"Romania almost didn't happen! I'd reached out to the national federation earlier and heard nothing back and a national holiday made things even more difficult to organise. In the end, a recommendation from a friend led me to a project I would never have found on my own. That project was Bronx People in Bacău, created by Daniel and Ana Zodian.
In 2009, Daniel began taking vulnerable children off the streets, one at a time, into a small two-room rented apartment. Today, what began as a simple act of kindness has become a real family home where around twenty young people live together. Some came from the streets, others from orphanages or difficult family situations, and several have since become national-level judoka.
One day, while speaking on the phone, I described where I was by saying, "I'm in an orphanage." Daniel corrected me immediately, "It's not an orphanage, it's a family." I haven't called it anything else since.
I trained with the children, ran alongside them in a community mini-marathon where every participant received a medal and a diploma, and spent an evening in the kitchen while Daniel prepared focaccia and taught the youngest children how to make French pancakes. It was there that he explained why the project is called Bronx. The real Bronx is often associated with poverty and diverse communities. Here they chose to transform that image into something positive, bringing different families together under one roof.
During that same conversation, Daniel shared two thoughts that will stay with me. Speaking about the children with special needs, he told me, "Judo is the most powerful weapon for them to break free." And about judo itself, he simply said, "You must fall to rise." I didn't have to search long for the title of my next video!
One mother told me how her son had joined the project after she met Daniel by chance during a walk. He had no previous judo experience and very little structure in his life. Just two years later, she described him as confident, sociable and truly part of a family. Listening to her, I found it hard to believe there could be many places like this anywhere else in Romania.
Before leaving Bacău, I also had the opportunity to teach a seminar at Nova BJJ Academy. Sharing judo in this environment pushed me to think differently. Without relying on judo competition rules, everything came back to the fundamentals, adaptation and movement. I enjoyed the experience so much that I already know I'll be back.
Budget constraints meant I had to shorten the Romanian part of my journey but one opportunity simply couldn't wait. A few weeks earlier, in Slovenia, I had met Konstantin Kotov. I had casually mentioned that I'd love to continue into Moldova if I could somehow make the budget work. Konstantin didn't just encourage me; he helped make the trip possible and, in the middle of the European summer holidays, organised a joint training session bringing people from different backgrounds together on the same tatami.
The welcome in Moldova was every bit as warm as I had hoped. The dojo was full of children, the atmosphere was fantastic and, after training, we spent time talking over coffee. To my surprise, I was even invited to join the Moldovan national team coaching set-up. It was an honour I couldn't accept because the timing wasn't right, but it is something I will never forget. Almost by accident, I also discovered that Moldova could become a gateway for a future journey into Ukraine, something I hope will be possible when circumstances allow.
Countries 63 and 64 happened thanks to people who believed in this project, Daniel and Ana, who transformed the idea of Bronx into something families can be proud of. There was Konstantin who decided that helping a travelling judoka mattered, and Muhtar who became my first Patreon supporter in Moldova only hours after we met. Of course, everyone who continues to support this adventure by sharing a video, leaving a comment or contributing through Patreon or Tipeee, all of it matters.
Next comes a very different mission. I'll be travelling to Scotland to coach Team Vanuatu at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before returning to France for my first seminar at home and then continuing my journey across the Atlantic. The adventure goes on and I'm looking forward to discovering where judo will take me next.
