Anyway, my first day school was a bit of a waiting game because we didn't have the text books and didn't know which grades we were teaching yet, so we couldn't start planning. Instead, I chatted with my main partner and three other teachers for about 2 hours about various topics, mainly about if I am married, how I like the Moldovan men, and if I like Moldovan food. I have found this to be the typical first meeting conversation.
Then the other teachers left and I waited to work with my other partner teacher, who is also the director of the school. With school starting, she is very busy as you can imagine, so I read my book outside her office for a little over an hour. When her meeting finished we got the chance discuss what she expects me to complete during the week before school starts. In the middle of our meeting the Mayor of my village walked in. He made a special trip to the school just to meet me, which was pretty cool. Eh-hem, Sergio, and I exchanged cell phone numbers, told me to call him directly if I have any questions or need any help, chatted a bit more, shook hands (which is a huge sign of respect here if a man shakes a woman's hand) and said "La revedere."
Needless to say, I felt like a pretty big deal.
Finally my director/partner and I decided which grades I will be teaching. They are: two 2nd grade classes, two 4th grade classes, a 7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th grades. Then I went home for lunch, and had the rest of the afternoon free.
The next day I worked on long-term plans for over 8 hours straight. They have to follow an exact format, written in romanian, and be approved by the Moldavan Ministry of Education. Wednesday I was invited to go to a teachers' conference in the capital of my raion (county). There isn't a rutiera (bus) to go to Faleşti (capital of the raion) so we all piled in to the cars of two of the teachers' husbands. Let me just say these were some sweet soviet rides. I mean I wish I could bring one back with me to the US...but then I might be tagged as one of those russian spies that werejust arrested.
At the conference we listened to the Moldovan national anthem both at the beginning and end of the conference. Again, I nodded along, while only really understanding about 70% of what was being said. The high light of the trip though was finding a huge statue of Lenin! Apparently it is for sale as well, so if anyone has 1 million euros, you can be the proud new owner of a giant Lenin for your front yard. I thought it was rad, and my colleagues were all very impressed that I recognized and knew who he was. Then laughed when I wanted to take a picture.
Friday was Independence day for Moldova - 19 years! So I went to the big city near me, Băţi, where they had traditional singing and dancing being performed all day, and street vendors all lined up. I tried to negotiate for some sunglasses that I have been needing badly, but like everyone else in Băţi, she only spoke Russian, so I'd have to say it was pretty unsuccessful, and I'm too cheap, so I'm still sunglasses-less. The waitresses also only spoke Russian....or maybe just refused to understand our Romanian, so ordering, and paying proved to be rather difficult.
School officially begins on Wednesday because Tuesday is also a holiday "Day of our language" which to Moldovans was a more important sign of independence. The Soviet Union had forced Moldova to use the Cyrillic alphabet, but in 1989 with perestroika, Moldova was allowed to revert back to the latin alphabet. Then 1991 Moldova claimed its independence. GO MOLDOVA! Anyway, school should be interesting. I have to give a speech.
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