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        On November 7, 2015, RCTV Memoria organized a day trip for its beneficiaries to Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) and to Mănăstirea Curchi (Curchi Monastery), as part of the Annual Rehabilitation Program for 2015. This trip was made possible with financial support from La Luz Grants 2015. As volunteers, we also had the opportunity to take part in this excursion. Throughout the day, we were accompanied by an excellent guide, who provided explanations in Romanian (with kind occasional translations to English!).

       The meeting point was at RCTV Memoria’s office. Travelling through the beautiful display of autumn colours of the Moldovan countryside, the cold and overcast day didn’t discourage us as we made our way to Orheiul Vechi. We started by visiting the local archeological museum, where we were eager to learn about its history, spanning so many different epochs. Then walking up the hill, everyone was in good spirits while taking in the stunning landscape to which fog and mist provided an additional eeriness.

         Following a short visit to the monastery, we found our way to the much older church located slightly down the hill, where we got to see and to learn about how monks used to live in this dark but dry underground monastery. On our way to the bus, we walked through the quiet and picturesque village of Butuceni, at the bottom of the hill.

          The next part of our trip led us to a field where we stopped for a while to pick healthy berries, an activity beneficiaries were particularly happy with. It was a relaxing moment as well as an occasion for some socialization. With our bags considerably heavier, we made our way towards the last stop of our trip, Mănăstirea Curchi, where the group admired its beauty inside as much as they admired the lovely panorama, which became a much preferred setting for the photos!

     We were all feeling slightly tired but happy as we made our way back to Chisinau. During the bus ride home, everyone enjoyed a much welcomed lunch and beneficiaries kindly filled in a feedback form, which will help us in organizing similar successful events in the future!

by Margarida Hourmat,

EVS volunteer at RCTV Memoria