Summertime Fun

It has been a while since my last post, and time has been flying! I had some issues with my computer, and while it is at least back in my possession, it is still not quite right (I am really trying to avoid having to buy a new one here because, aside from the money, any computer I buy here will have Russian Windows and that is just not fun).

My mom and Isaac were here for their visit in June and it was absolutely fantastic to see them both. You all know I am not exactly what most people would consider an emotional person, but when I saw them coming through the arrivals gate at the airport here in Chişinǎu, I have to admit that I got a bit teary-eyed. Within their first few minutes of being here, they got to experience the joys of Moldovan public transportation…something that quickly became my mom’s…ahem…favorite part of Moldova. Just ask her about the window policy. For the first 5 days of their trip, we stayed in an apartment in the capital. There are a few ladies that all of us Peace Corps volunteers know who have a few apartments close to the PC offices that they rent to us when we want to stay a night or two in the capital. We used the apartment as a home base and took trips to other parts of the country. It was nice for me too because, although I have been here for over a year now, there were still some places I hadn’t managed to visit yet. We spent some time exploring the capital and went to the history museum here…not sure that the museum really made the history of this country any clearer though (it is pretty complicated). We also took a day trip to Orheiul Vechi which has beautiful scenery and some really old cave monasteries. We trekked up to Soroca which has a fortress that is pretty famous and had a good meal there. The World Cup was in full swing so we went to the National Theatre in the capital one night because they had a huge screen and a bunch of tables set up outside. I think we were all surprised when it became clear that there were actually people cheering for North Korea. One night, my mom cooked a meal at the apartment and some of my PC friends came over. It was nice to be able to introduce my friends to mom and Isaac. That weekend, we headed out to my village so that I could show them what my life is like here. Isaac quickly charmed everyone (surprise, surprise) and picked up some Romanian phrases to impress the locals. My host mom had clearly been cooking and cleaning for some time because there was a huge spread ready for us as soon as we arrived. My mom enjoyed talking to my host parents about their lives and the history of Moldova…I was actually pretty happy with my ability to translate (except when my mom started trying to ask complicated questions after I had had a bit of house wine). I took them around the village and they got to see the school where I work, the primaria (mayor’s office), the hospital, the village library, the church, and the cemetery. That night, two of my former 12th form students took Isaac and I to the disco (a place I normally avoid since ALL of my students starting the 8th form go there every weekend). It was really fun and I think Isaac enjoyed seeing what people his age do in Moldova for fun. The next day we made some margaritas with the mix that mom brought from America. Nobody here had ever had tequila before (it is really expensive and not terribly easy to find) and they all loved the new drink. We took the rest of the margaritas to a bbq in the woods where mom and Isaac got to meet my partner teacher, Svetlana, and her family; my other partner, Ana; my old Romanian tutor, Diana; and another one of my former students, Petrea; and his father. There was a lot of eating, drinking (of course), and even some singing. Later that day, Isaac went with Sergiu (my partner’s son and my former student) and Petrea to the village’s sports stadium to play volleyball with some other kids. I think Isaac got a kick out of the tradition of drinking house wine every time they switched sides.

After a fun-filled weekend, we headed to Romania on a 13 hour overnight train. We spent 5 days in Bucuresti and just enjoyed spending time together. We took our time and managed to see a couple of things every day without stressing out over getting from place to place. One day we had a picnic in a beautiful park and took a row boat onto a lake…where I embarrassed myself trying to row, and another day we spent bar/café hopping because it was raining. It was wonderful to be able to just relax, talk, and catch up after a year apart. While we were in Romania, I took advantage of the many varieties of food options that were available (Moldova is somewhat lacking in that department). It was interesting for me to be in a country that at times felt very similar to Moldova, and at others, completely different. People speak the same language…sort of…but without any of the Russian influence that is so prevalent in Moldova. I found it much easier to understand what people were saying in Romania. There are also a large number of English speakers in Romania which explains why, though there are Peace Corps programs in Romania, English Education is not one of them.

When I got back to Moldova after the trip, I started helping out with the training sessions for the new volunteers. I have enjoyed leading some of these sessions because it not only gave me something to do during the time off from school, but it has also provided a good way to get to know the new English teachers. Seeing the new trainees as they adjust to life in Moldova and life as PC volunteers has made me think back to my own experiences at this time last year. It has made me realize how far I have come in so many ways and how much I have learned since I arrived last June. I am going to be getting a site mate here in my village in August. Her name is Crystal and she is a Health Education volunteer. She will teach some classes at my school and also work with the local medical center to put together seminars for the community. At first, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about having another American in such close proximity but I think it will end up being great. It will be especially nice to have another American around once winter hits and it is dark at 4pm and we are trapped in the village because the roads are so bad. We might also be able to collaborate on a project or two which could work out really well. She still has another couple of weeks of training before she moves here permanently, but I did have fun showing her around and helping with translating while she was here for her site visit. Helping her reminded me of how scared, intimidated, and absolutely clueless I was when I was doing this last year. Being sent to a small Moldovan village, dropped off at a strange house, and introduced to your new boss when you have only been studying a language for about a month is one of the scariest things I have ever experienced so I was glad that I could be there to help her out and offer her my support.

On a another note, while we were at the village hospital meeting people, a woman who was doing some paperwork apparently needed some help with math so she whipped out…wait for it…that’s right…an abacus. Yep. An abacus. I knew they didn’t have computers or anything, but I did assume they would at least use calculators. I then got to see how they keep track of medical records. A lady came in and asked for her child’s records. The nurse then opened up a cabinet that was full of little notebooks…the kind that my kids use at school…it appears each family has a notebook and their medical records are handwritten inside. It was very interesting to see how things are done in the absence of technology.

I know that I have mentioned this before, but one of the things that makes living in Moldova a constant learning experience is the fact that everyone speaks some combination of Russian and Romanian. This is a highly political issue here and people will get very heated about it. My host parents, for instance, both grew up after WWII and lived through the various stages of Soviet influence. During this time, they were forced to speak Russian, and are still completely fluent to this day. Neither of them speak it now unless absolutely necessary (they do use some words and phrases from time to time without even realizing it though). There are also people on the opposite side of things. They see Russian as the first language of Moldova and choose to only speak it. This is affected a lot by region, social standing, and education (there are some schools that are Russian and some that are Romanian). Many Moldovans speak a mixture of the two languages with a bit of “Moldovan” thrown in as well. There are certain words and phrases that are neither Romanian nor Russian and are used frequently in villages…and vary depending on the village. A lot of people don’t even realize which language they are using because everyone speaks both. My partner teacher has sometimes turned to me and spoken in Russian without realizing it and only after she notices my clueless face does she switch to either Romanian or English. The reason I bring this up is because I experienced a perfect example of this while waiting on the bus to go back to my village last week. A woman approached me and asked if she could make a quick call on my cell phone. I said yes and handed her my phone. She told me that she didn’t know how to dial and that she would just tell me the number. Up until this point, she had been speaking Romanian to me, but when she gave me the number, she said it in Russian. I stopped her and asked her (in Romanian) to repeat it in Romanian. She looked at me like I was crazy or stupid and repeated the number again…in Russian. At this point, I whipped out one of the Russian phrases I have learned here and told her that I didn’t understand Russian. The fact that she had been speaking Russian and not Romanian finally clicked in her brain (and showed visibly on her face). She honestly thought she had been speaking a different language! She then tried to give me the number in Romanian, but truly struggled to remember the Romanian numbers. We eventually got it done and she completed her call. This happens frequently with a lot of food and tools vocabulary. If you ask for the Romanian word for certain things, people have to really think about it before they can answer (and sometimes they just can’t remember at all). As the year progressed at school, and my Romanian became better, my kids realized that I understood them when they spoke to each other in Romanian (esp. during tests). Once they realized this, they switched to Russian.

I think that is about it for now. Hope all is well back in the US and that everyone else is having as great a summer as I am!