Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving in Moldova 2013.  On Thanksgiving Day I traveled from my village to Chisinau and then on to the raion center of Straseni.   It takes about 4 hours to do that.  I arrived at noon just in time to join several other Peace Corps volunteers doing a program for about 50 senior citizens at the Neo-Humanist Center, an ngo center for the elderly.  We even were interviewed by Moldova 1, the public TV station while doing it.  A great way to share our American culture with the locals.  Yvette, one of the volunteers, lives and works here.  After the "show" we retired to Yvette's quarters and cooked our turkey dinner.  That's Robyn giving you the high five and Yvette in green is right behind her.  Sue is getting down to making a menorah since this is also the first night of hanukkah.  Georgie is peeling potatoes and watching 3 mobile phones at the same time?!!  Romy is making potato latkes.  She looks happy about the way they are turning out.  Of course, there's always plenty of time for a nap while the turkey is cooking.  The turkey came out golden brown.  Time to set the table and light the menorah.  Yvette, our host, enjoys a plate of food.  And then its time to play a game.  Slide the flat chocolate mint from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands.

My second Thanksgiving was on Saturday.  Here you see Stephanie and I and Molly (not in the picture) arriving in Balti (say belts) for Thanksgiving with about 30 other PCV's .  Balti is about two hours north of Orhei.  We  find our host, David, digging a hole in the ground !  What for?  He's building a fire pit (a propane gas fire pit) to deep fry turkey with.  We believe this a first in Moldova.  Since we are many, there are two turkeys to be cooked.  Dan and Walt wire the birds up so they can be handled in the boiling oil.  And the turkey is in the pot, just a short while later, the turkey is done.  And it makes its way to the table....up on the 5th floor.  Meanwhile the kitchen crew has been busy making potatoes, green bean cassarole, sweet potatoes, curried cauliflower, lasagna, corn bread.  Wow!  What a feast.  Followed by games of course...blowing bubbles with the magic hooka.  And the tradition of the Northern Lodge is to also sing some Christmas Carols which I am proud to say is led by me.

November Highlights

 

Well today is December 1st and I better share some of the highlights of the past month with you.  Our first stop is a Youth Center open house in Orhei.  We were invited guests and you see my partner-director Sergiu signing the guest book.  The event was highlighted by the Youth Council presenting their action plan for 2014 to the Orhei Raion Council President.  They did a very impressive job.  Next we switch locations to our center in Piatra.  Here you see Sergiu leading a session with 7th and 8th graders of our village about the threats of human trafficking.  A very real threat for poor people in Moldova.  Early education about the problem hopefully guards children from making future mistakes and becoming victims.  On a lighter side, here's Doamna Daria giving the children a taste test of something they're making in the kitchen.  This month we have been stuffing potatoes and apples.  In November I attended my 5th Moldovan wedding.  This one was different in so far as it was all at a home and not at a restaurant.  You see the bride and groom at the front gate greeting guests as they arrive from the next village in a mini bus.  They proceed to an inside room (it is November) to personally greet each guest.  Dancing takes place outside in the yard.  You can see that even the bride in her fancy dress joins in the hora.  Our wedding meal takes place under a tent roof.  Of course more dancing, and eating with our winter coats on.  In the end our newly weds are wrapped in blankets of love.  Switching back to work at the center, I have a few shots from our recent program for Tolerance Day.  The kids used a TV news format to present their program.  You can see me being interviewed.  Through the magic of pretend TV, you can even see the audience.   The final picture was taken today at the public square in Orhei.  It was a celebration of Ziua Nationala Romaniei or Romanian National Day.

Many Moldovans are moved by their cultural unity with Romanians and share their cultural pride.

Well November wouldn't be complete without celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving and that's what my next blog is going to be about.  Stay tuned.

Today was amazing

 

Today was such an amazing day.  It is Sunday November 10^th.   During breakfast I was watching a movie on TV in Russian, no Romanian subtitles.  It’s amazing to me how you can figure out what the story is about and what the people are probably saying to each other.  Just another confirmation that life isn’t that different wherever you live it.  The same themes play themselves out no matter what language they are spoken in.  I returned to my room to find my brother, Doug, was skyping me from California.  Of course it was close to midnight on Saturday there.  He gave me an update on the Saturday college football scores, especially Wisconsin and Notre Dame.  Then I was off to church in Orhei.  As I walked to my village bus stop, I gave people the usual “buna ziua” as I went along.  But as I neared the corner by the bus stop, a person across the way yelled out, “Good Morning”.   What a treat to be greeted in my native language.  I don’t know if that person realizes how sweet a sound that is.  As I got on the bus which was already full, a young man gave me his seat.  Merci, I said, which is acceptable as thankyou even in Romanian.  I realized that as we went along the bus would get even fuller.  And we had fifteen minutes to wait as yet before we left the station.  Sunday Mass in Orhei was grounding and renewing as it always is.  I don’t know the Russian responses but I can sing along pretty good in Romanian.  Our services are a combination of both languages.  Today’s scripture included the story about the seven brothers who all married the same woman, one at a time.  I figure this has got to be the kinkiest story in the gospels.  Be that as it may, Jesus said we won’t be getting married (or divorced for that matter) in heaven.  So you better take care of that business now while you got the chance.  After church I met another PCV at a restaurant in town where we regularly have breakfast or let’s say brunch on Sundays.  We are such regular customers now, they know what we are going to order ahead of time.  It was time for me to shop for my wintertime sanity kit, a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle.  I found just what I needed at the school supply store.  The picture is of a three mast ship sailing along an island coast line.  The title of the puzzle is “ A Sunny Voyage”; perfect.  Today was the final day of Hramul celebrations in Orhei and there was a carnival in town.  My friend and I went down to the bus station where it was set up and marveled at the kids enjoying the rides, the popcorn, and the cotton candy.  Now back to the village on the local bus.  Of course it was packed.  No one to offer me a seat this time.  I joined the “pack” of people who all endured the intimate experience of strangers rather than walk the ten miles back to Piatra.   When I arrived in Piatra, I went to the casa cultura because I knew there were auditions going on for a Moldova has Talent Contest.   As I sat down, I was charmed by the knowledge that the contestant I was hearing had come to me once or twice to get the correct English pronunciation of her song.  She did very well.  I think she’s going on to the next level.  As I walked home from the auditions, I passed a group of men hanging on the corner.   They called me over and invited me in a very Moldovan way to share a glass of wine.  I spoke with them in Moldovan of course.  I was complimented when they asked if I was from Italy or America.  We laughed about how easy it is for Moldovans to enjoy themselves with some wine and bread, “and with some good friends,”  I added.  As I continued along the way to my house, the wine must have had a good effect on me as I was humming the song from “Fiddler on the Roof”,  LaChaim or To Life!