The end of August I had the great privilege of showing my family my life here in Moldova.
I woke up early the day they were flying in. I couldn't help but be a big ball of excitement and nerves. I took an early bus into the capital and waited patiently at the Peace Corps office before it was finally time to go to the airport and pick up my dad and brother. The day of their arrival also happened to be the same day as an important visit from the German Chancellor and so, it was quite busy both on the road in to the airport, and at the airport. Extra security had been put in place, lining the road every 100 meters from the city center in to the airport, to make sure the first visit by this high profile guest would go as smoothly as possible. I couldn't help but laugh and think about how I would later make a joke about how I had informed the Moldovan government of my family's coming and that they were sparing no expense for their arrival.
Like a giant loser I broke into tears the moment I finally saw my dad and brother after more than a year apart. Those two hugs were what I had been waiting for so many months. We quickly got our footing, finding our way to the rental car agency and after a few set-backs we were on the road with our car for the next week and a half. I had put in a call earlier at an apartment for rent, so we had a place in the capital to use as a base for our adventures around Moldova.
We took that first day easy, getting some lunch at a local Greek restaurant, a favorite among volunteers. We took naps at the apartment, we had drinks at an out-door bar, and ate dinner at a delicious restaurant. The restaurant was also notorious among volunteers, but known more for its high price-tag on a volunteers budget, rather than as a frequented joint.
The second day we got an early start. Dad made American coffee just the way he always does. It was odd, sitting on a fold-out couch in this high-rise apartment in the middle of Eastern Europe with so much of home in this one apartment. Sipping the beautiful coffee, talking with my family, it was a surreal moment. Similarly it was weird later that day driving in the Moldovan countryside listening to my dad's ipod playing through the speakers. (I was a passenger, not a driver. Don't worry Peace Corps, no rules were broken.) We visited a couple of famous monasteries on the second day. The first, Capriana, beautiful and white with black domes. The second, Hincu, huge and currently under construction. Overall, it was a successful full day of site seeing.
The following day we visited a famous winery, Cricova. With over 170 kilometers of underground storage space its the largest underground wine village in the world. After our tour we buzzed out to a little village, Clisova Noua, in the central region of Moldova to visit with a local artisan who I had worked with the previous week on marketing and collaboration of a new step-by-step guidebook. She happily showed us around her museum, show-room, and work space. Her plucky disposition brightens anyone's day and it was a great little side trip for our day.
The next day we went to the Gustar festival of traditional music, held annually at Orhei Veche, one of the most famous monasteries in all of Moldova. The sun was blazing hot out in the field where the festival was located but, we stuck it out to hear the prime minsters opening remarks and the first couple of bands play. After the festival we went and picked up all the supplies needed for the bbq the following day. It was overwhelming to go and buy all of this food, like I mentioned earlier, our volunteer stipends heavily restrict our spending.
The following day, Sunday, was my 23rd birthday. We woke up early and went to the market in my town in order to stock up on all the fresh fruits and vegetables that would be needed for the day. After we went back to the house and spent the rest of the day cooking lots of food and waiting for the arrival of a few of my volunteer friends. The ladies finally arrived in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day eating, drinking semi-cold beer, and enjoying each others company.
The 27th of August is Moldova's Independence day. We stayed in Nisporeni and enjoyed a quiet day. A couple of my host mom's colleagues came over and met my family, there were toasts made and even more food eaten. It was slightly rainy outside and we opted out of the festivities in the center of the town for an evening in, eating homemade chicken noodle soup and chatting with my host mom.
The next morning we woke up early to say goodbye to my host mom and head off for more adventures. We spent the morning in Nisporeni. I was able to show my family the work I am doing with the Craftsman house for the dance studio, I took them to my office where they met both the vice president of the district and my awesome partner, Vlad. After, I took them to another volunteers site, Sadova, to see the work that he did while he had been in Moldova. Later, we reached Chisinau where we stayed the night.
The following day we woke up at the crack of dawn. We wanted to get an early start, as we were headed to Odessa, Ukraine for the next two days. We drove through the countryside of Moldova, it was pretty seeing the soft lighting of the morning bathed over the little villages we buzzed through. We reached the border early and after some slight confusion purchasing car insurance for our stay in Ukraine, we were on our way into the city.
Once in Odessa the task of finding the Black Sea became our number one priority. I got frustrated trying to communicate with people. Everyone spoke Russian, I have next to zero understanding of Russian. Although, after some confusion we finally found the beach. We walked down the beach until we found a big beautiful hotel directly on the beach that was deemed good for both my dad and brother. A fancy hotel room was purchased for the night and our mini-vacation was underway. We spent some time on the beach, some time in the roof-top jacuzzi, and dinner at the roof-top restaurant with a view of the hotels biggest attraction, a dolphin show. The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast at the roof-top restaurant before we went in search of the most famous landmark in Odessa, the staircase. After exploring the historical center of the city we decided it was time to figure out how to get back to Moldova. The map provided to us by the hotel wasn't entirely accurate and made our navigation slightly more stressful than helpful. Luckily, a generous stranger who didn't speak a lick of English or Romanian signaled for us to follow him and he showed us where we wanted to be, thanks friendly stranger! We re-traced our steps back over the border and in to Moldova. I was relieved to be back on 'my territory', I don't tend to stress too much when traveling alone or with a friend but, with my family I easily get stressed knowing their standards are a lot higher than mine. But, we were now back in my comfort zone, it's funny that Moldova has become 'my comfort zone'.
The last full day was spent leisurely, we woke up late and ate delicious homemade omelets with fancy blue cheese that was bought the night before. Later, we went out to lunch and after explored the mall. That night we went back to that expensive restaurant (in the eyes of a Peace Corps volunteer) that had clearly become my family's favorite. That night we enjoyed each others company before it was time for them to head home, and me to head back to the Moldova I was used to, the one without the rented car, the centrally located apartment in the capital, and the many meals at restaurants.
The next morning we packed up everything and headed to the airport. We sat at the airport, sipping on coffees and waiting for their flight. It had been a good visit that none of us will ever forget. They were able to see a lot and, meet the people who make up my life in Moldova. I was so proud to show them my little corner of the world here.
Peace to you on this September day!
I woke up early the day they were flying in. I couldn't help but be a big ball of excitement and nerves. I took an early bus into the capital and waited patiently at the Peace Corps office before it was finally time to go to the airport and pick up my dad and brother. The day of their arrival also happened to be the same day as an important visit from the German Chancellor and so, it was quite busy both on the road in to the airport, and at the airport. Extra security had been put in place, lining the road every 100 meters from the city center in to the airport, to make sure the first visit by this high profile guest would go as smoothly as possible. I couldn't help but laugh and think about how I would later make a joke about how I had informed the Moldovan government of my family's coming and that they were sparing no expense for their arrival.
Like a giant loser I broke into tears the moment I finally saw my dad and brother after more than a year apart. Those two hugs were what I had been waiting for so many months. We quickly got our footing, finding our way to the rental car agency and after a few set-backs we were on the road with our car for the next week and a half. I had put in a call earlier at an apartment for rent, so we had a place in the capital to use as a base for our adventures around Moldova.
We took that first day easy, getting some lunch at a local Greek restaurant, a favorite among volunteers. We took naps at the apartment, we had drinks at an out-door bar, and ate dinner at a delicious restaurant. The restaurant was also notorious among volunteers, but known more for its high price-tag on a volunteers budget, rather than as a frequented joint.
The second day we got an early start. Dad made American coffee just the way he always does. It was odd, sitting on a fold-out couch in this high-rise apartment in the middle of Eastern Europe with so much of home in this one apartment. Sipping the beautiful coffee, talking with my family, it was a surreal moment. Similarly it was weird later that day driving in the Moldovan countryside listening to my dad's ipod playing through the speakers. (I was a passenger, not a driver. Don't worry Peace Corps, no rules were broken.) We visited a couple of famous monasteries on the second day. The first, Capriana, beautiful and white with black domes. The second, Hincu, huge and currently under construction. Overall, it was a successful full day of site seeing.
The following day we visited a famous winery, Cricova. With over 170 kilometers of underground storage space its the largest underground wine village in the world. After our tour we buzzed out to a little village, Clisova Noua, in the central region of Moldova to visit with a local artisan who I had worked with the previous week on marketing and collaboration of a new step-by-step guidebook. She happily showed us around her museum, show-room, and work space. Her plucky disposition brightens anyone's day and it was a great little side trip for our day.
The next day we went to the Gustar festival of traditional music, held annually at Orhei Veche, one of the most famous monasteries in all of Moldova. The sun was blazing hot out in the field where the festival was located but, we stuck it out to hear the prime minsters opening remarks and the first couple of bands play. After the festival we went and picked up all the supplies needed for the bbq the following day. It was overwhelming to go and buy all of this food, like I mentioned earlier, our volunteer stipends heavily restrict our spending.
The following day, Sunday, was my 23rd birthday. We woke up early and went to the market in my town in order to stock up on all the fresh fruits and vegetables that would be needed for the day. After we went back to the house and spent the rest of the day cooking lots of food and waiting for the arrival of a few of my volunteer friends. The ladies finally arrived in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day eating, drinking semi-cold beer, and enjoying each others company.
The 27th of August is Moldova's Independence day. We stayed in Nisporeni and enjoyed a quiet day. A couple of my host mom's colleagues came over and met my family, there were toasts made and even more food eaten. It was slightly rainy outside and we opted out of the festivities in the center of the town for an evening in, eating homemade chicken noodle soup and chatting with my host mom.
The next morning we woke up early to say goodbye to my host mom and head off for more adventures. We spent the morning in Nisporeni. I was able to show my family the work I am doing with the Craftsman house for the dance studio, I took them to my office where they met both the vice president of the district and my awesome partner, Vlad. After, I took them to another volunteers site, Sadova, to see the work that he did while he had been in Moldova. Later, we reached Chisinau where we stayed the night.
The following day we woke up at the crack of dawn. We wanted to get an early start, as we were headed to Odessa, Ukraine for the next two days. We drove through the countryside of Moldova, it was pretty seeing the soft lighting of the morning bathed over the little villages we buzzed through. We reached the border early and after some slight confusion purchasing car insurance for our stay in Ukraine, we were on our way into the city.
Once in Odessa the task of finding the Black Sea became our number one priority. I got frustrated trying to communicate with people. Everyone spoke Russian, I have next to zero understanding of Russian. Although, after some confusion we finally found the beach. We walked down the beach until we found a big beautiful hotel directly on the beach that was deemed good for both my dad and brother. A fancy hotel room was purchased for the night and our mini-vacation was underway. We spent some time on the beach, some time in the roof-top jacuzzi, and dinner at the roof-top restaurant with a view of the hotels biggest attraction, a dolphin show. The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast at the roof-top restaurant before we went in search of the most famous landmark in Odessa, the staircase. After exploring the historical center of the city we decided it was time to figure out how to get back to Moldova. The map provided to us by the hotel wasn't entirely accurate and made our navigation slightly more stressful than helpful. Luckily, a generous stranger who didn't speak a lick of English or Romanian signaled for us to follow him and he showed us where we wanted to be, thanks friendly stranger! We re-traced our steps back over the border and in to Moldova. I was relieved to be back on 'my territory', I don't tend to stress too much when traveling alone or with a friend but, with my family I easily get stressed knowing their standards are a lot higher than mine. But, we were now back in my comfort zone, it's funny that Moldova has become 'my comfort zone'.
The last full day was spent leisurely, we woke up late and ate delicious homemade omelets with fancy blue cheese that was bought the night before. Later, we went out to lunch and after explored the mall. That night we went back to that expensive restaurant (in the eyes of a Peace Corps volunteer) that had clearly become my family's favorite. That night we enjoyed each others company before it was time for them to head home, and me to head back to the Moldova I was used to, the one without the rented car, the centrally located apartment in the capital, and the many meals at restaurants.
The next morning we packed up everything and headed to the airport. We sat at the airport, sipping on coffees and waiting for their flight. It had been a good visit that none of us will ever forget. They were able to see a lot and, meet the people who make up my life in Moldova. I was so proud to show them my little corner of the world here.
Peace to you on this September day!
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