Thanksgiving in Moldova

 

Thanksgiving Day here in Moldova is really just another day.  Everyone goes to work as usual and only those with internet lives know about the Macy's Day Parade.  But Peace Corps volunteers found a way to have a family meal together on the following Saturday.  We were gathered at the apartment of David and Matt who are PCV's in Balți (belts).  As you can see we were wearing our American colors proudly and also the colors of the city of Balți, which is often called the capital of  Northern Moldova.  It is a bustling city of about 150,000 people. Preparations started the night before and the two turkeys were so fresh they were never refrigerated.  Mary said "Do we really have to peel 50 lbs of potatoes?"  Walter was helping in the kitchen all day too.  And I of course had to get the appetizers started....fresh pineapple anyone?  (grown in Costa Rica)  David confirms the potatoes are boiling.  Stephanie made friends with a strange bird.  And so did Justin.  But the real star of the show was the bird in the pan.  We had 26 people sitting down to dinner.  Lots of dishes to try.  Turkey with stuffing of course, potatoes and mushroom gravy, green bean casserole, carrots, currants made to look like cranberries.  Behind a large pot of potates, you see  two senior volunteers in our group.  The one on the left is a retired Moldovan English teacher who volunteers at her local school 5 hours a week, the other is Emily who is Peace Corp's oldest serving volunteer at 83.  She also is an expert in teaching.  Well after all that food there was nothing else to do but have desert.  Several pumpkin pies, cheese cakes, and cup cakes were available for tasting.  We finished the evening with a round of Christmas Carols and few friendly board games.  Everyone thanked the hosts, Matt and David profusely and after a good night's sleep we all headed back to our respective villages for another week....Thankful for our Peace Corps family.

Making Plăcintă

 

This being Thanksgiving week I imagine many people spent extra time in the kitchen.  Same for me.  It was the day before Thanksgiving (11/21/12) and the village of Piatra was celebrating its "Hramul".  That's the "sărbătoare" -celebration-of its Patron Saint.  Pictured here is the church in Piatra who's patron is Saints Michael and Gabriel, non other than the Archangels.  It's customary for the village to observe a holiday on the hramul and everyone stays home from work and school and enjoys a big meal with family and friends.  Kind of like Thanksgiving.  Streets were quiet in town.  Even the farm yard hens were freely ranging.  Sergiu suggested we make some Moldovan plăcintă.  It may be described as filled fry bread.  He was even willing to let me give it a try.  So rolling pin in hand I started.  First you have to stretch out the dough.  Then you put in the filling.  It can be filled with cabbage, or potatoes, or cheese.  This time we used cheese or the home made "brînză".  Our brînză filling had chives and dill added to it...and a couple of raw eggs and a pinch of salt.  After filling the dough circle, you fold in the corners just so.  And then you give a pat.  Now its ready for the frying pan.  Hot sunflower seed oil is used for most cooking here.  After frying on one side, give it a flip to fry the other.  Before you knew it, we had a whole stack of freshly fried plăcintă.  It smelled so good, Pica the farm dog had to stick her nose in the kitchen door.

At Work in Piatra

 

Many of you have been wondering how my work has been coming along here in Piatra.  Here's a little pictoral review of what my day is like at the Centru Universul.  We have been having some winterlike weather already with temperatures staying in the 30's and 40's.  But so far no heat is available at the Center.  So my business attire includes a scarf and stocking hat.  One thing that gets me going in the morning is "fac sport"  or exercise with my friend Domnul Borancovschie.  He comes every day at 9 AM for an hour workout.  Oh, did I mention he's in his 70's.  The exercise is part of a program for Seniors that have physical limitations due to age or disease.  Next we see a team of participants at a recent afternoon seminar making the longest possible straw that could still draw water.  I think the seminar's theme was you can do amazing things if you put your mind to it.  Of course, we needed to celebrate with "bisquits"  or cookies afterward.  Coloring is always a favorite with the after school crowd and all sorts of games.  I invented a matching card game with some spare Uno cards.  It's supposed to improve your memory skills.  In the hot (at least warm) pink sweater you see Doamna Cristina picking out songs for the dance class.  Cristina is a local volunteer who is really talented when it comes to music and makes learning dance lots of fun.  I have recently taken on the role of computer instructor.  We have four computers that we let kids practice typing on and experimenting with Microsoft Office.  Sometimes you have to stare at your screen to make sure the words are spelled right.  And somethimes you just get this glazed over look in your eyes.  And sometimes you can just smile with satisfaction that you got the job done. 

Fall Weekend in Chisinau

 

This past weekend I was in Chisinau, Moldova's Capital.  It was a lovely Fall day.  I even found evidence of Halloween in my walking around town.  And of course the beautiful Central Park with the National Cathedral.  The next picture is entitled Where's Warren.  Let's see if you can find me in the picture.   One reason I was in Chisinau was for a house warming party.  Two of our PCV's working in Chisinau just got their own apartment.   Carl and Elsa hosted a party for us.  Many  of their PCV friends were there having a good time and swapping stories and experiences.  We even had a guest from America!  The last picture is PCV Roberto and his significant other, Amalia, who is here for a visit.