Back to Reality

Note: I wrote this on the 7th of January, but due to lack of internet access, I am just now posting it on the 11th….PS, Happy Birthday Mama!

Merry Second Christmas to everyone! Here in Moldova, many people follow the Orthodox calendar and celebrate Christmas on January 7th. My host family celebrates on both December 25th and January 7th which I have absolutely no problem with! This morning, we all gathered for another Christmas dinner (breakfast) which my host mom spent the past 3 days preparing for. This time around, the menu was more Moldovan. We ate sarmale (stuffed cabbage and grape leaves), meatballs, some crepe-like things stuffed with meat and cheese, mamaliga (the national dish of Moldova…an interesting cornmeal concoction), rooster jelly (for the host family), and rooster soup (for me). The meal was started off with a shot of vodka, of course, and then we switched to wine, and then coffee. My host family was excited to try the Texas fruit cake that my grandparents sent to me. After stuffing ourselves, we spent the rest of the day relaxing at home.

I just got back from an amazing trip to Istanbul a few days ago. On December 27th, I tried to fly out of Moldova but was unsuccessful due to the return of some lovely freezing rain. After sitting in the airport for a few hours, and coming across all sorts of interesting characters, we were told that our flight was cancelled so I had to scramble to find a place to crash for the night. That is one downside to living in a village…the last bus from the capital to my village left about 2 hours before my flight was cancelled and the Peace Corps office closed before I was able to get my luggage back. Luckily, earlier that day, I had run into a couple of other volunteers who were planning to stay the night in an apartment so after making a few phone calls, I was able to find a bit of floor space to crash on for the night. I was eventually able to get onto a flight to Istanbul on the 28th, and was met by my dad at the Istanbul airport around 2 in the afternoon. We took a bus back to the hotel, where I was surprised to find Isaac. I had no idea he was coming so I was obviously very excited, and squealed like a little girl when he popped out from around the corner at me. Other than the first day and the last 2 days before we left, the weather was absolutely wonderful. It was marvelous to be able to go outside without wearing 4 layers of clothing. I also enjoyed the luxury of having efficient indoor plumbing…oh, the showers! Dad, Isaac, and I were there for about 8 days so we were really able to make our way around Istanbul and see pretty much everything we wanted to see. We ate some amazing meals and I was thrilled to drink real coffee from a Starbucks we passed every day. One evening, we were able to meet up with my dad’s assistant principal and her husband (who is Turkish and was visiting his family in Istanbul for the first time in about 11 years) for a fun evening of food, drinks, live music, and belly dancing (we were not the ones doing the dancing, by the way). One of my good friends from Peace Corps was also visiting Istanbul with her mother while we were there, so one day we met up with them for coffee and then went to the Blue Mosque. On New Years Eve, Isaac, Dad, and I went out for an amazing meal and drinks. We decided to avoid the crazy crowds and just enjoyed our dinner and went back to the hotel. Istanbul was definitely unlike any other city I have ever visited, and I absolutely loved it. Everyone we encountered was incredibly nice and eager to help us and the history that is so much a part of the city made it one of my favourite trips ever. It goes without saying that getting to see my dad and little brother after 7 months away from home was definitely a highlight.

The time away from Moldova made me realize that I am happy here and I do genuinely enjoy what I am doing, but that every day here is challenging (whether it is working with my students or my partners, just trying to deal with the everyday challenges of living somewhere so different from home, or the constant struggle to be able to communicate with people in a foreign language) and that no matter what I would be doing back in the US right now if I hadn’t decided to join the Peace Corps, I am pretty sure it would be easier than living here.

Coming back to my home in Bravicea was actually kind of nice after being gone for awhile. My host family was interested to hear all about my trip and to see pictures of everything we saw. Unfortunately for me, I once again managed to catch a bit of a cold while I was away…I think it must be a lack of vitamins in my diet or something because I have had more colds since I have been here than I have had in the past 5 years of my life! Anyway, my ever-attentive host family noticed immediately and I was once again scolded for not wearing the appropriate winter attire necessary in Moldova (although, I don’t think I could possibly add another layer to my current outfit as it is). I am afraid that my host mama is going to stop letting me leave the house until the spring.

I have another few days before school starts up again on the 11th and I have to admit that I am almost ready to go back. Right now, sitting around at home, reading and watching movies, makes me feel a bit unproductive. Hopefully, I will be able to upload some of the pictures from my trip to facebook pretty soon, so keep an eye out for them. Between Isaac and I, I think we got some really good shots of Istanbul.