A ride on the wild side

A few days have past. A few more lessons learned.

As many know, I get car sick relatively easily. This is magnified when crammed into a van, known here fondly as the 'rutiera'. These are the most frequent transportation around Moldova. In the summer they are hot, cramped, stuffy little vans created to make people like myself die inside everytime I enter one. Our rutiera, slightly larger than a 15 passanger van, served as transportation for more than 35 people rushing from one side of the city to the other. Everyone on the rutiera was sweating as this little metal box was an oven in the hot summer sun. I held tight to the metal grab rail, with beads of sweat dripping down my arm and forehead.  For one who gets motion sick easily, and who needs a constant stream of clean air, these little death capsules serve as a true test of strength. Luckily, this time I escaped with only a sour stomach and a lump in my throat. I hope that if you ever find yourself in Moldova you will too experience the public transport that is the rutiera. They are cheap and fast modes of transportation, I will give them that. On my income I will have to grown fond of the rutiera, as it is one of the few modes of transportation I will be able to afford. And so now, I will choose to embrace the rutiera. I love it, I love it, I love it. Yea, I love those damn things...

A joke circulated through the peace corps goes as follows:
How many people can fit in a rutiera?
...Always, one more.

Until next time,
Peace