On June 18th my host sister, Nicoleta, married Grigore. I had been to a Moldovan/American nunta (wedding) last summer when a PCV married a Moldovan, so I had an idea of what to expect from a Moldovan nunta. This nunta lasted much longer than any I had ever been to. The day started with a hair dresser and make-up artist coming to the house to do first Nicoleta’s, then my host mother’s and other family member’s hair. The house was a flurry of activity as more people began to arrive, food was being prepared in our outdoor kitchen and four women and a little girl were getting ready for the wedding. At around 3:30 PM the photographers arrived to take pictures of the bride. At some point Grigore, the groom, arrived and several cars left taking the bride, groom, and others to have more wedding pictures taken. Unfortunately, in their haste, they forgot to include my host mom in one of those cars. Instead, we took part in the masa (a party that involves a table full of food and drink) that had been prepared (by a woman who had been hired to cook for the pre- and post-wedding masas) for the remaining people at the house. So, at around 4:30 PM, I sat down to Round One of food and drink. Moldovans love to celebrate and their celebrations are a marathon of food, drink and dancing. Below are pictures of my host mom toasting the couple as well as the spread of food for the “small” masa. The cars of people came back for my host mom, myself, and Marina (the girl my host mom takes care of) and we left for the ballroom where the wedding ceremony and reception were held at around 5:30 PM. The guests started arriving at 6:PM and waited in line outside of the building with flowers and gifts. First, the parents welcome their children (the bride and groom) into the building, and then the parents with the bride and groom welcome the guests. There are no bridesmaids or groomsmen. There are the nanasi, which are the godparents of one of the couple who stands next to them. At around 7:00 PM a woman came to do the civil service. In Moldova, there are two parts to the wedding ceremony and they tend to be done on separate days. In this case the civil service, which is the one recognized by the state, was done on the same day as the reception. The church/religious service will be done in several weeks. There are cases where the civil service is done years before the reception is held because the couple wants to save up money to do a proper wedding reception. After the civil service, the guests all entered the ballroom and the party officially begun. There is a tradition in Moldova where the bride and groom each hold on to the side a giant kolac (a circular loaf of bread) and pull it apart. Whoever gets the larger half is the “head of the household.” When Grigore got the larger half, Nicoleta’s family said that sometimes the bread doesn’t always prove true, meaning they all belive Nicoleta will be the head of the household. J After the kolac is torn apart, each guest gets a small piece to eat. Now, time for Round Two of eating that began around 8:00 PM. I have been to quite a few masas in my two years in Moldova so I’ve learned a few things: never eat bread because it fills you up too fast. don’t drink your shot of cognac all at once, take small sips so you don’t get too drunk.take small bites and chew slower. People tell you to eat or don’t think you like the food if you have nothing on your plate, so you must eat or have something on your plate at all times.It’s ok to say you don’t want anymore for now. After the first two rounds of food, I was already pretty full. Sometimes even the best made intentions of not overeating go by the wayside. Luckily, people started to hora around 9:30 PM, which is one of my favorite things to do at a Moldovan celebration. The hora is the traditional dance of Moldova and is done in a circle where people hold hands and do simple steps while in that circle. In this picture, you can see three separate circles of people dancing the hora. At around 11:00 PM came Round Three of the food. After this round of food, came the time to give the money to the bride and groom. The traditional way of doing this is for each guest to toast the couple and say the amount of money they are giving them. The more modern way is putting the money in the card given to you by the couple and not having to say the amount given. For this wedding the nanasi (godparents) went around to each table to collect our envelopes. Each table had one person who said words of encouragement on behalf of the table. More money is given at a Moldovan wedding than any I’ve been to in the United States. I gave 1000 lei, which is around $90, much more than anything I’ve done previously. This amount was smaller than most. The parents gave $1000 each. I was amazed by the amount of money that people gave in the name of tradition. 12:30 PM Round Four of the food. This time the traditional foods of Moldova: Mamaliga with brinza and meat and sarmale. Good thing there is lots of dancing. Then, at around 1:30 AM the nanasi changed the bride and groom into a married couple. This is done by having the couple sit together in a chair while the nanasi tie an apron and head scarf on the bride and put a had on the groom. They then place the linens they have bought for the couple around their shoulders. Next, the parents put the things they bought at the couples feet and the linens around their shoulders. This continues until all the guests have presented the couple with their gifts. These gifts are on top of the money they were given. Below is a picture of the gifts and linen that the couple received. Finally, came Round Five of food, the cake. Like in the US, the bride and groom cut the cake. Unlike the US, they feed the first bites to the nanasi, who are standing next to them. Then everyone takes a piece. You can imagine how full of food I was. I left the party around 3:30 AM to help several relatives take the gifts home. I finally went to sleep around 5:15 AM, as the sun was rising. At 9:30 AM I was woken up and told to come outside where we had yet more food to eat. I ate enough food to last me a couple days. Tara Oliva EE Volunteer

This year I was able to spend Easter with my host family. Last year I left at 6 AM on Easter morning to meet up with friends and head to Ukraine for a week. This year I purposefully planned my trip around the two Easters.

Like last year, host mom and sister made a wide variety of food for Easter. There are several traditional foods such as cozonac which is a traditional Easter bread. The dough is flattened out and various fillings are spread on it. It is then rolled together to either form cake-like loaves, or long, rectangular roles. They also come in various sizes. Unfortunately my internet isn't letting me upload pictures right now. There is another type of bread called pasca which is eaten specifically on Easter morning, after the blessing at the church. There was also a large amount of meat made for this Easter week.

Last year I didn't participate in any Easter activities. This year I wanted to do everything my host family did. The Russian Orthodox church has service from midnight to about 4 am every Easter morning. My host family doesn't go.....but they do get up around 3:30 am to go to the church and get the bread blessed. The following link is to my friends facebook album about this Easter blessing. Every volunteer has the same general experience with this holiday, so her photos were very similar to what I experienced.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226806604884.357693.700754883&l=6d9f0c13f5

My host mom told me we would leave for the church at 3 am....so I set my alarm for 2:30. Unfortunately she forgot there was a car this year (host sister's fiance's car) to take us to the church...meaning we didn't have to leave until 4 am. Since no one bothered to tell me I was up an hour before everyone else thinking that I they forgot/decided not to go/had already left. Luckily they were up at 3:30 and I went with my host sister and her fiance to the local church. There was a long line of people with small baskets of food to be blessed by the priest. We set our basket on the ground and lit a candle, which we stuck in the pasca. In our basket, my host mom had put dyed Easter eggs, pasca, some of the meat she had prepared, salt, candles, and poppy seeds. We were in the line waiting for about half an hour before the priest came by wit a bucket of water and what I can only describe as a large paint brush. He was sprinkling/throwing water on the line as he walked alone saying "Hristos a inviat!" meaning Christ has risen! We then respond with "Adevarat a inviat." Truly he has risen. Host sister then went in the church and lit a candle which is supposed to burn for Easter week. We then packed up our things and went home....to me it seemed a little anticlimatic after waiting around with candles and bread. I also wondered what the priest thought of all the people who were waiting in line to get their Easter food blessed...clearly many of them had not been in church.

We got home around 5 am and host mom woke up. We unpacked what was in the basket and had a masa. My host mom placed one of the red-dyed eggs in a cup of water along with some banuti (coins). She then rubbed the wet, red egg on her face. This is for luck for the coming year as well as a belief that you will have money for the upcoming year. We then sat down to the food, where I counted 10 types of meat. I went to bed around 6 am.

I woke up around 11 am and we ate again around 12 pm. The day was beautiful, so I sat outside on our steps with my host mom and host sister and the girl who lives with my host mom. Host sister's fiance was in the house fixing the TV that had broken at 6 that morning while host sister was watching her favorite show. I spent a couple hours outside talking with my family and painting my nails with my host sister. Then I went and took another nap. It was a great day...relaxing and without the burden of feeling like you should be working. Oh, and then I ate again after my nap. In all, I counted 12 types of meat...there was almost nothing but meat on the table.

This year is Peace Corps 50th anniversary. There are all kinds of things being done for this all over the world. In Moldova, a group of volunteers have created a website that shows people back home, as well as all over the world, the things we do here. I had an event for April 4th where I talked about an English club I have, but there is a large variety of things my fellow volunteers do. If you want to know the work we are accomplishing here, go to this website:

http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/home

Check out this link:

http://www.livelikeapcv.org/

This was started in Mongolia and I think it would be awesome if some of you back in Nebraska would do this. I can give you some ideas if you'd like :)

The following link is a pretty accurate (and funny) view of the Peace Corps and what many of us volunteers experience (both positive and negative). Luckily I live in a part of the world that doesn't include the bugs. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-wDq17zyN0

Also, I went to Spain for my Christmas break, which was pretty amazing. The weather was warm, I ate great food, and got to spend time with two other volunteers. Instead of giving a summary of my trip, go to my Facebook album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2048562&id=186702039&l=0da3375f0b

Not much going on in my life right now other than the usual going to school and teaching classes and English Club. Life is good although I am a little freaked that I only have 6 months left before I have to return to the states.

Thanks for the packages I got from the Methodist Church, Grandma and others who thought of me for Christmas! Everything was great!

Ok, so while it isn't snowing currently, there is a good bit on the ground and it was snowing yesterday. I love the snow and while it does mean everything is colder, it also means that there is no mud!!! I love the fact that I can walk to school and not worry about getting my shoes all dirty. I'd have snow and ice over mud any day. below is the view from my bedroom window:



We only have one more week of school before the Christmas break begins. That means TEZA testing (semester tests) for the lyceum (high school) students and other students being more squirrely than normal. Yesterday my 11th form (grade) class gave me a box of chocolates. Today two boys from the 10th form barked at me... So, while I like most of the students I teach, there are those who are harder to find good things about.

Things that have changed about me since coming to Moldova: I know have what PCVs refer to as Moldovanca bangs and I wear skinny jeans tucked into my boots...as well as tighter tops. I've had several instances where people who I work with or know in the community have told me how much more frumos I am now and how much more Moldovan I look...which begs the question. How bad did they think I look before? I also now wear a Moldovan coat. Meaning its fashionable but not as warm as my Columbia coat. In America no one would ever think to ask if my Columbia coat was warm enough. Here if I wear it people will touch it and are worried that I am not warm enough. However, with my new coat, which is knee length, I have never had a single person ask me if I am warm enough (even though this coat isn't nearly as warm). All they say about my fumos coat is how fumoasa it is. Who knew I'd pick fashion over function. I am not wearing heels though. I still am amazed at how these women can walk on uneven muddy roads in 3 or 4 inch heels.

I made a powerpoint titled "What is Art" for my 8th form class. I used a doodle from one of my 11th form boys which I think is pretty cool:

Pretty awesome right? If I do a mural at my school, he would be the first one I ask.

Thanksgiving was fun. I spent it with about 80 other PCVs at the Peace Corps office. We had turkey and all the traditional food. I helped make the potatoes and spent most of the day in the kitchen. Afterwards I watched a pirated copy of Harry Potter 7 and made fun of it with several other volunteers. Christmas vacation will be spent in Barcelona and Bucharest. I am looking forward to this. It will be nice to have a break. And I am always up for seeing a new part of the world.

So that is it for now. Hope you all enjoying the holiday season! Thank you to the church for the package you sent via my mom! It was awesome!

I believe it has been about five months now since I've posted anything but it's hard now to know what to post. My life here seems so normal that I feel like nothing I write would be interesting. People ask me if I miss America and if I want to go home, and it's hard to for them to understand/for me to explain that Moldova is now my home. I have a job, friends and family here. There are people, both Moldovan and American, who I feel closer to than most people I know from back home.

People in my area have more or less gotten used to "the American" in the neighbourhood. I do still have random people stopping me and asking, "are you the American? Why are you here when you could be in America? Do you like Moldova?" A couple weeks ago I had a man come up to me with a large bunch of grapes he had just picked for his wine and gave them to me. I think I teach his child, but I'm not sure. Most the time people are curious and friendly, although this past week I did have a different man get upset at me because America has all the money and he has none. Most of the time life here is great. There are those times though when you have to just forget and not dwell on what people say to you and this was one of them.

In my entire raion I didn't get a single M25. Last year four of us came to Ungheni. This year some raions got as many as six new volunteers. because the other three volunteers in my group have ETed, there is only me and a friend in a village outside my city. It's strange for me not to have a site mate anymore. I rarely go into the center anymore. I was told by a host uncle that I need to go to the discotechs (where teenagers generally hang out on the weekends) in the center to find a man. I don't think I'll be taking that advice.

I have my first break this coming week. Last year I remember September and October going so slowly, now the first two months of school have flown by. I am amazed by how easy my second year of school has been compared to my first. I have a good working relationship with two partners that just continues to grow. I have taken my materials I've made to school and see my partners using them. This is great because it shows that all my time spent making those activities and materials were well spent and that what I leave behind will be used.

There really hasn't been a fall in Moldova....other than about one week. SInce the beginning of school it has been either rainy or cold, with the exception of one week of nice fall weather. Lots of rain means lots of mud. I have gotten much better about walking on these dirt roads when they're muddy, but I still have the dirtiest boots in the classroom every time. There's been talk that this winter is supposed to be the coldest winter in Europe in over a hundred years. And how lucky am I that I get to experience it? I was looking at an online store the other day at their "winter" clothes. All I could think of was how cold I'd be if I only wore a sweater. I've already been wearing about three layers a day. I think I've forgotten what it's like to have a building be above 50 degrees.

This time of year my host mom has the chickens and ducks out of their coop to eat all the left-over vegetation in the yard. Needless to say I am not happy about this. Every time I go outside those damn birds follow me around. I have to refrain from running away too quickly.

I'll try posting an entry soon about events of this summer and the prasnic (ceremony to celebrate a deceased loved one) my host mom had for her husband.

One year ago today I officially started my Peace Corps service. I was in my first training session as a Peace Corps trainee. Now, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new group of volunteers who arrive tomorrow. This new group is the first to arrive in Moldova since mine came one year ago. They have the exact same schedule as the M24 group and working with the new group as much as I have been has got me thinking of all that I was going through a month ago. Can it really be a year already? My service in Moldova is already half-way done? Wow.....What have I actually accomplished this past year?

So many thoughts have been going through my mind about what I've actually done here. If me being here has helped in any way. IThere has been so much I have learned about myself and so much I have gained that I feel like I am taking more than I am giving. After teaching for a year here I hope that I have helped in some way. I see little things my partner teachers do now that they didn't do before. Every time they do something I've introduced I get a little excited, thinking, ha something I'm doing is working. I've made friendships with women that teach at the school. My host mom is an amazing woman and now like a second mother to me, worrying about me and making sure I am happy here. I feel like I am almost constantly busy, so I guess that proves I'm not wasting my time, right?

Ultima Sunet (last bell) is the last day of the school year (May 31st for the entire country). The ceremony was held out front (the only place large enough to hold all 800 students). All the 12th formers marched out and walked around in the center since they will be graduating (as long as their test scores are high enough). For ours, my director gave a speech and handed out various awards and diplomas to all classes. There was waltzing, traditional dancing by some 4th formers, poems, singing, and finally the 1st formers went into the center and each rang a bell, signaling the official end to the school year.

Now that summer is here I am almost as busy as the school year. As I believe I've posted before, I am one of 4 main volunteers (in relation to the mentor program) helping out with the new group that arrives TOMORROW!! Preparing and planning for them has been a lot of work, but exciting. Their first three days in country will be spent in Chisinau and our job as mentors is to help calm some fears and also as a resource of support. The "if we can do it so can you" attitude. There are several mentor activities going on throughout the summer. I will also be helping with PST by facilitating several sessions. Somehow my June and most of July is booked doing this, as well as a club on Mondays at my site. I originally wanted to do a week-long summer camp, but found I have no free week to do it, so no summer camp.

Lately what I want to do after Peace Corps has been running through my mind a lot. Several ideas have been: extending for a year, teaching in Asia (Taiwan perhaps?), moving to some random state with mountains, or just simply going back to Nebraska. The safe bet is Nebraska, which to me almost seems like a cop-out. If I just go home, I won't be pushing myself to try something new, and I don't know if I know how to do that. Since I left for college I've always tried to do something a little beyond average so heading back to all I know seems almost too simple.

The longer I stay away the more I realize how amazing my family and hometown are. I don't think any one else has gotten packages for things to give other volunteers. I've had people tell me to share things that are in my packages or ask if there is anything they can give to someone who rarely gets a package. One volunteer said Nebraskans have some of the nicest people in America...I tend to agree.

Julie and Amy: thanks for the package! It was amazing, seriously. I believe the volunteer who was with me when I opened it was a little jealous of all that was in it.

Carolyn: Hope your ankle is feeling better!

Last Sunday, May 9th, was a national holiday in Moldova...similar to our Memorial Day. I went to the centru/where the war monument is and met up with several teachers of my school (all teachers were required to be at the monument in the center of town at 10AM-not all were there). There was about a half hour worth of speeches, then a band began to play and all the people with flowers (all teachers seemed to have them, one of the teachers gave me some lilacs) made a line and placed the flowers either in front of the monument or gave them to WWII veterans who were next to the monument. It was interesting for me to see there were just as many female veterans as male veterans.

After everyone put the flowers on, the police and military (there is a base in my town since we are on the border to Romania and a check-point) did a small march/display. Coming from America where we have some of the best military in the world, this was a little.....well less than that. The soldiers weren't able to completely march in a straight line or stay in step. Don't get me wrong, they weren't completely out of step, but when you are used to seeing marines/army/navy/air force marching, it's a little different. Another interesting thing for me was the shoes. In the US the military all has regulation uniforms. Here, the uniforms were the same, but the shoes were not. There were women in full uniform with some incredibly high heeled shoes. It shouldn't surprise me, since Moldovanka's seem to be born with a special gene that allows them to walk on ice/mud/uneven ground in high heels and not stumble, trip, or fall. I wonder though, what does the Moldovan military do other than border control? I tried asking someone once (a student at my English club who wants to go into the military), and he couldn't really tell me.

After this hour long remembrance for the soldiers, I went with a teacher at my school to find a pair of jeans. We both wanted some, so we went together to the piata (Sunday's and Thursday's are when the big piata is open). Now, piatas are generally outside stalls selling just about anything you can think of. Many clothing stalls have a curtain, that may or may not cover you completely. When I tried on my jeans, the curtain did not completely close and I am sure some people saw more of me than I would have liked if I were in the states, but you get over your shyness quickly here. The woman selling the jeans even pulled and tugged at the jeans...another strange thing in the states, but here..eh. Complete strangers tugging at your clothing showing you how it works. I did find a pair of jeans, and I am now a little more frumos.

At 1 I met with the group of teachers I spend most of my extra time at school with and who I consider my friends here in Moldova for a picnic. Most of their husbands also came, which was the first time I had met all but one of them. We had a barbeque/picnic in a park and sat around talking (well I mostly listened and tried to understand), ate, and drank. I was the first one to leave since I had a skype meeting. All in all, it was a great day, and I am now a little more integrated into my community here in Moldova.

Take that goal two of PC! Two weeks...10 days left of school, not like I'm counting or anything.

Once again, I was in Chisinau for the weekend (I believe this was my 8th Saturday in a row). Yesterday was Moldova's Labor Day, which like any political party, the Moldovan Communist Party used to their advantage to promote their views. A group of volunteers and I decided we wanted to eat at a place called Regal Pizza, which happened to be right on Stefan Cel Mare....main street in Chisinau.....and right across from the Communist rally/parade...OPA! We didn't realize/had forgotten about the email we were sent telling us to stay away until we were already seated.... So we ate and left as quickly as possible with nothing happening. Although we did see Voronin parading from a side street that was right next to Stefan Cel Mare (check your current facts/google to find out who he is).

As Peace Corps Volunteers we need to be very careful what we say and what we are associated with. This means not being around demonstrations like the one above or talking about political issues/our personal views. If we say the wrong thing, or are seen in the wrong place, it could hurt the impact we want/are making in this country. So although being there was a great experience, I'll try to be a little more careful in the future.

I’ve been told by several people I need to update this thing, so here it goes: This past month has been a busy one. I’ve been in Chisinau every weekend for meetings involving preparing for PST (Pre-Service Training) and doing session designs (I’m helping facilitate several sessions as well as other conferences/observing the M25s). I have also been in Chisinau when I left for Ukraine/came back….I have another 3 weeks until I can have a free weekend, making that 12 out of the last 13 weekends that I’ve had to make the two hour rutiera ride. I’m not complaining (I DID sign up for this), but it would be nice to get a free weekend where I can sleep in and not have to worry about getting on a rutiera. My school director left for Vermont this past Monday. She was supposed to leave the Wednesday before, but that pesky volcano decided to erupt. It will be interesting to hear what Doamna Zina (Mrs. Zina) will have to say about American schools when she gets back. She went through a program from the US Embassy that takes professionals from Moldova and shows them how things are done in America….Just another form of development. Yesterday (Thursday) was the six week mark before the M25s arrive in country. The crazy thing is not the fact that the M25s are coming in six weeks, but the idea that in six weeks I will have been in Moldova for a year. In some ways I feel as if I’ve been here forever….in other ways I feel as if I’ve just stepped off the plane. I now only have 4 weeks of school left! This is amazing….I definitely will enjoy the summer “break.” I say “break” because while I don’t have to teach school at my site, I will be busy with the mentor program, PST, a creative writing club at my site, and a summer camp, as well as hoping to find time to take a vacation (Greece?). This year the ninth form(grade) has a national test in English. For the past month my partner and I have been reviewing grammar structures and reading texts with our 9A class. Although many of these students have had English since 2nd grade, I speak Romanian more than any other class I teach (and I teach 4th form). Many of the students don’t seem to care about the upcoming tests and don’t really like to pay attention in class. There are several who do care and do much of the homework that is given. In Moldova I would say only about half of my students regularly do there homework…there are no consequences to not doing homework, so they don’t feel the need to do it. This is the class I struggle with the most. This is also the class where a student said he knew English better than me (he said this in Romanian of course---I don’t think he got the irony of this). While I do struggle with my 9th form class, I really enjoy my 10th formers. This is only their third year of learning English (They took French before), but we can hold conversations about a variety of topics. It is nice to be able to talk with some of my students and really know what they are thinking because they are able to express themselves so well in my language. About a month ago I had my 10th formers compete in the Eurasian Writing Olympics. The EWO is a competition set up by PCVs in countries in Eastern Europe/Western Asia countries. First students from PCV schools in individual countries have competitions, then the first place winners are sent to be judged at the Eurasian level. One of my students got second place in Moldova with his essay. It won’t be sent on, but I was very happy. This competition is more about creative thinking and writing and less about having perfect grammar or spelling/writing. So many students aren’t really allowed to express themselves (think 1950s American classrooms), so the fact that I can help my students think outside of the box is great. Over Easter break I took a week-long trip to Kiev with three other PCVs. We took an overnight bus from Chisinau to L’viv, where we stayed for 2 days. On our third day we were supposed to get the 6:30 AM train to Kiev, but missed it because of our lack of Russian/Ukrainian speaking skills and the lack of signs telling us where the correct train was. We ended up waiting until that evening where we took a night train to Kiev, arriving at about 8 AM on Thursday. We were in Kiev from Thursday morning till Sunday morning when we left on a 16 hour train ride to Chisinau. Ukraine was amazing. Although language was a barrier, the people there were very friendly and helpful. I really liked being there and seeing what another country in Eastern Europe looks like. All of us wanted to find other PCVs, but unfortunately weren’t able to. Several people asked us, “Ukraine is better than Moldova, yes?” but none of us wanted to say yes. We all have found that Moldova is our home and while we do have struggles and things we don’t like, we don’t want anyone outside the country to know. Yes, Ukraine is more developed and has more opportunities/less people leaving the country to find jobs, but Moldova will get there! I think the highlight of the trip was when we found an American barbeque restaurant in Kiev. I had barbeque ribs which I still think about……..mmm.

In Kiev we went to many different Russian Orthodox and Catholic Churches. We also went to a monastery that had mummified monks down in these winding “caves” or tunnels. There was the occasional hand or foot sticking out. This is a very holy place for the Russian Orthodox faith and people were kissing the glass of the coffins (the mummies were in a coffin with a glass lid). Visiting these monks is supposedly to magically cure you….sick people kissing the same spot on the glass…think about that one….For any other parts of my trip, just look at the photos I’ve uploaded on facebook. That should tell you all you want to know about my trip. A couple days ago another volunteer told me I get the best packages….which is true, I told her it’s because I get them from a variety of people…I’ve gotten some amazing things in packages you all have sent me, so thank you! That same volunteer also said she kind of wishes she were from a small town so she could get what I get (she’s from Atlanta). I know I’ve said it before, but you rock Milligan! There are very few people who get packages from anyone other than family or close friends. I’ve had so much peanut butter sent to me that I’ve given away two jars….something almost unknown in the PC community where things like peanut butter, reeces pieces, and Oreos are like gold. I hope everyone back home is doing well…..I’m thinking of you and all the changes that are happening in y’alls lives!

This past week my host mom has been preparing the house for Paste, or Easter. Furniture has been rearranged, floors, walls, and ceilings have been scrubbed, curtains washed, and just about the whole house has been re-organized. I felt as if a tornado had gone through this house when I came home on Tuesday after my club. Now that the cleaning has finished, the food preparing has begun. From the time host mom got home from school yesterday (at 11AM), she has been preparing food. I asked her if she would be going to church tonight for Easter (Russian Orthodox have a 11PM-4AM Easter service), she said she would if she wasn’t too tired from cooking and cleaning…..I’m hoping she goes because I’ve heard its an interesting experience.

Yesterday I went into my kitchen and saw various body parts of a pig. Most interesting was the leg, foot and all. Also, all the pieces still had the skin attached. We also currently have a whole chicken (including the head and feet) stewing on the stove to make racituri. What is racituri you ask? Jellied substance with chicken pieces….So far it is the only Moldovan dish I won’t try, although it shows up for every special occasion. Several PCVs have had similar experiences and have been writing Facebook status’s involving eating next to a dead lamb, chicken, or pig in their kitchen. One friend saw her host mom pull an entire lamb from the freezer. Meat is expensive here, and most families don’t eat much pork; even fewer eat beef, so when a special holiday like Christmas or Easter comes along the main dishes on the table involve meat. Great for this Nebraska girl, but bad for all the vegetarians who are volunteers here in Moldova.

I haven’t been to school all week. I found out the reason my jaw won’t open is because I have arthritis, so to heal it I’m not supposed to talk for at least a week, as well as take several pills. I’ve been doing pretty good with this, but it is now Saturday and still no improvement. One of the things I've been doing to occupy my time is prepare for the new group coming in June. We are finally starting to know some of the 25s and the people in the 4 Moldova PC programs. It's so exciting to put faces on this new group! Only two more months before they arrive in country....only 2 more months until I've been here a year, it doesn't seem possible that I've been here almost a year.....

Sunday evening I leave for the Ukraine for 7 days with 3 other PCVs. We'll be in L'viv and Kiev. It will be good to have a vacation....hopefully by next week my mouth can open again...

Since the last time I have posted spring has descended upon Moldova! The days are getting longer and the sun is shining more. It seemed as if 80% of the winter was cloudy, so having the sun finally shining is a welcome change. This winter was long, cold, and snowy and I am ready for warmer days and leaving the long underwear in my closet!

Depending on who you ask, Martisor is a Moldovan holiday lasting either the first 10 days of March or the entire month of March. Martisor represents the beginning of spring and all the hopes and dreams for the coming year. There are many legends of Martisor, but most of them relate to love and death. Some represent Baba Dochia as the evil woman who causes winter to last forever and a boy or girl giving his/her life for spring. Just about every person has a Martisor pinned on their jacket, over their heart. It is red and white. Red to mean blood spilled and white for love. I’ve been given several Martisori from several students and each are different. While giving it to me they say something to the effect of I wish you a beautiful year full of hope, health, happiness, money, and your dreams coming true. There is no set way to make a Martisor other then keeping it red and white and in a bow.

My English Club at the library in Ungheni is going well. I love being in contact with students from other lyceums and discussing more topics than what there is time for in school. I have about 5 students who come every time and several others who come about half the time. At times it’s challenging to keep coming up with good ideas to keep them interesting, which also keeps me from getting lazy. One of the things I am trying to show is that women can be more than housewives and mothers (think 1950s American values). I have shown them that there are women who have both families and are successful in their jobs. I never really thought of myself as a feminist, but feel like I am one here. My Aunt Sharon sent me a Nebraska Life calendar. The March picture shows the Wayne State girls rugby team mid-tackle. Showing this image to my club was interesting. One boy said it was ugly because it isn’t right for women to do a man’s job/sport. Another girl asked him why they can’t if men can. I love when one of the girls stands up for their sex. I try not to push my views on them, since that is what is done in schools, but to show them that other views exist. I do this by showing pictures and bringing stories and biographies. I hope what I’m doing has some positive effect.

I’ve recently realized I only have 10 weeks of school left. This has made me start thinking more about how I want to spend my summer. School ends on May 31st and begins September 1st. Because I am the mentor coordinator for my program, the first part of June will be filled up with preparing for the new volunteer group (M25). I will also be involved in PST(Pre-Service Training) for the M25s which lasts from mid-June to mid-August. Not sure yet how busy I’ll be with that yet, but I do know it is something I want to be a part of. I’ve also thought about doing a summer camp in Ungheni and working with a local organization to do this. Nine months of the year are filled with teaching and having a very set schedule of things that must be done, so these three months of break will be a way to push myself to get out of my comfort zone and integrate more into my community. Of course I’m going to take a trip sometime end of July/beginning of August, but not sure where that will be.

Another thing I am currently working on is a grant to get more materials in our school to help with the foreign language programs. It’s a little intimidating to do this grant writing and to find ways for my school to raise part of the money. Many people in Moldova have never really heard of fund-raising or volunteering in the sense that we do in America. When I told my partner we usually have bake sales to raise money where I’m from she responded with, “they won’t buy things when they can go to a store and buy cookies there.” Trying to motivate people here into doing fund-raisers should be interesting. I know of other volunteers who have done it successfully so I hope to show what they’ve done to prove it can be a success.

In two weeks will be the week-long Easter vacation. I’ll be going to L’viv and Kiev, Ukraine with 3 other PCVs. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve heard both of these cities are beautiful. I also want to know what another PC country looks like in relation to Moldova.

The past week, I believe, has been the worst week of my Peace Corps service. Although I’m only 8 months into my 27 months, I don’t know how things could be worse. On Friday I found out a college friend of mine took his life. Then, Sunday I found out my younger cousin took his life. Because of the time differences I found out about my cousin through facebook. My mom called to tell me, but I unfortunately had found out by reading messages on facebook a few hours before she called…..Major negative of facebook I believe. Top off the fact that I can’t really open my mouth, this week has really sucked.

Coming into Peace Corps I thought about all that I would be missing during my service. Weighing the positives along with the negatives. Actually going through one of the negatives is very difficult. Not being able to be with friends and family at this time has defiantly been difficult. My mom told me not to feel guilty because this is where my life is right now and everyone understands that I can’t be there, but it is hard not to feel guilty. I love Moldova and I feel like I am doing positive work here, but at the moment I just want to be home.

Suicide is such an ugly word. One person’s pain is gone, but it leaves a hole in many people’s lives. It’s hard to really understand it unless you have felt that way. I look on my friend’s facebook page and see how many people loved him and will miss him. Did he realize how many people cared for him? Would it have changed anything if he had known? I was never very close to him, but I think back on the times we did share together, and the things we had in common, like our roommates. I hope wherever he is he is happy. I pray that the people near him are healing and are able to cope with this loss.

My cousin was only 21 years old. He has had his struggles throughout life, and I guess he didn’t want to struggle anymore. I wish I could be there to help say good-bye. It doesn’t really feel real that he is gone. I wonder what it will be like in August 2011 when I get back. Will I still expect him around, or will I have gotten used to the fact that he is gone?

I currently just feel numb. I haven’t eaten anything for a couple days, other than chocolate and tea. Small things make me cry. Luckily I don’t have to teach today, I’m at the doctor getting my jaw looked at again. I hate that I’m in Moldova right now. If I was a witch I could just snap my fingers and be home. For all of you hurting, know I’m there in spirit. I love you all and would be there if at all possible.

Please, if any of you feel empty, or are thinking about suicide, talk to someone. Talk to me, or someone you feel close to. I know what it’s like to be on the ledge, and how to get back to solid ground. Things do get better, even if you don’t think they ever could.

Wherever you are Justin and Pat, I hope you’ve found the peace you’ve been looking for.

So, the days are growing longer and all of a sudden it's February, which means I am done with 6 official months of being a PCV and 8 months total of being in Moldova. People here ask me a lot if I am homesick, and usually I am not. Recently I have been missing my cat though. Too bad he can't be shipped in a package.

New Year's in Moldova was celebrated the 13-14 January instead of 31-1 January like in the US. We had school, but not a lot of students came. I went to a masa on the 13th which was at the house of my host mom's friend. The night of the 13th and the day of the 14th children were celebrating and throwing seeds on people and singing songs that had to do with lot of money, happiness, and health for the new year. The recipient of these wishes and seeds would hold their hands in front of them to catch as much of the seed as possible and then some would put the seeds in a pile. Not sure what they did with the seeds after. The people would then give the children bread, candy, cookies, and money. Some of the children were dressed up in costumes or had masks on while others did not. The closest thing we have in America is Halloween, but even that isn't that close to what they do.

I am a mentor coordinator which means I am one of four helping and doing a lot of planning to prepare for the incoming M25 group in June. It's exciting to think of all these new people and all the work they are going to do. I also hope I get a new person or two into my raion. I was also in charge of picking the other mentors for the EE's. I really enjoyed the interview parts because it showed how positive so many people are in my group and how happy they are overall with their work here. It's nice for me to have such a great group of Volunteers in my support system. At times it can be difficult being so far away from home in a system that we do not always agree with, but to have people here that continually build each other up, and the country, is great to see and hear. I really hope we can show these new 25's how positive an experience it will be here.

Not much else is happening with me other than teaching, going to my club, and this coordinator stuff. I have been watching a lot more TV lately, mostly because my mom sent me a bunch of different series on DVD. I now waste at least an hour a day on TV watching, something I thought I'd get away from but oh well.

My friend, Rachel, posted photo's from our Rome trip on facebook, look at them, since I didn't take any...my camera broke the first week of December. :(

I had my first Christmas in Moldova, and I think it was better than what I would have done back home, mainly because I wasn’t snowed in here like many people back in Nebraska were. It hasn’t really even felt like Christmas. Partially because most Moldavans celebrate Christmas on January 7, partially because things aren’t decorated/mass commercialized like in America.

Thursday after classes I got on a train to Calarasi, which was an experience in itself. This was my first time taking a train in Moldova and apparently Ungheni has two separate stations, one for international travel, one for in-country travel. However, the international station also has trains going just to Chisinau, Balti, and several other Moldovan cities. I went to the international one first. The two stations are close to each other, but I was still late making my commuter train…..maybe. Three different people told me three different times that the train leaves Ungheni for Chisinau….one said 3:20, one said 3:40, one said 4:00. The train left at 4:15. Well I was on it, and in the right direction, which I was happy about. Another volunteer got on at her village and we went to another volunteer’s site to spend our Christmas. Train cost me 6 lei (about 60 cents) while a rutiera drive would have costed me about 30 lei (3 dollars).

So, Thursday night, Christmas Eve, was spent eating pizza at a restaurant with 3 other volunteers and staying at a volunteer’s apartment. Stayed up till about 1 AM. When you don’t see other volunteers very much, you tend not to do much sleeping when you do meet up.

On Friday morning two others and I went to the piata in Calarasi to finish buying what was needed for our Christmas dinner. The three of us cooked the entire afternoon and ate at around 5:00. At our Christmas dinner there were 8 volunteers, 2 Moldovan’s who are dating two of the volunteers, and a mama gazda. It was a lot of fun and I wasn’t homesick at all, until I talked to my parents, but then only for about 5 minutes. This Christmas was completely different from any other I’ve experienced, but I was surrounded by friends and good food and vin acasa. We had roast, cheesy potatoes, sarmali, rice pilaf, banana bread, zucchini bread, cake, sugar cookies, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and onion dip. Quite a few things were sent from US in various volunteer packages. After supper I stayed up till 2 AM talking. My camera broke about three weeks ago, so I was unable to take any pictures of my Christmas, but plenty of others did, so if you have Facebook, my friends should be tagging me soon.

Saturday I went with a friend to Chisinau to buy the rutiera tickets to Bucharest for Wednesday and to pick up Christmas packages. Four came, so thank you so much! I really appreciate the things that were sent. My friend even said she may steal the scarf I got. So, Jeanne, Grandma, Carolyn, and Kim, Thanks! Even the littlest things are greatly appreciated. My mama gazda also enjoyed about a third of one jar of peanut butter that was sent to me last night. I now hide the extra jars in my room in case I want some and the one I keep in the kitchen is empty.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Happy New Year! My new year will be spent in Rome….hard life I lead.

For future reference, I can get any office supplies here that I need. It’s the more decorative office supplies that I can’t get. There are regular pens, pencils, and erasers, but not the fancy fun kinds that kids like with different colors and shapes on them.

So, it is now just about Decemeber, and I'm amazed at how my first six months in Moldova has flown by. This past weekend I celebrated Thanksgiving in Chisinau with about 80 other volunteers and ate all the traditional food...turkey (killed and prepared by other volunteers) pumpkin pie, stuffing, and of course potatoes! It was great. As for the actual day of Thanksgiving, I worked all day at school, when home, made apple crisp for the party on Saturday, and had supper alone because my mom was at a friends house. It was strange to know that it was Thanksgiving and yet it was just any other day here.

Swine Flu, is in full swing here. We have at least one confermed case in my school, and with that the smell of onions. Here, Moldovans believe that eating lots of onions and garlic, as well as drinking rakia or wine, will keep sickness away, as well as washing hands. Also, sliced onions in every room will also work as a disinfectant. So, that is my life right now. Our first week after break was canceled. In fact the ministry of education canceled school for the entire country to try to stop the flu from spreading. Now we are having school, but teachers are moving from room to room and not the students. When your not exactly sure where each students room is, it can be confusing. Also, when a class is split into english and french learners, we have to find an empty classroom to teach in, since french and english isn't exactly similar. So my days are filled with running around and hoping I'm in the correct place. We also just got heat in the schools in Ungheni, so classes are back to 45 minutes (instead of 35) and breaks are back to 15 (instead of 10). It's nice not having frozen fingers when you're trying to write!

I talked to my mom this weekend and am also starting to get excited because I know of several people/organizations who are planning on sending me packages! whoo hoo for packages! Something my host mom wants is peanut butter. She said she'd pay my mom to send her some from America. Just a little American culture I'm bringing to Moldova! They have peanut butter here, but it's expensive and not good. I now have to hide the fact that I have peanut butter if I want to last it longer. I am happy to share what I have with her, but when my last one bottle will get low, I don't know how much I'll want to share.

Christmas is coming, and with it break and my trip to Rome....also the fact that I am just about a fourth of the way through my service in this country! Not sure if that makes me happy, sad, or both.

Yes, Yes, I know I am horrible at keeping up with this blog, but what are you going to do about it?

So today is Halloween, and there was a little celebration at the youth center here that some of my students invited me to. They had put together plays and in the plays was dancing.....all very Moldovan. I left when they started their dance to go help my site mate with preparations for her going away party. She leaves Ungheni Sunday (tomorrow) and Moldova on Thursday. I know I will miss her, and while I envy her a little bit for going back to America, I know I'm not ready to leave this country yet. I am starting to really fit in with my school, family, and life. I feel like there is a lot more for me to do, accomplish, learn, before I am ready to go back....I also know I only have 1 year and 9 months left until it's my turn to have the going away party.

I got my plane tickets to Rome (with the help of my mom) last week. I am so excited! It's also something to look forward to when life at school, teaching in a different language half the time gets difficult. Right now I am really looking forward to having a nice cup of coffee....mmmm..... As for the rest, The vatican, and I don't know, but I'll figure it out more next week when I'm in Chisinau with the other EE's for our first IST (In Service Training). We have a week long break this week, and it is much needed. I will meet up with the two others I'm going to Rome with and we will do a little more planning for the trip! Woohoo for breaks!

I haven't been shopping in five months and I think I'm having withdrawels.......

Yes, I am now a little more Moldovan...picking grapes about three weekends ago.My site-mates host brother turning the crank that crushes the grapes. You put the grapes in the top, turn the crank, and poof! Vin acasa (house wine)(inside the barrel)

This is what I think of Moldova at the moment. A friend of mine and fellow volunteer came up with it, and I think it pretty much sums up my view as well. On the surface Moldova looks very similar to America, but the more you stay here, the more things you notice that are different and that you miss, or don't miss about America. One thing that has confused me greatly was two weeks ago when I was in Chisinau staying in an apartment and there was no trash can next to the toilet....I had no idea where to put the toilet paper. You may laugh, and I definatly did afterwards, but here the toilet paper doesn't usually go in the toilet. This time it did and it completely threw me for a loup.

I think I am finally settled down into a pattern. My class schedule hasn’t changed for 2 weeks, I have Tuesday afternoons with my English Club at the library in the centru, and I have my Romanian lessons and planning time with my teachers all settled. It’s nice to know my life will have a normal routine to it and I have some idea what to expect rather then the chaos of the past 3 months. I am teaching 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th forms and each has their challenges and benefits. I love the 4th and 5th because it’s what I would be teaching in America. I love the older ones because they speak more English and with the 10th graders we can actually converse in English and they understand just about everything I say to them. Yesterday was Teacher’s Day for all of Moldova. I entered the school under a canopy of flowers held above my head by students. They were on both sides of a path and were cheering and saying Much happiness, health, joy, etc. (all in Romanian of course). It was very strange for me and I felt a little awkward being the center of this attention. Each teacher was greeted in this way. The classes and breaks were all shortened and for the most part were taught by the 12th form. After the 5th hour I went to help prepare food for the masa. There was sandwiches with a slice of bread, mayonnaise, herring, cucumbers, and egg on top the bread, plates of cheese, salam, ham, cucumbers and tomatoes, pumpkin placenta, bisquiti and bomboane (the fancy kind, these are cookies and candy), and fruit (bananas, oranges, and grapes). The pumpkin placenta is the best kind yet. I could have eaten a lot more if I didn’t stop myself at two slices. After we prepared the food, we went in to the concert that the 12th form had prepared. There was a slide show with all the teachers’ pictures, poems, songs, a dance from the Roma, and questions for several teachers. After the concert the students went home and we had a masa. There was also brandy at the masa as well as water. This masa went from about 3 to 6. We ate, then there were speeches given by every teacher there. Most said things like be healthy, have patience, good luck and happiness in home and school. I had to say a speech as well, which was interesting in my limited Romanian. Luckily one of my partners was beside me and helped me if I didn’t know a word or didn’t know the correct ending to a word. After the speeches there was dancing. Mostly it was the hora, which is the national dance of Moldova. You form a circle, hold hands and go around in a circle doing a few steps over and over again. So similar to country line dancing. Youtube it, I’m sure its somewhere on there. My host mom is a 4th form teacher at my school and she really knows how to do those Moldovan dances. Luckily today I don’t have to do much because yesterday was a long day. I am meeting up with three other volunteers to celebrate my site-mates birthday. Moldova is so small that there is at least one volunteer near-bye. I have 5 near-bye me, but in November it will be 4 because my other site-mate is going back to America (her two years are done). Most the time I am happy here, but there is a little part of me that wishes I could be going back to America. Next weekend I’m going to Chisinau to the wine festival there. I’m pretty excited…..I hear there’s pumpkin placenta.

Tomorrow I will have officially been a volunteer for a month. This past weekend was the first time I was actually homesick. In two days I found out my cousin is pregnant with the first baby for that side of the family, one of my best friends got married, and my mom called (2nd time in 3 months). Figuring out my schedule at school is also difficult because one of my partners hasn't been there because of training she is doing in Chisinau, so I'm still not sure what classes I will actually have this year. I wonder if all that I am giving up back home is worth what I will do here. I think it's a question that a lot of volunteers have. It's what happens when you have too much time on your hands. I really do like it here and am definately not ready to leave, but this week has been a little more difficult then the rest.

This afternoon on the way to the centru of Ungheni I saw a John Deere combine. It's amazing some of the things they have here that I never expected to see. Days are starting to get cooler and people are starting to harvest, just like back in Nebraska. Although here there are a lot more people out in the fields doing more manual labor without machinery. It's also not unusual to see a horse/mule drawn cart here, even though I live in a city of 40,000.

Some of my students are starting to warm up to me and talk to me outside of class. A lot of them say hello to me and are interested because I am the American, but now they are starting to get used to me. It's been good talking to them and I am constantly surprised by how much I can talk to them in Romanian. I've been here three months and I can already have basic conversations. I don't always understand, but I can get my point across. Tomorrow I start learning with my tutor.

Yesterday on the way home from work I passed by a bunch of geese that always hang out on the side of the road. A big one opened his mouth, spread his wings, and was walking toward me hissing. Anyone who knows me knows how freaked out I was. This is something about Moldova I don't like.....All the birds running wild....Yuck (shuddering)

I don't have internet yet, Well I have it in my house, but my computer won't accept it there or anywhere else. I think I've inhereted my dad's luck with computers...blah.

I miss peanut butter way more then I expected to!

I have been at site for about two and a half weeks. I am starting to feel situated and figuring out my schedule and life here. I am in Ungheni, which is a city of over 40,000 people. It is very beautiful here, and as far as a Peace Corps Country goes, very modern. Right now I am thinking I will be teaching 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th forms....but this could easily change. Here in Moldova the school year starts Sept. 1st, but the schedule for teaching may not be done until October....So I go to school thinking I teach one class, but end up teaching another. Definately have to have patience and an open mind about it all. Also, I found out this week that if I don't have a class until 9 or 10, I don't have to be at school. Also, if my classes are done for the day, I can go home. Coming from a school system in America, I don't know what to think about this.

My host family is amazing. I have a mom and sister and both are very friendly,kind, and patient with me and my language ability. I do a lot of miming when I talk to them. Sometimes I think I'm comic relief to them because of how I speak. My sister left for college in Chisinau this past Monday and I'm surprised by how much I miss her. Right now there is also a 4 year old living at my house who is a cousin. Her mother is working in Moscow so my mom is watching her for 1+ months. This is definatly an interesting experience.

Overall things are going well and I'm getting settle into my new life here in Moldova. I feel like I can finally settle in and feel at home. I am living here for two years. I haven't lived in any place this long since I left for college 6 years ago.

Although I live in a city, I still see donkey drawn carts driving around.

Hello all!

I know I haven't written on here all summer, but I have been super busy with learning the language, and tech/practice school. I am continuosly (sp?) overwhelmed but at the same time am falling in love with this country and the people. I have a great host family that I will have to leave when I move to my permanent site on the 18th of August and am already dreading saying goodbye to them. They have helped me a lot with learning the culture and attitudes of Moldova. My permanent site is a large city (for me). It is called Ungheni and it has about 40,000 people....much more then I am used to.

In some ways my current village is similar to Milligan, in other ways it is not. Just about every time it rains here the electricity goes off and we have no water....because the pump needs electricity to get water from the well. We also have to watch out for the current (when two windows are open at once and there is a breeze, this is the current). The current they say will make you sick. I say it doesn't affect americans and they seem to be ok with that.

Hope to write more soon!

God bless!

Hello everyone! I am doing great here in Moldova, but don't have much time to blog. Just wanted to let you know I am doing great, although very busy and perpetually overwhelmed, but, I haven't broken the Vaceo (outhouse) like one of my fellow M24s did!

In less then 12 hours I will be saying goodbye to Milligan and its people and all I've known to start the next part of my life in Moldova. I am very excited about spending the next two years in a country I have yet to lay eyes on, but am a little sad when I think about how long I will be away from home.

There isn't anything extremely special or exciting about Milligan, but to me it is home. It's a place where people stop and talk to you on the street, neighbors help each other out, and giving someone the finger while they are driving by isn't a bad thing. At my good-bye party and this past week I've realized just how special the people in Milligan are. I have had at least 10 townspeople tell me they will send me a package or to let them know if I ever need anything and more people then I know of who say they will write to me. I know they will follow through on their word, because that's just the type of people they are.

Growing up in Milligan will help me when I am settling in to life in Moldova. There isn't a lot to do here. Friday night was spent driving around with two high school friends simply because there was no where else to really go, other then the one bar that was still open. There are also still animals in town. Growing up I could hear roosters crowing in the morning and occasionally see people riding their horse around town. We even have a few goats.

Leaving this place for so long makes me realize how special it really is and how lucky I am to have grown up here, surrounded by people who truely care about one another. It reminds me of a conversation I had in high school sitting on a friends porch. He and I were both extremely ready to leave town, but both agreed there isn't a better place to raise a family then small town Nebraska. I haven't thought about that conversation in a long time, but looking back, I still feel exactly the same way as I did when I was 16.

To those of you from Milligan, thank you for everything you have given me, whether you realize it or not.

In exactly three weeks I will be in Philidelphia waiting for staging to officially begin. It seems like June 8 was somewhere in the distant future.....now it is only THREE weeks away. There is still so much left to get done, suitcases to pack, people to say good-bye to, that I wish it would just be June 8. I don't think it has actually set in that I will be gone for two years until I got my information last week. Since getting the flight information my mind keeps going back to some aspect of Moldova and leaving for the PC. It's finally real. I'm actually doing this.

Here's some info for those of you who are interested:

June 8-fly out of Omaha at 10:18

-arrive in Philidelphia at 4:59 and meet up with fellow M24's

June 9-staging from 12-7

June 10-leave for Moldova via New York and Istanbul.

Training until sometime in August.

Now, how much Dorothy Lynch and Runza's do you think I can smuggle into Moldova?

In a little over a month I will be leaving for Moldova. While I have heard of the country before my invitation (thanks to my YNP friends!) I still find myself waking up in the morning wondering what the heck was I thinking doing this? I think of all the things/places/people I'm going to miss, all of the events and life that people will have while I'm away and wonder if it's actually worth it. Then I realize how mudane I would find my life if I didn't push myself to do something more with my life then just get married and have a family like 90% of the people I know. I'm so ready to begin this next part of my life that God has planned for me. Here we go!

Now, if I can just figure out how to pack for two years!