Summer Camp

Last week I worked with the American Council in Chisinau as they put on a summer camp for students learning English. The week was fun but very very hot (high 90s and low 100s). The campers and staff were all lodged at a local private school in the capital and from there all lessons and activities were facilitated.

The first day of the camp I was told to find my way to the school by 2:30 in the afternoon, that was when my responsibilities for the day would be kicking-in (earlier than most days). I had gotten directions to the school from a few different sources but none of them seemed all that confident in their explanation. I began to worry that finding the school might actually lead me to being late, which I hate to be. So, after finding another volunteer who had been out to the school before for a different conference I was able to persuade her that escorting me to the school was a really fun idea, and of course I would throw in her public transport costs as good measure. With my handy escort in toe we headed out at about 2pm. I was told it would take no more than twenty minutes to get to where we needed to be. We hopped on a routiera headed out to the section of town we were looking for, not paying much attention to specific numbers. This was mistake number one. We also informed the driver of where we were headed, the Science Academy. He nodded and told us we would be going there. I saw this as a great sign.

We were passing all the landmarks I was told to watch out for so I asked the driver to stop. As we were getting off he looked at us and told us this wasn't the right place to get off. The location we were going to was over a bridge and so we figured maybe the driver was going to loop back around and would drop us closer, thanks driver guy! So, we patiently sat back down waiting for him to make the loop. The loop was not made, and we turned down a little street heading in the opposite direction from where we were headed. No problem, we still had 15 minutes, we could still easily make it with a few minutes to spare, if we turned around...right now.

The driver pulled up in front of a large building and told us this was what we were looking for. I knew immediately we should have gotten off earlier when he said this. The other volunteer and I explained to the driver that, no, this was not what we were looking for. We wanted to go to the Science Academy and he was pointing to the Academy of Administration. After a long winded arguing match, where he told us to get out and check, he finally realized that we were not going to get out of his routiera. Begrudgingly he brought us to the end of his route, pulled over, and asked some of his buddies who drive the same route, if they knew where we were looking for. Of course they all finally understood, and the driver took the opportunity to tell us that we were looking for the Science Academy School, and had we said that, he would have known what we meant. (I'm sorry but I don't see how this makes a large difference, in no way is science the same thing as administration, and there were no other science schools in the area.)

I now had five minutes to get to the school. We got on one of his buddies routiera, that was headed out on his route, so that we could get off where we had originally wanted to get off, after paying another ride fee of course. Finally, we were back in the area we needed to be, but we still needed to walk to the school. We now had two minutes to somehow find the school. I knew I was going to be late, I had to face the facts. I grabbed my cell phone that had about half a minute of credit on it and dialed the number of the camp director and apologized for my tardiness, but that I would in fact be there in the next fifteen minutes. He seemed un phased by my absence, I guessed this was a good sign. After walking in the wrong direction for about five minutes my helpful escort (just kidding Katie) realized we needed to be going the other way. We turned around and finally made our way in the correct direction. What had been a planned twenty minute trip somehow turned into an hour. I hurried into the school and went in search of the campers. When I finally found them they were busy at work on a scavenger hunt. The director told me that they had changed the schedule that morning and that I wasn't needed until 5pm. I was relieved but also thought it would have been nice to know about that an hour ago. Nevertheless the rest of the day went smoothly.

My responsibility at the camp was the 'team building' portion of each day. This portion of the day came at the very end of each day, usually after dinner. I got the students when they were worn-out, tired, and all they really wanted was to lock themselves away in their rooms and speak Romanian after a long day of non-stop English. But, I was in charge of creating a couple of hours of fun in their day. Now, I don't think I would necessarily say I am great with kids which led  me to wonder how on earth I was going to keep a group of high school students engaged and participating in whatever 'fun' activities I had up my sleeve. After a rousing name game we played a couple other team building games, which to my delight seemed to be enjoyed by all the students. Clearly the rest of the day was dedicated to academics and this was their one chance to play and goof around.

They were all enthralled in the fact that I was an American who actually enjoyed living in their country and would be spending my week playing with them each day. It's comical how one becomes popular based on ones nationality over here.

The rest of the week fell into place quite easily, the students enjoyed our sessions and, I enjoyed their enthusiasm. By the end of the week we had all built that traditional 'camp bond'. They were all truly sorry to be going and they sweetly gave me hugs as we parted ways. I promised to make a surprise appearance at their lessons sometime during the year, I'm not sure how much incentive that is to continue attending the classes, but hey, maybe it is.

Just another summery week over here, wishing you sunshine wherever you are!

Posh Corps Vacation (Part 2: Turkey)

After bidding farewell to Sidian early Sunday morning we hopped on our flight to Istanbul, found our shuttle bus, and arrived in Taksim Square a few hours later. We were able to check-in to our hostel for the night and from there we worked on figuring out how to get in to the historic center from our positioning in the new district. I was pretty grumpy from our early morning flight, our less than appealing 6 person dorm room at the hostel, and my empty stomach. Thank goodness Sam is good with maps and was able to eventually navigate our way to where we needed to be. After getting some food and water into our systems we both were feeling much more chipper and we headed to the Basilica Cistern to view the famous pillared water reservoir. Later we went to Topkapi Palace, where generations of Sultans lived. It was massive, with sumptuous gardens and vistas overlooking the strait. After we got our fill at the palace we found our way to the famous Galta Bridge with its restaurant and pedestrian underpass and its daily fisherman bobbing and dangling their poles over the side of the upper-level of the bridge where proper traffic can cross. We grabbed a couple of fresh fish sandwiches at one of the cheaper options, with a sandwich for a mere 5TL (Turkish Lira) about $3USD. After getting our fill of the sights in the old district for the day we hopped on public transport back to Taksim Square and the new district, where our hostels were located. Of course I had to get my daily dose of rice pudding (a common dish in Turkey and one of my favorites!). We strolled down the ever hectic main street in the new district before calling it an early night.

The next morning we woke up and checked out of our first hostel (we only had one night there as our plans had changed from when we had orginally booked so; this was merely a stop over before the hostel we had booked for a number of nights). To both of our delights the new hostel, with the private room and bathroom, was much more to our liking. After a couple cups of coffee we headed out to the famous Grand Bazaar. This place is a site to see. Thousands of people flow in and out of the little lanes that make up the network of the massive Grand Bazaar. Hawkers come up with clever ways of rousing their potential customer. Sam and I heard such lines as; "I need the money." "Come in, I have bad things. Oh no, I mean good! Good! Wait, it's good!" "Have I see you before?"...and on and on they went. We had fun exploring, it's so colorful with fabrics, and glass lanterns, and of course rugs. The only thing in our budget was taking pictures, but that was enough for the both of us. From the Grand Bazaar we made our way down to the Spice Market. It was interesting to see the in-between space, a newer market had emereded that sold the same goods as in the Bazaar at a fraction of the price. I can't help but admit I did find myelsf a few lovely little trinkets to take home with me, mainly dried apricots and a pretty blue scarf (which I successfully haggled down to a price I thought was reasonable). It was such a fun day, the people, the sounds, the smells; it was a feast for the senses. The Spice Market was just as interesting; piles of colorful spices lined the stalls. People promising their products integrity, "would you like a try?". After all of this window shopping we were both exhausted and found a few moments of rest in the courtyard of a beautiful mosque. Later we enjoyed a glass of local brew, Efes, before grabbing another fish sandwich and high tailing it back to our hostel for some much needed rest.

Our third day in Istanbul we decided to go on a cruise down the Bosphorus Strait. After reading our guide book we got to the docks early and scoped out the best seats up on the top deck. We spent the day lazily winding our way up the Bosphorus take pictures of the coastline and enjoying each others company. The boat docked on the Asian side of Turkey just in time for lunch. The pushy wait-staff turned us both off, and we instead decided to forgo lunch and hike up the hill and get a view of where the strait empties into the Black Sea. It was really beautiful, and we were both glad we had made the hike. At this point we were getting quite hungry and after we did a little reading in the guidebook, realized there was a bakery where we could pick up some cheap eats. We got a traditional corn bread with sardines and leeks baked in, it was delicious and even better, no one was standing outside yelling at us to 'come-in and get a special deal'! A while later and it was time to get our boat back in to Istanbul. It was a lovely day trip, and definitely a fun way to get my first glimpse of Asia. The boat ride back was just as pleasant and we were deposited back at the dock in Istanbul in the late afternoon. We got a couple of fish sandwiches (see a trend?) before heading back to the hostel for some rest. Later in the evening we both got hungry and picked up some lahmacun, a flat bread dish with ground meat and seasoning. Sam and I both decided fresh lemon juice makes almost anything taste better, and almost every restaurant and street cart offers a fresh squeeze of lemon to its dishes, we approve.

The next day we headed to the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque; the most famous sites in Istanbul. We stood in a long line outside the Hagia Sofia and were approached by countless tour guides offering the 'best tour'. We patiently waited in the line and paid our entrance fee and enjoyed all the beauty of the Hagia Sofia has to offer. Once a Mosque, among many other things, it is now a museum. We took our time taking in the high ceilings, archways, painted and engraved artwork and the many other vast differences between this once-place of worship, as compared to all the other churches we have seen in other parts of Europe. After we had gotten our fill we meandered outside only to find the call-to-prayer had begun and the Blue Mosque would be closed for about an hour before would be closed for about an hour before we would be able to go in and view it. Later, when it was open we returned and were able to go in and view this working mosque. It was truly beautiful but, Sam and I both felt slightly out of place, and didn't want to over stay our welcome, so we took it in and left shortly after. We made our way down to the docks and hoped on a public ferry that brought us to the Asian side of Istanbul where we got off and looked for a restaurant we had read countess reviews for. We both got flustered and lost trying to find the restaurant and I finally went in and asked a hotel concierge to get directions. None of the workers knew English but, one of the men knew where the restaurant was and motioned for me and Sam to follow. Before we knew it he was walking down streets and turning corners and led us all the way to the doorstep of the restaurant. It was very sweet of him and Sam and I both thanked him before he turned around the headed back to the hotel, now that is customer service! We ate delicious meal of traditional Ottoman inspired dishes before we headed back to the European side, and on to our hostel. In the evening we sat on the roof top lounge and enjoyed a beer and a chat with a couple of travelers from Australia who were heading to the US in a couple of weeks. We were sure to share with them a few must-do's and must-sees while in America, including; buying gigantic 64oz slurpees at 7-eleven, going to baseball game, shopping at Super Wal-Mart, and eating at the Golden Corral buffet. It was fun evening, thinking about the rather awesomely disgusting American stereotypes they would have the pleasure of viewing, and in a weird way it made me homesick.

Our last full day in Istanbul, we took in at a slower pace. We found a coffee shop near our hostel and sipped on coffee and read for a couple of hours. Later we found some Turkish pizza, called pide, for lunch. After we headed in to the old district and went to the Islamic and Turkish art museum, yup another museum. We both agreed it didn't turn out worth the admission price but, 'you live and you learn'. The rest of the day we spent milling about. We meandered back through the bazaar and markets; we enjoed the Ramadan holiday market that had been set up in the main square next to the Blue Mosque. It was a carefree day, our final day together until Christmas.

The last morning was tough. I will never be good at 'goodbyes'. And, they are made tougher when you have to say it to someone that is loved so dearly. But, I have been reminded it is not goodbye forever, it is a see you soon.

The trip was amazing and the memories created will never be forgotten. This trip, traveled with the man I love, is just the beginning. And, I couldn't be more excited for whatever is next for us.

I am blessed and I am so stinkin' happy! I do recognize this, through my happiness, help others to see the happiness in their own lives.

Peace to you my friend ~

A Posh Corps Vacation (Part 1: Greece)

When I went to University I was no dummy. I knew I wanted to live in the international dorm, not just to enhance my own world view but, to meet new people and hopefully make meaningful friendships that would someday allow me to see the world in my favorite way, through the lives of my friends. And hopefully, I would be able to return the favor and they would be able to visit me wherever in the world I am. Because, in my mind there is nothing better than a familiar face in a far-off land. (Take my two previous blog posts as an example of that!)

One of the very lucky parts about serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Eastern Europe is the potential for some pretty sweet travel opportunities. One of the unlucky parts about this is the financial cost of visiting these places. This is where those international friends come in handy! One of my good friends and co-workers back at UNH is from Greece, and so when I was thinking about my summer travel plans I thought what better way to see Greece than whilst visiting an old friend. And so, a couple weeks ago my boyfriend Sam and I departed on our European adventure before he headed home (he completed his service and is now a RPCV, I'm so proud!). We left on a night bus to Bucharest, tickets flying out of Romania are nearly half the price as flying from Chisinau, and our early morning flight got us in to Athens around 9am. Sidian, my friend who lives in Greece, picked us up at the airport and drove us to his cousins apartment where we were staying for the week. The first day was leisurely, we had a lovely lunch with Sidian and his father at a restaurant in the center of Athens. After Sidi headed back to work and Sam and I headed out to explore the area a bit. We walked all around and saw Parliment with the guards and their funny pom-pom-ed shoes, we walked through the royal gardens and over to the modern historic Olympic stadium. It was a laid back day after all of our traveling. Later when Sidi got off work he took us to his friends coffee bar where we sat outside and enjoyed the atmosphere and sipped on ice tea. After Sidi took us to Lykavittos Hill, a big hill in the middle of Athens, with a pretty little chapel on top and some of the best views of the Athens skyline at night. It was so beautiful and definitely a 'I am so blessed' moment, I had countless moments like this on the trip.

The second day in Athens, Sam and I decided to sleep in a tad and rise at 9 am to catch up on the sleep we had lost from our overnight travel ordeal. When we finally got in to town we explored the central market and, I was able to pick up a half kilo of apricots to munch on for only .25 euro. ( I can't help but succumb to a deal like that.) Lunch was lamb kebabs from a famous kebab restaurant, but the key is to order on the street that way you can take them away and its only 2 euro, rather than sitting where they jack-up the price by more than triple. I'll happily sit on a curb and eat those kebabs any day of the week. After lunch we made our way to the Archeological museum. Now, I wish I were the kind of person to take great pleasure in museums but, after years of trying to pretend like I am moved by clay pots I know who I am, and I am not a person to ogle over old clay anything. Sam, on the other hand, loves museums and the kid could honestly spend days staring at those damn pots. So, I tried my best to be upbeat about the whole museum situation, after all I was in a new place to learn, an afternoon learning about a collection of 16th century clay pots was the least I could do. I know what you are thinking, spoiled American, I know I kind of think it too. But, to be honest I would be just as happy sitting on a park bench people watching for hours so, to each his own, right? That night Sam and I prepared salad and spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce (that I made from scratch, thank you very much). Everyone seemed to enjoy it, or they were all real good pretenders.

The third day was our big 'tourist day' we woke up early and headed out to the Acropolis before it got too busy and too hot. We spent the morning exploring the Agora, the Acropolis, Dionysus theater and the temple of the Olympian Zeus. We again ate delicious gyros for lunch before hitting a strategically placed visit to the AC-ed Acropolis museum in the afternoon. That evening we had a Chinese food feast at Sidi's father and step mothers apartment it was delicious, after we hiked up a hill in Sidi's neighborhood that gave us a unique view of the Athens skyline through the trees.

Our fourth day in Athens we decided it was time to hit the beach. We got some traditional Greek pies for breakfast before heading to the coast via the public tram. The beach was busy but we were able to find a spot. It was ridiculously hot out and Sam and I spent most of our time in the water just trying to stay cool. In our mind the beach was pretty great, later talking with Sidi and his friends we were told that this is the 'worst beach in all of Greece', I guess ignorance was bliss for us. Although the day resulted in some pretty pink sun-burns for Sam and I, guess the sunscreen wasn't waterproof. In the evening Sidi took us to a museum that had free admittance on Thursdays. Here is my abridged version of what I understand the museum to be, a collection of a bunch of old junk some disgustingly rich old dude had and turned into a fancy-pants museum when he died. Was that an offensive enough summary for you? I think I was just disappointed in seeing more damn clay pots, although some of them had some pretty erotic scenes etched on them so that was entertaining. Sam was annoyed when he caught me giggling and taking pictures of a vase with just a guy standing in the nude with his mass at full salute (What? I need to entertain myself somehow, while he is educating himself).  I have to give it to him though, the old dude had some pretty nice jewelry in his massive collection of junk, bravo for his wife.

The fifth day in Athens we headed off to the island of Aegina. About an hour off the coast of Athens it is lesser known than the island of Hydra and half the ferry price, but, I would like to think boasts many of the same quaint island qualities. We got to the island in the morning and found ourselves some coffee before we milled about the island exploring the little cobblestone lanes. It really was beautiful and had an entirely different feel from Athens. We enjoyed the 'island time' lifestyle for the day and sat out at a nearly deserted beach right next to some Greek ruins before finding our way back in to town for a delicious seafood lunch. I am still daydreaming about the mussels. Aegina is the island known as the birth place of pistachios so in the afternoon Sam and I found ourselves relaxing, sipping a couple of local brews, munching on pistachios, smelling the sea air and reading. Absolute bliss. In the evening we hopped on our high-speed ferry back to Athens and met up with Sidi and his friends for a few drinks at a local bar.

The final day in Athens was another relatively lazy day. We took our time getting up and heading in to the center. We got coffee and sat out planning our next leg of the trip. We walked down the touristy streets and I picked up a few things for people. We walked around the Plaka, an area up around the Acropolis that is especially pretty, after we had a bite to eat before heading back to the apartment to wait for Sidi to get off work. When Sidian got home he drove us out to one of his friends homes on the coast outside of Athens. We went to the beach and it was so amazing. The water was crystal clear and the sun was beginning to set. It was refreshing getting a couple more hours floating in the salty sea water. His friend, Pavos, made us a delicious dinner and we spent the rest of the evening hanging out on the roof patio of the house. When the sun had fully set, and the sky was dark for the night it was time for us to head home. We thanked Sidi's family that night before bed, our flight the next morning was far too early to naturally be awake. They were some of the most wonderful and gracious hosts I have ever had the pleasure of staying with. They truly made our visit all the more special and invited us back whenever we please.

The next morning, we awoke early and Sidi generously woke up on his one day-off to drive us to the airport.

We were off to Turkey, for the final leg of our amazing trip.


  

Meg's Visit!

July has turned out to be quite a busy month. Between friends visiting, traveling and a summer camp to assist at my days have filled up quite nicely. But, before I get too ahead of myself I will jump back a few weeks to the very beginning of July when one of my oldest and dearest friends came to visit.

Meaghan had been studying and working all year in Germany and before she headed back home we both decided it was too good of an opportunity for her to miss, so she simply had to come visit me all the way over here in Moldova.

So, on the evening of June 30 I hopped on a rutiera and was off to the airport to pick-up Meg. Of course like a blubbering fool I cried when I saw her and we shared a big hug before I welcomed her to my new home, Moldova. We both hurried outside to catch a rutiera back in to the center of the city and only ran into a few scoffs and scuddles with the patrons on the rutiera who were unfamiliar with people speaking in English. That evening we took things slow, we went out to dinner and we headed back to a friends apartment in the city.

The following morning I had a meeting to attend for the summer camp I will be working at later this week. Unfortunately for Meg that meant she was dragged around with me to the meeting and got to listen in on all the insightful information sharing that played out. After the meeting we headed out into the city to do a bit of exploring. I showed her 'the sites' which takes surprisingly less time than one might think. After we picked up a snack and headed back to the PC Office to hangout before it was time to head out to watch the final game of the Euro Cup.

The next day we headed out to visit the most famous monastery in Moldova, Orheiul Veche. I had been once before with my training group but, I figured it would make for a good day trip for the two of us. So we went to the station and were directed to a rutiera that would be driving by the monastery that we could hitch a ride with. An hour later we were dropped in a field near the monastery and we were off to exploring the caves carved into the hills and the cows grazing in the fields. Now, if I had been a more prepared host I would have realized that getting to the monastery would be a lot simpler than getting back to the capital where we needed to pick up our rutiera to head to my site. So, after milling about the monastery for awhile I pitched the scenarios to Meaghan.
1. We could wait until the evening when the rutiera would be coming back through and could flag it down and hop on. This option would have us getting back to my site well after dinner time, and I still needed to get grocery's.
2. We could hitch-hike. Anyone in the US reading this is probably disturbed by the thought of this, and I was initially too. However, in Moldova it is common practice and completely safe, you even pay the driver who picks you up. It truly is a fair and square deal. But, after giving it a little thought I knew Meaghan's mom, the notorious Mrs. Britain would probably chop my head off if she found out I took her daughter hitch-hiking in Eastern Europe (Oh hey, Mrs. Britain!).
So, I opted for option 3. Ask the people at the monastery if they had space in the car to bring our sorry-bums back to a main street so we could hail a passing rutiera.
After conversing with a Moldovan family with a full car I began to think hitch-hiking might be the only option but, luckily enough for Meg and I, a family that was quite clearly tourists walked up the path. After some slight hesitation I asked them if they spoke English, which they did, and awkwardly explained our situation. "We are just visiting the monastery for a couple hours and had hoped to catch a public transport vehicle back to the capital, but we were told when we arrived it won't be coming until this evening. I know this is a bizarre question to ask but, if you have space in your car would you mind giving us a lift to a main road on the way to where ever you are headed? We are both American and would be happy to give you some gas money for the ride?" To our delight they gave us a slightly hesitant yes. The Swedish family, mom, dad and daughter were all very pleasant. Meg and I found it funny, the mom sat in the back seat with us while the daughter sat up-front. We know how that conversation went "I am NOT sitting next to them, mom." The car ride was quick and we were dropped at one of the main traffic circles only a few kilometers outside the city. Of course they wouldn't accept any money and wished us well as we left. We both wondered if our families would do the same if the scenario had played out differently, we both agreed our families would help out a couple of strangers in our position. After all, we are two pretty harmless looking girls. Moments later we were on a rutiera headed in to the city. Back at my site we cooked up some burritos for dinner, that I later shared with host mom and host aunt. We watched a bit of online tv before we nodded off to sleep. It had been quite an adventurous day.

The next morning we took our time getting ready and headed in to the center of Nisporeni town just after noon. I showed her the dance studio project I am currently working on, and my office. She was very patient while I worked for a couple of hours at the office. Later we picked up supplies for dinner and were able to get a lift back to the house by host moms work partner. That evening host mom cooked us some delicious placinta (homemade cheese-filled pastry) as always it was superb! We had another lazy night in Nisporeni, filled with picking apricots of the sparse tree in the chickens coop and stuffing our faces with delicious food.

The final day Meaghan was in town was the fourth of July. Unfortunately the celebrations were slightly underwhelming for her. But, we had a good last day. After a couple of hiccups we were able to get her bus ticket to the airport in Bucharest and she was on her way that evening.

It was such a fun visit, I'm so happy she was able to come and see my little life here in Moldova. I know it is something special that she and I will remember for many years to come.

So, when are you coming to visit? I'm patiently waiting for my next visitor! :)

Peace

A Visit From Friends

Last week I had the great pleasure of having a couple of friends visit me here in Moldova. Taras and Deanna were in Ukraine visiting family and enjoying the Euro Cup and decided that a jaunt over to Moldova to visit yours truly would be a fun addition to their adventure.

 Early last Tuesday morning I hopped on a rutiera (mini-bus) and was off to the capital to pick up my friends at the airport. Everything went off without a hitch, we met up, and we were all on our way back into the city center within a matter of minutes. I took them back to the Peace Corps office to drop off their bags and have a cup of coffee before we meandered into the center and had a delicious lunch at my favorite Greek restaurant. After lunch we strolled around the center, I showed them the main square and basilica before we made our way back to peace corps and later on to the bus station where we hopped on a bus back to my site, Nisporeni.

We arrived in Nisporeni in the early evening and headed to my house to begin work on our big delicious dinner. Host mom was home and ready for us when we arrived. I got to work making the fried summer squash and host mom prepared the placinta (stuffed pastry with sheep's cheese filling). We also made bbq chicken and fresh tomato and cucumber salad. It was a huge meal that took 4 hours to prepare but, it was completely worth it. That night we watched the match between Ukraine and England in the euro cup before hitting the hay.

So, the next day we all headed into the center of my town. The walk is usually pretty enjoyable, Nisporeni is situated on a hill, and the walk is just a clear shot down the hill. Unfortunately for my friends it was by far the hottest week we have had in Moldova since I arrived over a year ago. The entire week was a forecast of heat above 90F with no chance of rain, fun times! We first walked to the craftsman house and I showed off the under-construction dance studio I have been working with since November. After we walked to my office where they met my awesome partner, Vlad. Rather than milling about the town we stayed in my office where it was cool, until it was time to head home and collect our bags. We got on an early afternoon rutiera in to the capital and spent a good chunk of the afternoon in the air conditioning at peace corps. Luckily, we were able to rent an apartment with air conditioning so we were able to escape the heat. That night we went to a fancy restaurant near the apartment, Pegas and enjoyed a leisurely dinner.

The following day Taras and Deanna rented a car to take them to the monastery Orehei Veche, the most famous monastery in Moldova. I stayed behind to get some work done at peace corps. We met up later in the afternoon and enjoyed some pizza before watching another soccer match in the city center.

The final day we walked the city a bit more, through the art market and central market and enjoyed an early lunch before it was time for Taras and Deanna to head off to the airport. It was a short visit but, it was so great to finally get a chance to show-off my new country and my new life here in Moldova to some familiar faces from home.

So, if you are reading this and have ever wanted to see a funky part of Eastern Europe this is your cordial invitation to please come visit! I have indoor plumbing (Posh Corps!), a big bed and a host mom that cooks like a chef.

Next week I welcome one of my closest friends Meaghan to Moldova, she has been in Germany for the past year and she will visit me before heading back home to New Hampshire, I am highly anticipating her arrival!

All for now!

You Know You Have Been In The Peace Corps A Year When...

Well, a year has come and gone and I guess its time to put together another list:

You know you have been in the the Peace Corps for a year when--

You forget common everyday English words.You also exchange English words for the new language you have learned. It makes sense to all the volunteers who now make-up your social group, you don't understand when people outside this circle can't figure out what you are talking about.

You now have the patients of a monk, or at least it feels like it, nothing phases you. Sitting on a hot bus for hours with a baby crying and livestock on the seat next to you is just another day.

You no longer worry about whether a dish is clean, you eat off it. You no longer worry if the picked fruit is washed, you eat it. You no longer worry if your hair is greasy, you put it in a pony tail.

You begin to miss food more than (some) people. You begin to day dream about the moment you get off the airplane and are greeted at the airport by your family...and a burrito.

You forget how to be normal in American social situations. Having gotten used to not shaking hands with people, women are left out of this custom in Moldova, I proceeded to wave at people when I met the new volunteers. No handshake, just an awkward two-foot from the person wave.

All the clothes you brought with you are now well-worn, baggy and missing a button. You come up with new clever ways of making them wearable...and chic if I may say so myself. The elastic waist band on your gym shorts goes and so, you use a belt to keep them up. This also serves as entertainment for your host family. Host mom couldn't stop laughing at me up in the tree with my belt hanging down from my big shorts. Whatever, I rocked it.

And, you accept the fact that you will always look and sound like a foreigner and embrace the good and bad about this fact.

It's really quite funny the difference a year makes.

~Peace

A Year Of Peace Corps Service In Moldova

It is hard to believe that today, June 8, 2012 marks one year in Moldova.

It has truly been a year of new. ...New country, new people, new culture, new language, new food, new, new, new. It has been one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. No, the time didn't 'fly by' as many like to say. The winter months were really tough, the language barrier was often very awkward, the cultural misunderstandings were embarrassing, the pickled vegetables...well, they got old. But, somehow with the support from family and friends back home and in Moldova I was able to get through. And as my high school track coach always said 'what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger'.

And so now, I will take a moment to reflect and share four of the lessons I have learned about myself and Peace Corps service in Moldova this year:

Firstly, the hardest part of adjusting to life in the Peace Corps for me, was learning to live life at a 'slower pace'. Now, what I didn't realize was that this is actually a loaded statement. It is kind of a sugar coated way of saying, 'Brittany, you will be playing a very long game of 'hurry up and wait''. As most people who join the Peace Corps, I thought it would be my way to change the world, sure it would be small but, in my heart I imagined that it would be profound. Upon arrival I was told, almost immediately, to lower my expectations. "No, you aren't going to change the world. No, you aren't even going to change Moldova. But, if you are lucky you will do some good and make some life long friends." Our awesome country director reminded all of us that our job here wasn't to 'change the world', it is to promote peace and friendship. Even though this was explained to me, I don't think I fully understood what that meant until later when I was settled in at sight. The image of success I had in my mind had to be tossed out the window, or else I would have felt like I was accomplishing nothing for two years. On these challenging days I looked to my fellow volunteers for support, and they remind me that I had left my bedroom that day, so I was in fact doing my job. Truly understanding my job description, of promoting peace and friendship, meant that if I simply lived my life in a positive way I would be fulfilling my duties. It was hard for me to fully come to a mindful and satisfied understanding of this but, as time went on I began to feel more confident in the fact that I am fulfilling my purpose here in Moldova.

Secondly, after understanding my role as a Peace Corps volunteer I decided it was time for me to simply live. I took part in community events, went to the office on a daily basis, and got involved in activities that interested me. Along the way I was able to find work for myself that wasn't forced, organic relationship grew, and slowly began to see my own impact in the community. The biggest part of this came from realizing that if I wanted to have an impact I needed to find a sustainable venture that could exist and thrive after I departed. This lead me to realize that the media takes the angle of sustainability in the environment and consumer goods, not so much on the sustainability of business or development. I had never thoughtfully reflected on the importance of sustainability in business development. And so, after a long while of waiting and building relationships I was finally asked by members of the community to help with a project they were invested in. This was exactly what I had been looking for, a meaningful project that the community wanted, not some exorbitant project I had worked up in my romanticized mind that would fall apart the moment I left Moldova. The lesson of understanding and following the path to sustainability has been a lesson I hope to take with me into all my future work.

The third lesson I have been learning is the importance of balance in life. I tend to throw myself fully into whatever it is I am doing, to the determent of everything else. All of my time, effort and might goes into trying to perfect myself in that given area. This sort of lopsided lifestyle gave me heavy anxiety and fear about even the most minor of things. Peace Corps has allowed me the time to readjust what I value. Speaking with host country nationals about work, life and relationships I have learned a lot. At the end of the day we all have been blessed with life, choosing to spend it sitting at a desk or worried about a deadline detracts from enjoying all the beauty that surrounds us. There will always be work to be done, but like host mom says 'the strawberries will only be in the garden for a few weeks'. Life is too short to spend worrying about building a career, having a perfect resume and, spending more hours in the office than everyone else. Sometimes we just have to turn off the computer, go pick some strawberries and enjoy the company of those around us. This will be the hardest lesson to translate back into my American life. I feel I am a hard wired workaholic. During those moments of stress I will think back to the days in Moldova, when I would get home from work early and host mom would already be home in the garden BBQing with neighbors, a glass of house wine waiting for me on the table. Sometimes we just have to leave the worries behind and quite literally enjoy the fruits of our labors. (...I'm telling you the strawberries are out of this world good!)

 The fourth and final lesson I have learned is that no matter where I am in the world, the people that surround  me make everything worth while. Its amazing to me, the goodness of people. Here I am, an early 20-something female American, coming to this little land locked nation speaking in broken Romanian and trying my best to somehow make a difference. My host mom has taken me under her wing, her enduring patients and acceptance of me into her family has turned into the most meaningful relationship I have in Moldova. She doesn't have anything to gain from me living in her home, and yet somehow she has made me feel warm and welcome. Back home I depend, like most, quite heavily on my ability to verbally express myself. Sometimes this ability lands me in a predicament because I often speak too quickly and find myself regretting whatever has just spilled from my mouth. So, a chatty-kathy now living in a country where she doesn't speak the language. I think I it would shock my friends and family back home to see me sitting quietly, anywhere, let alone everywhere. It is surprising to me how many meaningful relationships I have been able to forge given my lack of confidence in my language skills, and yet somehow a smile and a shrug can diffuse almost every situation. This process of learning another culture could not have happened without the wonderful people who have made this experience unique and memorable.

So, a year has come and gone and I have worked to understand my place in the community. I have begun to see where I can have a sustainable and meaningful impact in this little pocket of the world. A year that has opened my eyes to the healthfulness and happiness that can come from living a more balanced life. And, a gained appreciation for the people who fill my life, both in the US and Moldova.

Congratulations to all of the other Peace Corps Moldova M26 crew! We did it, one full year!
Noroc -- Cheers
Peace
-B