Raluca

Next Monday, April 13 is Raluca's birthday. She will be 11. I met Raluca when I was working in a Romanian orphanage in 2005. I worked with her all semester and we got to be great buds. She has Hepatitis C, clubbed feet, incontinence, and an eye strabismus among other things. It was common for the children we worked with to have a multitude of handicaps, disorders and illnesses in addition to effects of insitutionalism, and we often never fully understood their conditions.

We weren't allowed to take pictures at the orphanage, but Raluca was periodically admitted to the hospital where we also volunteered, which is where this video was taken. I can't help but get a kick out of the blue tile wall--this was not representative of the rooms and atmosphere overall--they were much more drab and dilapidated, although I think this particular floor was being improved.

Raluca loved to practice her walking at the orphanage. I would often take her out in the hallway and sing a song with her to give her a beat to try and orient her steps to (gait-training). She loved any kind of attention, and would call out to me across the room in a tiny high-pitched voice I can still clearly remember. We sang the song "Little Bunny in the Woods" probably a thousand times, working on motor skills and communication (though of course singing in English didn't have any meaning--she didn't speak much Romanian either, though).

This time in Romania is what really strengthened my desires to learn about music therapy. Being able to connect with Raluca and other children through simple songs provided a meaningful method of interaction and communication that didn't exist any other way, letting these kids know that someone cared about them. Making music with these little ones for 4 months was an incredible experience that I will always be grateful for. For me, this is what music therapy is about. There are numerous other settings and applications for using music in therapeutic ways, but this experience is what pushed me into it.

I love Raluca; she is precious. I doubt she will have much of a celebration on her birthday. I don't even know if she is still at the same orphanage or has been moved somewhere else, or how her condition has progressed or regressed. But her life of joy and excitement, and the meaning she gave to me, deserves celebration.

My friend Holly, who was with me in Romania, returned in later semesters as a student facilitator. She took this video of Raluca and sent it to me after I had been home for a little while. It was taken years ago but still means a lot to me.