First Week at Site

My first week at site was a little bit stressful, but things have slowed down a bit and I have a better idea of what is to come. Throughout the week I learned a lot about my community through my partner organization. The organization I work with is just coming to an end of a big project and on Friday I had the privilege to sit in on an audit meeting. I understood a lot of what has been accomplished by my partner organization and what areas they assist the community. I am lucky that this organization is well established and they have ideas for their future.

In the past the people of Moldova were under Soviet rule, so a lot of people hold a mentality that the government will take care of anything and everything for them. This remains a problem because that carried on to people now, and they are apprehensive, or do not understand why they should get involved in their community. Through discussion with my partner and through listening during this audit on Friday I have learned that changing the mentality of the youth in the community is one of the next steps, or the next goal of my organization. I think that this is great that they can recognize this, because it presents much more sustainable opportunities. Right now I do not know exactly how we will assist in this area, but I think it will be through volunteer clubs and seminars in the community. I am really interested in getting teenagers interested in art. I think that Moldovans are in a bit of an identity crisis and if I could get kids to express what it means to them to be a Moldovan through artwork or writing that would be awesome. I think there are a couple of problems with this idea though. The first would be getting a group of kids together that are interested enough to take it seriously. The second, and hardest for me to admit is that I am not here to help with things that I want to do, but to help with things the people identify as a problem and need help with. This being said does not necessarily rule out my idea with art, I just think it is something I need to stay aware of. Last week the high school art teacher was talking with me and I am meeting him tomorrow.

On learning the language one of my bigger problems that I have been trying to avoid is sayings that we use in America because they do not translate. I am always trying to translate something I would say in English, but that does not work. For instance the other day my host sister and I had been talking for a long time after lunch and I wanted to say “what now?” while exhaling. When I said this in Romanian it just makes no sense. A lot of times this happens, so I've been avoiding such sayings. Another problem that I will just have to learn is words that are cognates with English words don't necessarily hold the same meaning. For instance the world “similar” is “similar” in Romanian, but it means “identical.” Or the word “preservative” exists in Romanian, but means “condom.” This explains why my host mom looked at me weird when she was putting vegetables in jars for winter and I asked “Are you condoming that for winter?” Oh, and “nervous” means something like pissed off, or really close to being angry. My favorite for some reason is that people when they ask each other how things are going people say “I am 'normal.'” This means that you are doing great, kind of like in America when we say “good.” “Normal” holds a much more positive connotation in Moldova, so you can't say that something went “normal” in the sense we would use it. If you say “normal” here you would use it to describe for a meal or an experience that was good. Well I'm pretty sure that this is the meaning of these words are anyway.

This Saturday I went to the capital because my dad sent me a package a while back and it finally got here. Normally mail does not take that long, but there was a huge problem in Istanbul for some reason and it took forever to get my package. The package was sent to the Peace Corps headquarters so I went there and hung out in the Volunteer lounge. It was cool to hang out with other volunteers who had been in country for over a year and had useful opinions and outlooks. It seems that time will go by quick as soon as I start getting more busy in my community.

I was wondering?

If somebody sent me a post card or a package that would make me feel special. Don't send letters though, they won't make it!

Love,

Christopher

First two days of my next two years...

Well I have spent a couple of nights in the village I will be in for two years. Today is my first day of 'work.' I do not know yet exactly what I will be doing, especially since I need to work on thy Romanian speaking skills.

My organization is partnered with one in Sweden, and a few months ago they got a brand new computer lab where people from the community can come and pay very little to use the Internet or play video games. The facility is very nice, and my partner is very nice as well. I feel that the most difficult part to come is actually defining my role within the organization.

Today I walked around my village with my partner and we went into the kindergarten, and primary school. There I saw the renovation projects that they were working on and the projects that they had worked on in the past. This summer my partner and another woman from my organization went to Sweden with a team of Moldovan girls for something similar to a Youth World Cup. I believe the tournament is called Gothia Cup 2009, but I am not sure yet.

I am still trying to figure out things with my host family, I have not exactly settled in yet because both them and I have been pretty busy. I have not unpacked my bags yet, and I am planning on going into town tomorrow to buy sheets and other personal items to settle in. My host mom insists that we do this tomorrow, but I feel weird asking my partner for my second day of work off. I think that it is not a big deal though, I think it is culturally different and not weird like it would be in America - or for now I am going to convince myself of this.

Also in my host family I am getting used to showering from a bucket. It is not as bad as I thought it would be - I mean I feel clean afterwards, but I think that preparing it is a hassle. I want to help out in preparing food, cleaning, and preparing the water for my 'shower,' but my host mom and sisters refuse to let me help out. So basically I get to sit back and relax, but I feel like a jerk. I guess I should just enjoy it for now because after I settle in I know that I will be doing all sorts of things on my own and won't be treated like a hotel guest.

I really need to find out more of my community if I want to succeed. I need to meet more people and make more contacts. I am stressing myself out and I have only been here for two nights and this is my first day of work. As of now things are overwhelming, but in a couple of weeks I think I will have a better - but still vague idea of what is going on in my village.

Pre Service Training coming to a close - things to come

PST is coming to a close fast. I can't believe that I am heading to my host site in about a week on August 8th. Like I have mentioned before the days of PST are heavily scheduled. I think it is going to be very hard to get used to a much slower life when I arrive in my new village.

On Wednesday my collages and I had a bbq up on a hilltop. There we made a fire and roasted pork and chicken that was seasoned very well. Some of us stayed the night, but I went home late in the evening because I wanted to sleep in my bed. The bbq was great though because we had a fire, our three language teachers and we all brought a bottle of our host family's house wine. The view from the top of the hill is awesome because we can see our whole village below, as well as the neighboring village which is about three miles away. Also, from there it was great because we brought blankets and could lay and check out the stars.

One thing that we have been doing in training is practicing traditional Moldovan hora dance. This is actually kind of hard. We have lessons a few times a week. Not to mention again, in general, I'm taking dance lessons, which is ridiculous. Honestly I don't think I'm that great at it but I give it my all anyway. I feel like I'm in music class in 5th grade sometimes, but it is sweet. We have also been practicing a songs. We are going to perform both of these for our families that hosted us during training during a party. My host family for training is awesome, and I am very grateful to them for all that they do. Sometimes I will come home later than I expected and my host mom will run to the kitchen because she thinks that I am starving to death. Then she heats me up grub, it is awesome.

Furthermore to do with my host family – my host dad got back from the hospital last week. He had been in the hospital for about 25 days I believe. He seems to be in good spirits, but can't eat much since he had an operation on his stomach. My host dad is really cool, and I only wish that he would have been around longer during my training.

Because my training is coming to a close that means that I will be 'sworn in' as an actual volunteer for the U.S. Of A. After I travel to my host site I will work there for about two and a half months. After this they send us back to our training host families for two weeks to continue training. (I know that may sound confusing). But they send us back so that we can receive further training for two weeks after we have a taste of what we will be doing in our mayor's office and organization. I think this will be much more helpful, and that we will all have much more applicable questions than if we had a bunch of trainings now. I also think it will be fun to be in our original village, with our original host parents and other volunteers that we spent our first two months with. I am sure we will have a bunch of stories to tell about our village/city/new host family.

In my new host village I will have a tutor to help me with the language about 16 hours a month. This is cool, but I think I will honestly need more time. The village I will be in for two years has never had a Peace Corps Volunteer, so the community, and organization does not know what to expect from me. I also think that the transition into a village without any English speakers is going to be a challenge because right now we all have the luxury to call one another after a long day and go hang out somewhere and either vent, or discuss life in general for fun. In our new villages we will have to do this in Romanian, and also to make friends. I look forward to getting to know people in my new village, I just think I will have to be confident and outgoing when I see people in passing. I also think it will be beneficial to stay active with children by playing games in the stadium, such as frisbee. I also think I am lucky because I have host sisters who can help me get in touch with other kids around their age. But I will only be able to use them for about a month because they will be going off to Chisinau for college September 1st.

Over all I am a bit nervous on what my future will hold. I just know that I need to stay positive, focused, and motivated. I know it will be easy to lay around in my new room, rather than going out and trying to meet people. If I don't get out into my village and show my face they will not even know what it is I am doing there. I think that I will have to focus on clear communication with all people I encounter if I want to be successful, and if I get an invitation to anything I think that I should go in order to meet others. I emphasize all of these things because the COD assignment relies heavily upon networking.

I'm feeling pretty good about it all at this point. I expect there to be a lot of “high highs and low lows” while I get used to my new site and my new life. I know that my dad sent me a care package that has some black licorice in it but it still has not arrived. I am looking forward to that because it will be a nice taste of America.

A Tale and Other Stuff

A good story of me using Romanian well was an excursion my host mom sent me on last week. I got home from a long day and my host mom explained by drawing a map that I needed to find a neighbor because there they have a pear tree and she wanted a sack full of pears. The map my mom drew and the landmarks were rediclious. She would explain go past a well, there is a chair, and then there is a house with a blue truck that is huge for industrial purposes. I was pumped and ready to set off. Little did she know that there are two houses with these old industrial trucks. Also she told me that the woman's house had a green gate - everybody in Moldova has a green gate.

When I thought I got to the area my treasure map indicated I went to the door and knocked. The woman I talked to was confused that there was an American with a bag. We struggled through conversation with the Moldovan security system going crazy (two dogs) in the background. This process continued for me, one house to the next until on the third I believed I was in the right place - or what one of the neighbors said was the right place. Sadly this pear woman was not home. I was bummed because I really wanted to succeed in my quest. After I went back home the pear lady called my host mom. I was off again. When I arrived there the woman felt bad, but I was in a great mood. There we picked pears and talked for about a half an hour or more. After this we sat in her kitchen and she poured me some lemonade soda.

In her kitchen we talked for a long time and we actually understood one another. This was a great breakthrough for me because I was pretty bummed early in the week about how difficult the language was. Also after I left I ran into a couple of guys my age on the street and had a conversation with them both and we understood each other. I even think I was conjigating verbs correctly - yipee. After awhile the father of these two guys wanted to get me to go and drink a bottle of wine with them - a very common offering in Moldova. I told them that I couldn't this time, but maybe another time. It is best to avoid these offerings from time to time in Moldova, because as soon as you have one taste of the wine they won't let you go until you have drank too much. You can say no, but it is a battle after they have been drinking, and for them it is likely I am the first American they have seen.

Anyway, this week was a good one. I spoke and carried a legitimate conversation. Yesterday I went to an amazing masa (huge meal with tons of food). There I tried congac for the first time, and hung around with my host mom's daughter (it was her birthday). Also this week I went to the biggest underground wine cellar in the world Milisti Mici. Underground there are barrells the size of houses and thousands and thousands of bottles. The wine was delicious and I bought a couple of bottles. On a different front my host dad is in the hospital right now, but we visited him and he seems to be doing pretty good. It is a bummer though because he has been in the hospital for three weeks (half the time I have been here). I think he will come back before I leave for my new village and be impressed with how much better I can speak Romanian. Anyway, for now I am just trying to stay positive and have as much fun as I can with the other volunteers who are near, because after we get to our real site we will not be so accessable to each other.

Oh and another big thing is the elections are Wednesday this week. I urge you to try to follow the news of what happens with it. Last time there was rioting so keep on eye on the news.

"Things Done Changed"

Hey, I never get internet, but I got to an internet cafe today finally and took my jumpdrive so I could finally make a post.

Well a lot has happened since my arrival in Moldova. Upon arrival I spent two days in the capital city, Chisinau, at a hotel with the other volunteers of my group. It was all surreal in the beginning, and even more so when I arrived at a strangers home who I couldn't communicate with. I have been with my host family for three weeks or probably a little bit more by now. When I was dropped off at my host parents house I was easily the most nervous I have ever been.

Imagine me with a ton of bags in a tiny village approaching my new host parents. I happened to get assigned to an older couple, ages 69 and 66. As I carried my bags through a neighbors yard and a bunch of chickens I handed my host mother a bouquet of flowers (standard tradition in Moldova). At this point I had only had about 6 hours of language and had basically forgot any tiny pieces I had learned. As the van left I found myself stress-sweating in my new home, wondering what I had really done. My parents directed me to my new room, which is basically the fancy pants living room of the house and helped me set up my bed. My bed is basically a pull out couch futon thing. It is not the best but I really can't complain.

While we were in my new room they sat me down at a table to talk, but all I could really do was laugh nervously. I had no idea what to say and my host parents were just laughing at me and saying things in another language that I didn't understand – probably that I was blushing. I laughed with them and proceeded to the tour of my new home. My house, like almost every house in Moldova, has an extensive fruit and vegetable garden. The first couple of weeks here I spent a lot of time picking and munching on three types of cherries. They are delicious. They also make a drink called “suc” or “compot” which is boiled cherries, blueberries, or strawberries. It is like juice because after they boil the fruit (with sugar) it is really sweet and I honestly don't like it much, but I drink it anyway. My host parents have tons in their fridge and insist I drink it instead of water – it is an everyday battle to let me drink water instead.

Speaking of fridge I will touch quickly upon my amenities. I am one of the luckier ones in my village since my house has running water with a shower, and a washing machine for clothes. I do not have a toilet inside though, it is an outhouse which I'm getting used to. It is not like the ones in America though, just picture a hole in the ground.

There are twelve other volunteers in my village. Most are pretty lucky as far as amenities go like myself, but there are a few who have to bathe out of a bucket. This is very common, I think that the Peace Corps set most of us up with the richer of our village. The other volunteers in my village are really cool and we all get along great. They are of all ages. In all there are about 60 that came to Moldova at the same time as me, but we are all spread out to different villages during out Pre Service Training (PST).

PST is really exhausting. I have language class about four – five hours a day, six days a week. On the same days we have other classes related to Community Organizational Development. Longer days are pretty hard. Two days a week we travel to a bigger “HUB” city for other trainings, these days tend to be longer and more exhausting. It is in this city that I can get access to internet, diet coke, and hang out with other colleagues who are stationed in other villages. The language training is my main concern, and it is the main thing that I think about. Each day that I have studied I am pretty drained, and then I come home to my host parents who speak Romanian and Russian. My host mother is great because she used to teach Romanian so she can help me out with homework quite often. I find that the language is coming slowly, but I pick up a lot of what people are saying in discussion. The a few nights ago I talked to my parents and I found myself almost saying Romanian words.

My life is drastically different here. First of all beers are cheap (about eighty cents) for a half liter. Some days I get a couple with volunteers in my village and we talk about our day. Poverty is prevalent in my village, as it is all over in Moldova. People have been fairly welcoming. When I walk down my street I say hello to any passerby. This can go a few ways: they look at me like I'm are crazy since I'm an American in Moldova, are friendly, or barely say “good day” under their breath back. Some of us joke that we are celebrities of our village since everybody laughs and smiles at us (they are probably just making fun of us). A lot of people drink a lot of alcohol in Moldova. Men drink a lot of wine, and take pride in the wine that they have made. And the wine is good, but they do not drink wine like people drink wine in other countries. Culturally they drink wine very quickly, and continue to.

My host family serves me wine at dinner if I want it, but they are not big drinkers. My host dad will have a glass while we watch the Russian and Moldovan news during dinner. The first week I was here I was very nervous because I was not comfortable in my home, but I realize the last week I have shattered that barrier. My host dad does not wear a shirt ever, and my host mom continued to tell me to take of my shirt since it is really hot here (about 90 degrees everyday). She would explain not to be ashamed and that I needed to tan, so I finally just decided to loose the shirt at dinner and it is pretty sweet. On top of this I find myself wandering around in my underwear as if they are shorts (these things are not weird in Moldova, or at least in my house). The food here is amazing, more particularly my mom cooks up a storm every meal. When I say good I mean greasy and everything is carbs. My biggest problem that I always complain about is that my host mom feeds me too much. I know that sounds crazy but this woman will not give me a break. EVERY meal she give me more and more on my plate and I am only now figuring out how to make her stop. The first couple of weeks I would just laugh, but it is getting pretty serious, I think I'm going to come back from the Peace Corps 20 pounds heavier or something.

I find that each day I have very funny stories to tell. Just last week I was chasing one of my neighbors chickens down the dirt road in my shorts trying to explain to neighbors what was going on and if they had seen this chicken. I find that I do not have time to worry, or get anxiety about anything but learning the language. I expected that after I arrived it would be likely that I would get consumed with thoughts like “is this what I really want” but my days are so scheduled that I only am worried that I will miss a Romanian language concept.

On the Fourth of July front we had a large party in the capital city. All the PC volunteers of Moldova rented out a mini golf course and had a huge BBQ. I had a hamburger that was actually REALLY good. This party was awesome enough, but there isn't anything better than what we did afterwards. In our village we have a “House of Culture” which is now just a discotec. It was pretty crazy. There is huge dance floor playing Eastern Europe's finest music. Downstairs there are a ton of pool tables. Mostly the girls were really young so it was kind of weird, but we hung out on a balcony and with a fellow volunteer's host brother and sister who showed us the ropes.

I think it is important to share that I did catch my neighbor's run-away chicken. Times are going by quickly. Tomorrow I will find out the city/village I will spend two years in. I am pretty excited and nervous. One thing I am getting used to realizing is that as of late “things done changed.”

First update on thy travels

Yo - so, as of now I am in the Istanbul airport. 

The trip started from me flying into Philly, having staging for a day, then taking a bus to JFK in New York. The bus took us on an odd route right through Brooklyn which was kind of cool since I've never been anywhere near. When we arrived at JFK something pretty funny happened.

We did not have our Peace Corps passports (which are different than regular ones I guess) and we had 'team leaders' that had to pass them out when we got there along with our tickets. There were about 60 of us volunteers so you can imagine it got a little hectic for the Delta Airlines staff. Anyway, when I did get my passport/ticket it was handed to the Delta lady, and then I checked my begs, grabbed my ticket and passport and headed to security. On my way I looked down to check out my passport and I realized that whoops, this is not Christopher, this is somebody else. Not good, just checked the bags..... but it was a fellow volunteer and we cleared up the problem pretty quickly. 

So here we were in JFK at 10AM, and our flight did not leave until 4PM - yucky. When it was time to board we had an 11 hour flight to Istanbul (where I am presently) and it is 11AM here now. Oh also what was awesome in New York is that I happened to throw on my Notorious B.I.G. t-shirt, and a lady just pointed at it and shook her head in aggrements which was awesome. 

On my flight here my seatmate and I had some wine so I was pretty thursty upon arrival, dropping seven dollars on a water and green tea. I do not have my next flight to Moldova until 4PMish, so I have a lot of time to kill - yikes, just get me there already. 

Upon arrival to Moldova I'm supposed to have all that I need in my carry on for the next three days and all I have for shoes is my sandals, so I hope that I can grab my shoes quickly from my regular baggage since it will be shipped to the Peace Corps headquarters and such. If not able to get shoes I may be in a bit of trouble, these Moldovans dress nicer than us, and wearing sandals would be disrespectful and sloppy I believe. Not the end of the world by any means though.

All of my fellow volunteers seem pretty awesome, and I have began to get closer to a few as I have spent time with them between Philadelphia and between flights.