Lakes <http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070201perkins.html> Region Rotarian enjoys link to Romania By Don Perkins Thursday, February 1, 2007
Located on the western shore of the Black Sea and just south of Ukraine, the former communist country of Romania is getting by with a little help from its Lakes Region friends. In 1999, the Windham Rotary partnered in an effort to deliver $750,000 in medical equipment and supplies to Romania, the famed home of Count Dracula. Windham Rotarian and Busy Bee Laundromat proprietor George Bartlett has been a part of Windham Rotary since 1989. The 67-year-old never dreamed he would be visiting the community of Ramnicu Valcea (pronounced Rim-na-ku Vill-cha), Romania, 200 kilometers northwest of Bucharest, each year. In fact, Bartlett has traveled to the country seven times since 1999. His next trip is planned for this spring. "This has completely changed my life," Bartlett said. "Before this, I had never been out of the country other than Korea and Japan," countries he visited while enlisted in the Army. Bartlett found himself going to Romania by default: He was the only Windham Rotarian with a new passport. Two Portland Rotarians were scheduled to meet the 20-foot shipping container of medical supplies during a charitable European tour. However, a customs delay in Romania meant they would miss their other regional appointments. As a result, the district governor of Rotary asked the president of the Windham club for a new emissary to inventory the stalled equipment. Coincidentally, the laundry business was slow at the time, and when Bartlett was nominated, things fell into place. After an all-night flight, he landed in Bucharest, Romania, at 5 a.m. "I'm looking around and there's no one there to meet me," Bartlett recalls. He had no contact information, not even a phone number. And Bartlett wasn't exactly fluent in Romanian. He checked the local information desk, but they had no information about a Rotary representative. "Pretty soon, this lady comes running in with a sign that says "ROTARY," Bartlett said. She spoke very little English, but she was the wife of the president of the Ramnicu Valcea Rotary club. Bartlett knew he was in good hands and settled in for the three-hour drive to the town of Ramnicu Valcea. INADEQUATE HOSPITALS As luck would have it, they pulled in just in time for the local Rotary meeting. Bartlett got acquainted with his new hosts and was introduced to Sanda, an English teacher, who managed to guarantee his welcome among the others. Bartlett made a joke to break the ice and Sanda interpreted. He told her the joke, and "she looked at me and said, 'I think I can do this George,' " Bartlett said. The group loved it, and Bartlett was a hit. For the next five days, Bartlett was ferried around the countryside, taking in the conditions of the post-communist era infrastructure. Their hospitals were particularly inadequate. Among items in the 20-foot shipping container were dialysis machines donated from Portland. The electrical current isn't the same in Romania as it is in America, so the dialysis machines had to be modified. Again, as luck would have it, the president of the Romanian Rotary (also named George) is an electrical engineer. Everything fell into place. Bartlett inventoried the rest of the supplies, and his five-day trip neared its end. On the last night an unlikely coincidence occurred, benefiting a project Bartlett had begun here in Windham. Bartlett phoned home and asked fellow Rotarian Mike McGovern that if he should by chance find something in Romania that was "really Rotary related," could he extend his stay? McGovern said as long as he was doing Rotary business he didn't care how long Bartlett remained. A year earlier, Bartlett had started a Rotary-sponsored Interact club at Windham High School. Interact, which stands for international action, has chapters all over the world -- including Romania. "I was looking for something specifically that our kids could do with their kids," Bartlett said. As Bartlett ate supper with his hosts that final evening, an exchange student from Freeport -- who spoke excellent Romanian and was one of Bartlett's interpreters -- told him it was very hard to stay awake in a Romanian school. Unlike American high schools, students in Romania remain in a single and barren classroom the entire day. The teachers come to them. There are no items of interest on the walls, such as charts or maps. The environment is white-walled and very utilitarian. The Romanians all urged Bartlett to visit the schools. One of the Rotarians turned out to be a local vice principal. Bartlett phoned McGovern and extended his stay. "I saw 11 schools in four days," Bartlett said. CLICKING WITH STUDENTS Bartlett, an amateur magician, also got to perform for some of the students. About 60 kids got together in a room. With his natural charisma, he schooled the kids on the facts of Maine. "I told them about our lobstah and the coast of Maine," Bartlett said. "We just had a great time." The trip came to a close, and his new friend Sanda said, "George, we have to speak to you privately." Sanda asked him if he'd noticed that none of the classrooms had any English books. "We need English books," she said. That's when a realization hit Bartlett - Interact! He could have Windham Interact collect books and send them to Romania. In 2002, two years later, a 20-foot shipping container filled with English books was bound for Romania. More than 10,000 English books were collected and shipped by the Windham Interact club. Seven Interact clubs have since formed in Romania as a result of Bartlett's Rotarian efforts. Bartlett said he is glad he's remained engaged in this particular Rotary effort, saying the experience has shown him the importance of following up. All too often a charitable group will provide something for a community and then move on, he said. "I felt (not following up) was a problem," he said. "I hammered this fact constantly to the groups and the kids we work with." Bartlett said the future of the world is in the hands of young people; they need to be educated. This spring, Bartlett is returning to Romania to work on the emerging exchange program there. Romanian students have worked in his Windham laundromat. "I'm doing it for the kids," he says. "I'm trying to get our kids to work with their kids so they'll understand what other parts of the world are like." Don Perkins lives in Raymond next to Sebago Lake with his wife, Sonya. He can be reached at: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/copyright.html> Copyright C 2005, Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." (Carlo Goldoni) "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
