Moldovan Adventures

4th of July Party

2007-11-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

Every year on the 4th of July, or thereabouts, a party is thrown for all Americans living in Moldova, including but not limited to Peace Corps volunteers. It was a lot of fun, but I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed, as last year there was free all-you-can-eat ice cream, and this year, there was NO ice cream!! :( I had a good time hanging out with all my Peace Corps buddies though. In this first picture (L to R) Amy, Rachel, me, Michelle, Carrie Second photo (L clockwise): me, Adam, Amy, Carrie (up top), Craig, and Breanne There was a band that played some fun American tunes with a Moldova accent. They were actually really good, and the volunteers did some heavy duty dancing. me, Adam, Amy, Carrie, and Breanne again. :)

July's Scenery

2007-11-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to me how each season has it's own natural beauty on the surrounding landscape. July brought beautiful fields of sunflowers, a few showers here and there, and the beginnings of grapes! Here's a few landscape shots from my village of Recea.

Camp T.A.R.E.

2007-11-18T06:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I have a lot of catch-up to play. I am actually back in America now, but before I start filling you in my American adventures, I need to finish catching you up with my Moldovan adventures. So, let's run through the last several months, starting with.....JULY!!!! Wow! That's quite a time gap. Sorry, but my slow internet connection in Moldova was just not conducive to blogging. I'm hoping that now that I'm back in America, the high speed internet will make blogging relatively painless. So, let's give it a try. So, at the beginning of July, we conducted Camp T.A.R.E., which I also assisted in last summer. T.A.R.E. stands for Teenagers, Active, Responsible, and Equal. In short, it is a 5-day camp/seminar for young Moldovan women between the ages of 17-22. They are taught a variety of topics on life and professional skills including: resume writing and interview skills, healthy relationships, AIDS/STD's, self defense, domestic violence, good parenting, nutrition, human trafficking, and many other important lessons that many young women in Moldova do not have informational access to. It is taught in a camp environment where we do a ton of fun "camp activities" such as: bonfires (complete with American S'mores), making pinatas, tie-dying, talent contests, theatrical presentations, lots of fun sports activities, and so much more. This year we had 69 attendees from all over Moldova, and ten Peace Corps volunteers paired up with ten Moldovan volunteers as camp counselors. They worked together to present the lessons, and to lead the activities. It was a great success, even though it turned out to be one of the hottest weeks all summer.

The beginning of July

2007-09-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

OK. It worked, so here we go! These 4 pictures are from the beginning of July. Ana, who works at Peace Corps, and Heath, a former Peace Corps volunteer, were married, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to the wedding. They are an adorable couple, and the wedding was a lot of fun! L to R: Carrie, Heath, Ana, me, Adam There was a 4th of July celebration in Chisinau that all volunteers, as well as other Americans in Moldova, were invited to. It was fun, although, truthfully, last year's was even better (free all you could eat ice cream last year!!) Fellow volunteers and I L to R: Amy, Rachel, me, Michelle, Carrie Left front going clockwise: me, Adam, Amy, Carrie (on the top), Breanne, and Craig July 12th was Mama Genia's birthday. She had a small celebration at the house, and we had a lot of fun, eating, dancing, and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Let the Updates Begin!

2007-09-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. It's been ages since I've blogged! But the combination of my slow internet connection, wanting to put pictures in my blog, and the blogging website, makes for an extremely gruelling blog process. So, I kept trying to post, and then giving up, when my blogs didn't make it to the blogsite. Well, I've decided to get back on the horse, and try again. So, in order to test the website. Here's my first attempt. I'm updating everyone on the cutest nephew in the world, mine! :) Trey is now 2 years old, and I can't wait to get to know the little guy! If this posts ok, I'll start the updates that have been a long time in coming. Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures of my adorable nephew. Trey using a cell phone. Trey and his mom Jenny (my wonderful sister-in-law) Trey playing hide and seek on a hiking trip And Trey being his adorable self! Here goes nothing!!!!

2007-06-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

Carrie trying on the procured hat of a Kiev statue. A cool fountain Kiev architecture On the train back to Chisinau.

Kiev

2007-06-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

Me, Carrie, and Simone, at Simone's apartment in Kiev Ha! Me and a swimsuit model just hanging out. Kiev, a busy and beautiful city. Very Western European in architecture and design Carrie and I after the most difficult ticket buying episode EVER!! Thankfully we finally procured four tickets back to Chisinau for Carrie, Adam, Simone and myself, but OH the headache!! :)

2007-06-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Fortress ruins A church in Feodosia On the 13 hour train ride to Kiev

2007-06-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

2007-06-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sudak

2007-06-27T05:31:00.000-07:00

From the top of the fortress you could see the Black Sea curve off into the eternal distance. Adam, Carrie, and I Cool fortress right?! And it wound all over the place!

Day trip to Sudak fortress

2007-06-27T04:50:00.000-07:00

Vineyards on the ride into Sudak. Adam and I looking tough at the bottom of the fortress hike. We looked progressively less tough as the hike and the heat of the day wore on. :) A view of the fortress. A view of the ocean on the way up to the fortress. I love the ocean!! Sigh!

Goodbye Odessa; Hello Feodosia!

2007-06-27T04:33:00.000-07:00

Carrie's version of the Sandman at the beach in Odessa. Amazing, Western European architecture was everywhere! Much different from Moldova's soviet block buildings. An evening stroll along a quaint street in Feodosia. An interesting chapel-looking tower in the center of Feodosia.

Odessa continued

2007-06-27T04:20:00.000-07:00

Carrie and I shooting cannons atop the city of Odessa. Everywhere we looked, there wandered half-naked, suntanned people of every size. Adam trying to push me off the wall. The day spent at the beach was incredible, all except for the overabundance of speedos! AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! so scary! I don't care who you are: a speedo is NEVER a good idea!!

UKRAINE

2007-06-27T04:06:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Ukraine with fellow volunteers, Adam and Carrie. Here and above are a bunch of pictures taken. We started by taking a loooong bus ride to Odessa. We spent the day in Odessa wandering around and hanging out on the beach. Then in the evening we caught a night train to Feodosia, Crimea. It was an 8 or 9 hour train ride, but quite comfy as we had our own compartment with beds and somewhat functional air conditioning. Motion lulls me to sleep and I enjoyed the excuse to just lay around, read, sleep and eat. :) We found a nice little boarding house that gave us a great room with 3 beds, a bathroom, complete with shower and toilet (more than I have in Moldova:) and a cute little balcony that overlooked their beautifully landscaped flower garden and courtyard. That day we just wandered around Feodosia, bought ice cream, kebabs, and more ice cream, and we had a nice dinner at a sit-down restaurant. The next day, we took a three hour bus ride to Sudak, where we hiked up to a huge and very interesting forest. From the top of there, we had an amazing view of the Black Sea, and it was such a beautiful day spent outdoors. Then we headed back to Feodosia. The next day we headed to Kiev on another loooong train ride, 13 hours or so. From there, we spent the majority of the morning hunting down an old friend of mine, Simone, who lives in Kiev now. Simone and I met during my study abroad in Russia about six years ago. It was great to see her!! While Simone ran some errands, Carrie, Adam and I explored some of Kiev, and also ran into quite a headache trying to buy our tickets back to Chisinau (Simone was coming with us too). Then, we all met up again in the evening for a meal at TGIF!!!!!!!! After dinner, Simone and a friend of hers showed us around Kiev a bit more. Then we headed back to her apartment for a good night's sleep and an early start the next morning. We left Kiev around 9AM and 13 hours later, arrived in Chisinau. Unfortunately, Simone only had a day to spend in Chisinau, which we spent wandering around. And then, she was off to Ukraine again. All in all, a very fun, but exhausting trip!! Can't wait to do it again! :) The picture above is of Adam and Carrie mimicking the background at a Cafe in Odessa. My first glimspe of the sea in AGES!!! I think I got a little misty-eyed. The Odessa Harbor. Look at all those cranes! Carrie and I goofing off.

Anna, go get your boys!

2007-06-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

Ha! I've been meaning to blog about this for some time, but as I was on sabbatical, I waited. Now, I'm ready. It's a good one! So, there's a group of five male volunteers who are doing a test-run of a new type of camp plan here in Moldova. Instead of holding their own camp, they are training Moldovan counselors all over the country on how to conduct team building exercises, and how to share a variety of educational and developmental skills with the kids that these counselors will come into contact with in the various camps they will be working at throughout Moldova this summer. Hence, these five guys travel all over Moldova to counselor schools and conduct day long seminars with the counselors. They are all very high energy, enthusiastic, and fun-loving guys, just the type you'd want to be conducting team building exercises. Well, last month, Greg (one of the five) asked me if they could stay at my place since they had to do a training in Balti the next day, and my village is not far away. I told them of course they could!! I thought, "it'll be like having my brothers around again!" :) So, later on that afternoon, I headed down to the local bus stop to meet the first round of fellows coming in: Greg, Evan, and Patrick (that's them in the first picture in order from left to right). Not too long afterwards, we met Chris at the bus stop, and instead of heading back to my house to wait for Rok, the final volunteer, we decided to buy ice cream at the little store in the center of my village, and hang out there, till Rok arrived. The guys decided that while we waited, we should play some of their camp games, which sounded like fun to me. I mean, if we were gonna wait, we may as well have some fun in the process. So, they started teaching me a variety of very loud American games which included such things as yelling, "BIPPETY BIPPETY BOP!!" and "YEE HAW!!" at the tops of our lungs. Needless to say, the locals were quite shocked and somewhat intrigued. We started collecting a curious crowd of onlookers, most staying at a safe distance, in case "those crazy Americans" started charging or biting. Although many of the onlookers knew me, they had never seen this side of me. I suspect many were questioning, not only our sanity, but also our sobriety at that point, and although a few asked me what I was doing, many tried to avoid eye contact entirely. I told the boys that, within the course of thirty minutes, they had probably undone a year and a half of community integration on my part. :) Finally Rok arrived, and we headed back to the house with the stares of many flabbergasted locals boring into our backs. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them that night, and it was kinda like hanging out with all my bros back home. I enjoyed their company so much that I suggested they return the next night after their training that day, since my village was much closer to their training, than Chisinau. They agreed to do so, and so, the next evening, they all showed up on my doorstep yet again. That evening I had decided to prepare good 'ol American hamburgers, and had bought ground beef for the occasion. When I arrived home from work, I noticed that the guys were not at the house. I figured they must have decided to explore the village, and decided to start making the hamburgers. After preparing the burgers, the guys were still nowhere to be seen, and it was starting to get dark outside. I began to wonder how far off they had wandered. That's when a neighbor showed up at the gate, and started animatedly talking to my host mother. I thought they were just visiting, till host mom came in and said dramatically, "Anna Maria, the neighbor says your boys are playing a game in somebody's field of cow grass. You had better go get them because somebody has run to tell the owner what they're doing, and if the owner of the field gets there before you do, they will be in a lot of trouble!" So, off I went to go get my boys. :) As I was walking down the road towards the fields, I noticed more and more neighbors outside on the road, talking excitedly, and as I passed, they kept saying things like, "you better hurry!", or "you going to get your boys?", or just chuckling. As I approached the field, I realized, to my dismay, that I was not quick enough. There stood the owner of the field, a short, squat "baba", and she was not happy!! She was yelling off into the distant field where stood five dots, such things as "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!", and "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!" and "WE JUST SPENT HOURS PLANTING ALL THAT GRASS, AND NOW YOU'RE RUNNING AROUND IN IT PLAYING IN IT?!?!?!" and "IF YOU WANTED TO PLAY, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO TO THE SPORTS STADIUM?!?" and other such furious sentences. I hurried up to her, and tried to explain, "oh ma'am, I'm so sorry. They're foreigners. Not from around here. They didn't realize that this was your field." She replied, "Why didn't they go to the stadium instead of choosing my field to trample all over?!" I responded, "well, you see, they're Americans. And in America, not very many people farm. So when we see a field of grass, we assume it IS a stadium." -Angry Field Owner: Well, it is obviously NOT a stadium!! It's my field, and I just planted all that grass, and now they've destroyed it!! -Me: on the contrary ma'am, they have just performed a "rain dance" on your field. Now it will rain on your field, and your grass will be taller than anyone else's. -AFO: (cracking a small smile and cocking an eyebrow) Oh really? A rain dance, eh? -Me: Yes, in fact, next week, when everybody sees how well your field is growing, they will all be begging these boys to do rain dances in their fields as well. -AFO: (now smiling a bit wider) I see. hmm....well, why didn't they just go over to the stadium? I JUST planted this field! -Me: they didn't realize there was another stadium. Tell you what, you go get some more seeds, and we'll put these guys to work. We'll make them tear up the whole field, and replant EVERYTHING!!!!! AFO: now now, there's no need for that. I'm sure things will be OK. By this time, the guys had arrived at where AFO and I were standing, and when they realized why she had been yelling at them, they began to appologize profusely. AFO softened considerably. Meanwhile, more watching villagers had been gathering along the road. Several local boys that had been playing with the volunteers came up to me and said, "Is it OK if we take them to the stadium at the school so we can keep playing?" I told the kids, "I'm sorry boys, but I've just made them dinner and it's time for them to come home and eat." I felt like a mother of five, as I led the procession back to the house. It was a hillarious walk of shame, as they fell in single file line behind me. We had to walk back past all the nosy villagers that had lined up on either side of the road to watch, and the boys hung their heads, not only in shame, but also to keep from breaking out in laughter at the whole scenario. I personally couldn't help myself, and kept laughing as I walked by different villagers who made comments like, "taking them home, eh?", or "your boys are foreigners. They just didn't know. " or "it's their dinner time, huh?" hahaha!!!! When we arrived back at the house, they kept appologizing, and that's when I really started laughing. I told them, this is probably the most excitement my village has had in years!! They actually just perfomed a community service by giving the locals something new and exciting to gossip about. And, they also provided me with yet another crazy and exciting Moldovan adventure to share with you!! :D As a sidenote: A day or two after the guys left, I ran into the AFO as she was walking her cow out to pasture. As we passed, I couldn't help chuckling. She responded in mock anger, "What are YOU laughing about, huh?!" but I caught the smile that she couldn't quite hide as we each went our seperate ways. :) Oh the fun!

Bridgett's B-day

2007-06-27T01:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of June we celebrated Bridgett's birthday. Not only was it a chance to hang out and eat great food, yet again, but it was also one of the last opportunities to hang out with Dechen (another Balti volunteer that was leaving early for grad school), and Nic (who would be leaving several weeks after). So, we all went to Bridgett's apartment, where she had prepared an array of deliciously American foods, like macaroni salad, and apricot squares. mmmm!!! She had invited a few Moldovan friends, as well. It was a great time to hang out and speak English (her friends all spoke English very well). We had a blast, and although it was bittersweet as we had to say goodbye to Dechen. I think we all handled the goodbye well. I hate goodbyes! Bridgett's the second from the left. Adam and Nic hanging out in Balti the next day

Return From Sabbatical

2007-06-27T00:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. I took a blogging sabbatical because I was so frustrated with how slow and often unpredictable blog posting can be. Sometimes, I would labor over an entry, finally be ready to post it, and it would never make it to the blog, but would exit my screen. Where those lost blogs go? I have no idea, but it was enough to force me to take a break. Now, after a few months, I'm back!! And hopefully I'll have better luck this time around! The only problem is that due to the fact that I took such a long sabbatical, I now have a ton to catch you all up on, which means more typing, and maybe more lost blogs, which might then, in turn, cause me to get re-frustrated, and have to take ANOTHER sabbatical!! It's a vicious cycle, it really is! :) OK. Here's my first attempt at catching you up. Ready? Here goes! Some of our favorite Peace Corps volunteers, Nic and Bridgett, are heading back to the States early to start grad school. They both live in the city closest to me, and Adam, Nic, Bridgett and I get together quite frequently for great food (they're both amazing cooks), hukas, and fun games (blokus being at the top of that list. If you've never heard of it, check it out!! You'll get hooked!). So, Adam and I came to the realization that we had better spend as much time with them as possible since we would be missing them so much when they left. Hence, lots of fun times in Balti, hanging out. These first two pictures are from a get-together we all had before heading to another volunteer's village for an AIDS benefit concert that she was putting on. Becca, another northern volunteer was also able to join us for the fun! And oh the fun and food! Sigh! The following two pictures are from the AIDS benefit concert that Jessica Ginger put on in her village. If you recall, Jess is the one I went to Zimbabwe with. She organized an amazing concert in her village, with tons of traditional dancing, songs, poems, even an eating contest, and all the proceeds went to benefit a group of kids at an AIDS home in the city of Balti. It was a great eye opener for her community as well, as they learned about the AIDS virus and the importance of being aware of it, and precautions that must be taken to avoid it. All in all, it was a lot of fun. Now I'm going to try and post this. If it works, then I'll post more updates. If not, I GIVE UP!! kids in Jess' school dressed in traditional Moldovan outfits, and getting ready to dance.

Revenge of the Pigs - photos

2007-04-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Pinky, happily munching weeds in the makeshift corral. Einstein: the pig genius The dogs, Ewok and Balca, harassing Pinky as she saunters around the corral The penned-in peanut gallery

"Who Ya Callin Babe?!? Part II" aka "Hey Babe, Meet Einstein" aka "Revenge of the Pigs!!"

2007-04-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

What’s that I hear? You want another animal adventure? And….wait…you want to hear about pigs AGAIN?!?! Well, if you insist, but just remember, you asked for it! It’s a long one! I must set this story up by explaining that my host mom currently has five pigs that her older (and now deceased and sitting on our shelves in the form of bacon and ham) pig gave birth to about 8 or 9 months ago, and are now quite large. And if you recall my last pig story, as pigs get older, they begin to get restless. Now, on with the story. This past Monday, host mom (I call her MG, short for Mama Genia), decided she would very much like to go and visit her daughter and grandchildren in the city. I assured her I could handle the small farm while she was gone, the small farm consisting of the five pigs, three dogs, and a cat, oh and a few chickens. I mean seriously, things run pretty smoothly when she’s here, what could really go wrong in just one day? And if something were to go wrong, what are the chances it would just happen to be the day she leaves? Slim, I decided. So, I urged her to go, and must have been pretty convincing, because Monday afternoon, she headed out to visit her family. That night was a piece of cake. I threw the pigs their food, gave them some water afterwards, and fed the dogs and cat. No problem! The next morning, I got up early, for me, around 7, to wash the dishes and feed the animals again. I fed the dogs and cat, and then headed out to feed the pigs. After that I headed back to bed, the plan being to sleep for another hour or so (hey, I got all my chores done, so why not?), and then go for a run. About an hour later, I awoke to the sound of loud squealing. Now it’s true, pigs can often get pretty rambunctious, but they were unusually rowdy this morning. They were all squealing in a most excited way, and I couldn’t help but wonder if something wasn’t going on outside. So, I grudgingly dragged myself out of bed, and took a look out the window. And what do you think I should see, but a pig loose in MG’s garden!! Not good, because MG had just planted a ton of veggies and pigs love to dig those sorts of things up and gobble them down. So, I hurriedly threw a sweater on, and some shoes, and ran out to the garden. From a closer view, I realized TWO pigs were running loose in the garden! Great! Now what? The last time the pigs had gotten loose, MG had enlisted my help, because recapturing the pigs is a two person job. One person has to herd the pigs towards the pen, while the other waits to open the pen and then steps back so the pigs don’t get spooked, but walk back in where they belong. The problem is, if you just leave the pen open, the other pigs run out, but if you leave it closed till the free pigs are herded towards it, when you move in to open the pen, the freshly corralled pigs panic, and take off squealing into the garden again. That’s why it’s a two person job. You have to head them off, and have the gate open while at the same time guard the other pigs in the pen who are eyeing the open gate and plotting their own escape. On top of this, I couldn’t see HOW the pigs had gotten out! The gate to the pen was still wired shut. My only theory was that they must have climbed the gate somehow, which I would think should be no small feat for pigs of their size. Well, I decided, I would give this a shot on my own, and if I absolutely couldn’t manage to recapture and pen the pigs, I would try to enlist the help of a neighbor. So, armed with a broom in one outstretched arm, and my other arm thrown out as far as possible, off I went after the pigs. My goal was to herd them towards the pen, and then hope they stayed put long enough for me to open the pen and coax them into it. However, the herding them towards the pen took a little bit of practice. They kept breaking formation on me, the black pig running one way, and the pink pig, the other way, both squealing as if they were laughing at me. Meanwhile, the three remaining penned pigs, were standing on their haunches, front legs on the gate, squealing encouragement to the two free pigs. I swear they were!! They were like spectators at a football game, yelling loudly, and squealing even louder when I got too close to one of the liberated garden thrashers. Every time the pigs would outmaneuver me, a chorus of squeals would go up from the penned peanut gallery. I could swear they were placing bets on the event, and I’m pretty sure the odds were against me! Finally, I cornered the black one. Instead of taking off, as I expected her to do, she just stood there, stock still. I cautiously advanced on her, expecting her to bolt at any second, but she continued to stay rooted to the spot, as if she thought if she were still enough, I’d mistake her hairy black body for just another tree in the garden. When I reached her side, she let me touch her with hardly a movement from her. So, I began to try coaxing her back to the pen. She wouldn’t budge. I guess she was taking this “tree” thing more seriously than I realized, and she was literally “rooted” to the spot. She dug her haunches into the earth, and refused to budge. I had to straddle her, and then wrap my arms around her middle, and actually pick her front half up, just to move her a foot or two. We gradually progressed like this towards the pen, me doing more grunting than the pig. Finally, I made it to the pen, and practically sat on her, while I worked the gate open. Then, I had to SHOVE her as hard as I could to get her to go into the pen. It was quite the workout, and by the time I actually succeeded in getting her back into the pen, I was hot and sweating like….well….like a pig! One down, now where was the second one? There she was, down at the end of the garden eating MG’s green onions. I should mention that during all this commotion, the dogs, whom I had gated out of the garden area, were frantic with worry for me. Due to all the pig squealing, they thought something was happening to me, and little as they are, were trying with all their might to get through the gated area and come to my rescue. They were barking like crazy, which only added to the cacophony of noises assaulting me. Arms outstretched, and talking soothingly (yes, I was talking to a pig, OK?!?!), I slowly advanced on the wary onion eater. She was much more skittish than the black one, and as soon as I got within fifteen feet of her, she let out a squeal and took off. I raced in the other direction to head her off, and she did head towards the pen. But when she got there, she realized she was shut out, and as I advanced towards the pen, trying to be as unthreatening as possible, she bolted. This time, she headed into a corralled area between MG’s garden, and the neighbor’s yard. This area had a fence on either side, and was relatively narrow. So, I figured I had her caught. I slowly, cautiously moved towards her, and she kept backing up, and throwing panicked glances around to find any means of escape. Finally, I had her as far back as the corral went, and she was backed against a fence. This was it, I thought. If I could just get a hold on her, I could move her the way I did the other one, back to the pen. But, just when I thought I could grab her, she charged the fence, ripping the stake holding it upright, right out of the ground, and took off into MG’s garden yet again!! The penned pigs were all squealing encouragement and strategy at her. And I was heating up again in the sun. I headed back towards the pen to appraise the gate, and contemplate the idea of opening it so that pink pig could go in without me scaring her. I could tell a part of her wanted to be in there with her buddies. But when I got to the pen, I discovered another wrinkle in my plan. The black pig, it turns out, was the genius of the group. She was the idea pig, the ringleader. She had figured out how to unlatch the gate, and was currently working on doing this when I arrived at the pen. The latch system was somewhat complicated, but she had it down to an art, and was in the process of snapping it open. I suddenly realized why MG had wired the latch down, and I also realized that if I didn’t do the same thing, Einstein was gonna make another run for it, and maybe take a few more buddies along this time. But if I wired it shut, it would be that much harder to open if I actually got Pinky back to the pen area. Einstein settled it for me, when I approached with a wire, and she tried to push my hand away. She has a strong snout. Her angry grunt told me she thought SHE was the boss, and I knew I had to wire that gate shut. So, I held Einstein’s head back with one hand, like big brothers do with little sibling that are attacking them, you know, a hand on the head, arm out straight, little sibling thrashing and reaching but not matching the arm span of big brother, same thing here. With the other hand, I worked the wire over the latch. Einstein kept trying to get the other pigs to discourage me as well, but they would only come over and grunt threateningly. They were afraid to get too close. I was reminded of that book Animal Farm, and suddenly began to wonder if it was fiction after all. These pigs suddenly seemed to be very intelligent and calculating. Hmm…. With the gate wired shut, I went after Pinky again. Currently, she was in the process of digging out MG’s potatoes that she had planted in the garden the day before. Again I coaxed her towards the pen; again, she moved towards the pen, only to be discouraged by the closed and wired shut gate. Again, she held a grunted powwow with her buddies, and again, as I moved towards the pen to open the gate, she bolted into the corral area. And yet again, as I advanced on her, she ripped the fence stake, that I had just replaced in the ground, out and ran back into the garden. We kept at this routine for maybe five or ten minutes, going around and around in the same circle, towards the pen, into the corral, through the fence stake, back into the garden. A song suddenly popped into my head “round and round the merry-go bush, the monkey chased the weasel.” I started laughing, but kept chasing Pinky. I think she was enjoying the game, and I had to admit a certain grudging respect growing in me towards her. She was quite athletic, and although not as smart as Einstein, she did possess some intelligence of her own. At one point, I thought if I blocked off the corral as a possibility, I could corner her at the pen. So, I found a large piece of plywood, and put it across the corral opening. But my grudging respect grew as, the next time we made our circle, she simply hurdled the board, and happily began eating weeds in the corral area. That’s when I got the idea to add higher boards to the one already there, thus trapping her in the corral area instead of the garden. That way, she could happily eat weeds till MG came home, and then we could work together to recapture her. That settled, I found more boards, piled them high, and headed into the house. For a while, everything was fine, but I just couldn’t get the picture of Pinky ripping through the fence out of my mind. I realized that I kept imagining her back in the garden eating MG’s veggies, while I sat unsuspecting in the house. Finally, I could take it no longer. I quickly surveyed the neighborhood to see if any neighbors were on hand to help, but I saw nobody, and didn’t want to bother anyone holed up in their houses. Out I went again, this time, not paying quite as much attention to the gate barring the dogs from the pig arena. When I got to the backyard, Pinky was still munching on weeds in the corral area, but I noticed she had knocked a few of the boards over, and I came to the realization, that I would not be able to relax until she was safely back in the pen. So, I re-strategized. Maybe, if I could partition off the area around the pen, I could toss some food in to distract the others, open the gate, and then go after Pinky and herd her back in before the others had realized the gate was unlocked and partially opened. So I set up a haphazard wall around the pen, went and got some food, tossed it into the back of the pen, and then unlatched the gate, only leaving it open a few inches, just enough for Pinky to nudge it when she got there. The only problem? As I was unlatching the gate, Einstein left the food, and came over. She saw that the wire was off the latch, and the latch was open, and she kept trying to pull the gate open against me holding it closed. She’s strong!!! Pinky had made her way kind of close to the pen, and I thought maybe I could get her in before Einstein made a run for it. At about the same time, the dogs had figured out how to open THEIR gate, and they came racing towards us, barking and yelping and probably thinking they were the cavalry there to save the day. I ran after Pinky, and only realized too late that Einstein had been waiting for just this opportunity. She pulled the gate open the rest of the way, and before I could get back to the pen to shut it, she had led all the other pigs out as well. The dogs were going crazy, running around the garden on the heels of the pigs, yelping, and nipping, and freaking out, and the pigs were racing all over the garden stopping here and there to nibble on a turnip, or a carrot leaf, or an herb plant of some sort, but constantly squealing and screeching. And I was running around trying to gather them all up at once, and failing to recapture any. It was complete and utter chaos in the garden, and I suddenly realized how funny it would look to anyone passing by. I detached myself from the situation and pictured what it would look like, and I had to stop for a minute till I got control of the hysterical laughter that was threatening to do me in. it was just too hilarious!!! Then, after composing myself, I decided to herd as many pigs as possible back into the pen. I didn’t have to worry about guarding the gate at that point, since they had all already escaped! Surprisingly enough, the three peanut gallery pigs, were more like lemmings than pigs. They just did what they were told, and were easily herded back to the safety of their pen. I think the idea of freedom was more appealing to them than the reality, and they felt unsafe in that bright and open garden. So, that left just Einstein and Pinky once again. Wow, talk about Déjà vu, and it was, too, as Einstein did the same thing as last time, stopping and refusing to budge. I repeated the straddle-lift-and-drag technique, and once again the SHOVE through the gate, once we reached the pen. Then it was just me and Pinky. AGAIN!!!! I started to feel like Bill Murray on Ground Hog’s Day, repeating the same situation over and over again. This time, when I chased Pinky into the corral, I realized she was getting tired, and hot from being in the sun for so long. The pen is very shady, but the corral had no shade at all. And I remembered the phrase, “You can catch more flies with honey”. Well, I didn’t want flies, goodness knows there’s enough of THEM around, but I did want Pinky. So, I decided to give it a try. I put up a low barrier in the corral, and then tried to coax Pinky over to me by talking soothingly and holding out my hand. By that time, I had managed to bar two of the dogs from the area again, and had locked a third in the shed until I managed to solve this dilemma. Pinky began to respond to me. She moved closer, and then closer still. I held my hand out a little further, and she finally let me touch her. I scratched her behind the ears, and she seemed to really like that. I gradually eased nearer, scratching her like a puppy dog the whole time, and trying my most coaxing voice to keep her calm. A few times, she panicked as I started to get a hold of her, and she ran. But she kept coming back. Finally, she pulled away and headed towards the pen like the other times, but the difference this time was that she was no longer as afraid of me. When I moved nearer to open the gate to the pen, she stayed put. I didn’t even need to open the gate once I had unlatched it, because Einstein was already at work, pulling the gate open with her snout so she could make another run for it, but I pushed her back, and then stepped away a bit so Pinky could go in….AND SHE DID!!!!!!! Walked right in, with just a little push from me. After all of that, SHE WAS IN!!!!!! I decided I didn’t need to go running after that, and even today, several days later, I’m still a little sore. The dogs are still angry at the pigs, and whenever I’m near the pig pen, the dogs run up to me and start barking ferociously at the pigs. Einstein now hops up on the gate and tries to get face to face with me whenever I walk near the pen. But they’re all safe and sound now in that shaded, recently doubly-reinforced pen. When MG returned, I told her the shortened version of the story (lucky you, you got the looong version!!) And she told me something a bit disturbing. The reason Einstein didn’t move when I approached her both times in the garden? If you’re squeamish you may not want to read this. Apparently, she’s in heat, and she wanted a little….er…how do I say this delicately……she wanted a little…. companionship. I had a flashback to my straddling her and lugging her back to the pen TWICE, and I found myself grimacing in disgust. That’s all I was to her?!? A cheap thrill?!? And here I thought we had developed a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual respect and admiration forged through shared hardship and trial!! THE PIG!!!!!

Memorials, and Dead Days

2007-04-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

This April, marked the second year of the passing of my host mother's husband, Grisha. He died several months before I arrived in Moldova, and for at least three years afterwards, his anniversary must be marked with a huge feast. This feast is called the Praznic. This year, about 25 people showed up for the praznic, and it was not nearly as long or exhausting as I expected it to be. I had fun chatting it up with people, and laughing a bit. Everybody here is so friendly, and curious about life in the States. These masas, or feasts, have so much food that it could feed an army for a week. So, host mom and I are still eating leftovers. What are some of the traditional foods that were served there? -Sarmale: cabbage and/or grape leaves stuffed with rice, carrots, meat, and spices. -Parjoale: fried meat patties (these were made out of pork meat, from one of our pigs that was butchered just for the occasion) -Slanini: it's somewhat like bacon-a little pork meat with a lot of fat -Carnats: different types of cold cut meats-mostly salami, turkey, and pork -Spiced carrots: I love these! -Salted and/or smoked fish -Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and goat cheese -Ruskii salata: Russian salad-cubed potatoes, carrots, eggs, ham and then peas, onions and lots of mayonaise. Very similar to our potato salads. -Tort: homemade cake-this one had an almost butercream filling, and a chocolate icing. Very delicious! -Placinta: A flaky pastry filled with one of a variety of things: cherries, apples, cheese, potatoes, cabbage, or meat -Olives -Smoked prunes in prune juice There were tons of other dishes there too, but I can't remember them all. All of it was delicious! I'm going to miss Moldovan food when I get back to the States. Today, I met up with a fellow volunteer from Balti, and we went to the local cemetery for the "Easter of the Dead". I explained what it is in last year's entry, but here's a summary. Every year, about a week after Easter, relatives go to the local cemetery to clean it up, and prepare the gravesites of their loved ones for this day. On the Pastele Blazinelor (Easter of the Dead), families put together picnic baskets with food, and head over to the cemetery in their nicest clothes. There they await the priest, who, after circling the cemetery three times, makes a stop at each gravesite to bless the dead, and the food of those who have come. Afterwards, everybody has a picnic at the cemetery, and walks around sharing wine and food with others "in honor of the deceased souls of loved ones". It was somewhat like Halloween where people kept brining me gifts in remembrance of loved ones. I had to have a bag in order to carry it all back. Some of the things I received (besides becoming a bit tipsy from all the wine I had to drink in remembrance of the dead loved ones. That's a lot of dead people!!): -dish towels -a huge Easter bread (looks like a giant cupcake) -candles -coffee cups -handkerchiefs -colac (braided wreaths of bread) -candy -cookies -socks -matches -oh and did I mention the wine? -and the food I ate with my counterpart and her family (more delicious traditional Moldovan goodness!)

Balti BBQ

2007-04-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

A fellow volunteer just threw a fun BBQ bash in the nearby city of Balti. It was great to mix and mingle with other volunteers and random Moldovans from the Balti area. We BBQ'd by a small lake in Balti, and the chicken was DELICIOUS!!! There was even a keg there! Don't worry. He's just a random flirt. I don't even know his name, but this is the only picture I could find of me at the BBQ. :)

Easter in Rusestii Noi

2007-04-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe that I just experienced my second, and last Easter here in Moldova!! How the time is flying. I had a great time celebrating Easter, this year in Rusestii Noi, with my first host family. L to R: Host Mama Tasea, Tantia Iona, Me, neighbor Olga This little girl is the niece of a friend, and she turned out to be a very bright, somewhat exhausting 5-year old. She was absolutely fascinated with my digital camera, and although, I would normally not just hand my camera over to a five year old, she was an exceptionally bright and gifted one. Plus, she was in love with the thing. So, I let her run around with it for a while, and snap some photos. It turns out she's actually pretty good at it. The first and last pictures in this blog were taken by her. The funny part of it was that she would tell us she was going to take a picture, so we would all begin to arrange ourselves for best angles, etc..., look for pretty things (like Easter eggs) to put in the picture, etc...and when we felt we were all ready for the photo we would say ok, and she would say "I already took it". So, she got some pretty funny candid shots of us getting ready for normal pictures. haha! Cute kid. But being her parent would be exhausting I think. :) Oh here's one of those candid photos, where they thought they were prepping for a picture but were acually being photographed. Here's me and my favorite host sister Viorica. I still want to find a way to get her to the States. She's the greatest!!

Some Quick Updates

2007-03-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

So, in order to speed things along and bring you all up-to-date, here's a few quick updates: I have a new and adorable little puppy. His name is Fiesty, and that's because it doesn't take much to get him worked up. He's tiny, but he thinks he's much bigger, and he loves to play tug of war. I also had a great pizza party in the nearby city of Balti a few weeks ago. Delicious pizza, a fun game of poker, an amazing cake, and great company! Who could ask for anything more? Here were some of the pizza party attendees: L to R: Ben, Jess, Patrick, Jerry, and Jen. Another week or so later, I headed into Balti to visit Nic and Bridgett, and a few other volunteers. We ended up having a hair cutting party. Don't worry, I still have most of my hair, although this picture looks like Nic chopped it all. He was just posing for the camera. :) Bridgett did do a nice layering job though. Thanks Bridgett! And Nic made some great food! Thanks Nic! :)

Back in Moldova!

2007-03-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

So, I know it's taken me FOREVER to update my blog on the Zimbabwe trip. And as a result, some of my more recent adventures have not been shared with you. So, let me give a synopsis of one that happened not too long ago: Andrea's goodbye party. Andrea, the one on the right in this first picture, has been a good friend, and fellow volunteer in my group. She and I were in the same training village together at the beginning. She's hillarious and fun, and the life of every get-together with her sarcastic humor. Well, she has decided that a year in Moldova was just right. She accomplished everything she wanted to accomplish, and chose to head back to the States. But before she did, we had one last bash for her. A group of us headed out to Ungheni, Andrea's regional city and home, and had a great time together. We even had some sporting events of sorts, in which Craig and Nych got first place. It was a great way to send her off, and although we'll all miss Andrea around here, I'm very excited for what's in store for her in the States. L to R: Sarah, me, Carrie (the judges of the sporting events) Front row L to R: Sarah, me, Dan O Back row L to R: Nych, Rok, Craig, Adam, Carrie, Jess, Alexis, Andrea

Our Journey Begins

2007-03-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

I remember the night before Jess and I left, and the look on Jess' face pretty much says it all. After months of planning, the trip was finally about to happen, and we had no idea what to expect. Jess and I stayed at a good friend of her's (Britton's) in Chisinau, the night before, because we had to head out very early the next day for the beginning of our long trip to Zimbabwe. We were both re-packing everything, trying to bring as little as possible, but also enough for every contingency. Hard to do when you don't know what to expect. The journey to Zimbabwe took four flights, and several many hour layovers in a variety of airports. We started from Chisinau, travelled to Istanbul, from there to Nairobi, from there to Johannesburg, and from there to Zimbabwe. By the time we actually got to Zimbabwe, we were so tired and ready for a bed, that we would have taken anything! But even at that point of desperation, we were so pleasantly surprised, when the man who met us at the airport, drove us to his amazing bed and breakfast! It was such a quaint and beautiful place, that we regretted we were only there for the night. There were gardens surrounding all the huts, and the food was delicious. But the next day, right on schedule, we headed out on a several hour bus ride from Harare Zimbabwe (the capital), to meet Ros, our volunteer coordinator from Operation Impact, in Bulawayo. Ros turned out to be a very cool person about our age, and I think we all connected pretty quickly. She knew we'd be a handful after she told us, "I was afraid you ladies were going to be "girly girls"", and I responded, "No, we're really laid back, but seriously, we're not going to break any nails on this trip, are we?" She looked at me with a somewhat disbelieving look of horror, and didn't start breathing again till I smiled and said, "I'm just kidding! I don't even have any nails!" She may have regretted that we weren't a bit "girlier" when she discovered after spending a few days with us, that she would actually have to force us to take showers every day! It's just that when you've lived in Moldova for so long, and only shower every three or four days (or longer), your idea of hygiene changes somewhat. hehehe...... Well, she asked for it! :) Ros took us to the house of the Cunninghams. The Cunninghams founded Family Impact, which is the Christian branch of Operation Impact. They are a wonderful, and very hospitable couple that welcomed us into their beautiful home, and made us feel like part of the family. We were able to rest up a few days at the Cunninghams before heading to Miambo Lodge where our real volunteer work would begin. While we were in Bulawayo, we got to meet some of Ros' friends, and enjoyed some great games of volleyball and ultimate frisbee and enjoy the company of wonderful people all at the same time. Here is a picture of us in the Cunninghams backyard: Me, Jess, Mrs. Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham, and Ros.

Volunteering Begins

2007-03-24T04:34:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at Miambo Lodge, we met some great people, and were put to work pretty quickly. Not only was the staff amazing, but the work was also pretty fun! We met Sarah, a volunteer from England, who warmed up to us after a few days. We scared her pretty bad at first with our loud and overwhelming American-ness. :) She was great, and we had a lot of fun getting to know her. Jerry and Kailos, our guides, taught us so much, and took us on a lot of great adventures. Miambo is next to a national park, so we also got to do some volunteer work in the national park. I'll go into more detail a bit later. Here, Sarah, me and Jess are learning from Jerry, that some trees are not only good for making rope, but also for eating!! Who would have thought? We sometimes went for game count drives where we would head out in the safari truck and go into the local bush or the nearby national park and keep a count of all the animals we saw. Other game counts consisted of us heading to one local watering hole in the national park, and along with a packed lunch, keeping track for a day, of how many animals came and visited the watering hole. On some of these game counts, we would be ambushed by huge but very rapid storms that would sweep through the area, dump tons of rain, and wind on us, and then disappear just as quickly!! It was always exciting, and helped to cool things down, as the sun that close to the equator has a specific and harsh bite to it.

2007-03-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

Something we did quite often as volunteers were snare sweeps. A snare is an animal trap made out of metal. The poachers, go into the bush, find two trees close together, and set up a circle of wire between the trees. Then they place shrubbery on either side of the trees to block any way around the snare. The animals (usually water buffalo, or some type of antelope) don't often see the snare because it is hidden with tree vines and branches. So, they walk right into it. When they pull on it, it tightens around their neck like a noose. Usually, they panick when they realize they're caught in something, and they pull and try to run. This only tightens the snare, and if the poacher doesn't come along quickly to put the animal out of its misery, the snare will slowly strangle the animal as it tries to free itself. So, what we would do, is line up, a few feet apart from each other, and walk through the bush in a straight line, looking for snares. If we found one, we would cut it down, and donate the wires to an organization that made jewelry out of them. The money made from selling the jewelry is then used to fund other conservation projects, and to hire locals to make the jewelry, thus finding honest employment in place of poaching. In these pictures, we came across a snare that had caught a water buffalo. Kailos estimated it had been out there for about two weeks, and as you can see, because the poacher did not find it, the animal died after an angonizing tussle with the snare. The buffalo ran several times around the tree in panick, and the snare wire ended up cutting all the way to its bone. Poor thing. The saddest part is that all of this was in vain, as not even the meat was taken by poachers. In this picture, Jess is pointing to a snare that is hidden between two trees. Why the frown you ask? Well, she just barely missed the snare on her snare sweep. It's so hard to see them. You can see how camelflouged they are. As we did our snare sweeps, we would often stop to learn about local plant life, and various animal and poacher tracking techniques. Kailos and Jerry, our faithful guides and volunteer coordinators at Miambo, were an invaluable and inexhaustible wealth of information on local bush life, and everything having to do with it.

Victoria Falls Fun!

2007-03-24T03:22:00.000-07:00

Jess and I headed to Victoria Falls to 1) PICK UP BECKY!!!, and 2) to see Victoria Falls. Sarah, a volunteer from England, and an awesome person we really enjoyed getting to know at Miambo, also came with us to Victoria Falls. After picking Becky up from the airport (it was so great to see her after over a year), we had some great adventures together in Victoria Falls. We all went on a white water rafting trip in the Zambezi River. I think I was in the water more than i was in the raft, but it was still a lot of fun, all except for the life-flashing-before-my-eyes part in the Big Momma Rapid, and the crocodiles in the water when we were lazily floating next to our raft, cruising down the river in a calm spot. I've never seen people haul us into a raft so quickly!! Then, we went on a sunset cruise, where we saw local water wildlife, and we even got to sample battered crocodile tail (tastes like chicken! Doesn't everything?) We stayed at a sister lodge of Miambo's, and met a great group of volunteers there that were working with a lion rehabilitation project. Basically, they got to spend all day with lion cubs, teaching them how to hunt, feeding them, and cleaning up after them. Eventually, the lions get released back into the wild again. Lots of great people, and lots of fun!! P.S. - Did I mention we picked up BECKY?!?!?!

2007-03-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite experience in Victoria Falls: BUNGEE JUMPING off the victoria Falls Bridge!! So scary, so much fun, and such an adrenaline rush!! I love the look on Becky's face as the guy is telling her, he'll push her after he counts backwards, from five to one. It's one thing to be standing on the bridge looking down, with a guardrail in front of you. It's a whole other thing when you're standing on the edge of the bridge, on a jumping platform, and you realize you're about ready to free fall over THREE HUNDRED feet at the count of five!! Did I already say this was my favorite Victoria Falls adventure? Too bad it was such a short one.

Of course, you'll notice, I picked a picture for myself where it looks like I haven't a care in the world. But if I'm going to be totally honest, my heart was beating much faster than it normally does. Look at the view behind me!! Amazing right?

2007-03-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve, we went to a Victoria Falls party, at a local boat club. Jess later told me that in her head, she envisioned the party being a very authentic, African experience where local native Zimbabweans would be singing traditional songs, and dancing traditional dances around a huge bonfire. Sounded great to me, and much more to my liking. In reality, the party consisted of a LOT of foreign turists all looking for somewhere to party for New Years. I guess it was fun, but parties have never really been my thing. It gave me a great chance to catch up on life with Becky though. That was the hilight of the party for me!! :) One of our final days in Victoria Falls, we sucked it up (I only sucked it up after much persuasion from Jess and Becky that I would regret it for the rest of the my life if I didn't), payed the $20 (that's US Dollars!!! Coming from Zimbabwe OR Moldova, that's a LOT of money!!!!! That's where the "sucking it up" part came in) entrance fee for Americans, and went into the Victoria Falls National Park. It was very beautiful, and ALSO VERY WET!!!!! Zimbabwe has yet to worry about things like law suits from falling turists who get too close to the edge, and so, their only real safety barriers were little signs like the one we're all standing behind (or beyond, should I say) that say "Don't go beyond this point. It's slippery when wet". It was hard to get a really accurate picture of how awe-inspiring these Falls are for several reasons: 1) they are somewhat spread out, and so a camera lens can't take the entirety in in one shot, and 2) they are so powerful that they throw up quite a cloud of eternal mist. You can see the mist from the Falls from miles away!! But, take my word for it: They are amazing! Me and David Livingston, who was the first Westerner to discover Victoria Falls. Yea, we're on a first name basis, Dave and I.

2007-03-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

While we were volunteering at Miambo Lodge, we had the priviledge of meeting and visiting with a nearby homestead family. Homesteads are family plots of land that have gardens, livestock, and a number of small huts, some used for storage of grain, some used as sleeping quarters, a kitchen, etc... Most people that live on homesteads are poorer subsistence farmers and their extended families. The family that we visited, allowed us to walk around their homestead, and ask them questions. They are very poor by our standards, but are happy that they have land, some food, and each other. The girl in the middle, Primrose, wove the baskets and hats. She sells them when she can. This is an outside view of the homestead. The nearest water for this family is over a 2 kilometer walk away! Every day, the ladies carry buckets 2 kilometers to the well, and then carry full buckets home, empty them in a barrel, and start the journey again. They said they make trips back and forth to the well all day long. So, one day, we piled them all in the truck and drove them to the well. We helped them pump the water, and it's a lot of work! It takes a good five minutes of pumping before the water even starts to flow. We had a lot of fun fun with them though. They had wonderful senses of humor and we all did a lot of laughing!

Zimbabwean Wildlife

2007-03-07T01:42:00.000-08:00

We had the chance to see so many amazing animals while in zimbabwe. I have thrown in just a few of the many wildlife pictures that we took. So, sit back, and enjoy the safari! There were monkeys and baboons everywhere! Sometimes, it's hard to tell which is which. For example: what are these? monkeys or baboons? :) There were quite a few warthogs, and boy are they ugly!!! Every time I saw one, I kept wanting to burst into songs from the Lion King. I couldn't help it! "When I was a young warthog!" "When he was young warthog!" "I found my aroma lacked a certain appeal. I could clear the Savannah after every meal. And oh the shame!!" "he was ashamed" "Thought of changing my name!" "What's in a name?" "And I got downhearted every time that I_" "Pumba! Not in front of the kids!" Giraffes are oddly graceful animals. They have almost an ethereal quality about them. I think it's because they are so huge, that they always look like they're moving in slow motion. They were Jess' favorite animal. She said it was because they were both tall, skinny, and freckled. hehehe... Oh look! Another monkey!

2007-03-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

There were actually quite a few crocodiles. They're smaller than their American cousins, alligators, but just as deadly. This one just looks evil, doesn't he? We only saw one rhino, and we were so excited when we actually saw it! It was so calm, and even driving very close to it in the truck didn't phase it. He just kept right on eating. Very cool! Hippos can also be very dangerous animals. Even though they are herbavores, they are unpredictable, and can have quite the temper. I always thought they were big and slow, but apparently they can run pretty fast if they need to, and they are very strong. There were always baboons, and monkeys around. They are very curious animals, and lots of fun to watch. But they're also thieves!! One time at the lodge, a monkey came right up to the table and stole a piece of Jessica's toast! Little criminal! :)

2007-03-07T00:55:00.000-08:00

Look at the little baby elephant!! Adorable right? We saw lots of elephants! In fact, there are so many elephants that there are elephant crossing signs all over the roads. Water buffalo are very dangerous animals because not only are they unpredictable, but they are also smart. They have been known to ambush hunters before, and can charge without a moment's notice. Big spiders were all over the place, but most were harmless. We played a not so nice joke on another volunteer, with this spider. Sorry Mark! hehe ;-) Zebra were another pretty common sight. But they are beautiful! Did you know that the stripes of a zebra are as individual as our own fingerprints? No two zebras have the same stripe designs!

2007-03-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

One of our jobs as volunteers at Miambo Lodge, was chopping and collecting firewood once a week, for the Red Cross orphan feeding program. I loved doing this, b/c it was such a great workout, and I always felt like a really tough chick (until I actually tried chopping the wood, that is. Then I just felt wimpy!) If you look closely at this picture, you can see the huge mark that my axe made. I did not have very good aim, and I was supposed to chop a little triangle out of the wood, but mine ended up being more like a long rectangle. It's harder than it looks apparently! This is the truck that we would take into the bush when we were collecting firewood. From left to right: Ros, Sarah, me, and Jess. This is the truck we would take when we did other conservation work b/c it has an open back with seats in it. So, we could keep our eyes open for animals as they drove.

2007-02-06T05:34:00.000-08:00

Simon, the long-suffering manager of Miambo Lodge. He put with a lot from us, and still managed a smile every so often. :) Here's a tree lodge that a guest would stay in at Miambo Lodge. They're cute, aren't they? Here's the pool that we lounged by in our spare time. Behind the pool is the outdoor patio, eating area. A view of the main part of the lodge where volunteer rooms were, as well as the kitchen, cleaning area, etc...

Red Cross and Local Orphans

2007-02-04T01:12:00.000-08:00

For the majority of our stay in Zimbabwe, we were in the area of Hwange, staying at the Miambo Lodge. Just a kilometer and a half away, is the community of Dete, a village of 4,000 on the lower end of the economic spectrum. The most shocking and tragic fact was that out of this village of 4,000, there were over 300 orphans or single parent children, due to the destructive AIDS virus that is sweeping the country. Many of these children also have contracted the AIDS/HIV virus. So, the local Red Cross recieves international aide, and provides an orphan feeding three times a week. We were fortunate enough to be able toparticipate in this. It was heartbreaking to see so many parentless children. Many of them live in child-run households now, where an older sibling takes care of all the younger ones, taking over the parenting role after theirs have passed away. These kids have no money, little food, and few clothes, but the smiles on their faces, and optimistic outlooks were so inspirational and touching. They were so excited to see white people (kiwa), and whenever we drove through the village, we felt like Miss America, as hordes of adorable children would run after us, jumping up and down, singing, dancing, and yelling "KIWA KIWA!!!" at the tops of their voices.

Local Active Youth

2007-01-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

In the small village of Dete, we ran across a very inspirational group of young people. These local African youth are very concerned about the increasing spread of the HIV/AIDS virus. They are also interested in providing young people in the surrounding area with a place to congregate and participate in positive activities. In order to combat the lack of information on HIV/AIDS, these active youths have created a drama,music,dance troupe that is entirely focused on educating the local public on such topics as abstinence, safe sex, domestic violence, the increasing ophan population, and AIDS/HIV awareness. They do this through traditional music and dance, and through short theatre productions. At this time, they don't have a building to meet in , and are practicing outside. They hope to someday have a community youth/sports center and the funds to travel to surrounding communities with their presentation, so that their message can be spread. They are also dreaming big, and would also love to travel internationally with their traditional music and dance, and share their culture, traditions, and arts with the world, as well as educate the world on the challenges facing Zimbabwe. Jessica and I were so impressed with their enthusiasm and eager initiative that we held a seminar on grant writing and finding international funding. They were so eager to practice what we taught them, that they wrote a short project proposal the next day and asked us to come look at it and help them improve on it the following day!! Talk about self-motivated!! We hope to send them more information so that they can locate some international funding to get them started on their commendable quest to make a positive difference, not only in their community , but the world! They even tried to teach us some of their dances. Poor guys. They just wouldn't take our word for it, that white people really have no rhythm. They had to learn the hard way. But we sure had a lot of fun making complete fools of ourselves!

Visiting Abandoned Children

2007-01-29T01:41:00.000-08:00

In the city of Bulawayo, there is a beautiful house for abandoned children. Unfortunately, many people have children and cannot afford to care for them, or are too sick to care for them, or simply don't want them. These children are often left abandoned at hospitals after their mothers give birth, and once placed in an abandoned childrens ward at the hospital, unless somebody adopts the child, which doesn't often happen, they are destined to an institutional life until they are kicked out to live on their own at the age of 18. The house that we visited, was bought and set up to be a positive alternative to an institutional life for these abandoned children. Unfortunately, although there are nine abandoned children at the local Bulawayo hospital who have been waiting for several years to recieve government approval to move into this house, the legal process is extremely time consuming, and to date, only three abandoned children are living at this house. They hope to complete the paperwork, and receive government approval to house the remaining nine children soon, but who knows? Ros, Becky, Jessica, a friend of Ros' and I enjoyed playing with the three adorable children currently living at the house. Kanile and Moses are both beautiful , well-adjusted little boys, and have a great, caring staff that treat them like family. There is also an adorable four month old little girl, whose name I can't remember and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to pronounce, who is living there. Her mother died of AIDS. She was the surviving twin. Her sister died a month or two after birth, and it is still unknown whether she has HIV. Children cannot be tested for the virus before the age of 1 1/2. But she sure is cute!

A final, memorable day!

2007-01-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

Our last day in Zimbabwe (for Jess, and myself), was spent with Ros, Becky, and the wonderful Cunninghams, along with several of their visiting friends, at an ostrich farm/campgrounds that the Cunninghams own, out in the bush. It is a beautiful area, so spacious, and open! This was the first time I saw hills in Zimbabwe, and they created such a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. We did as much as could pack into one day: visited the ostriches, slid down a huge water slide, got a tour of the campgrounds where the Cunninghams hold a variety of church camps, and youth camps, went horseback riding, canoeing, did a rope course, jumped off a dam wall, hiked around, ate a delicious BBQ, and slept out underneath the stars!!!! Who could ask for a better way to spend our last night in Zimbabwe?!?!

Horseback Riding!

2007-01-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Granted the horse was getting along in years, and feeling a bit under the weather, and we all took turns on him, but I still enjoyed my horseback ride, and the other horses were beautiful as well.

2007-01-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

The Cunninghams also have canoes and a small river on their property. So, we canoed along their river, and enjoyed the amazing day, and beautiful scenery.

2007-01-23T04:35:00.000-08:00

The Cunninghams are building a dam on their property that will create a scenic lake on their property. We decided we'd better test the water by jumping from the dam wall. The water was nice by the way. :) Oh the joys of driving!!!! OK. We didn't actually drive this particular jeep, but Jess had to take a picture with it, as it was so cute. In the evening, we hiked up Chapel Hill where the Cunninghams have built a beautiful chapel. The hill overlooks the entire area, and from it you get a great view of Zimbabwe's gorgeous sunsets!

2007-01-23T04:09:00.000-08:00

We watched the sunset from the top of the Cunningham's Chapel Hill. It was incredibly picturesque! Waiting for the sunset, and relaxing on the chapel steps. The inside of the chapel was beautifully simple. Sometimes weddings are held in here or prayer meetings, and church services. Us posing at the chapel bell.

2007-01-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

It was hard to say goodbye to Becky, but I am so glad that she was able to come. She, Jess and I had so much fun together! Istanbul at night. We had a chance to see a bit of Istanbul before heading back to Moldova. On the plane back to Moldova. I was expecting extreme temperatures and lots of snow on the ground. What a pleasant surprise to discover that it hasn't even snowed here yet, and the temperatures have been very moderate. I know that won't last for the whole winter, but it gives me a bit of time to readjust to the temperature differences between an African summer and a Moldovan winter.

Christmas Party

2006-12-12T02:49:00.000-08:00

Recently, a group of us had an early Christmas party at a nice restaurant complete with fancy appetizers, desserts, and dancing. It was a lot of fun, and a great group of people! For those of you who haven't heard, I will be heading to Zimbabwe Africa for Christmas and New Year! I will be volunteerting with an organization called Operation Impact. To learn more about this organization, please visit their website at: www.operationimpact.net I will take a ton of pictures, and post them as I get the time to do so. Thanks to those of you who have helped finance this trip. I will keep you updated, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Sushi Night!

2006-12-12T02:35:00.000-08:00

I've come to realize that America doesn't really have a "traditional dish", but the beauty of food in America is its cultural diversity. Here in Moldova, there are definitely "traditional foods". And these are really the only foods served here. Not that I'm complaining, because I truly enjoy most of these foods. But every so often, us volunteers start to miss the variety of foods to be found in America. So every so often, we get together and make un-Moldovan foods. Recently, a group of us made sushi for Jessica's host family. They were so baffled by the seaweed-wrapped California rolls. We had to add some of the old faithful Moldovan condiments: Ketchup and mustard, so that they could dress up their foreign dishes with a little taste of home. It was a lot of fun, though, and not half bad! Up top is Jess, Adam, Ben, and Carrie (note the knife in Carrie's hand and the crazed expression on her face. I like to stay on her good side! haha! :). In the middle picture, an array of semi-Japanese dishes, and at the bottom, me enjoying the meal!

Happy Turkey Day!!

2006-11-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Molodva, my second year! Granted, it can never beat Thanksgiving at home with your family and old friends from way back when, but then there is also something to be said for being thankful for the new friends that I have come to know and appreciate over the past year. I was reminiscing about Thanksgiving last year, and how overwhelming it all seemed. I had just finished an intense two months of pre service training, and the week before Thanksgiving, I had headed off to my new village, suddenly the lone American surrounded by a sea of foreign faces, languages, and communities. Then I headed to Chisinau for the all volunteer Peace Corps Thanksgiving. I was excited to see other volunteers, to hear and speak English, and to eat Thanksgiving food just like mom used to make it!! But when I got to the hotel in Chisinau, and I was surrounded by all the excited volunteers, I suddenly felt so alone, and melancholy. Most of the volunteers, I didn't know, and the ones I did know, I had only known for eight short weeks. My family and old friends, the ones that really knew me and loved me in spite of me, were a continent away, celebrating Thanksgiving without me. I remember during one of my withdrawn, self-pitying moments, wondering what life would look like a year from then. What would Thanksgiving in Moldova look like after I had been in it for a year? Fast forward a year: My second Thanksgiving in Moldova, over a year after I arrived. What a difference a year makes! I knew almost everybody there (well, at least of the volunteers and staff), and many had become good friends, the kind you'll want to keep in touch with for a lifetime and spend future Thanksgivings with. I felt a confidence in what used to seem such a foreign language, culture, and country, and the food, if possible, tasted even better due to a year of American food deprivation. This year's Thanksgiving, I felt I had so much to be thankful for, not just for the wonderful friends and family back home, but also for the new ones that I have come to know over the past year. Host families, and Moldovan and American friends, wonderful people that I would have missed out on meeting had I not come, have enriched my life and added to the many blessings that I have to count. It inspires me to continue to look for and embrace new opportunities, as foreign as they may seem, because each experience adds a new dimension to life that only serves to make it better. It's true that had I not come to Moldova, I wouldn't have known what I was missing out on, but having come, I'm so grateful for what I have experienced, and for the wealth of blessings that I have gained by being here. I feel my life has grown richer, fuller, and more faceted through this year, than I could have imagined it would be. God only knows, what this next year will bring, or the rest of my life, for that matter, but I am more determined and inspired now, than ever before, to make the most of every experience and opportunity that comes my way, to soak it up like a sponge, to learn and grow from it, and to continue to count the many blessings that I find inside it. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Mine was full of new friends, great food, and a hillarious talent show complete with neon leotard clad volunteers dancing to old American classics, martial arts fights, hillarious homemade movies, and so much fun! And I look forward to next year's Thanksgiving, and seeing many of my family and old freinds. Love to you all, and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Recent Adventures

2006-11-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I'm overdue for another update. Let's see, things I've done recently: well, starting from the bottom pictutres and working up: I went to Brasov Romania with several friends for the birthday/halloween party of Rok, a fellow volunteer. I had a small get-together in my village to make cookies, carve pumpkins and drink apple cider. And I went to a Moldovan wedding which lasted all night, as Moldovan weddings always do. Here I am with my counterpart Ala (it was her daughter's wedding), and fellow volunteer Adam (who was also invited). This is me trying very hard to learn how to dance with a partner, and failing miserably And here is the happy couple: Romika and Vadim .

2006-11-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Me, Dan, Andrea, Bridgette, Ari, and Chris on the hilltop of Brasov. Andrea, me, and Crhis, at a Halloween/birthday party. Andrea went as "self absorbed" and stuck sponges all over herself, I went as a pirate because I couldn't come up with a better idea, and Chris went, I think, as a woman. The beautiful city of Brasov in the Fall. One of the Halloween pumpkins carved at the small Halloween party I threw for the kids. And by small I mean two kids showed up, but so did several of my Peace Corps buddies, so we still had fun making chocolate chip cookies, apple cider and carving pumpkins.

Another Hike to Remember

2006-10-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went with a group of friends and acquaintances on a hike in northern Moldova. We went mainly to explore some caves in the mountains (Moldovan mountains are more like rather large hills, but still beautiful), but we were hiking most of the day. The following are some of my favorite pictures from the hike. There are a lot, but I just couldn't pick a few. There were too many scenic moments. This is me, Adam, and Carrie, some of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers. Some of the people from the group I went hiking with. Carrie created a makeshift shepherd's staff from a stick and some metal. Dechen was her "fill-in" goat, and she's trying to herd him. I've started calling her Heidi since then. This is my Community Development program manager, Lilliana. She's the one who invited us on the trip, and the man next to her is the one who organized and led the hike. Both great people, and very outdoorsy.

2006-10-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

2006-10-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh and here comes my real obsession! Sunsets!!!! The sunset this day was sooo beautiful, and it cast the richest warm-golden hue the river, and everything it touched. So, here's a collection of sunset pictures from that hike. Indulge me! That dark spot is a small row boat on the water. I think the guy might have been fishing.

2006-10-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

A view of this beautiful village from the "mountain" we hiked up. The river wound around it, and made for quite a scenic picture. These are all the goats being herded over the river bridge. There were so many of them. This is a very common form of transportation in Moldovan villages: a horse drawn cart, called a carutsa. I just rode in one tonight, in fact, when I helped my host mom collect the corn from her land.

2006-10-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I loved the authentic "village-ness" of this picture. Right now, everybody is collecting all their corn and then stacking the remaining stalks and husks into big piles like this. I really like the architecture of Orthodox cathedrals, and this village had a beautiful blue and white one. Hard to tell from this vantage point, but this cross is actually about three stories high. The stormy sky made such a great background.

2006-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at pole dancing, but Greg seemed to take to it quickly! :) Fording a stream turned out to be a bit tricky, so I took my shoes and socks off so they would stay dry. Glad I did as I slipped on a few slimy rocks several times, and would have had to hike in wet shoes. If you look closely, the bottom left corner of this picture shows the rocks down below that we crossed the river on.

2006-10-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Fun in the Forest

2006-10-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that a new group of trainees in Community Development and Agriculture, arrived in Moldova several weeks ago, thus marking the one year point or my own group's arrival in Moldova. Well, I have been fortunate enough to have been participating in some of the new group's trainings. It has been great getting to know them. These pictures are from a team building day in the forest, where the trainees enjoyed a barbecue and various interactive team building activities. This is the new group of trainess (M19-which means they are the 19th group of Peace Corps volunteers in Moldova). Of course, I found a cute, friendly dog in the forest that somehow knew if it followed me around and looked pitiful enough, I would have a few "accidents" where meat somehow slipped through my clumsy fingers and onto the forest floor. Oops! :) Here's some of the M19's participating in one of the many interactive team bulding activities. I got to help out with this one, and they did a great job. Plus it was a great chance to get to know them all better.

Mmmm! Tastes Like Chicken!

2006-10-09T03:34:00.000-07:00

Yup folks! That's how we do it here in Moldova! First we tai (which literally translates "cut", but means to kill) the chicken, and then hold the head, and body over a fire to singe all the feathers off. Next thing you know, you've got a chicken head floating in your zeama (chicken soup). Don't tell my host mom, but I snuck the chicken head to the kittens when she wasn't home. Is that bad? You can't see the flame here, but this chicken head is attached to a fork in it's mouth, and is being held over the flame on the stove. Here, my host mom is singeing the feathers off of the rest of the body. And in the last picture, I convinced my host mom to let me take a picture of her as well, although first she had to set the chicken down, run to the mirror to brush her hair, and then come back to continue the process. She just wanted to look frumos (beautiful) for the picture. She's so great!

Hiking in Moldova?!?!

2006-09-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my program manager, invited me and several other volunteers to go hiking with her and some of her friends. We headed by rented transportation to an are north east of where I live, called Tipova (pronounced tsipova). I had such a wonderful time! I have forgotten how nice it is to get outside, and lose myself in nature! Life seems to be in such a clearer, more manageable perspective after hiking, and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. The group ended up being pretty large. There were 20 of us in all. We hiked all over the place, going from waterfall to waterfall. However, to get to the waterfalls, we ended up climbing up almost sheer hillsides, hanging onto brush and plants to keep us from rolling down the hills. The waterfalls were very beautiful (although I think I've been spoiled a bit by places like Yosemite National Park and Half Dome :) In the photo above we posed on an old tree trunk. It was a great mixture of local Moldovans and American volunteers. In the next photo, several of us posed by one of the waterfalls. From left going clockwise: Carrie, Nick, Adam, me, Liliana (my program manager). The scenery was truly amazing, and the day was beautiful. We were right next to the Nistru River and could see across the river to Transnistria. Throughout the hike, I saw people camping, so I'm definitely going to have to go back sometime with a tent and sleeping bag and several friends, and have a camp-out. How I miss the great outdoors!

2006-09-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures taken in my front yard today: 1) A butterfly perched on those colorful flowers, 2) A vine of grapes winding through the railing of my front yard staircase, 3) One of my adorable kittens. Still trying on names: What do you think about Charlie (like Charlie Chaplin because of the mustache)? The only problem with Charlie, is it's a girl.

Cute Animals, Colorful Flowers, and Recea

2006-09-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

My host mom was stepping outside the door the other day, when she stopped in her tracks, started laughing, and told me to come look. This is the scene that she had happened upon. Apparently, Velcro (one of our adorable kittens. Yes, I named him. He sticks to people. He just hops up on you and starts climbing 'till he gets to your shoulder and then he perches there. And if you take him off and put him down, he hops back on again. Sticks like velcro, and thus the name. ) decided that my host mom's mud shoe made a perfect-sized bed for him, and he looked so comfortable all tucked away in it. Then a day or so later, I found all the animals snuggled up together. Ama nda is the larger cat, Ewok is the puppy (he used to look a lot more like an Ewok than he do es now, but he still sounds like one. Very squeaky, but cute :), Velcro, and the as yet unamed kitten, are the kittens. Right now, there are some beautiful flowers in bloom. They look like daisies only in such a variety of colors. They're everywhere, and they're so pretty! And then, there's Recea. I keep finding landscape photo ops. in Recea, and just can't help myself. Thus, another picture of the Recean landscape. I love my village! Things are going well here in Moldova. My main concentration right now is on trying to motivate the local mayor to get on the ball, and really start working with me o n a water project that would bring running water to Recea. After being here for almost a year, I finally feel like I'm at a point, linguistically, and culturally, where I can start really working to help the community. The most expressed interest from all I talk to within this community, is running water. Thus, the drive to make it happen! I will meet with the mayor again tomorrow, and see how his progress is coming.

Scenic Moldova

2006-08-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time for another update since it's been a few weeks. So, I thought I would include some of my favorite Moldovan scenery pictures while I was at it. Things are going well although I have been very busy. I feel like I haven't been at my site much at all as I have to keep going into Chisinau for various reasons. This past week, I had a training to teach, and a meeting to attend. This week, I will be in Chisinau for another meeting, and then language training for several days.It is good to be busy, but I feel bad that I'm not busy in my village more. I keep thinking things will slow down after "next week" or "next month", but other things keep popping up. So, we'll see. Maybe next month will be a slower month as far as being able to stick around my village a bit more. The weather has been great lately, not too hot, and not too cold. There have been several quick thunder storms that rush in and then speed away just as quickly. It's amazing how quickly a sky can cloud over and then pour rain! But it's beautiful too, and I have always loved thunder storms. There's something so dangerous, mysterious and suspensfully beautiful about them! All the crops are ready for eating. I have been eating such delicious fresh fruits and vegetables! Right now, watermelons are in season, and nothing beats a ripe, juicy, sweet watermelon. Yum! Plus there's tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, eggplant, squash, apricots, apples, plums, and so so much more!!! Moldova has some of the richest farming earth in the world, and the fruits and vegetables they produce are incredible! I have been running when I can, but because of my crazy schedule lately, I'm not always as consistent as I'd like to be. I am still training for a marathon, but I think I may need to postpone it 'till March or April. One great thing about my runs is the views I am greeted by as I explore the countryside more and more. Everybody grows sunflowers as they are the main source of oil here in Moldova. So, there are now fields and fields of bright yellow sunflowers everywhere, and it can be such a breathtaking sight! I've never seen so many sunflowers in my whole life! I can't believe I've almost been in Moldova for a year now! It doesn't feel like a year. The time is zipping by, and I can only imagine how quickly another year will pass, and I will be thinking about what I want to be when I grow up, again! I am hoping that some of you will want to come visit me while I'm here in this amazing country. It really is beautiful, and I am feel very at home here now. The language is coming along, and I would really like to start working on my Russian now, as it is spoken so frequently here in Moldova. Although I will never feel like a native-born Moldovan, I do feel happy and well-adjusted to life here in Moldova, and I am enjoying every experience and opportunity that I can find. If you come visit, I'll show you these beautiful scenic vistas in person! Now, how's that for motivation? :) It might even outweigh the outhouse (of which I've been told by several visitors, that mine is one of the most comfortable outhouses they've ever visited. So, it's really not that much of a sacrifice), the lack of running water, and the public transportation. Actually, in my mind all of those things are great chances for more exciting and unexpected Moldovan adventures, so they don't really bother me at all. Well, I hope you are all doing well, and would love to hear updates on life in the States. I hope that you are all having as much fun as I am, and look forward to hearing about all your stateside adventures!

La Multi Ani!

2006-08-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last week, I also attended the joint birthday party of two friends and fellow Peace Corps volunteers. It was a lot of fun. Craig and Adam decided that since their birthdays were so close together, they would have a joint party. So, we all trekked out to Craig's house, spent the night, and then rented a boat to go on the lake for several hours the next day. We had barbecue, hamburgers, potato salad, bear, and a great time. Here were some of the people that showed up for the party: Top row left to right: Nick, Bryan, Amy, Bridgett Second row: Dave, Craig, Brad, me, Adam, Craig's host mom Bottom row: A local friend of Craig's (I forgot her name), Krista, Carrie, Andrea This is the boat we rented and played on for a few hours. The rest of the day, we just hung out at the lake and relaxed. Lots of fun! This was the birthday party at Craig's house. Adam, Carrie and I went a little chocolate crazy. Man, I love chocolate!! This bottom picture is a view of Craig's village, Sireti, from his second story balcony. That weekend was so much fun!

Ermoclia!

2006-08-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, I went to visit one of the girls that attended TARE camp. She was giving a seminar to some of the young women in her community, based on the information she had learned at TARE, and wanted me to be there to see it. So, I journeyed out to Ermolcia, and spent the night with Tanya, and her twin sisters: Ina and Inga. It was a lot of fun, and after the seminar, we goofed around all evening. Here I am with sunglasses they made me try on. I felt like a movie star. Down below: I am trying my hand at milking their cow. It's not as easy as they make it look! Below this: Don't worry mom and dad, it's just a watermelon! I swear it! Last picture in the bunch: Us goofing off. It was fun to just be a kid and be silly.

TARE Camp a Success!!!!

2006-07-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to your prayers, support, and encouragement, TARE camp was successful!! It was quite the adventure, and I am really glad that it went as smoothly as could be expected and was a hit. I really feel that the participants left with a lot of knowledge and empowerment and encouragement to make a difference in their country and their lives. It was so fun getting to know the girls that attended, and getting to know the counselors better that volunteered to help out for a week. Although funding was tight, it worked out, and I am so grateful to those of you that helped out with the funding!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! Here are a few photos of some of the good times had by all. It was a great experience, and I feel I have also learned a lot about what to and not to do differently for next year. I will be sending out a full report for all who helped contribute financially, and to anybody else interested in the details of the camp.

TARE info.

2006-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all, This summer, I am co-coordinating a five day summer camp for young Moldovan women. The camp is called TARE, and this is a little info. on what this camp will be doing: The purpose of the TARE camp is to educate young Moldovan women on how to become healthy successful individuals. The seminar will focus on the age group of 17-21 year olds and will take place over five days. During this time, 80 women will be taught the knowledge and life skills they need to develop positive self images, find reputable employment, care for themselves and their children before, during, and after pregnancy, understand their reproductive health needs, protect themselves from high risk behaviors and being exploited, and learn the importance of being involved in creating a better future for themselves, their families, their community, and their country. TARE is a unique program in that it addresses a population that is often overlooked. Most health programs that provide education on the dangers of risky behavior, such as unprotected sex, focus on youth in high school and are relatively new in Moldova and limited in their geographical scope. The result is that young women between the ages of 17 and 21 are too old for current programs and attended high school before these programs began. Because of this, there is a generation of young women entering the adult world with little to no knowledge of the issues related to keeping themselves and their future children safe and healthy. Additionally, many of them are considering finding employment abroad, which places them at risk of being exploited as human trafficking victims. The camp, organized through a collaboration between a Moldovan NGO “Genul Nord” and PC volunteer, is comprised of lessons on the following topics: conception/contraception, safe pregnancy/motherhood, child development, Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, human trafficking, breast cancer, ecology and employment related skills. There are also activities involving art, dance, yoga and self-defense. A group of five individual young women will be chosen based on their participation, enthusiasm and leadership to organize mini-TARE Camps for young women in their community. Each young woman will be awarded a small grant to facilitate a series of three seminars based on the material they learned at the TARE Camp. Empowering young women with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve their own lives and communities counteracts the institutionalized gender imbalance. In a country struggling to develop its civil society, women will play an increasing central role in creating functional democratic institutions. TARE camp actively creates a model for sustainability in Moldova by equipping host country nationals to take control of their own future by including women in the process of community development. A developing country like Moldova, looking towards European integration and greater economic independence, cannot succeed without the inclusion and empowerment of young women. TARE looks to increase the role of young women in this development process, and to create a sustainable apparatus that may be maintained by host country nationals in the future. If you're interested in contributing, contact me at annatalley@gmail.com, and I will happily pass the info. to you. Hope you're all doing well, and look forward to hearing your updates.

Who are those beautiful people?!?!

2006-06-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just had to show off my wonderful family. This is a recent picture of them. From left going clockwise: Dad, mom, Chris-16 years old(top row), Stephen-23 years old, Michael-25 years old, Aaron (the dog), Tim-29 years old, Trey-9 months old(the baby), Jenny-forever 25 years old :), and Bracho (the other dog). Look at all those good-looking people!!!!

June Continued.....

2006-06-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

While in Chisinau this week, I stopped by my original training village of Rusestii Noi for a birthday party. Sergiu was turning 25. Here I am with some of my original host family, and neighbors celebrating Sergiu's birthday. Sergiu's the guy on the far left. I think we're all toasting to his health in this picture and wishing him many more years to come. That toast in Romanian is "Sanatate, si la multi ani!" And here I am back in my village with one of my tutors. Her name is Jana, and she is 26, a history teacher at the local school, and has been married for a year.

June Already?!?!

2006-06-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it's already June!! That means I'm into my 9th month of being here in Moldova!!!!! How did that happen?!?! Well, here's some photo updates from the recent weeks. This is a picture of some local tagging in Recea. I was so amused by it, I had to take a picture so you could share in that amusement. The kids here LOVE our rap and pop music, such as 50 Cent, Eminem, Madonna, etc...... In fact one kid wanted me to translate a 50 Cent song for him into Romanian. I told him if the words were dirty, I would have none of it, but he promised it was a curat (clean) song. When I sat down to translate with him, I laughed about half the time because it was almost entirely in Ebonics, and then gasped the other half in schock at the graphic song content. I ended up trying to explain the fact that most rappers in America speak in an entirely different language, which, although it sounds like English, is really something different altogether. YOU try translating the phrase, "I'm gonna bust a cap in yo !@*!" Then there was the "No Smocking" tag. I'm sure they thought they were writing something very naughty, which makes it all the more amusing. They were actually doing a public service, although they do need to work on their spelling a bit. hehehe:D I wonder if they were "smocking" something when they tagged it. A new group of volunteers just came into Moldova on the 8th, and a group of us current volunteers went to greet them. It was a lot of fun meeting with them, and getting to know them a bit. This picture is a few fellow volunteers and myself at the airport. From left to right: Rok, me, Dave, Adam, and Chris. Here's the group of new volunteers in their first full day of training. I really like this group. They seem very optimistic, enthusiastic, and excited to be here. I think I'm going to enjoy getting to know them. There are about 37 of them, and they are all either TEFL or Health teachers. These next few weeks will be very intense for them, but they're tough, so I'm sure they'll be able to handle it. As you can see, the hotel I stayed in while in Chisinau, was infested by people-eating giants!!!! I know it's pretty scary, huh? I barely escaped with my life from a very hungry giant with a big mouth and a beard!! WHEW!! Close call!!! (Don't worry Mom and Dad (because I know you must have been extremely so). It's just a little trick photography) hahahaha!

Some picture book updates

2006-05-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally compiled some pictures. Snippets of the past month. This is a park in the city of Balti. Must be Springtime!! Beautiful isn't it? Another view of my village of Recea. I love the view of the village lying next to the lake. So picturesque! And this is a picture of my neighbors and their cow. During the day everybody puts their cows out in the fields attached to chains staked in the ground. The cows just walk around in lazy circles grazing. One day when I was running through the fields a baby cow snapped his chain and tried to go running with me. He was just like a little puppy excitedly scampering after me. But I couldn't bring a cow home, and say "it followed me home. Can I keep it?" So, against it's protests, I had to drag it back to its chain and re-attach it. He moo-ed after me as I ran away. I went back and visited him a few days later, and he was so excited to see me. He kept moving his head to all the spots he wanted me to scratch, and was again very vocal when I continued on my run. Who knew baby cows were as fun as puppies?

2006-05-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

I went with a fellow volunteer that teaches at the school in her village. She promised her students she would make a quick appearance at one of their school dances, and I volunteered to go with her so she wouldn't have to go alone. This is me dancing with a 14 year old boy that took a liking to me and asked me to a few dances. hehehe......cute kid.:D The three A's: Ari, Adam, and Anna hanging out in Balti. And you thought I was just obsessed with sunsets. I think the only reason that I didn't have any sunrise pictures is that I never get up that early. But one morning I had to go with my counterpart to a meeting, and I was amazed that sunrises are beautiful as well!!!!!!

2006-05-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

A box 'o chickens on public transportation. Naturally. People in the city of Balti on it's city holiday, called "Hram". A church peeks out of the background. I visited a friend in the nearby village of Chetrosu, and it rained. This is a stormy sunset in Chetrosu.

Moldovan Adventures

2006-05-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Moldovan Adventures As I sit here writing this, it is going on midnight, and a cool breeze is wafting through the open window. I can hear frogs singing their night choruses to each other, and of course the local dogs throwing in their two cents for good measure. There's a lace curtain rigged over the open window to seal out the maddening mosquitoes that plagued me several hot nights ago, and the rain that fell today has been a welcome relief from the heat wave that has been rolling in with approaching summer. Every so often, I get a whiff of the lit candle sitting on the windowsill beside me as the breeze carries the hint of it's rosey scent past me. Because I've had two cups of coffee today, sleep is somewhat elusive, and I feel pensive, wordy, and somewhat nostalgic. Someone asked me why I hadn't posted at all this month. Was it because I had a problem with the month of May? To which I replied that I did. The truth, however, is that the pace has suddenly picked up, and I find myself with more than enough to do, and less than enough time to do it all. But I'm enjoying this new speed, and the opportunity to actually get some things accomplished at long last!! Because of this new busy phase, I haven't taken many pictures, and for some reason, I feel I have to include pictures in any new posting or it won't be interesting enough to read, like a picture book without the pictures. But thanks to the coffee, you get a piece of my mind anyway. Lucky you! As I become more acquainted with Moldova in general and my community, in particular, I am beginning to see more of the ongoing problems that the people of this country deal with on a daily basis. Some are problems that can be found in any country in the world, but others are more specific to the people of Moldova, and oftentimes, very heartbreaking. We had a seminar with many of the youth from the community several days ago. In it, they were asked what life is like for those whose parents are working abroad to make ends meet. As soon as the question was out, several kids broke down and began to cry. They miss their parents. Some live at home alone without parents because mom and dad are in other countries (often illegally) trying to make enough money to support the kids they have left at home. Others live with relatives or one of the parents while the other is abroad. Almost all said that they would rather have their parents than the money that their parents are sending back to them or the commodities that that money can buy. Many do as they wish while their parents are not around to supervise, and school attendance is often very low while alcohol consumption is very high. Speaking of alcohol, that's another problem that seems to be on the rise. Granted, it's not a problem specific only to Moldova, but it is definitely a growing problem within Moldova. So many people here have fallen under the curse of the bottle, and can't seem to break its spell. If I were to just think of the five neighboring houses across the dirt path from my home, I could confidently state that three of those houses contain alcoholics. That's more than half, and in one tiny portion of the community. The number of alcoholics within the entire community is tragically staggering. Another heartbreaking statistic would be the percentage of local youth that consume more than their fair share of alcohol on a regular basis. The lack of available jobs, combined with the old soviet dependancy and new democratic leanings has combined to form one hell of a depressing brew for many of the locals. Many seem to think the only relief to be found, lies in a cheap bottle, or ten, of vodka. Not only does this alarming spread of alcoholism affect the individual holding the bottle, but it also affects the family living with that individual. Children witness a vicious cycle of alcohol abuse, leading to verbal abuse, oftentimes escalating to physical abuse, and the ensuing excuses that are made for that behavior. It's no wonder they see nothing wrong with resorting to the bottle themselves. Local and national corruption is yet another of the plagues that eat away at the frail foundation that Moldova is trying to build on. Not only is it found in almost every political facility, but it is also rampant in the school systems, the medical institutions, the transportation industry, and almost every other form of business, institution, or organization that exists within the country. It is accepted, defended and embraced. No wonder bringing positive change is such a challenge! If the people that beg for change are the very people who turn their heads at the obvious corruption or excuse it as a necessary evil, how can they expect to bring honest change to their floundering country? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the future of Moldova is completely without hope. But the mindsets of the Moldovan people as a whole will have to change first before the structure of Moldova ever can. I think that if Moldova does improve, it won't be an overnight change. It will take several generations to move past the Soviet mindsets that have permeated so many past generations and continue to influence the present ones. But maybe true change is the change that happens slowly, consistently, progressively over time. Maybe that's the only change that will really stick, and so, I can only hope to be a tiny little fragment in the process of change within this country. I think I'm OK with that, and I'm willing to do whatever little part I can to help encourage that positive change for Moldova's future. Plus, I'm starting to get really tired and my thinking is getting fuzzier. The cool breeze is picking up a bit, and the candle is starting to burn lower. Guess that means it's time to turn in. Tomorrow's another busy day, but I'm looking forward to it, and what it has to offer. I promise to start taking pictures again soon. I also promise that not all my entries will be as wordy, and somewhat cynical as this one, but from time to time, it's good to take a realistic step back, and see the more serious side of things as well as the lighter side. Hope I didn't depress anyone, but if I did, promise me you won't go drown your sorrows in the bottle. Drink a cup of coffee instead. :)

I Can't Help It!

2006-04-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've probably officially crossed over into the land of OCD, but I can't help myself. I just LOVE the sunsets here in Recea!!! So, here's a few more photos that I took last night. The colors are just so breathtaking to me! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.:) If not, sorry. It's my blog and I can post if I want to. (hahaha! I know that was pretty bad;)

I spent my day at the cemetery, and you?

2006-04-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

I think I already mentioned that here in Moldova, people celebrate Easter a week later than us American Protestants do. So, last Sunday, I got up at 2:30 AM, and got dressed up. At 3:00 AM, I met up with a neighboring family, and we all crammed into their car for the short trip to the local Orthodox church. There, they, along with the rest of the village, lined up around the outside of the church, and laid out on the ground, the food that they were to eat as their Easter feast later in the day. Then, I went inside the church with my neighbor, and we observed the Easter service, that includes lots of singing, chanting, and crossing oneself. It was actually very interesting. At about 5:30 AM, the service part was over, and everybody rushed outside to where their food had been laid out. People were lined up all around the church courtyard, and they waited while the priest made his way around and blessed all the food with holy water. After this, we all headed home to begin the Easter feast. I guess they usually eat some of the blessed food after they get home from church, and then take a nap (as most of them have been there all night long, from midnight till six. I was a lightweight, and could only handle 3AM to 6AM). After a nap, everybody starts eating again, and that lasts all day. Well, that was last Sunday. However, approximately a week after Easter (today for my host mom's village), everybody heads to the cemetery where their family and loved ones are buried. There, they set out food, yet again, flowers, and other religiously symbolic articles, on the gravesites of their loved ones. Then, the priest arrives, and circles the graveyard several times. After a few general rounds of the graveyard, he circles once more, but makes an individual stop at each and every gravesite, and blesses the grave, the relatives waiting there, and the food set out. It's pretty interesting. I went with my host mom, her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandkids. It was actually a very pretty day, although a bit chilly. I guess last year it rained, so having a dry, albeit windy, day, was a welcome relief. The pictures I have posted are in order from top to bottom: My host mom, Eugenia, and if you look closely you can see the grave of her husband in the background; a picture of Eugenia, her daughter Loretta, and Loretta's husband Vitali, and two children, Doina and Vlad, at the gravesite of Eugenia's deceased husband, Grisa; The last picture is of Eugenia and Doina beautifying the gravesite before the priest shows up. All in all, it was a very interesting day, and I saw some very interesting customs, some of which were explained, and some of which nobody quite knew why they did them, but they did them anyway. Then, we went back to the house, and ate a lot of food, which is always happening here in Moldova. Now, we're resting up for a few hours, so we can go back and eat some more food. So, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get a nap in. Life is rough. Gotta go!

The Noi Continued

2006-04-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, after that amusing and enjoyable plimbare (walk), above Rusestii Noi, my host mom, dad, and Viorica all went to a friend's house for more food. It was a lot of fun to catch up on life with everyone, and afterwards, on the walk back to my old host family's house, we took more pictures. In this first picture, from left going clockwise: a good friend of my host family, and a very sweet woman (she was the host mom of another volunteer from my group), me, my host dad, Gregory, and my host mom, Tasea. In the second photo, I have been replaced by my host sister, Viorica (on the far right). The bottom picture is Lidia's garden (the eccentric neighbor). She has a very beautiful garden of which she is extremely proud, and I must have taken at least ten pictures of it for her. She would be so happy if she knew I posted one on my blog. All in all, it was a very enjoyable, albeit, exhausting trip, and I am glad I got to spend some time with my old host family. They're great people who I hope I will keep in touch with for a lifetime. Now, I'm going to try to catch up on some of the sleep I've been missing out on.:) Goodnight all!

Fun in the Noi!

2006-04-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

I recently visited my old Rusestii Noi host family, and packed a lot of fun into the two days that I was there! It was so nice to visit with the family, and catch up on our lives. I miss those guys! The weather was sooo beautiful, and the gardens are sprouting all sorts of interesting things! Everybody seems to have huge bright red tulips growing in their gardens, and it is really breathtaking. After taking some pictures of the flowers in my host family's garden, the neighbor came over and asked me to take pictures of the flowers in her garden. She is a hillarious lady. Her name' is Lidia, and even though she's somewhere in her fifties, she is young at heart. She's somewhat of an eccentric in her community, as she has an artistic flair, and a leaning towards the dramatic in everything. So, really, I shouldn't have been surprised by what followed after the garden photos. Because it was such a beautiful day, my host sister Viorica, readily agreed when I suggested that we go for a walk. Then, my host mom, Tasea, said that she would come too. Lidia, the eccentric and hillarious neighbor decided to come along as well. So, there we were, four ladies with several flowers, a bag of Easter eggs, candy, and a small bottle of wine, walking up one of the hills in Rusestii Noi. We first decided to stop in the cemetery, and there I discovered why we had brought the flowers, candy, eggs, and wine. Apparently, it is tradition to stop at the tombstones of family and friends around Easter time, and to leave food and flowers in their memory. So, Lidia poured wine in the shape of a cross on various gravesites, while my host mom, Tasea, placed eggs, and candy on them, and Viorica added flowers. It was interesting to observe this tradition, and to read inscriptions on various tombstones. I also learned that the graves closest to the fence that borders the cemetery, are the graves of those who have committed suicide, and they do not receive the same memorial ceremonies, as the rest of the dead. They are buried on the outskirts of the cemetery. After the graveyard, we continued up the hill, and I was snapping pictures left and right of the Moldovan Springtime that is now in full bloom, pun intended. It was really beautiful to see the blossoms on all the trees, the flowers scattered on the hillside, and in the gardens, and the green grass that has carpeted all the open spaces. Quite a view! But this fieldtrip got even more interesting when we reached the top of the hill, and the orchards that grew up there. Lidia, the fifty-something eccentric neighbor, decided that we should pose for my camera in all sorts of hillarious places. She made Viorica and I pose in the middle of flowering bushes, and then, she decided to climb a tree!!!! No kidding! She took her shoes off, and, in her stockinged feet, began to climb this huge flowering tree. I was laughing so hard, I could hardly snap the photos. But once she was up there, she wasn't satisfied, until my host mom, Tasea, agreed to climb up with her for a few photos. It was so hillarious, as Viorica boosted Tasea up the tree, and then Tasea and Lidia scooted out onto a branch that I was sure was going to give way beneath them. Lidia kept putting flowers in Tasea's hair, and making them hold things like Easter eggs and such. It was quite the comedy act, and we had a lot of fun!

Still Springtime in Moldova!

2006-04-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

For some reason, these two pictures didn't make it on to the last blog entry. So, I'm adding them now. My host mom would kill me if she saw this picture because it's a candid shot of her painting the fence. Every time I want to shoot a picture of her doing whatever she's working hard on at the time, she gets a horrified look on her face, and says, "Oh no Anna!!! I look so bad right now! Wait a minute, and I'll brush my hair." Then she proceeds to brush her hair, and try to look frumose (pretty) for the camera. So, I never get a natural shot of her doing what she's doing. So, of course, when I happened upon her painting the fence, I snapped a picture of her before she could see me do it. I think it's a great picture of her, but I think she'd be horrified. The other picture was a result of my excitement at seeing blossoms on the apricot tree in our backyard. I just couldn't help myself, and had to take a picture. Just a confirmation that Spring has arrived! Yay!!:)

Springtime in Moldova!!!

2006-04-22T05:52:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, I think I can safely say, "Springtime has come to Moldova at last!!!!" I waited to say anything, until we had a succession of warmer days, even weeks, without snow. Rain counts as Spring, but there have been some very warm, dry days as well. The trees are all starting to blossom, the grass is growing, and everything is so green and beautiful, and all the animals are having little babies. Spring also means Easter, and Spring cleaning! Oh yes, Moldovans do Spring cleaning too. Their version of Spring cleaning includes painting their fences in bright colors (mostly blues, whites, and greens), and planting all their crops. So, I've been helping my host mom some in the garden, and doing all sorts of fun things like: sawing branches off trees (with an old rusty soviet saw, I might add), chopping wood, and small trees down (with an old rusty soviet axe, I might further add), hoeing the garden, pulling out weeds, and so much more. It's great exercise, and when it's so beautiful outside, I'd rather be working outdoors, than laying around indoors. Plus, I've been able to up my running days, which always helps me feel better. Lately, I've been running more in the afternoons, and the responses I get from passing cars can be very amusing at times. Some honk angrily, and shake their fists as if I am committing some unforgiveable sin, some honk, and give me thumbs up or wave, some offer me rides because they think I am trying to get somewhere and have no transportation, and some ask me what I'm running from. It's always amusing. I've included some random pictures just to give you an idea of what life is like right now. The top picture was a photo op. I just couldn't pass up with the blossoming tree, the well, and the Moldovan painted fence. Such a Moldovan Springtime picture. The second photo was to show you how beautiful and green everything is getting. I love my village!!! It's got a little lake, lots of open fields, livestock rome freely, and there are little dirt paths all over the place that I can hike along. In the third picture, you have to look pretty closely, but to the right of me, on the ground, is the skeleton of a dog's head. I know, kinda morbid, but it was morbidly fascinating, and I had a visiting volunteer, Chris, take a picture of me with the skeleton. Do I need psychological help? Very possibly. The next picture is one I wanted to add in order to show the other side to Moldovan life. Although there are some extremely beautiful areas, you never have to go far, before you come across massive amounts of trash that people don't know what to do with. Unfortunately, such concepts as recycling, and communal dumps are pretty foreign here, and if people don't burn their trash (including plastic and who knows what else?), they just toss it somewhere where they don't have to deal with it. Sadly, it often tends to be in places that would otherwise be breathtaking. :(

Praz-what?!?

2006-04-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm still recovering from the praznic we just had for my host mom's husband who passed away a year ago. For those of you who have never heard of a praznic before, allow me to explain. Every year, to mark anniversary of a person in the family who passed away, a traditional feast is created, and anyone who was close to that person is invited to attend. Let me tell you, it was quite the feast!!! Approximately forty five people were invited and the ensuing preparation was mind-boggling!!! My host mom has been cleaning and repairing the house for this ceremony for about a month. Her daughter came in two days early to help with preparations, and the night before the meal, about six wonderful women from the neigborhood stayed at the house till 1 in the morning to help prepare all the food, and set everything up!! I was up and helping too. I learned how to make some of the traditional dishes, and as you can see from the picture, the table was FULL of traditional dishes!!!! The next morning, at about 7AM, the Orthodox priest came to bless all the food, and the praznic that was to follow. I included a picture of this because it was very interesting. He sang the traditional blessings, and went through a whole ceremony, and I got to watch it all, and even take pictures! Pretty cool. After this, the eating began, and I am not exaggerating when I say we ate from 8 in the morning till about 11 o'clock that night!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although I had some food and a little wine (at 8AM, nonetheless) with immediate family, the rest of the guests began showing up around 9, and the real feast began around ten. That food statyed on the table all day, and people would come and go, and every time someone came, it was time to eat and drink again. By the end of that day, my stomach was so confused and full, and thrown off from all the eating, and the different types of foods, that it took me about two days for my stomach to feel normal again. It was quite the never-ending meal, but it was also quite interesting. Because it is lent for these people, many of them will not eat meat. So, everything was either fruit, vegetable, or soy. No milk products, no meat. But it's amazing the variety of foods that can be created from these ingredients. There was a lot of delicious food, but my host mom and I are still trying to finish it all. We even gave a ton of food to the surrounding neighbors, and still we have a surplus that I don't think we'll be able to finish!

Fun in Balti

2006-04-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well after that long week, it was nice to come back to my own room and bed. But it was also fun because within a week, four other volunteers had come to visit my village and spend the night. These last three pictures are from the most recent visit from three volunteers, Dan (the guy whose birthday party I went to) Chris, and Jessica. We wandered around the nearby city of Balti with another volunteer that lives there (Ari), and he showed us where a small amusement park was. We had a lot of fun on the Ferris wheel, and got some great pictures. This first one is of me and Jess. The second one was a view of an orthodox church from the Ferris wheel, and the third is of Ari (his back is to the camera), Jess, myself, and Dan at the amusement park. That was a fun day! Now, I'm settling in for a few weeks and actually trying to get some stuff done here in my village. I'm excited to add that the weather seems to actually be warming up a bit! Dare I hope? I even went for a run this morning! Is Spring finally here?!? I feel like I should knock on wood or something before another snowfall hits us!

A Long but Fun Week

2006-04-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I know this is a lot of pictures, but a lot happened last week, and I think it's a lot more interesting to illustrate with photos. So, here was my week in a nutshell. I went down south to Dan's village of Zberoia last week for his 23rd birthday party. It was a lot of fun. Not only is Zberoia a beautiful village (it's right next to the Pruit River, and you can see Romania across the river), but his family was really sweet, and the birthday party was a lot of fun with other volunteers and locals from Dan's village. In the picture on the right are Dan, Greg and Rok, all of whom were in my training village of Rusestii Noi when we first came to Moldova. All really good guys that I have come to appreciate and enjoy hanging out with. The girl in the picture with me below is Masha. She's Moldovan, but speaks English fluently. She came to Zberoia for the party, and I really enjoyed getting to know her better as well. The group in third picture consists of other volunteers who journeyed to Dan's village for the party. They are, from left going clockwise: Chrissi, Jessica, Craig, Mary, Adam, and another Greg. I stayed in Zberoia for three days, and had a blast. After this, I traveled back to Chisinau for a conference run by Peace Corps about working with our Moldovan partners. My counterpart, Ala (president of the NGO I work for) came and we worked together on the plans for a project called "Generation House" which would primarily serve the elderly of our community and would try to bridge the generation gap between the youth and elderly of our community. The fourth picture in this series was taken at that conference. My counterpart, Ala is the women on the right in the front. The conference lasted three days. I got some helpful information from the conference, but think it could have been condensed into a day or two. But it was nice to have hotel rooms with showers and hot water! Woo hoo!:) I can't complain!

Who ya callin Babe?!?!

2006-03-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

Well, friends, I had this hillarious blog all typed up, but somehow in the process of posting it, it disappeared. Never made it to my blog, but left my computer screen. Not sure where it is. Even now, it may be floating somewhere, lost forever in cyber-space. But after all the typing, thought, and work I put into it, I couldn't get up the brain power to re-type it. So, I waited a few days before trying again. Although now, the incident, or adventure as I like to call it, is not as fresh in my memory. I'll do my best to re-tell it anyway. As you can see, there is a picture of a pig in this blog posting. Say hello to the pig that lives in my backyard. For the longest time I didn't want to name her, because that's the first step in getting attached, and someday she's going to be my breakfast (and lunch and dinner for like the next five weeks). Babe (like the pig from the movie if you recall), was just too sweet and personalized of a name for a meal. But after much deliberation, I came up with a name that will help to remind me of the impending purpose this pig will serve. From now on she will be Mancare (food, in Romanian). I call her Manny for short.:) OK. On with the story. This takes place several days ago. I had just returned from a much anticipated, and long awaited, morning run (the weather had been so horrible the last several weeks, that I had not been able to exercise.) As I was getting ready to heat up water for a sun shower, my host mom approached me, and asked me if I could help her with something. She doesn't often ask for help with anything, so I knew it was a big job whatever it was. I assured her that I could help, and she told me I should put on some clothes that I could get dirty in. She kept apologizing saying that she wanted her son-in-law to help, but he had to work (aside from the fact that he lives like thirty minutes away) I assured her that we were strong, independant, self-sufficient women who could handle "the job" without him. Though that's when I started wondering what I had gotten myself into. So, I donned some old jeans, and an old T-shirt. But after a quick inspection, my host mom ordered me to put on an old, dirty overjacket thingy because I still wasn't dressed down enough for whatever it is we were going to do. Then, I followed her out to the backyard. At the pig pen, I saw one of our neighbors. He was standing in the pen and holding a rope in his hands. He told me to climb on in the pen, which sounds simple, but really isn't. The opening to the pen is not very big, and is set pretty high off the ground. So, I had to stand on a wobbly log, and hurl myself up and through the opening. I made it in without any broken bones, but once in, found out I was tangled up in the rope the neighbor was holding. At that point, I'm sure he was wondering why my host mom had recruited me to help, but I was in the pen now. There was no going back. After untangling myself from the rope (which was again, no small feat, as the ceiling of the pen was very low, and I had to hunch over like Quasimodo the entire time I was in there), the neighbor handed me a part of the loop he had made at the end of the rope. I got the idea that I was to herd the pig toward the neighbor who was still standing near the opening of the pen. Mancare (the pig if you remember), obviously knew something was up, and she was in the back corner of the pen looking at us warily. I asked the neighbor if we were supposed to loop the rope around the pig's neck, and he just looked at me like I was a crazy American (which I guess I am, come to think of it), and said in an incredulous voice, "Not around the neck! In the mouth!" Of course! Silly me! I should have known that! In the mouth! Everybody needs fiber in their diet, and what better way than to eat rope! So, I started toward Mancare, who at that point decided she did not like what was going on. Have you ever watched a movie with a pig chasing scene in it? If you have, then you've got an idea of what I went through. There's the people trying to dive on a pig that's running like crazy, and of course, the pig somehow keeps slipping through their grasp, and they land in the mud, and the whole time, the pig's squealing like crazy. Yep, that was me. And believe me, this pig did not want to be caught. Somehow (and I'm still not sure exactly how) we were able to corner the pig long enough for the neighbor to throw the loop into Mancare's mouth, and over the top of her snout. I still have no idea why we're doing this, but I feel a sense of acomplishment that we've gotten this far. Then, they proceed to try to drag Mancare toward the opening of the pen. I had no idea pigs were so strong! Or so LOUD!!!!! If I thought she had been squealing before, I was now dumbfounded at the new level her squeals achieved! She sounded like a dying, tortured, agonized, suffering and terrified soul in hell! And she was as stubborn as a mule, digging her haunches solidly into the ground, and not budging an inch. She was probably having flashbacks to when her pen pal (yes, I said pen pal. She used to have another pig in the pen, but we had to slaughter it a while back. Like that play on words there? Yeah, I came up with that one all by myself. he he he) was slaughtered right in front of her. If ever a pig needed therapy, I'd say Mancare would be nominated. But they don't believe in that here. It's every pig for themselves here in Moldova. It took all three of us, my host mom, the neighbor, and myself, to drag, shove, pull, push, and force Manny to the opening of the pen. The whole time, she is squealing like a.......well......like an angry and terrified pig. The sound was deafening. Once there, my host mom held the rope attached to her snout, I held her body pinned against the side of the pen, and the neighbor pulled out a long wire from his pocket. This he proceeded to shove through the top of her snout, and out through her nostril! Of course! Now it was all clear! We were piercing Manny's nose! What pig doesn't want a fashionable, tetanus infested snout ring? Well, apparently, Mancare didn't because she was screaming bloody murder (and I never knew what bloody murder sounded like till that day)! It took a while as the neighbor kept shoving and twisting the wire every which way, finally twisting it into a loop, and cutting the ends. Mancare was not at all grateful for her new fashion accessory, and was still squealing like crazy. She didn't even say thank you! After getting the loop situated, we let her loose, and she ran into the corner and began sneezing and coughing. If you look at that picture of her, you can see the wire in her nose. It bled a lot, but the mission was successful. Climbing out was almost as much work. But somehow I managed. And of course, the first thing I did was run inside to grab my camera, so I could share this crazy adventure with you! It took me two or three days to finally figure out why they put the wire through her snout. She has been very active and restless in her pen lately, and has been knocking over walls and things, as she moves about. This is supposed to keep her from getting too worked up, as she does much of the damage with her snout, and now the wire will hit anything before her snout does, thus causing some snout pain, and keeping her from damaging anything else. Interesting. I have included the picture of Mancare sporting her newly placed nose ring, and a picture of me with my fashionable pig pen coat. Hope you got some entertainment out of this, my most recent Moldova adventure.

Medicine or Malady?

2006-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Today I spent much of my time in bed trying to shake off a cold that somehow caught me no matter how hard I tried to outrun it. Of course, colds are just a part of life, and something you've kind of got to wait out, but here in Moldova, everyone wants in on the "curing" process, if you will. I have heard some of the strangest remedies for my cold. I didn't think it fair for me to have all the fun to myself, so I've decided to share with you some of the most.......uh......creative, shall we say......of the suggested cures:

For a stuffy nose: Put chopped onion up each nostril to clear the nasal passages.
For a head cold: Boil home made vodka or gin in a saucepan, add lots of pepper, inhale the vapors, and drink a cupful (I've actually tried this one, and as I shared with Bonnie, I don't know if it did anything for my cold, but I slept like a baby!:)
For a sore throat: Put a spoonful of vodka on your throat where it hurts, and the vodka will ease the pain, and kill any bacteria that might be causing the soreness. Hmmmm.....interesting.
For a general cold: Eat lots of garlic, as it's supposed to strengthen your immune system (I told them it very well might be true, but I wouldn't have any friends because I would be emitting a very potent smell. For some reason, they thought this was funny?)
For sore throats or colds: Drink lots of tea with honey and lemon. (this one I don't mind in the least and have been doing a lot of).
Here's the scariest I've heard of so far: for chest congestion: Make a compress of, here it comes........ready?.......YOUR OWN URINE, and place on your chest to clear the congestion. I was informed that it doesn't smell very good, but if you're not planning on going anywhere where people will smell you, it's a great remedy. Yeah, I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole!!!!!

Anyways, for now, I'm sticking to rest, and over the counter cold meds from the States. Thank goodness it's just a cold. If it was a fever, they'd probably be trying to give me home injections! I'm serious. I've heard of it happening with other volunteers. Another thing to be grateful for? Thank goodness I am conscious and can REFUSE these remedies! I can only imagine what they would do to me if I was too weak or unconscious to refuse. I guess every cloud has a silver lining. HA!!!

Well, hope this blog gets a smile out of you, and finds you all in good health. Love and miss you guys, and as always, love your emails and comments!

Winter Wonderland

2006-03-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

These last two pictures were actually taken yesterday, after at least a foot of snow had fallen. Hard to tell where the snow-covered ground stops, and the wintry sky starts. Everything was so picturesque with that fresh layer of snow topping just about anything in site. Here's those lacey trees again, this time with every branch dusted in snow. Breathtaking!

Marble Sunsets

2006-03-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

The tower on the right is an old soviet-era water tower that is often spoken of with fond memories. I love these trees, and they're everywhere in Moldova. I don't know what kind they are, but they have such a lacey, delicate curve and curl to every branch tip. They remind me a little of snowflakes.

Marble Sunsets

2006-03-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

So hard to pick the most beautiful. Look at the sky. It's marble-swirled with pink, blue, white, and just a hint of violet. So gorgeous!

Picturesque End to a Long Day

2006-03-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Today was a very long day, but I enjoyed it. Let's see, when I got up it was way too cold to go running. So, I got dressed and decided to head into the regional center called Risconi. For every region of towns, there is a city that is it's regional center, and I have to go to my regional center in order to receive packages sent in the mail. It's always worth the trek, though. Anyway, the post office in my village told me that there was a package waiting for me at the regional post office. So, off I went today. I might add that this post office is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it was today or next Tuesday. I dressed warmly as it was very cold outside, and although it was sunny, there was several feet of snow on the ground, and a very cold wind blowing. Days like this are described by Moldovans as soare cu dinti (sun with teeth), which is a very apt description considering that it is a very biting cold. Then, I walked the ten minutes or so to my local bus stop, which is really just a place by the main road where everybody stands to hail any passing busses, vans, rutierras, cars, heading in the right direction that are willing to stop and pick up passengers. I only had to wait about ten or fifteen minutes, before a van happened along that was heading to Risconi. The ride into Risconi is about fifteen minutes, and once there, I headed straight for the post office. However, at the post office, I ran into a snag. The package wasn't for me, but for my host mom, and thus they could not hand it over to me. Kinda disappointing, but I worked through it. :( I still needed to buy some items, and the outdoor piata (market) didn't have the specifics that I was looking for. So, I decided to head into the larger city of Balti, which is about 35 minutes from Riscani. So, I waited at the bus stop in Riscani, caught a rutierra into Balti, and headed to an actual grocery store (similar to a small grocery store in the states), and bought my necessities. Then, I headed home. I hurriedly ate lunch, and then rushed over to the school at the urging of my counterpart, who called saying the director of the school wanted me to go there with my camera to take pictures of a concert that some of the kids were putting on. I got to sit in the front row and take pictures of kids dancing, and singing. It was cute, and they were all very excited to see how the pictures looked on my camera. Then I headed to work to teach an English lesson. After an hour of English, I rushed back home to do my homework for my Romanian tutoring session. On my way home from work, the sun was starting to go down, and I just had to take pictures because it was so beautiful. So, please humor me, while I post some of these pictures. I am having a hard time deciding which ones are the best, so forgive me if I post too many. I am just so in awe of the sunsets here, and winter sunsets have such a unique beauty. The snow casts a kind of mysterious, untouchable, pure sheen over everything. So, here you go. A few sunset photos. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. :)

Friends

2006-03-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last one for now, I promise. But I couldn't pass up this one of the puppy and cat sitting on the traditional Moldovan rug on the traditional Moldovan front step of the traditional Moldovan house. (Plus the puppy's really cute. In case I haven't said that yet. HA!)

Puppy Pose 2

2006-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

So so cute!

Puppy Pose 1

2006-03-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

As soon as he heard me calling him, he jumped off the front step into the several feet of snow, and bounced over to me. Even though he was covered in snow by the time he got to the fence, his tail was still going a million miles a second.

Heartwarming

2006-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have to add these photos to my blog as they were just too cute to pass up. Most dogs here in Moldova are very unfriendly monsters that exist only to take chunks of flesh out of unsuspecting passers-by. However, my neighbors have the cutest and friendliest little black and brown puppy that I just can't get over. When I went to the well today to get water, I saw the puppy trying to eat the shoelace from a pair of shoes that was sitting on the front step. He was too cute for words, so I went inside to get my camera. When I came back out, he was curiously circling the cat, who didn't seem too worried. Then he started wagging his tail, and licked it! So, even though the weather here is really cold right now, and it has been snowing non-stop and heavily for the past forty-eight hours, here's a few photos that warmed my heart. Yes, it's cheesy, but also true!:)

Buddies

2006-02-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

Amy (a fellow volunteer) and I.

Party!

2006-02-28T15:36:00.000-08:00

Some of the OM judges celebrating with wine and bread after the competition.

Customer's Not Always Right

2006-02-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Me washing that stupid towel before the towel-swap. RIDICULOUS!!

Fi'ty Cent

2006-02-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

A few more pictures of my weekend. This was a group of especially creative kids. All props and costumes were made by them. The kid painted brown in the middle is supposed to be Fifty Cent, the rapper. Ha ha ha! It was pretty funny.

What Up, Yo?

2006-02-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from my weekend trip to the capital city of Chisinau where I was a judge in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. For those of you who have never heard of this, which is probably most of you, it is a competition for youth, where various teams of children use creative approaches to solve a variety of problems or scenarios presented to them. They incorporate drama, music, dance, and art into the presentation, and it was very entertaining. We as judges were supposed to be fun and a little crazy, and the crazy part wasn't much of a stretch for me. In this picture, Adam, a fellow volunteer, and myself, pose with our crazy hats, and best gangster wanna be looks. I had a lot of fun, but it was also quite the series of mishaps, that only I could have had. I'll try to summarize as going into detail would just take too long. As a bit of background to the adventures that were to come, my Moldovan counterpart had asked me to do her a favor, since I was going to be in the capital city. My mission, should I choose to accept it, was to purchase a specific ink toner for my NGO's printer/fax/scanner. Not only did my NGO give me the address to this place, and 200 lei (the equivalent of about 20 US dollars, but a LOT here) to purchase the toner, but they also called the store in advance to ensure that they had the toner and would be expecting me. How much more simple could it be, right? OK. So, I got into Chisinau in the late morning with a fellow Peace Corps volunteer (actually, Adam, the guy in the picture). He agreed to go with me to find this computer store, since I am known for my lack of directional sense, and sometimes for my lack of just plain common sense. HA! Well, I figured it was going to be a piece of cake when we found the correct street after only twenty minutes or so, of walking. The problem? Turns out we were walking the wrong direction on the street. We didn't realize this, of course, until we had walked the majority of the street in the the wrong direction. So, turning around and actually making it to the store, took twice as long. We probably walked for three or four miles. Finally, we found the store. It was a big computer store, and I fumbled through explaining to them that I was there to buy the new toner. I took the old one out of the bag that it was wrapped in and handed it to the clerk. My counterpart and I had taped it really good because it had been leaking a bit of ink. Well, by the time, the clerk had unwrapped all the tape, it was obvious that the entire aparatus, toner and cartridge holder were covered in leaked ink. The clerk explained to me that I was going to need to buy an entire new cartridge which was over twice as much as the toner itself. Of course, I only had the money from my NGO, and my bank account from Peace Corps was not be updated for the month, until two or three days from then. So, I called my counterpart, and asked her if she wanted me to buy the 535 lei cartridge and toner, or not. After talking on the phone, to the clerk herself, my partner asked me if I would mind buying the apparatus, and being reimbursed at a later date. So, I took some money out of the bank, and borrowed a bit more from Adam, and went through the process of buying the toner. It took forever, because for some reason, you have to complete an enormous amount of paperwork to make the purchase. Adam compared it to taking out a mortgage on your home, and he wasn't too far off. They were asking crazy quesitons like, "What is the phone number of your NGO's bank?" Considering that I don't even know the phone number of my own house here, I was in trouble! Many phone calles, and much confusion later, I finally had the toner, and the receipt. Whew! What a hassle! Then, Adam and I stopped by the shoe repair shop to drop off the pair of winter boots I had bought here and that were falling apart for the second time after only a month or so of having them repaired before. The repairman said they would be ready two days from then, which was the day I was leaving. I figured I could stop by before I left and pick them up. Then, we ran a few more errands and headed back to the Peace Corps office to meet up with other volunteers and hang out. In the evening, we headed out to dinner, and then to the cheapest hotel we knew of, to reserve several rooms. Turns out, when we got to the hotel, that they were reluctant to give us rooms, as there was a large group coming in the next day that had reserved rooms, and we would need to be checked out by nine the next morning. Which meant that we would have to find a different place to stay the following evening. We assured the clerk that we would be out in time, and she grudgingly gave us rooms for the evening. The next morning, we were up and dressed in time to leave. I cleaned my boots with one of the room towels, as my boots were muddy, and clean shoes are a must in Moldova. Granted, the little towel got muddy, but it was nothing some bleach wouldn't take care of. However, when we were getting ready to head downstairs to check out, the maid took a look in our room, and found the towel I had used. She was very angry with me, and told me that I was not allowed to leave until I either paid for the towel or washed it (I assumed that was her job, but here in Moldova, the customer is NOT always right!) There was no way I was going to pay for a little mud, so I told her to give me some soap, and then I headed into the shared hall bathroom to scrub the towel in the sink. I was running late for my Odyssey of the Mind competition, and wasn't sure I would have time to make it there if I spent too much time scrubbing. So, after scrubbing it mostly clean, for good measure, I took the offered towel of a volunteer who was staying in another room on that floor, wet it, and handed it to the lady. The other volunteer took my towel, and hid it under his bed. That threw her off my trail long enough for me to get downstairs. As I was exiting the hotel, the security guard called me back inside, and I was sure the cleaning lady had figured out that I had swapped towels on her. Instead, the lady at the front desk began to rudely demand my room key. I explained to her that I had left it upstairs with the cleaning lady, and she yelled at me that it was my job to bring that key downstairs, not the cleaning lady's. At this point, I'm getting impatient, cause I'm not sure I'm going to make it to OM on time. So, I ask her is she really wants me to go all the way upstairs for a key that will surely be brought down shortly by the cleaning lady anyway. She says rudely, "No. Just go!" So, off I go to catch a bus to the center of town. Once on the bus, I go in my back pocket for money, and what do you think I find there in that back pocket of mine? Embarassingly enough, the HOTEL KEY!!!!!! Yep, I thought I had left it with the cleaning lady, but in the hurry to leave I had actually stuffed it in my back pocket. So, I had to get off at the next stop, and run the several blocks back to the hotel with all my baggage in tow, to give the key back to lady at the front desk. Embarassing, but at that point, all I could think about was getting to OM on time. Fortunately, I did make it there on time, and the day was long, but a lot of fun. The teams of kids competing were very entertaining and creative, and it was great to hang out with all my Peace Corps buddies, and to make friends with Moldovans who were helping to judge the competition. All in all, a wonderful time. That evening, everybody decided to head to a nice restaurant to celebrate and hang out. It wasn't until about eleven o'clock that evening, while hanging out at the restaurant, that I realized I had left the printer toner at the building where we had the OM competition! Yep, that would be the 535 lei toner that I had had so much trouble procuring, and to make matters worse, when I called one of the few people left at that building on the outskirts of the city, she told me that she had looked everywhere and could not find it!!! I began to get nervous and worried. That was money from my work, the receipts were in the bag, I didn't have enough money in my account to buy more, and without it, my work could not use their printer at all! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I was already tired, and to add this to the looong day was the last straw. I was done with partying for the night, as all I could think about was the missing toner, and the frustrations that had been piling up in the day. I decided that my best plan of action was to get some rest, and then head back to that building early in the morning. I had a meeting the next day at 11:00, and was hoping, praying that I would find that toner before then. So, I said goodbye to all the volunteers who were planning on partying till the early morning, and then found a hotel room, and went to sleep. Next morning, I headed back to that building. Fortunately, it was open, even though it was Sunday, and most places are closed. I walked in, and asked the first cleaning lady I found whether or not she knew anything about my lost toner. She said she didn't, but directed me to another room, and another cleaning lady. I went through my whole explanation again, not expecting anything but a sad shake of the head. That's why I was so surprised, when the lady told me that she knew where my toner was!!!!! Sure enough, she led me directly to it, sitting in the exact room I had been judging in the day before! Never, was I so happy or relieved! I didn't even mind so much when the dogs outside almost ate me, and was grateful I had the toner to swing in their direction, and keep them from quite reaching my leg to taking a chunk out of it. I ran away with a smile on my face even while they chased after me for half a block with teeth bared. Well, I guess this turned out to be the long version despite my best intentions. I can't help it that I'm wordy. The last mishap to befall me ocurred when I went to pick up my winter boots. Turns out, the guy that repaired them, had gone home for the day, and would not be back for two days. So, I guess my boots are still sitting somewhere on one of his locked shelves in Chisinau, waiting for my return, which won't be for another two weeks. Oh well, at least I have my toner cartridge. All in all, I had a really fun time this weekend, but I was glad to get back to my own village, my own house, and especially, my own bed, and I was more than relieved to hand the toner over to my counterpart, and be rid of it for good!

Overdue

2006-02-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know. It's been a while since I last posted a blog on here. I guess I was waiting for something really exciting to happen, or some sort of amazing inspiration to hit me. But as a friend recently told me, it doesn't have to be anything ground breaking. It's just good to let people know what's going on in my life. So, here's my long overdue entry about everyday life here in Moldova. The weather's actually warming up, which is good and bad. Good, because I can start running again without getting frostbite, and bad because I now have to wade through the streets to get anywhere as all the snow is melting into small rivers that turn every unpaved road into a muddy, slushy obstacle course. Quite the challenge though, and I'm always up for a challenge. I have been teaching more English classes, which, although that's not necessarily the main reason I came to Moldova, for the time being, it's a great way to get to know some of the kids in the community, and connect with Recea. I am also going to more meetings (hosted by my NGO, or by the mayor's office, or by local businesses). Although I don't always understand everything that's going on in them, it again helps with the integration process, and can't hurt in my language learning. A few other things that I am about to check out are:

The school here has a center for kids that the last volunteer here helped open, but it has been shut down for several months now, and I'm going to look into opening it again, as it's got some great resources for the youth of the community.
There is a project that was in the works (again when the last volunteer, Christy, was here) to bring running water to this village. Somehow, it has been put on a back burner, and I would like to help get the ball rolling with that project if I can.
My local counterpart has a dream to open a cross-generational center in which older people can come with needs that they have, and the youth of the community can help meet those needs. It would also be a chance to bridge the gap between generations, and to offer helpful resources to elderly that cannot afford some of the necessities of life.
I will also be assisting this year in putting together a week long camp for girls ages 17-20 something. This camp is chock full of activities that help them start thinking about their futures and how they can impact, not only their own lives, but the future of their communities and their country. Then next year, I'm supposed to take over the whole camp project as the volunteer that's doing it this year will be leaving in August. So, that should be interesting as well.

These are some of the bigger ideas in the works right now. They'll take time, but hey, I've got two years, right?;) Overall, things are going very well. The amazement of being here still hasn't worn off. I am just soaking it all up. There's so much beauty to be found, so much humor to be enjoyed, and so many relationships to build, oh yeah, and work to do too. he he he........

Today I had an English class with three nine year old girls. They were so cute. I was teaching them the alphabet, and common greetings. They really liked "Hi!" and "Hello!", but weren't so thrilled with "it's a pleasure". When they say it, it comes out like "eets e plee jur." ADORABLE!!! Then there was "I am from Moldova. Where are you from?". Which kept coming out "I om frum is Moldova. Wot is your from?" I had to work hard at keeping a straight face. I'm sure they were thinking the same thing about my Romanian.

I also did laundry today. I know that sounds about as mundane a task as possible, but I am always so amazed by how time-consuming a process doing laundry by hand is! I barely got the majority done within my two and a half hour time limit (I had a meeting to be at). I didn't even wash all that much! Some socks and underwear, two pairs of jeans, and a pair of PJ bottoms, and it took me two and a half hours!!!!!! Crazy huh?!? Be grateful for your washing machines and dryers. You can have clean, dry clothes in what? An hour, maybe an hour and a half? And it'll still take another day or two for my clothes to dry!!! I'm not complaining. I actually like toughing it a bit (and this is nothing compared to volunteers in other countries), but just wanted to give all you stateside folks something to be grateful for the next time you are dreading doing the laundry in your automatic machines.

This past weekend I went with my host mother, into the city of Balti to celebrate her grandson's fifth birthday. It was fun to spend time with her family. Their pictures are on this blog: Loretta, Vitali, Doina and Vlad. They're good people. Then, the next day, I hung out with some of the volunteers in the city of Balti, and we had an unofficial chocolate fest. That was a lot of fun too. I am all about the chocolate as most of you already know, and there is some good chocolate to be had here in Moldova if you know where to look, and what to look for. :)

This coming weekend I'll be going into the capital city of Chisinau for a youth competition I am judging at, and a meeting the next day for a peer support group I have joined. It'll be good to help out with these programs, and to see other volunteers, but I really am getting to the point where I look forward to coming back to my village, my house, my room, my bed.:) I guess I must be settling in or something.

Well folks, I hope I haven't bored you with all the everyday mundanes. I'll make sure to update this more frequently so I don't have to throw it all into one blog. As always, I look forward to your everyday updates to me, and I miss you all. Keep the emails coming, and feel free to comment on this blog site as well.

Till the next time, enjoy what you've been blessed with, and savor the moments. I think life is about the moments and I wish you some very wonderful ones!:)