The days have been scooting along quite quickly. When I arrived here I had two kittens – they're now cats, or pretty much of that size. When I think of how long ago arriving to the “Hotel Turist” on our first night it does seem like a ways back. At the same time I always feel like it is towards the end of the week. Another way I have been telling time is by the digital meter on the top of my Brita water filter. It is set for four weeks and I swear that bad boy is winding down before I know it. I think time has been moving along because I have been busy – I'll enjoy it while I can, before winter strikes.
My time has been occupied by all sorts of events. One great one about a week back is that my host dad came from Moscow. He works there and only comes back for about three to four weeks every four months. This is a typical situation for a Moldovan family as jobs are scarce in this country, and when they are found they normally do not pay much. His name is Iurie and he is pretty much the man. He has a positive attitude and a hardworking character. He is always cracking jokes and I have rarely seen him in a bad mood. The first week he came here we had a huge masa which is when there is so much food and wine that you don't know what to do with yourself. It was a blast. After most everybody left and it was just the closest of the family we hung around talking and drinking wine until the wee hours. I was a little bit hung over at breakfast and my host dad said “We washed our throats yesterday really good.” I laughed so hard and we continued to elaborate on the joke it was ridiculous.
Every Sunday our village soccer teams have matches. One weekend I got to go with them to a neighboring village to watch them play. There is the junior league, and the seniors. There I just hung out and tried to get to know the boys and men. This excursion included a rutiera ride jam packed with every boy asking me questions, most of them being inappropriate, and poking me. These kids don't know much English, but somehow every ten year old knew “mother f___er.” Being immature most of the time, I couldn't help but laugh while the littlest ten year old repeated it while we were kicking the soccer ball around. Over all it was awesome because I got my face out there and also met some other guys from my village who were about my age.
It's wine season kids and the scent is in the air. Everybody is making wine all over the village and I helped just a little bit. I wanted to help my host family but they are so hardworking that they picked all the grapes and I didn't get to help. I did get to help with the process though, which is what I really was interested in. My host dad and I one day last week pulled up a couple of barrels and I helped a little bit while we cleaned them. Three different types of grapes and put them in a barrel. There the grapes are right now as we wait for them to ferment. When it is time we will dump all the juices into another barrel and put it back in the beci (cellar), and just like that we have wine for a year. These grapes are delicious.
I went on a great walk this morning to the margins of the village. From there I went up into the hills and took some pictures. It was a beautiful day. I was glad that I brought my water bottle because I think I covered a lot of ground and became really thirsty. I really like hiking up in the hills through the woods in my village. Each time I have taken different routes to different places. I find myself desiring to discover the best angle to look down on the village, or best viewpoint. I also like seeing the other people in the village hard at work in the morning. I think a lot of people wonder what the hell I'm doing when they see me way off somewhere, but they never say anything. I'm just happy that I have been staying busy in one way or another because as of now I'm telling time by the meter on my Brita water filter.
