Maternity Hospital ‘Magazin’, Iaşi

Across the street from the 1960s block that houses our small two-room city centre apartment is Iasi’s central maternity hospital. Alex, our friend, is one of the many thousands whose life has begun across the way, with additions to this city’s growing 400,000+ population arriving everyday.

From our kitchen window, we see the main entrance through which passes a steady flow of admissions and departures with new born, and a small shop, or ‘magazin’.

A shop! Right before our very eyes and over our morning coffee, an impromptu community of patients, visitors and staff queue to buy their preferred brand of cigarette, soft drink, or snack.

A sub-group of this hospital community that are particularly eye-catching are the mothers and mothers to be, wrapped up against the winter chill in brightly coloured dressing gowns that are in stark contrast to the milky morning light.

There’s fluorescent green, followed by peach …