Two of our staff members had an opportunity to see what life is like for their European counterparts when they visited two Emmaus communities in Romania recently.
Tracey and Steve visited the rural communities as part of Emmaus Europe’s four-day General Assembly programme and were amazed at how self-sufficient and resourceful these remote communities are.
Emmaus is part of an international movement, with over 400 groups, located in over 40 countries, working every day to help the most excluded and tackle the causes of poverty.
Every few years Emmaus Europe holds a General Assembly in one of the host countries to enable representatives from all Emmaus countries to take part in a programme of events, including the opportunity to visit local communities.
Our staff members Tracey and Steve put their names forward for inclusion and were lucky to be chosen to attend this exciting event, held from 24-27 October.
Rural life in Romania
The most enjoyable part of the trip for Tracey and Steve was being taken to two rural Emmaus communities, both located over an hour away from Iasi, the first city to establish an Emmaus community in Romania.
Tracey said: “The first rural village we visited was an amazing place. Two companions live here but have staff visit them daily. It was like a big warehouse and inside there was a bedroom for the two companions and a kitchen. One end of it was full of donated furniture and donated wood and the other end was a massive workshop, full of tools.
“They basically live off the land and this is where they make bricks that they sell. The building itself is made from recycled materials that were gifted from various countries.
“They have an old cellar which is reached through a trap door which was choc-a-bloc full of jars of pickled produce; they literally pickle everything and save it in there for the winter. They even pickle watermelon! They let us try it and it was the worst thing I’ve tried in my life, it was awful! But I thought, how amazing is that! They’re actually using everything that they can, they don’t throw anything away at all. It was an amazing place.”
Asked if we’ll be selling pickled watermelon at Emmaus Village Carlton’s Bistro, Tracey said: “No, definitely not! It had so much wild garlic in it as well, I don’t think it would go down well! However, Tracey did try a local dish that was delicious.
“The lady who took us on the tour was Romanian and is the Emmaus social worker. They made us a couple of dips for us to try and they were delicious,” she said.
“She told us it was made from roasted aubergine which they grow. They then roast it and pulp it down after it’s cooked and add garlic and onion and mayonnaise. That’s a recipe I might try in the Bistro. They also have some amazing little bakeries in Romania. Lots of little side bakeries where you can just pick up little cakes or pretzels, pizza pieces and snacky bits.”
The group then got back on the bus to visit the second community which was located in a small village called Popesti, home to 12 Emmaus companions.
Self-sufficient living
Tracey said: “The house itself was gifted from a Swiss couple that used to live here. They are very self-sufficient, growing their own vegetables and keeping livestock to sustain themselves – cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and rabbits.
“They have a small furniture shop. They also had cotton looms where they make some beautiful tea towels and placemats which they sell.
“All in all it was a very memorable trip and I feel very privileged to have been picked to go. We met some amazing people in the hotel as well.”
The pair also visited the Emmaus shop in Iasi itself which sells similar items to those sold at Emmaus Village Carlton – bric-a-brac and furniture, as well as a small Christmas shop.
An “eye-opener”
Commenting on his second visit to Romania, having been to a previous Emmaus event in Targu Jiu, Steve said: “What was evident was the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. There is no real middle ground. You don’t have to go too far from the city centre before you start to see the decline in standards and provisions.
“As with my previous visit to the orphanages, the visit to the rural community and farm in Iasi was an eye opener for me as compared to what we are accustomed to in the UK communities; just one example of this is the availability and choice of different foods at mealtimes in our communities.
“The Romanian communities are far less fortunate but they have such enormous pride in what they do have. Based on the resources we are lucky to have day-to-day in the UK, we probably wouldn’t last very long in this environment as it is much tougher, and I have enormous respect for the companions there.
“Saying that, I also know from discussions with the community leaders, Gelu in Iasi and Jean-Phillipe in Satu-Mare, that the companions there also know the harsh realities and alternative of life on the streets there. They therefore grasp the opportunity to live in an Emmaus community with both hands.”
To see some snapshots of Tracey and Steve’s incredible trip, please click on our YouTube link.