor! Manasterie! and the Church on the Cave!
Day 3: March 1, 2010
Today is a special day for Moldovans--March 1st is the beginning on the first day of spring! Martisor! It's a huge celebration for them--they spend the entire year hand-making elaborate red and white pins that people buy on this day to celebrate the beginning of spring. It lasts the entire month of March and people were so excited when we knew about their celebration! We were greeted with "Martisor" - the pins in the dental school this morning.
Location: Clinica Universitara Stomatologica
On our way to the dental school we had our first exciting encounter with the Moldovan police when we were waved over for a stop. Our driver handed over all the documentation and our translator told them that we were on official US embassy business, so we were allowed to continue on without a hassel. We considered this getting off easy since we weren't searched or even asked for our passports.
Once we arrived at the school, the entire team met Dr. Lupon, the Dean of their dental school, and the Dr. Soloman, the Deputy Dean. They welcomed us to their school and their country and gave us a tour of their facilities - which are simultaneously like and completely different from ours. Moldovan dental school is very different--students enter directly from high school into a 5 year program (where they get very little clinical experience) and then 3 years as a dental residents (an apprenticeship basically). During the tour Dr. Uncutsa's mother (a teacher at the school for over 40 years - so basically a teacher for every dentist in Moldova), showed us what the students were working on. They work on prepping plastic teeth and learn dental anatomy just like us! We saw a belt driven handpiece and Dr. Horowitz almost broke it! Seeing a belt driven handpiece was like being in a dental history museum. That's what he learned on---I've only heard about them, but Thank God for technology. We even met their Prosthodontics teacher and he's no Dr. Felton.
Location: National Museum of Archealogy and History of Moldova
Oxsana, Radu (Diana's husband and our translator), and Stella took us to an amazing museuem and shared the history of Moldova. Caveman's tools, jewelry, and paintings explaining the rich history of Moldova. But the most amazing part was the diorama--a mural and 3D image capturing a battle during World War II. It was absolutely breathtaking! We threw coins into the diorama like Americans do into fountains for good luck. There is a statue at the entrance depicting a two babies suckling from the teats of a wolf. It explains the story of the founders of Rome--Romulus and Remus!
Location: The Manasterie
Stella, Elise and I drove into the country side to view the monasteries. The first, Condrita Monastery is 400 years old. We lit candles and said a prayer at the altar. The ceiling was stunning and even though the building was completely run down, we were very impressed. Stella told us to just wait - we hadn't seen beautiful yet. We drove a little further out to the village of Capriana. Even from the hillside, you could see the monastery was beautiful! Situated amongst the hills, Capriana Manastire is oldest monastery in Moldova and the pride of the village! Freshly renovated between 2003-2005, it was hard to even describe. There simply aren't enough words. All I can say is...you will gasp at the pictures!
Location: Papasul Dacilor
Stella drove us back into time for a taste of Moldovan cuisine. Elise has been dying to try mamaliga--a traditional dish! Papasul Dacilor is one of Stella's favorite restaurants. So we had a glass of wine and tried the mamliga! And we loved it! Mamaliga is basically like grits that are not soupy and you serve it with a side dish of sour cream, cheese ("brezna") and chopped peppers, but these words don't do it justice. Papsul was also our first taste of Moldova red wine which was heavy, warm and delicious.
Location: Ozheiul Vechi
Alina decided to take us to Ozheiul Vechi (a village called Butuceni with a church on top of the hill and the 'church in the cave'). They kept telling us we would see the most amazing views! And they were right. The monastery is built into the hilltop and extends underneath so it looks like a church carved into the side of the cliff! As we were leaving, three peasant kids from the village asked us if we know the history of the monastery. He told us that at the top of the hill is a wishing cross where you place your hand in the middle of circle of the cross and make a wish. He explained the town was named after a Moldovan man and woman who lived on the bridge over the river Raut that encircles the hill. A Turkish man who was also in love with the woman had a major battle for the woman's heart. The Moldovan man named Butecen defeated the Turkish man and the village was named in his honor, Butuceni!
Location: Roata Vremii!
Patrick finally joined us!!! Our team is complete :D
He was held over in Dulles on an oversold flight and we're so exicted he is here. He has a lot of catching up to do with us after today!
Tonight we visited another traditional Moldovan restaurant. The menu was preselected--pickles, pickled watermelon, bread with cheese, onions and potatoes, blood sausage, beef, chicken and many other items we could not name or recognize. The restaurant has a museum that depicts traditional Modolvan life - we saw handmade rugs, animal skins, a loom, a completly stocked cellar, a grandmother's room where she bakes bread and sleeps on top of the oven for warmth and an infinite supply of wine. We continued eating until we were way past full and piled home in the car with Alina and her father which a quick stop to the grocery store.
We're excited to start dental work tomorrow!
Noapte buna!
Today is a special day for Moldovans--March 1st is the beginning on the first day of spring! Martisor! It's a huge celebration for them--they spend the entire year hand-making elaborate red and white pins that people buy on this day to celebrate the beginning of spring. It lasts the entire month of March and people were so excited when we knew about their celebration! We were greeted with "Martisor" - the pins in the dental school this morning.
Location: Clinica Universitara Stomatologica
On our way to the dental school we had our first exciting encounter with the Moldovan police when we were waved over for a stop. Our driver handed over all the documentation and our translator told them that we were on official US embassy business, so we were allowed to continue on without a hassel. We considered this getting off easy since we weren't searched or even asked for our passports.
Once we arrived at the school, the entire team met Dr. Lupon, the Dean of their dental school, and the Dr. Soloman, the Deputy Dean. They welcomed us to their school and their country and gave us a tour of their facilities - which are simultaneously like and completely different from ours. Moldovan dental school is very different--students enter directly from high school into a 5 year program (where they get very little clinical experience) and then 3 years as a dental residents (an apprenticeship basically). During the tour Dr. Uncutsa's mother (a teacher at the school for over 40 years - so basically a teacher for every dentist in Moldova), showed us what the students were working on. They work on prepping plastic teeth and learn dental anatomy just like us! We saw a belt driven handpiece and Dr. Horowitz almost broke it! Seeing a belt driven handpiece was like being in a dental history museum. That's what he learned on---I've only heard about them, but Thank God for technology. We even met their Prosthodontics teacher and he's no Dr. Felton.
Location: National Museum of Archealogy and History of Moldova
Oxsana, Radu (Diana's husband and our translator), and Stella took us to an amazing museuem and shared the history of Moldova. Caveman's tools, jewelry, and paintings explaining the rich history of Moldova. But the most amazing part was the diorama--a mural and 3D image capturing a battle during World War II. It was absolutely breathtaking! We threw coins into the diorama like Americans do into fountains for good luck. There is a statue at the entrance depicting a two babies suckling from the teats of a wolf. It explains the story of the founders of Rome--Romulus and Remus!
Location: The Manasterie
Stella, Elise and I drove into the country side to view the monasteries. The first, Condrita Monastery is 400 years old. We lit candles and said a prayer at the altar. The ceiling was stunning and even though the building was completely run down, we were very impressed. Stella told us to just wait - we hadn't seen beautiful yet. We drove a little further out to the village of Capriana. Even from the hillside, you could see the monastery was beautiful! Situated amongst the hills, Capriana Manastire is oldest monastery in Moldova and the pride of the village! Freshly renovated between 2003-2005, it was hard to even describe. There simply aren't enough words. All I can say is...you will gasp at the pictures!
Location: Papasul Dacilor
Stella drove us back into time for a taste of Moldovan cuisine. Elise has been dying to try mamaliga--a traditional dish! Papasul Dacilor is one of Stella's favorite restaurants. So we had a glass of wine and tried the mamliga! And we loved it! Mamaliga is basically like grits that are not soupy and you serve it with a side dish of sour cream, cheese ("brezna") and chopped peppers, but these words don't do it justice. Papsul was also our first taste of Moldova red wine which was heavy, warm and delicious.
Location: Ozheiul Vechi
Alina decided to take us to Ozheiul Vechi (a village called Butuceni with a church on top of the hill and the 'church in the cave'). They kept telling us we would see the most amazing views! And they were right. The monastery is built into the hilltop and extends underneath so it looks like a church carved into the side of the cliff! As we were leaving, three peasant kids from the village asked us if we know the history of the monastery. He told us that at the top of the hill is a wishing cross where you place your hand in the middle of circle of the cross and make a wish. He explained the town was named after a Moldovan man and woman who lived on the bridge over the river Raut that encircles the hill. A Turkish man who was also in love with the woman had a major battle for the woman's heart. The Moldovan man named Butecen defeated the Turkish man and the village was named in his honor, Butuceni!
Location: Roata Vremii!
Patrick finally joined us!!! Our team is complete :D
He was held over in Dulles on an oversold flight and we're so exicted he is here. He has a lot of catching up to do with us after today!
Tonight we visited another traditional Moldovan restaurant. The menu was preselected--pickles, pickled watermelon, bread with cheese, onions and potatoes, blood sausage, beef, chicken and many other items we could not name or recognize. The restaurant has a museum that depicts traditional Modolvan life - we saw handmade rugs, animal skins, a loom, a completly stocked cellar, a grandmother's room where she bakes bread and sleeps on top of the oven for warmth and an infinite supply of wine. We continued eating until we were way past full and piled home in the car with Alina and her father which a quick stop to the grocery store.
We're excited to start dental work tomorrow!
Noapte buna!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
First day in Chisinau
Brittany is such a good blogger that I can't really top her description of the day. I'll try to add pictures to give you all the full Moldovan experience.
This is breakfast in at a sit down restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany - White sausages with mustard and a pretzel. Very delicious and a much needed coffee after only a few hours of restless sleep on the plane. It was our first introduction to European restaurant meals which are delicious, long, without free refills and the attention normally paid to the customers that US waiters and waitress pride themselves on. 
3pm flight from Frankfurt to Chisinau ("Keesh-now")
This was our best flight of the trip - plenty of room, clean and some of the best food! Also, we began to be aware that no matter how hard we could try to blend in we might as well have neon signs following us around that we are Americans. Flight attendants, other passengers, everyone - speak to us in English, if they're not just blatently staring that is. More later.
Food on the flight: smoked lunch meats, cheeses, a fresh roll, "salad" - which is all the good stuff, none of the lettuce, and a dessert that Brittany and I didn't know the name of, but of course ate first because it looked and was so delicious. Lunch was followed by tea - all on a three hour flight! Someone should tell the US this... it's a good policy. :D
After the flight - Green Hills grocery store to exchange money and buy food. We were able to get some snacks, bottled water (we're not supposed to drink the tap) and soap. It was very much like an American grocery store, but smaller and not in English. Oh, and security followed us all around the entire time.
Moldovan "monopoly money": The exchange rate is about 12 lei to 1 US dollar:
Today we had lunch with the team at Restaurant Giraffe and afterwards went site seeing with Stella (a dental resident) and her sister who is entering dental school in the fall. We went around the main street of Chisinau (Stefan cel Mare - named after Stefan the Great, Moldova's one and only hero) and the downtown to see some monuments:
Brittany and I in front of the National Cathedral
Stella and her sister took us inside (I really wish we could have taken pictures!!!). It was gorgeous - so ornate with every inch hand painted or in gold. We had to cover our heads while inside (Orthodox trandition), but fortunately we had our scarves.
In front of the National Museum - and a statue of two babies sucking on a wolf's teat. I'm sure there's a story behind that...
After some coffee and cake at a French cafe, we said "moltumesc" to our gracious hostesses and went back to our apartment:
And don't worry Mom, there are five dead bolts on the door and the head of US security lives right next door:
Tomorrow trips to the dental school and out to one of the orphanages - Ialoveni!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)