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All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Children on the Edge (www.childrenontheedge.org).
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Linda Nepveu's Blog
2007 Jan 15 A recent surge in the sales of my book has prompted me to question: why the sudden interest?  Could it be that the baffoon Borat, played by Sasha Baron Cohen, has sparked an interest in Romania? I have not seen the movie, however, one scene is filmed in Romania. From what I have read, it is a highly unflattering portrayal and insulting to the people of the village of Glod, where the scene was filmed. On the "Unofficial Borat Homepage" the following is an exerpt from an interview with Dan Mazer, Producer of the Ali G Show: "UBS: What about the rest of the Borat family, little Vilo and the home village? Where was that actually filmed?"DM: Romania actually. We were all set to go to Kazakhstan but we found that the people from Kazakhstan looked nothing like Borat. We went to a little village in Romania and in exchange for letting us film we bought them a pig. It was actually the pig which you see Borat introducing and then later eating. It was a great day filming. Borat's wives, his mother, little Vilo were all Romanians from a strange little village we found."Romania's backbone is formed by tiny little villages inhabited by hard working, kind people. I lived in one of these villages during my second volunteer experience there and I cannot say enough about the strength and generosity that I witnessed. These people have great dignity in the face of crippling poverty and I can only hope that the image that Borat has conveyed does not influence how the world sees this country and it's people. 2006 Mar 26 If you are reading this, you must have at least some interest in the work that I have done with Children on the Edge in Romania. Please go to amazon.com and purchase Journey of the Heart my account of the experience. You can pick up a copy for under $10 (Cheaper than Lulu. Sorry Lulu.) The profits from the sale of the book go to Children on the Edge.
Thanks for your interest.
Linda
2006 Feb 15 A friend of mine recently reminded me that I had not updated my blog in quite some time. To tell you the truth, I didn't really think that the events of my life (or lack thereof) actually merited documentation. In the event that anyone out there may be interested, here goes: In October, my friend from Scotland, Barbara, stayed with me for almost three weeks. I had a great time showing her all the local sights: Halloween in Salem, gambling at Moheghan Sun, touring the mansions in Newport, celebrating an early Thanksgiving, sitting on Santa's lap, etc. We talked endlessly about our time together in Romania and created some wonderful new memories. We are looking forward to another visit this summer. My husband's new kidney is working very well now after a few critical months. He has the stamina to work out again! His goal is to be able to get back on his bike this summer, perhaps finally doing a 50-mile ride. Last month he received a very touching letter from the donor's family. It was a bittersweet reminder for us just how fragile and precious life is. I have found great joy in my job working with teens at a special needs school. "My kids" are bright, funny and challenging. Some of them have experienced incredible hardships and their stories are inspiring. I have grown to love each of them and am filled with pride in their accomplishments. A few weeks ago I enjoyed a trip to St. Kitts with my sister. We enjoyed a jeep safari into the rainforests, snorkeling, sailing, and going on an ATV adventure (with me driving and my sister hanging on for dear life). The warm sun and beautiful scenery were welcomed relief from New England's cold weather and snow. My next trip will be a week's vacation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This will be Don's first REAL vacation in over 4 1/2 years (due to dialysis and then recovery from the transplant). We are looking forward to snorkeling, parasailing (this will be a first for me) and traversing the rainforest canopy via treetop -to-treetop cables (yikes!). I have kept in touch with Children on the Edge and continue to send them donations and royalties from the sales of my book. They have begun to concentrate their efforts in Romania toward the homeless teens. Many of these kids are released from the orphanages at the age of 18 and have nowhere to go. With no marketable skills and no family to depend on, they are doomed to a life on the streets. COTE provides vocational training and housing. Their program has received much attention from the Romanian government and they are hoping to help Romania develop similiar programs to fill this growing need. COTE has also set up a "Child Friendly Space" in Banda Ache, Indonesia, one of the areas hardest hit by the Tsunami. This community was completely devastated and the residents are still living in temporary "housing" (really just tents)in the most squalid conditions. Cote has built a community center located very near the "tent city" and will be providing childcare and support services. Who knows: maybe I'll volunteer there some day. Could another book be far behind? 
2005 Oct 12 On August 5 I met up with my Playscheme 2005 Team at Heathrow airport where we all boarded our flight to Romania. After landing in Bucharest, we had a 5 hour cab ride to the site of our "Playscheme Commune": Habacesti. The "accommodations" were two very large rooms in an old, abandoned school building. One room was set up as our kitchen and meeting area. The other room was where we slept, the room divided by a tarp into "boys" and "girls". We had electricity but no running water. There was a water tank set up at the entry for washing up. In the backyard we had an outhouse (clean, but with an odor that knocked my socks off!) and a shower hut (yes, we had hot running water for the shower). I slept for two weeks on the floor. Every other day we had to go to the well and haul up 70 gallons of water for washing/showering. It was back-breaking. The village we lived in was quite poor. No one had running water and many used horse and cart to get around. They raised their own fruits, vegetables and livestock. Despite that, they were extremely generous, bringing us eggs, milk, and flour. My admiration for the Romanian people is great. They live with a quiet dignity and strength that awed me. We worked with three different groups of children. First, we went to a special needs orphanage in Targu Frumos. I was there last year and remembered many of the boys. One in particular, a handsome Gypsy teenager, was clearly moved when he saw that I returned, hugging me and placing his head on my shoulder. He thanked me over and over. Next, we went to the orphan's camp in Strunga. Here, I saw many more children that were also there last year. I was able to form even stronger bonds and reach out to some children that were aloof and did not participate before. This was deeply rewarding. Finally, we went to an orphanage in Halaucesti. I was really looking forward to this experience. Halaucesti was the very first orphanage exposed as inhuman when the communist regime toppled. Anita Roddick, Body Shop and Children on the Edge founder, was one of the first to visit. In 1990 what she saw, and what the world was soon to discover, was children tied to rusted metal cribs, rocking back and forth in their own excrement. At it's worst, there were nearly 1000 children housed at this facility with very few caretakers. They were horribly neglected and had never experienced loving human contact. Halaucesti has greatly improved since then, thanks to Children on the Edge and others that stepped in and offered help. Romania has made efforts to close many orphanages, finding alternative living arrangements for their orphans. Halaucesti no longer has many children and many of it's buildings have been abandoned. Those that remain open as housing have been marginally renovated (again, thanks to COTE). When we entered the gates, I was reminded of a concentration camp. I could not envision 1000 children living in these conditions. I was encouraged by the children, however. There were only about 4 dozen on site at the time, many at jobs in the village, others fortunate enough to be at their family homes during summer holiday. They were pleasant, warm, and social. What really impressed me was how they cared for one another. It was truly like one big family. While this years experience was similar to last, there are some images that stand out: - Ramos: a 17 year old boy at Strunga. When he found out that we were going to Halaucesti, he asked that I bring a note from him to his brother who lived there. They had not seen each other for a very long time. Ramos was desperate to contact his brother, Adrian, and clearly moved when I took the note from him and offered to deliver it. When I delivered the note to Adrian, a sad smile crept over his face and he thanked me in his broken English. I could see just how much these two meant to each other even though they had very little contact.
- Ionutz: an 13 year old boy from Targu Frumos. He attached himself to me during my days at the camp. Ionutz was dressed in tattered clothing and his shoes were falling off his feet. One day we inflated the "bouncy castle" (the same inflatable structure you see at children's birthday parties and carnivals). This is always a favorite activity. Ionutz quietly waited for his turn and erupted in a joyful smile when he finally jumped in. As he bounced and sprung about with wild abandon, his smile slowly turned to pain and embarrassment as he realized that his pants , barely held up by a weak string, were falling down. He stopped bouncing and looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Then he gamely grabbed onto the waistband of his pants, pulled his shirt over and continued to bounce. His strength and resolve brought me to tears.
- Marius: a 12 year old boy from Strunga. One day we took a group of children into the woods for team building games. During one game, Marius was "caught" and hauled to the goal. In the process, he lost both his shoes in the woods. When he realized what had happened, he began to moan in the most painful and mournful manner, a look of sheer distress and agony on his face. These were the only shoes he had. We stopped the game and miraculously recovered his missing shoes: a broken pair of flip-flops, one with half a sole missing.
My experiences in Romania remains one of the most meaningful things that I have ever done. I don't know where the path will take me but my heart will always lead me back to the faces of the children. I thank everyone again for your support. Linda 2005 Jul 02  It's hard to believe that there is just one month left before I head off to Romania and the children! I have paid for my airline tickets and sent money off to Children on the Edge for my "room and board." Now I have just a few loose ends to tie up and I'm ready! For those of you that have read my story, you know that my husband, Don, has been waiting for a kidney transplant. Through his dialysis and his wait for a new kidney, Don has been my Number One supporter. Well, GOOD NEWS  : Don got his kidney transplant last week!! He's doing very well and should be home any time now. He'll be well on his way to recovery when I leave. That's quite a relief for both of us! I may not blog again until after I return. I'm sure that I'll have more great stories to share with you. Perhaps even a new edition to my book! 2005 Apr 13 Things seem to be taking off this week. The book sales have been slow but steady and I have gotten some very positive feedback.
I will be doing a book reading and signing at the Tewksbury Public Library on Monday, May 16 at 7:00pm. I will have a video presentation of the work I did with the children in Romania. There will be books available for purhase. If you are in the area, please drop in!
I have also been asked to speak at the Tewksbury Congregational Church sometime in May. I am hoping that I will be able to raise the necessary funding so that I will be able to return to Romania without shouldering the financial burdern (almost $2000).
Additionally, there will be an article in the local newspaper "The Town Crier" (Tewksbury, MA) in the May 12 issue. The editor, Steve Bjork, has been a great supportor, writing two previous feature articles about my work with Playscheme Romania 2004.
I am so grateful to everyone who is pitching in for Playscheme and Children on the Edge.
2005 Apr 05 I have been e-mailing my friend, Barbara, from Scotland. We met last year, both as volunteers for the Playscheme. We became fast friends and shared some wondeful moments while in Romania. I just found out that she has also been asked to return. Not only that, but they have assigned us to the same team! When we said our goodbyes at Heathrow Airport, I doubted that I would ever have the opportunity to see her again. Now, I am looking forward to a reunion!
I have been assigned to go from August 6-August 19. I am hoping to spend time beforehand catching up with Barbara and perhaps some other team mates in either London or Scotland. Should be quite the adventure.
2005 Mar 25 I got word yesterday from Children on the Edge that I have been accepted to return to Romania this summer! I am really excited about going back. I returned from last year's journey feeling that I had more to do. It will be bittersweet seeing some of the children that I met last year. To know that they had to spend another twelve months in the cold environment of an institution is disheartening. I will be happy to reconnect with them, though. I am also hoping that I will be assigned to a team with some of my teammates from last year. I recently found out that all of them reapplied for this year's Playscheme. That is quite a tribute to Ben, the team leader. He really made the experience a wonderful, safe one. With any luck, I'll have him as my leader again this year. So, now it's REALLY IMPORTANT: please BUY MY BOOK! The proceeds allow COTE to send more volunteers into Romania and other parts of the world that need assistance. Thank you! 2005 Feb 24 Hurray! I finally figured out how to create and upload my book. It was quite a challenge and I lost much of my hair in the process having pulled it out in frustration. But now it's done.  I hope people will take notice of this little book and purchase it. It is gratifying for me to know that the proceeds will go to Children on the Edge. They do so much good for so many forgotten children around the world. Right now they are looking into a partnership with the government of Burma and are also evaluating the Tsunami relief efforts and what they can contribute. Please check out my book. Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks. Linda 2005 Feb 02 I have applied to return to Romania as a volunteer this summer. Last year I was one of two accepted to go from the US. I am sure that there will be an even larger application pool this year. I have been busy getting the word out about Children on the Edge.
When I returned from Romania last August, I spoke at the national convention for The Body Shop at Home about my experience. Speaking before 800+ women was intimidating enough. When I finished, all I could hear from the black abyss that was the audience was sobbing and sniffling. Even the conference photographer was on the floor in front of the stage wiping away his tears.
After my speech, I was approached by hundreds of women, asking me questions and relaying their desire to do what I had done. I was quite overwhelmed by the intensity of their reactions.
So, wish me luck on my return. I should know if I am accepted sometime early in March.
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