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Saturday, March 19, 2011

A little out-dated, but that's not important, right?

Aah the holidays.  Being Orthodox, we celebrated Christmas on January 7th.  Small children come to your doorstep and rap on windows while singing carols.  In return they are given a few lei (Moldovan currency), candy and small cracker/cookie type thing.  All day long you sit at ‘masa’ (literally table, but meaning party) where the table is constantly filled with delicious food, and shots of homemade riku (vodka), wine, and conac are always flowing.  Your time at the table is punctuated by the ever flow of visitors – neighbors, friends, family, and of course the singing children.  At my house we stayed – at least in the kitchen, if not at the table – from noon until 7pm.  At our immediate family only breakfast masa, to pre-empt the Christmas masa, I handed out stockings to each of my host family memebers.  Included was the matching sock to make a pair (I recieed quite a bit ribbing for handing out lone socks, “is this the left or right?” “um, you forget something Kim?” “Oh good, so my left foot will be warm,”  and my personal favorite,  “well at least one foot will be warm enough to hora…”), candy, a sparkler, an orange, and a champagne popper (the small firework type thing) – which they had never seen before.  I got a good laugh at watching them nervously decide if they wanted to point it up or down, and close their eyes just before pulling to cord.  I also gave them some goodies I collect for them while on my travels.

When we were finally done with our 7 hour long masa, we freshened up, fed the cow, and walked down to grandma’s house where uncle was also waiting.  Again, we sat at the masa.  This time when we finished eating and drinking my host dad required everyone to sing a song, solo style.  I sang jingle bells.  This prompted my dad to turn on his phone ring which has been playing jingle bells all year long, so that I could sing along with the music.  A little while later I busted out with my one and only Moldovan song, but it was met with a standing ovation after, the whole table put their arms around each other and joined in singing as loudly as the 8 by 8 room would allow. 

In Moldova, Christmas actually lasts for three days, with the same masa-sitting tradition upheld each day.  On Sunday night, the last night of Christmas, I called my partner-teacher and set up a meeting so we could plan our lessons for the next day.  I walk across the village to her house, backpack and all ready to plan.  The door is flung wide open before I can knock and her entire extended family is on the other side ready to welcome me in.  We don’t plan.  Instead I sit at another masa, eating and drinking.  All the family was staring at me, all ear to ear grins, asking me question after question.  Apparently they had been waiting all three days to meet the American that she has been working with. 

With Christmas being two weeks later, New Years also is celebrated two weeks later than we do, on January 14th.  On New Year’s eve groups of boys between the ages of 8 and 14 go door to door, much like trick-or-treating, dressed up as old woman (or in my village’s case, as roma gypsy women)  sing a specific song, ring bells, hit pans, and make all sorts of noise until someone at the house gives them candy, a little money, and a traditional circular bread that is placed on a stick carried between two of the boys, proudly demonstrating their booty.  Some girls too go door to door, they too dressed up as gypsies, but because it is traditionally only done by boys, the girls also drew fake mustaches and beards.  Again, we stayed up at masa, waiting for the seemingly endless groups of boys to finally stop.  It happened around 11.

The next day, (Jan. 14th) on New Year’s day, I am dressed for school eating my breakfast alone in the kitchen in our quiet house as the sun hasn’t quite come up, and I haven’t quite opened my eyes fully.  All of a sudden my host mom and sister come barreling through the kitchen door and start throwing bits of grain at me reciting some poem.  I have graining falling out hair, down my shirt, in my coffee.  After this ends, I innocently ask why they have just thrown grain at me?  This country has more traditions than probably all the different cultures living in America have, combined.  To offer good luck, a prosperous year, and good crops in the new year, Moldovans throw grain, seeds, corn (or whatever else they have around the house) at people and say a short poem.  The walk to school alone, I was hit by 7 different students.  Walking into the school the 5 cleaning ladies had me trapped in a corner.  I learned quickly though, and upon entering each of my classes had my hand full of grain to pass along my good tidings, before the students could.  The kids thought it was hilarious, in the teacher’s lounge they were mildly impressed I knew the poem… whatever, some of them liked it.  The grain never stopped though as long as I was out walking in the village.  When finally I was changing into my PJ’s, I had a nice little pile of grain at the foot of my bed

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Time flies when throwing clocks

The approach to 9 months in country, has got my head spinning.  On one side I can't believe how much I have already done, how much I have experienced, how many people I have met, and how many awesome (and awkward) conversations I have had.  On the other side however, I feel time has been moving too quickly, that before I know it my service will be complete and I won't have finished all the projects I have in mind.

Second semester at school has felt like that pirate ship ride at carnivals.  You take your seat, and the ship starts up, all the while you are feeling extremely anxious only having a faint idea of what is in store.  Pretty soon the ship builds its swing a little higher, you start to get comfortable, begin thoroughly enjoying yourself in the relative safety and rhythm of it all.  But then, all of a sudden, you are upside-down.  You were aware this could happen, but like that o' too true saying about teenagers - you didn't believe it would happen to you...  In the end, you come swinging down the opposite side and have no idea how this is going to end up, will you be back where you started or somewhere entirely different?

About the second week into the 2nd semester my partner informed me that she will not be returning that next week, she will be taking her maternity leave.  This left my school and I in quite a pickle (hence the upside-down)  I, unofficially, became the primary English teacher/ for all practicality the only English teacher at my school.  My other partner, who is also the principal, taught a few classes, but I was left to teach nearly all of grades (which learn english) solo.  This actually caused my very first grey hair to sprout - as was so kindly pointed out by another volunteer.  Luckily though we just found a new teacher/partner, and she is great.  She is funny, nice, speaks excellent english (but aside from the actually planning for class we speak moldovaneasca together, which is awesome).  She is positive with the kids and is willing to try out different methods (ie my hair-brained activities/games).  She does like to touch though, I have gotten better (forcibly by circumstance, albeit), but none-the-less my bubble still exists, making our interactions extremely, huh, amusing.  To close circuit with my analogy, this new partner is my final downward swing on the pirate ship, although we practically go through all the motions as I did with my previous partner, it is a completely different ride.

In other mentionable notes, I attended my first Moldovan wedding.  My older (as in 19, so older than the little sister) host sister got married.  The wedding was beautiful, fun, and not as different as I had expected going into it.  Part of it may just be me becoming overly accustomed to the culture and not noticing any more, but overall they did many of our same traditions: bride and groom dance (although it was a little more choreographed than we tend to do), throwing of the bouquet (which I later learned is a new tradition borrowed from other cultures), and yelling "amargh!"or something similar which means they had to kiss.  I had to give a toast into a microphone - being my second public-microphone-speaking-in-front-of-large-audience experience, and I must say this one was a bit better, at least I think so from the applause by the audience afterward.....  The wedding started at about 6pm and we danced, drank, and ate, then danced, drank and ate again, and again...and again, until arriving home at about 7am.  We then had guests over for smaller parties for the following four nights.  After a straight week of teaching by day and celebrating by night, I was exhausted.  But worth it, needless to say this will be an experience I never forget.

After living with host families (one during training, and then my current while at site) I have learned many of the intricacies of Moldovan culture, but have decided to start the hunt for a house of my own.  In fact I meeting the owner of house (well brother of the owner, the owner lives in Italy, which is common to Moldova.  About 50% of my village, I would guess, lives abroad) this afternoon.

Lastly, two days ago was Peace Corps 50th anniversary, and 18th here in Moldova.  To commemorate we have decided that at least one volunteer will post onto our website what he/she did that day.  So if you are interested in seeing what exactly we do on a day to day basis please feel free to check it out.  I am also the proud editor of the introduction video, so poftim!  (there ya go).  Check it out at http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/.

Just to give an idea, of what I'm up to at least, here's a list of my current projects:
- English Teacher (grades 2,4,7,8,10,11)
- After school English Club (grades 2, 4, 7/8)
- "Aduce Apa" (kids draw and deliver water from the wells to the elderly who otherwise wouldn't be able to)
-  Mentor Coordinator (for the volunteers arriving in June, I organize activities, information, and assign current volunteers as mentors for them)
-  Adult English Class
-  State University seminars for future english teachers
-  Building a library at my school
-  Fundraising events for a communal laptop for the teachers at my school (aka kiddie disco)
-  Pen-pal program with the states

And my baby in the works:  Summer Slow-pitch Softball Clinics throughout Moldova! holler.

Oh yeah, and some tutoring on the side.  Plus I'm still working on my cow milking skills, it has proven to be much harder than I ever expected!

Anyway, va trimit mult iubite! (I send you all much love)
Kim