Russian people have three names: given, patriarchal, and family name. The patriarchal name, called "ochestva" in Russian, comes from your father's name. For example, if your father's name is Vasili, your patriarchal name would be Vasiliovich if you are a man, or Vasilovna if you are a woman.

From my experience, I've noticed that they only use their family names on official documents and when people ask them to differentiate Natalia Ivanovna from another Natalia Ivanovna or between Pavel Vasilovich and another Pavel Vasilovich.

In Russian there are two forms of "you," informal and formal. When people address someone in the formal "you" they use their patriarchal name. For example, all the students address their teachers by their first name and patriarchal name. "Svetlana Simornova, I have a question." "Natalia Vasilovna, can I use the toilet?"

I was startled when my old colleague Boris scolded me for being late one morning. He said, "Natalia Charlie-anova!" It made me quite uncomfortable to be scolded by someone using my father's name. However, people are accustomed to hearing their father's name as part of their own.

The funny part of this is that while there are plenty of names to choose from in the Russian language, I find most people choose from the same selection of names. Tatiana, Natasha, Svetlana, Nadejda, Elena, Ivan, Vasili, and Pavel are the most popular. This makes it difficult to differentiate between one Natasha from another so I've had to learn to ask for people's patriarchal names upon meeting someone new.

In January St. John's day is celebrated. John is "Ivan" in Russian. People here celebrate the saint's day whom they share their name. It's like a second birthday! Because Ivan is such a popular name, I found myself at a party of Ivans two weeks ago: Nadia Ivanovna, Vanya (Vanya is a nickname for Ivan) Aforonosovich, Ivan, another Ivan, Valentina Ivanovna, and then I toasted to my little brother: John-Paul!

I'll end with one of my favorite stories in figuring out names here:

I hired a bus driver from the college to take our village kids to a nearby village for our softball camp last summer. I got the number of the driver, Ivan Ivanovich. I got his phone number, but since I hate talking on the phone in Russian I was told I could find him behind the college.

I went behind the college building and found four men in a circle. I said, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Ivan Ivanovich." They all responded in unison, "Which one?"

Vasya and I are presenting our grant to the Peace Corps/USAID grant committee tomorrow. This is for the reconstruction of the school's bathrooms. Currently the kids use the toilets outside that are located 100 meters from the school. Ultimately, the new toilets inside are part of an overall health and hygiene improvement campaign. We have been preparing for our presentation for the last couple of weeks. Although the board mostly consists of English and Romanian speakers, we decided that Vasya will speak about why our project is good and deserves funding. I will simply translate. I'm very proud of him for his leadership and taking ownership of this project. Wish us luck!

All summer and fall I dreaded the coming winter. Last year it was very cold, there was a ton of snow, and you witness a huge productivity level drop at work amid the holiday season, as well as a general feel that people are less happy.

This winter is far different than last year. It has snowed only twice, and the snow didn't even stick for more than a couple hours. However the cold is still here and the effects of winter are still visible at work and on people's personalities.

Two realizations this winter has brought to me:

1. The people in my village are very poor.

2. The people in Moldova really know how to celebrate.

Often I am offered cookies, fruits, vegetables, house wine, cheese, and eggs from my colleagues and village friends. It's a wonderful illustration of their generous hospitality. I have to admit it is sometimes easy to forget their conditions of poverty with such generosity. I won't anymore.

This winter I have been spending a lot of time with Nadia, the social assistant, and helping her with miscellaneous tasks. I can see the stress on her face coming from the villagers who beg her for higher social payments, medical help, disability payments, etc. She has to repeatedly tell them that the amount of money they receive has nothing to do with her, she simply files the paperwork. The amount of money they do receive is so minimal it makes my stomach sick. It pained me to hear Nadia tell me her salary, which is half of what the others make in the mayor's office, at less than $100 a month. These people have no choice but to live off of their land, as their minimal salaries barely cover their utilities.

In December Nadia received a shipment of second-hand clothes, soaps, and razors from the Swiss Red Cross. I helped her organize small allotments for the families most vulnerable in our village. She had a long list. There were plenty of clothes for small children, but not enough larger sizes for the kids and older teens on her list. We organized it the best we could. There were two older teens on her list that I know personally and work with closely, and we had to give them socks that were 3-4 sizes too small. I could see how frazzled and upsetting this made Nadia. There simply wasn't enough, or the right sizes, for everyone.

This was a very humbling moment amid my own personal struggles here. It reminded me that I need to continue to look at the bigger picture and think less of my own trivialities.

Finally, while everyone is trying to make it through the winter, stay warm, and feed their families, they still take the time to celebrate. Celebrate, they do, in every sense of the word. They do not sit over dinner and complain about their work tomorrow, or leave the party early because of commitments the following day; they know they will always be there. They do not worry about the hangover they will have the next day; they know they will have one no matter how much they drink. They dance, sing, eat and drink into the wee hours of the morning. They truly live in the moment.

By understanding how challenging their daily lives may be, it makes sense that when there is a holiday they stop what they are doing to be with their friends, family, and to embrace the celebrations. It's something that I think we should all try to do. We'll all be much happier.

This weekend felt like something was wrong. I was able to breathe! I have been going nonstop since Thanksgiving, not only in work with my student groups and in finalizing a grant application and budget, but with holiday celebrations. Additionally, I am working on my own plans for post-Peace Corps life, and that included me submitting six applications to business schools. I have six months of my service left, and time is flying faster than ever. I'm doing the most I can to both live in the moment and have success in my work.

A quick run down of the holiday season:

December 25 started the holiday celebrations. Our ambassador hosted a party for Peace Corps volunteers in his beautiful home-- the perfect setting to start the festivities. I then went to the north of Moldova to celebrate our Christmas with a group of volunteers. I was able to go to Catholic mass, spoken in Russian and Polish, on Christmas morning. I then went back to my friend's house for another day of quality time with friends and good food.

The following weekend was New Year's. On Friday we had a HUGE dinner at the mayor's office and I went home stuffed before 5 p.m. New Year's I would compare to a combination of Christmas and Thanksgiving. People receive gifts from "Father Frost," sing carols, reflect on the past year, give thanks, and toast to all things good in the new year. My own toast to my colleagues went something like this, "This year has been better for me than last year when I arrived. I hope the next year is even better-- for all of us. I wish you all health, happiness, and the most delicious grapes and tomatoes! So cheers, to friendship between America and the USA!" Yes, I said "America and the USA"... I was debating in my head the whole meal if I should use the word for "America" or if I should use the word for "USA" and ended up using them both! My mayor immediately pointed that out and I turned red, laughed, and corrected myself-- "to friendship between America and Moldova!"

On Saturday I spent New Year's Eve day in Comrat, my raion center. An older man I met randomly on my village streets invited me to join him for lunch-- he spoke great English and I was so intrigued by his life story (he was in the Soviet army in Siberia and now has Norwegian citizenship) that I couldn't pass up the company. That evening I brought in the New Year with Nadia and her husband. I brought sparklers and Nadia sang as we lit the whole pack in her house between us. It was a very sentimental and happy moment.

On New Year's Day I was invited to lunch at the mayor's. Prior to this weekend I went around taking cookies and muffins to all the women I see on a daily basis, the ladies at the convenience stores, post office, produce stand, xerox copy shop, and at the library. The mayor's wife is the librarian and when she found out I didn't have any plans in order she invited me to join them. When I arrived at their house, I had to embarrassingly tell my mayor that I couldn't drink more than a glass of champagne; I was still full from the night before. I also couldn't eat much, I knew something was wrong with my stomach.

Well, a couple hours later I came down with a case of food poisoning. It lasted through the evening and into the next day. It was rough, to say the least. The only good thing that came of this is that I didn't have to feel bad for all the overeating New Year's brought. HA! I would never wish food poisoning on anyone.

Then the following weekend was Orthodox Christmas, on January 7, when Christmas is celebrated here. Again I stayed in my village, and Nadia and Vanya invited Laela to come down. Laela is a great friend of mine, a fellow volunteer, and whenever she visits my village people LOVE her... When we arrived at Nadia's it was nice to have her be the center of attention. She handles it well! Nadia's Christmas party started at 2 p.m. and we were there until 11 p.m. Her son's family was there, and three other couples. It was loud, fun, and merry.

This weekend, January 14, was Old New Year's. People celebrate this just as they do for Christmas and New Year's. I could hear my neighbors on the floor above me singing late into the evening. As much as I have loved celebrating this holiday season, I was happy I didn't make plans with anyone to celebrate Old New Year's. Going for a run in the muddy fields, hand-washing my laundry, catching up on e-mails, and watching a half a season of Band of Brothers seemed like a vacation!

For those of you who know me personally it is no surprise that I have a hard time turning off my smiling. I smile when I talk, yell, and even when I am pissed off. That is a little problem of mine here, as smiling really encourages unwanted advances. Today on a long bus ride home I had the chance to debate in my head if unwanted advances are really advances, or if they are they genuine signs of compassion, appreciation, love.

As I was trying to sleep a larger, older man got on the bus and asked if the space next to me was free. I said it was fine for him to sit and then tried to close my eyes and ignore him as he settled in. However, he woke me up three times to chat. I was beginning to ask myself how a grown man could forget his manners! What annoyed me even more, is that I heard him speak on the phone in Russian, yet to me he kept talking in Romanian. I made it clear I didn't speak Romanian. Finally when he understood and I hoped to go back to sleep he asked me where I was from. I knew I wouldn't get any sleep after that point. When I told him I was American he was so happy and surprised that he took my hand and kissed it. He went on to tell me about another volunteer in his town whom he had known for five years! This guy, Robert from California, really left a huge impression on him for he instantly assumed my heart was as big and compassionate and helpful as Robert's!

The remainder of the trip we shared a lot of small talk, but throughout the time he kept grabbing my hand just to hold it. After a while it got to be too much and started to make me uncomfortable. He apologized but also repeated how much this acquaintance touched his heart.

It really got me to thinking-- I have never been anywhere in America where I would allow a complete stranger to hold my hand. Then again, I've never been trapped on a two hour bus ride with a stranger holding my hand either. Nevertheless, personal space isn't valued so much here as it is back home in America, and there is something peaceful about a stranger holding your hand without judgement and complete openness.

Near the end when I told him the hand holding was "too much" I was still smiling.... I really gotta work on that.

This morning I was one of my best experiences. My high school group that is working with me to submit a grant has come up short, about $4,000 short, in completing our grant budget for bathroom renovations in the school. One of their ideas was to go to the village controller and ask him if he can meet the difference. When Vasya called me this morning to meet them I was in a hurry and not ready to speak in Russian just yet.

Nevertheless I met him and two of the girls in our group. I asked them questions and tried to prep them for this important meeting and proposition. When we went upstairs to his office I could see how nervous they were to talk to this man. He is well-known to be the richest man in the village and he isn't very accessible. He is close friends with Vanya (my colleague Nadia's husband), and I celebrated Easter and Christmas with them all last year. When I saw how nervous the students were I offered to knock on the door first and talk to him and make an introduction before pulling them inside.

When I knocked on the door I was surprised to see him sitting at a table at 10 a.m. with a friend sharing a bottle of cognac and having a small sort of celebratory snack. Valentine greeted me with kisses and was happy to see me. I wished him happy new year but embarrassingly had to explain to him that I wasn't there just to wish him happy new year, that my students wanted to speak with him. He was embarrassed because he was "occupied." So we agreed the students could come back after lunch. Then I told the students I was going to go back in to talk with him a bit more... I sensed it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with such an inaccessible and important man in the village.

The other man I found out is a bank president from my raion center. His name is Fornasava. We shared cognac shots and snacks for about an hour. All the while joking about America, Moldova, that they think I am too skinny. I said I will gain the weight when it is time to be a babyshka. Near the end we talked some politics. Valentine has visited America and he told me how he loves how proud Americans look when we pledge allegiance with our hands over our hearts.

After three shots before 11 a.m. the bank president left. It was just me and Valentine and he asked me what the students wanted to see him for. I was prepared for the perfect pitch. I told him how we had been working all semester on this health project that will improve hygiene at the school, that they will teach health lessons to the younger kids, and that ultimately they want to reconstruct the sewage and bathrooms inside the school. I explained that we just recently found in our estimate of work that the grant we are applying to falls short, and this is what the students wanted to ask him. All the while he was writing our project budget and grant numbers down, calculating it all. He asked if I would mind him also asking Fornasava for support as well. He then said he would talk to him and see if together they can solve our issue and "close" the difference.

I'm not sure how any of this will all pan out, but I am hopeful. Most importantly, what my students learned today is that it never hurts to ask and the importance of being prepared when an opportunity presents itself. This morning I felt like I had perfectly integrated into the Moldovan business culture, making proposals and agreements over shots of cognac and minimal details being discussed.

This Thanksgiving, like always, was special.

I have English Club on Thursdays and my colleague Boris was preparing to celebrate his last day of work before retirement this same day.

I baked a pumpkin pie and carrot cake for my students and we talked about Thanksgiving Day history and what we were thankful for. They thought it was funny that I could be thankful for such simple things as my new favorite soup, Russian borsht, or pumpkin pie. They love crossword puzzles and UNO so we ended our little party with that.

At the mayor's office Boris had prepared dinner for all of us-- duck, fish, meats and bread. I also brought some cheeses and bread to add to the table. The bread was crucial, as I surprised Boris with a bottle of Jack Daniels that I bought for him on my visit to America. My mayor was excited to try it and Boris kept commenting on how well the aroma and taste was. The ladies however, like me, made faces at the first shot. I then offered Coca Cola to mix, but since mixing your drink isn't really common here, only one drank the cola, but as a chaser. This whole situation was quite funny, because I could see how immediate the whiskey's effect on everyone was. Boris also had brought a bottle of champagne but no one wanted him to open it since they had work the next day. I have NEVER seen anyone decline champagne at a celebration.

We finished with the pumpkin pie and carrot cake I made and several toasted to things they were thankful for: family, friendship, their work relationships with each other, for us, the delicious meal Boris offered. Overall it was a nice joint Thanksgiving and retirement party for all. I will miss not having Boris at work, as he was the one person here I have met who had the patience to sit with me for three hours at a time, when I first arrived, and try and correct my horrible pronunciation. He still corrects my grammar, but fortunately I hear less of him mocking my accent.

That Saturday we had a giant volunteer celebration with several turkeys in the capital. It was great to catch back up with everyone since many I had not seen before I left for my vacation to America. So many people wanted to know how the trip was, if it was shock to be there (it wasn't), and of course what I ate! In the evening my program group that I arrived to Moldova with a year and a half ago had our own intimate gathering and we went around toasting to what we were thankful for. Last year I remember lots of jokes being told; this year everything had a bit more meaning and sentiment. When it was my turn I also was emotional. I said that life over the past week in the village had been tough (one of my toughest) and that this weekend I was just so very thankful for a small break, and for these people to share it with. I have been fortunate to have made such great relationships with my fellow volunteers, who not only are colleagues and I call upon for support and advice, but who have become wonderful friends.

I know I am posting this late, but I am always very thankful for this opportunity and experience; the new tastes and flavors, personalities, challenges, and friends who have become family.

When I went to school this afternoon for a weekly group meeting, I was confused. Normally Vasya is waiting to meet me. Always on time, always motivated to work, he rarely misses a meeting for anything. So when I couldn’t find him or any other group members I got confused. I went to one of the classrooms where a teacher I work with was. There I found Alexandra, one of the group members who seemed quite shy and uncomfortable with my usual cheeriness and questions about where everyone was “hiding.” It was obvious to her that I didn’t know what everyone else knew. Vasya’s mother died this weekend she told me. From accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. She was young, and now Vasya is home alone.

His mother was a cleaner at the school, and the last time I saw her was in her hurry to get to the produce stand. They are a very poor family, and Vasya worked all this summer in the resort town Odessa in Ukraine to make money to support the family. In the summer was the only time I couldn’t get him to commit to any camps or programs, because he was just too busy with work—be it for someone else or in their own garden. Now his life is going to get that much tougher.

When I walked home I saw two of the girls from the group I was supposed to meet. When I sat down on the bench outside of our apartment building to chat a little bit, it became apparent that while this is a town tragedy, and that everyone is talking about it, that I don’t believe it’s a rarity here. I remembered that one of the girls I was talking to, that her mother was the town doctor. I remember writing about how it shook the town when she died last year. She was 40.

Life is tough, and we don’t know when things are going to ride smooth or go for a spin. However, what I do know is that today my heart aches for this mother's life cut short and for her son, who already knows how tough life can be.

The month of October saw the end of summer weather. On my runs into the fields I got a good look at the changing landscape and another chance to witness how hard Moldovans work... the sunflowers all drooped down as families were out gathering their corn; then the combines and tractors cleared the fields. Everyone, from little kids to the elderly, could be seen on the highways picking walnuts and apples. Truck beds filled with agricultural students and babyshkas were seen driving them in and out of the fields to collect grapes from the larger vineyards.

Each family also collected their own grapes from their gardens and lots of land in the field to make their own "domashnee vino"...homemade wine! I helped my colleague Nadia and her husband and their friends gather grapes. It was a two-day affair that started with the ladies gathering the grapes and with with Vasya smashing the grapes. The second day was a slow process, with me slowly filtering the pressed grape juice into a bucket for Vasya to then pour into the wine barrels where it ferments for 40 days.

From the summer and into September until now food prices have been especially low. Locals have been busy canning their cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and even watermelon to eat in the winter when food prices skyrocket. At the moment apples are less than 50 cents for 2 pounds and tomato prices are now increasing from their low of 25 cents for 2 pounds.

In this slide show are pictures from the kindergarten kitchen where we just installed a filter for the cooks to use in preparation of meals and for drinking for the 75 youngsters there.

On Monday I head to America to be at my brother's wedding. I'm so looking forward to seeing friends and my family--- it's been 17 months since I last saw everyone. I'm also looking forward to Halloween, country music radio and two-stepping, mexican food, burgers and steaks, getting some good hikes and runs in, and blending in with all the other Americans in the city! I'm afraid I'll forget my Russian language, and am nervous about some work falling behind while I am gone, but I think that is no different from when most people take a vacation--except for the Russian. For those of you in the Denver area, e-mail me to meet up over some coffee!

This week marked another birthday, and 13 months into my time at site. I now have less than a year left in Moldova, and the thought of this marked a serious moment of reflection and even caused a breakthrough in my work with the mayor’s office.

Last week when I went in to talk to my mayor, after months of struggling to get work accomplished with my appointed work partner at the mayor’s office, I sat down with him and we bounced ideas off each other for community project plans. He agreed to organize a meeting the following morning with community leaders to get everyone on the same page for a current project fund that is open, and in which we have opportunity to receive. When I mentioned to him that whatever project we choose to accomplish has to be finished by the time I complete my Peace Corps service in July, he said to me, “don’t worry, we have time!” I said to him, “You told me we had time five months ago and nothing we have yet to accomplish together.” He then replied, “Natasha, you are here for another year, don’t worry.” I said, “No, I am not, I’m here for only another 10 months.” He said, “How? You arrived in August!” I said, “Yes, but I arrived in Moldova in June…” His eyes were wide of shock of how fast time has flown. I was silent in shock for how long we have been “working” together, though not working together. The majority of this certainly had to do with the language issue, and impatience and several misunderstandings on both sides.

While we both felt each other out and waited for my language skills to improve I am proud of myself for finding work elsewhere in the meantime—at the school and at the youth center, and making relationships there that are now going to help me as I move forward with two projects. They involve teaching project planning, management, and budget techniques to two student groups—at the high school and at the college. Through this past year there have been many rough patches and frustrations, resulting from my own impatience. At the same time, I also realized that had I not continued to be positive, looked only at the bright side of things, kept my expectations in check, and found work elsewhere to keep me busy, I certainly could easily have headed home early. I constantly told myself to “wait, things will get better.” Fortunately, I am grateful for an amazing support network of friends and family, both here and at home, and thoughts of giving up never once entered my head.

On my birthday Laela, my best friend and fellow volunteer, came down to celebrate with me for a few days. We had a barbecue with nearby volunteers, and played corn hole with my corn hole boards that I had been thinking about preparing and finally made as my own, “personal integration project.” On Monday at work I was greeted with the required 3 cheek kisses for celebrating by Nadia. Later we all shared champagne, funfetti cupcakes (I had saved the box for months—thanks, Mom!), and snacks as Laela led everyone in singing Happy Birthday both in English and in Russian. I was presented with a small Moldovan souvenir, wine, and flowers. My mayor toasted to me and said that all of their young people leave their country—for work, living circumstances, a variety of reasons. But, that for them, they are so interested and happy to see us come into their country and experience their culture. I tried not to let my eyes water up as I responded with, “Thank you so much… last year I didn’t understand a word of my birthday toasts, and this year, well, I get it!”

That evening Laela and I met with some local friends to continue celebrating, and the following day two of my students surprised me with a homemade cake they prepared for me. All of this has warmed my heart lately, and has me more dedicated to each day of my service here—be them confusing and interesting at times, and both exciting and challenging. My time here is not just about work, and my recent conversations with my mayor, as well as all the birthday celebrations and wishes from locals are putting into perspective the importance of a balance of both work and cultural exchange.

http://appropriateprojects.com/node/844

Please visit the link above to the project I am in the middle of. We are installing a water filter in the kitchen sink of my village's kindergarten. Due to high amounts of ammonia, chlorine, and dry residues in the water the cooks have to boil all water before serving food and drinks, which is a HUGELY inconvenient task. The filter will remove up to 99% of contaminants and the filter is being purchased and serviced through a local firm.

I am doing this project with Appropriate Projects, which works with Peace Corps volunteers only and pre-funds water projects up to $500. I will receive this money next week, and in the meantime the project will need to be funded!

School started last week, and I'm excited that soon the adorable, cute and always smiling little kindergartners will soon be getting clean water at school!

All August this babushka has spent her days, from sunrise to sunset, selling watermelon in front of the church. I am already missing seeing her as watermelon season comes to a close and the grapes begin to come in. The last time I saw her I was waiting to hitch a ride to the raion center and she called me over to share in her watermelon lunch.

8 days, 50 girls, 3 languages, 9 business plans, and at least 30 french braids later, Winrock International and OSCE's (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) summer camp for leadership came to a close. They brought together 50 girls from Moldova, including 25 girls from the breakaway state of Transnistria, a US-unrecognized territory in Moldova.

The girls were mostly high school students and some first-year university students. Part of the camp's goals were to teach them business and leadership skills to prevent the migration of youth abroad for work and human trafficking. At the beginning of the camp the girls were separated to room with girls from different areas of Moldova, and often with a mixture of native Romanian and native Russian speakers. Three girls from my village were accepted to join the camp, and I was so excited to see them meet other girls in their country they would not otherwise get the chance to meet. Most people in the villages stick to the village life, unless they go to university in Chisinau, but even then social groups from home often stick together.

The campers were also separated into Russian and Romanian language speaking groups for the session topics. From there they were separated into smaller groups to develop business plans. From the very beginning they started with an idea and then learned to budget, create competitive business analyses, develop target markets and a marketing plan, and on the last day presented full business plans. Ideas ranged from restaurants to hair salons to eco-friendly services.

As a camp counselor with three other Peace Corps volunteers, we were assigned several different sessions to lead. I was partnered with other Russian-speaking counselors to lead several sessions: career planning, leadership, gender equality, breast cancer, business presentations, and ethics. Other topics included family planning, human trafficking, domestic violence, and the full range of business planning topics. We all headed up daily English Club sessions to mix the Romanian and Russian speakers together. This was a favorite for many of the campers.

What I found to be so wonderful about this camp was the friendships these girls developed with one another in a short amount of time. Alla, one of the girls from my village, walked out of one session from a snide remark one of the girls said to her after she answered a question in front of everyone. At the end of the camp, they shared tears as they hugged goodbye.

The other thing that was so great, was seeing the hope and optimism they all have for their plans. They are not naive about the problems they face in their country with high unemployment, little development in the villages, corruption, and strong gender differences and roles. However, they seemed to understand all of this but were open to gaining more knowledge and gaining the skills necessary to combat all of the obstacles they will face.

I don't often write about my shortcomings or failures. There certainly are many, though I usually prefer to keep things positive. This week has been a very humbling week for me, and I want to share just a few of my mistakes.

First of all, I returned from a 1.5 week long vacation to Ukraine visiting some old college friends. It was a fantastic time, full of rest and laughter-- just what the doctor ordered. When I arrived back to my village I was hit with a wall of reality. Of course there would be no air conditioner, that's normal, but there was no running water. Usually the water in my apartment building does not run during the day, but if I just put the clothes washing or dishes aside I can do them in the morning or evening. After a day of no water I went into work and was told that the whole week the water in the village was shut off. I have never had to use a well for the past year that I have been here simply because of my housing situations. I asked my colleagues to show me how to use the well on the walk home so that I could have water for cooking, cleaning, bathing, etc. Boris showed me how to use it, but he wouldn't let me try it myself (which is how I learn best). He told me, "you'll do it yourself every time after this!" That evening I went down to the well and turned the crank back and let the gravity pull the bucket down the hole. Before I knew it the crank was rotating so fast it could have given me a bruise had it hit me. I could also tell by how fast it was going that this was not good, and I needed to stop the crank before the bucket hit the water. But, I couldn't do anything, it was going too fast! Then, very quickly, the bucket hit the water and the crank kept winding up the chain so it was all entangled. I tried to pull the crank back to bring the bucket up but it was stuck. I immediately froze. I just broke the well! The well that two apartment buildings of people use several times daily! I looked around for some neighbors I could ask for help, but I was the only one there. Then, an old man heard all the racket I was making trying to figure out how to fix the chain. He mumbled a million things to me. But I was so embarrassed that I forgot all my Russian--- the only incorrect phrases that came out of my mouth was, "We need... I didn't understand how.. um... um... uh.. I'm American! First time! I'm American!" Yes, I probably did not give Americans any intelligence points on this one, but sometimes it's the only thing to say when trying to explain why you screwed everything up!

The old man did not want to help me, but just kept complaining about what I did. Then another younger man came over and saw what happened and immediately went to work to fix it. Again, with being so embarrassed I could only repeat, "thank you, thank you!" At the same time, a woman came over to fill her bucket and was asking me about the quality of the water, but was asking me in a mix of Bulgarian and Russian and Gagauzian, so I didn't understand her very well... I finally was able to explain that it was my first time using the well, that I've never had to use it since I moved into the apartment, and that I wanted to watch her do it herself. Phew, the language was coming back.

Apparently there is a wooden board on top of the well that you push as the bucket is getting lowered to slow the pace of the chain as it unravels. You can also manually lower the bucket by the crank, which is what I've found is the easiest and most risk-free technique. Often as volunteers we worry about saying the wrong thing and offending the locals, but I realized that if you really want to get the locals mad, try breaking their water lifeline!

The day after, at work, Nadia explained to me how to best do it, and I've since gotten six buckets of water on my own with no troubles. Failure to success! It takes about one bucket of water to fill the toilet, another bucket to do the dishes, and it's quite the walk to carry it up to my fourth floor apartment. The reward afterwards is the ice-cold water to cool your neck.

Next, I brought the softball equipment down to my village this week to play again with the village teens. Organizing was difficult to do last time since we did it in the morning and so I thought we would play in the evening when it was cooler and they have more free time. Last night I saw one teen, Cola, and his two friends on the street. I asked them if they wanted to play and if they could gather up a team by tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. They agreed and I was looking forward to it. When I got to the stadium today no one was there. I called Cola and he said they couldn't gather a team because most of their friends left the village for the summer, or they were out working in the fields. I called another young boy who played last time, Vanya, and he told me he was in the fields and he couldn't. Here I am, trying to get young kids together, which should seem so easy to do in the summer, so easy to organize. However, the daily routine and necessity for these young kids to be in the fields gathering their crops rather than playing sports with friends reminds me that I come from a world that is much more different, and privileged.

My last point of this post is that small things go a long way. The last two days I went into work and helped my colleagues upload pictures to the Russian equivalent of Facebook. Boris asked to borrow my camera so he could take pictures of his garden to show his friends online. After he did that I helped him upload them. Then Nadia saw what he was doing and asked if I still had the pictures that I took at her house from Christmas. Of course I do, so I put them on my flash drive and brought them into work today. When I showed her I brought the Christmas pictures, the Easter pictures, and the pictures from the night my cousin visited when she made dinner she was SO HAPPY. She was so excited to see these pictures. As I helped Nadia upload these photos she leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. It occurred to me then that there are some very big things and projects I could accomplish, and could even fail at accomplishing here, but I think that these people I have gotten to know closely won't care either way. The things that matter are the small things that have really brought a smile to their faces, even if it is from their laughter after realizing that this silly American is going to, "go back home and tell America about getting water in Moldova."

A volunteer in the north of Moldova who used to coach softball back in the states recently offered to teach and host softball camps this summer. She received donated gloves, balls, and bats from her old team! I immediately hit her up on this offer, and I'm glad I did. The three days of softball playing has been a highlight of my service thus far.

The plan was for one day of practice and training in my village, one day in my neighboring volunteers' raion center (a larger town), and on the third day to bus my team to their field for some friendly scrimmaging. We also had four other volunteers come and help with playing and translating, bringing eight of us together at once. Since the last two weeks have been cloudy and rainy, we were fortunate to get the last bit of sunshine in the month of June.

The first morning in my village I had a really low turn out, one girl and one boy. Many of those that wanted to play were recruited to help paint at the school, or had house work at home and in the gardens. I also found out that many of the kids in my village had already left with their families to vacation and/or work in Russia or at the Black Sea in Ukraine. The upside to the low numbers was that we were able to practice explaining the game and instructions with our language, and we got our own good warm up to play... I haven't played in more than 10 years! That evening we met back up and had 8 young boys come out and play. They were quick learners and found hitting pop-flies to the outfield is harder than it looks! That morning we had our only girl, one of my regular students, Elena. She was a quick learner as well, and she was excited to play and learn.

The second day we all played in my neighboring volunteers' town. Jeremy and Aaron have a sporting club all year and they were easily able to round up a large group of boys to play some ball. Their coach even came, learned the rules, kept score, and told me that his team would easily beat mine since they always beat my village in soccer!

On the third day we had an equal number of boys come out to play, and we rented an old Soviet-style bus from the 70s for transport. As the coach predicted would happen, his team beat mine. But, there was friendliness and smiles all around. For the second game we mixed everyone up so everyone played with one another. What I loved about this event was that we were able to share our culture, pass off skills, and teach rules and team work. Strategy will come later when we hope to play again this month. It was also so much fun to play with the other volunteers, as we were mixed half and half-- Americans and Moldovans.

What was obvious when teaching this all, was that baseball has A LOT of rules, and that was complicated at times for them to comprehend. But, overall, they comprehended the basics and were fast learners. We had one nose bleed when a boy from my village swung and the ball hit him in the nose. He dropped to the ground and cried, cleaned up, and was ready to play again five minutes later with a smile on his face.

Lessons learned:

1. Hold events in the evening as the kids often have home duties in the morning and the weather is cooler.

2. Demonstrations are better than lengthy explanations.

3. Make sure to invite EVERY kid on the street I meet.

4. Use the Russian facebook to recruit participants... it's their main source of communication!

5. Bring a medkit.

6. I have a slow reaction time. I should always remain in outfield.

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On a side note, Happy Fourth of July to everyone back home! I'll miss the parades and picnics, but we had a great bbq and concert with dancing in the rain on Saturday night with the Embassy staff, expats, and local NGO organizations. After an awful bout with food poisoning the day before, I was so happy to have smiling faces all around and a nice reason to celebrate!

I just received a note from my dear Aunt Anne that reminded me I haven't updated this blog in a while. This was not done on purpose, of course. But, I'm happy to say that I've been really busy with work-- and celebrating holidays with Moldovans.

Easter was in April, and I went to the midnight mass until 4 a.m. We stood the whole time, and after the service ended we went out to the street to have everyone's Easter baskets blessed. Moldovans makes their own sweet bread for Easter and home-dye their eggs. I actually took a nap for the first two hours of service and then showed up at midnight. Some of the students from school saw me come in and kept trying to talk to me to stay awake--- the babushkas all "sshhed" them!

That morning I woke up 8 a.m. for breakfast at my mayor's house. This past year has been kind of rough, in regards to my relationship with the mayor. I thought he couldn't understand me, didn't think I had any credibility. But, when I visited his wife at the library and she invited me to join them for breakfast, I couldn't say no! Breakfast was complete with chicken, pork, rabbit, and several salads. I sat next to the mayor and was shocked when he started clarifying some of my statements to his wife. I thought, "Wow, he really does understand me!" It was the first step in what is becoming a more fruitful working relationship.

After that, at noon, I was invited by my tutor's daughter to join her and her friends in the forest for a barbecue. I had never met her before, but she came over the night before to drop off an Easter basket from my tutor and invited me to join her when I told her I didn't have plans. I spent the afternoon eating a feast amongst the surrounding vineyards, playing volleyball, meeting all the young people from my village that now live in the capital city, and dancing the hora until midnight! I even met one 25-year-old who lives in my village.. we had never met before. She and I have since had several small get-togethers and I was happy to meet a new friend in the village.

The next morning I was called to come have a morning brunch with my favorite colleague, Nadia, the social assistant, and her friends and family. I ate, drank, and danced from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

On the ninth of May was Moldova's Victory Day, of the victory of Soviet troupes over the Germans. A state holiday, all villages had large memorial ceremonies. My mayor pinned a large Soviet/Russian army ribbon on my jacket. As an American, this seemed a little awkward, but I was happy to watch their ceremony. All students from the school recited poems, sang songs, and everyone took flowers up to the memorial and to the cemetery.

In between all this my Public Achievement group (my civic education group) had been preparing for their final presentations. They gave two presentations on the harms of alcohol to their peers. I've watched our group slowly get smaller and smaller, to four students, and I am so proud of them for putting together these presentations, and going against the trends in standing out and being leaders. Unfortunately, after the alcohol presentation, one of these students found out he had active TB. He is now in a hospital in Chisinau in confinement for the next 4+ months. Don't worry, I've been tested and I'm fine. All the other students are as well, but it's an awful situation for this young boy, one of the best students in school and who is without a supportive family and whose mother left to join her husband in Ukraine to work just after he was taken to the hospital. She left her two younger sons home alone. This is not a unique situation in Moldova. I digress...

I also was working with the others in the group for a "grand finale" in the last week of school. They were going to gather the middle and high school students together, lead them in morning aerobics, and talk about upcoming activities in the summer to stay active and out of trouble. I had been teaching them aerobics for two weeks, and unfortunately at the last minute the program got canceled do to final exam schedule differences. However, the coolest thing was seeing my girls' eyes open so wide when I instructed them in the many steps. They had never done aerobics before and were so excited.

I also just started a summer fitness/activity club with young kids. For our first meeting it was only girls, but there were 10 cute little faces that showed up to do aerobics and play lots of games. As I was planning the start of this program with the youth center director, my old host mom, she told me of a plan she had for the following school year. She wants to create an afterschool center for vulnerable youth. We would gather together some of the poorest kids from the worst situations (parents abroad, alcoholic parents, children home alone) and provide them an environment to do their homework, get tutoring, play games, sports, make crafts, and eat a good meal. We plan to recruit volunteers to help in exchange for career development courses. And, we plan to create a website for the kids to write about their lives and Svetlii news to see a way for them to be productive and benefit the community. When Elena told me about this plan, immediately I knew of a way to help with funding. The American Embassy Democracy Grant fund had been open until the 15 of June, so I started writing this grant and contacting everyone with grant experience to help me in writing and finishing this project. It's been my main focus for the past three weeks. Now I just have to wait and look for other funding options in the case we don't receive the funding. We also plan to sell jewelry online made by the kids to keep this program sustainable for the following year.

Through all of this, we welcomed a new group of volunteers to Moldova. I helped plan some of the activities with their arrival, and it's so great to meet all these new people who will soon become new friends and colleagues. At one picnic I planned, when we were taking the trainees back home to their village, we were welcomed into the home of someone who saw us waiting on the street. She proceeded to tell us to come pick her cherries, gave us coffee, told us to wait since she had food in the oven for us, and gave us fruits and jams from her cellar. Moldovan hospitality is truly genuine and second to none. What an experience for these new volunteers to this country!

Next week I have a 3-day softball camp planned with my village and the nearby county center with two other volunteers. One volunteer here, Kim, received bats, balls, gloves, and uniforms from America and started organizing softball camps all over Moldova this summer. Upon hearing about this I requested she come down and hold a camp here! We'll have one day with my village kids, one day at the other town, and then take my kids by bus to their town for a small competition!

So, now you've been caught up... for the most part. I've also had several fun stories of hitch hiking, running in the now-green fields, and guests to my apartment recently. Recently I've been up from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. working on finishing project plans and writing this grant. I felt so productive and that I finally matched Moldovans' productivity. When I mentioned how early I was up to my colleagues and Elena, they all had the same answer.. that they were up by 4:30 a.m. digging their gardens for two hours, then getting food ready for their families, then going to work, then coming home to more housework and two more hours in the gardens. I can't beat them! I'm beginning to believe that Moldovans are some of the hardest working people, and when I question how they recover from the nonstop celebrations and house work, I realize they don't recover. They just don't stop. They just keep going.

At Easter Nadia's husband how long it has taken me to "adapt" to Moldova. I thought about it for a second and said, "Until after winter, and basically until now." It didn't take a long time to enjoy things or appreciate life here, but it took a long time to feel productive, to feel like I was contributing to society, and to be myself in another language. Now I've reached my 1-year anniversary here and I realize I still have a whole lot more to do.

I miss you all. xo.

One of the benefits to becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer is the opportunity to learn a new language through full immersion into another culture. As volunteers in Moldova, we came prepared to learn the national language, Romanian. A small number of volunteers also learn Russian, since as a post-Soviet country this is a common language among all Moldovans, and in some areas the primary language spoken. When I received my placement to Moldova I listened to some Romanian lesson podcasts and was instantly excited about being able to learn this beautiful language. I knew my studies in Italian would help immensely, as they are both similar romance languages.

A day after I arrived to Moldova I found that I was not going to be learning Romanian, but that I was to learn Russian. Prior to arrival I had deemed, in my own over-exaggerated mind, that Russian was the hardest language on the planet to learn. I came to this conclusion from the six months that I lived in the same city as my cousin’s family. His wife is from Belarus and spoke only in Russian to their 2-year-old daughter. As I spent much time with the family I was distraught that I could not pick up a single word being spoken to the child in six months. So, I simply told myself that learning Russian is not something that I would be able to do in my life, not something that would ever be on my To-Do list. Time moved on.

When I received the news that I was to learn Russian, I instantly became sick to my stomach. Numerous expletives floated in my head as I panicked about going home in a few months once Peace Corps staff soon realized that I wasn’t able to learn Russian. I thought to myself, I planned for so long to be here, and now I’m going to have to go home!

Well, after a few minutes and several pats on the back and encouragement from my fellow trainees, I started to think of the positives to learning Russian, and that yes, if many other volunteers have learned Russian in only a few months then I could, too!

With two excellent language instructors our group of seven had eight weeks of language training at five hours a day, six days a week. At the end of our training I came from knowing how to say “I can’t eat more” to “Serghi, your wife is the best cook in all of Moldova!” and from an unconfident “hello” to a five-minute speech rambling about the delicious Moldovan tomato and toasting to family, love, health, success, and friendships between Moldova and America!

Learning a language requires patience, dedication, time, laughter, and most of all, the willingness to make mistakes.

I’ll never forget the day I got fed up with myself for buying whichever chocolate the lady at the grocery store gave me. I was too afraid to ask for what I really wanted. So, on this day I decided to suck it up. I asked the lady for 200 grams of the chocolate I wanted. No, not the blue kind, but the one of the right, yes the red! This small victory turned into an ease of ordering and survival conversation at restaurants, grocery stores, and at bus stations.

When I first got to my permanent site being able to explain to inquiring strangers on the street who I was and why I was in Moldova was an accomplishment. Then, it became an accomplishment to seek out strangers and ask about them, about their family, their health, and to compliment their gardens.

Most recently I’ve been excited about the language victories at work; questioning my colleagues about the importance of community spirit and volunteerism and translating for Swiss semi drivers as they unloaded donated school supplies and equipment to the village NGO.

I’ve come a long way since I arrived just short of a year ago. I still have a ways to go, and the daily language victories will continue to be varied. But I’m not doing this by myself; my village should be proud of the patience and humor of my colleagues, the grandmas on the street and at the vegetable stand, their students, my dear host mom, and my always correcting five and seven-year old host sisters.

I’m finding that while learning a language opens up many opportunities to my own personal growth, it is even more important to the integration and closeness I have with those I am living amongst, that the real language victories come from the relationships I am building. Hearing the stories about a woman’s childhood as a political prisoner in Siberia, a man’s time in the Soviet army, another’s military service in Ukraine, to learning the names of the six children of the village priest, learning how to make house wine from the local farmers, and sharing in the day to day lives of my colleagues makes every struggle worth it. Making relationships, connections, and partnerships are hard to come by through a translator. They come from the trust of relying on others, the laughter and smiles of communication, and, er, language pitfalls. That’s a true benefit of being a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Note: This was written for the Peace Corps Moldova's 50th Anniversary celebration website: www.365peaceandfriendship.com

I’ve recently moved into my own Soviet-bloc style apartment. While you envision the stereotypical images of uniform, gray-colored buildings, with laundry hanging on the balcony, continue to do so. It really is how they look on the outside. But inside, it’s quite the opposite. The lady whom I am renting from worked in Cyprus and little by little she has remodeled her apartment. I feel very fortunate to have gas heating, a nice stove, refrigerator, freezer, and running warm water on occasion.

When I put the word out that I was looking for my own place it was quite stressful. My colleague, Nadia, made a list of people who had empty apartments and got to calling. Every single person said their apartment was basically unlivable, and in need of dire repairs. There are four apartment buildings in my village and I could see on my way home in the evenings that there were many empty places. I thought moving out wouldn’t be so difficult. But, it turns out many people in my village leave to work in Russia or Turkey and return in the summer to their apartments. Or, they leave them empty and out of shape hoping to sell them. I got extremely lucky with this opening, and of which also may have been my only hope. The woman bought a house and was looking to move into it after the winter. She told me she also wants to sell the apartment, but was content with letting me rent it for the next year and a half. It is a 2-bedroom apartment, but one of the rooms is locked off for her own storage.

I wasn’t having any serious issues with my original host family. I simply needed my own space. For those of you who know me personally, you know how I feel there isn’t a price for independence and personal space. I loved the interaction with my host sisters and the delicious, healthy food prepared for me by my host mom. However, ever since Christmas I realized I was beginning to isolate myself… I needed a break from Russian and people after each day of work. I needed to be my own Haziaka (master).

I was concerned with how my host family would take the news, but they were quite supportive, and agreed that it was better for me, and also for them. My host dad’s brother moved in with us over Christmas and they will soon have family visiting home from America in the coming month. I know they could also use the extra space and room for guests. Anyways, I digress...

I’ve been moved into my apartment for a week now. I can already tell it is going to be a lot more work than I remember from living alone in the States. Last week I had to hitchhike to and from the county center to buy groceries. I could only buy about a backpack full of things, so I imagine this will be a weekly affair. Fortunately there is a small produce market in my village center, so I can buy fruits and vegetables daily, as needed, though it’s a bit pricier. I can buy fresh eggs from my tutor’s neighbor, who sells any extra eggs from her chickens she doesn’t need. Also thanks to everyone who has sent me Ziploc bags in my care packages… I’m making use of proportioning out meat and meals to freeze.

The most important thing now is that I feel so much like myself again. I still have a long list of things I want to start and accomplish here, and I can see that I am back to my old self—-prioritizing my time, work, planning ahead, and efficiently getting things done. On top of that, it makes me happy to be able to be in the kitchen dancing solo as I prepare my morning coffee. Ah, personal freedom!

What’s interesting about the living situations in Moldova, is that they aren’t like anything I expected as I prepared mentally to join the Peace Corps. I think most volunteers here would agree with me. Although conditions vary from volunteer to volunteer and family to family, I have running water, electricity, Internet, heat, indoor plumbing (I must note here though, that many volunteers do have to use the restroom outside, as well as at many public offices and buildings). Sure, it’s not always as convenient as things in America; I have to boil and filter the water to drink, and only have running water in the morning and evening, hand wash clothes, and bucket bathe instead of showering, but I’m sure my living situation is much more convenient and advanced than other volunteers and people in other poverty-stricken and developing areas around the world. This creates an odd complex, of which Moldovans have access to the same amenities the western world has, but yet they don’t have the same opportunities. Additionally, it all comes at a price, and for those that are without work, living on a poor pension, or waiting to receive money from abroad, it’s difficult to see and have the communication with others in more prosperous environments. Your next door neighbor may have everything convenient and yet you have to go to the well to get your water.

However, from my own volunteer perspective, not having to worry drastically about day-to-day survival allows us to really focus on the work that needs to be done here, the development of individuals and communities and the advancement of technology, infrastructure, and processes in the schools, businesses, organizations, and hospitals.

Lastly, let me give you an update on my PA group: They had decided the problem they ultimately wish to tackle is smoking and alcohol use in the community among their peers. They renamed their group “Step Forward” and on Friday they prepared a presentation to give to the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grade classes (we don’t have a 10th and 12th grade in my village… not enough students). When I walked into the theater to meet them before the presentation I was so shocked to see how many students they were presenting to, at least 100. The students introduced themselves to their peers, who they were as a group, what they were about, an introduction to the day’s topic of alcohol use, showed a documentary, and then had a conclusion. I am so proud of them. One of the students prepared a poem he memorized for his speech. There are definitely some presentation tips I will have to pass along to them, but overall they continue to impress me with their initiative and effort. Along with a teacher we guide them in the right direction and facilitate our weekly meetings, but ultimately they did all of this work on their own.

Hugs to everyone back at home! Until next post, my door is always open and I would love visitors!

The past few weeks have been relatively busy. I was invited to be a judge in the nearby raion, Cahul, at the city’s version of English Idol. Each school in Cahul, about 10 in total, sang songs, made up skits, and recited poems in English. I was a judge along with a Fulbright scholar in the area, and two local Moldovans. It was great to see how good everyone’s English was, but more than that was the impressive and amazing performances they had been preparing. One thing most volunteers will agree on is that Moldovans really know how to put on a good performance; they are great with acting out skits and giving speeches. Unfortunately it was kind of chaotic at the end deciding the winners, and I, along with the Fulbrighter, Rebecca, had to call out the winners. Under the pressure of choosing winners I accidentally wrote out four 2nd places! I had to apologize in front of all the participants and crowd for being such “unorganized Americans!” I also had a great English Club meeting one afternoon. I made memory cards of the day’s vocabulary on furniture, and they were so thrilled to play “memory.” They had never tried this concept before! I told them they could use this for studying for math, science, language classes, whatever! Some of these same kids are also in my PA group, and they are now working on creating a health club, in response to a survey they wrote that found that most of their peers are concerned about the heavy use of alcohol and smoking among the local youth. Each week we divide up the tasks that need to be carried out. This last week has been spring break for everyone, so I’m a bit nervous about them accomplishing everything they planned before we meet tomorrow, but we’ll see! Their plan is to show a documentary next week after school and facilitate a discussion. I suggested they invite a guest speaker or professional as well. I’ll keep you posted on their progress… Also, on March 8 is International Women’s Day and a national holiday here. We had a huge dinner at work on the Friday before the holiday… I left “early” after 4 hours of eating and drinking to go home! This is by far one of the biggest holidays here. All the women get flowers from their loved ones, and it’s one of the rare days here in Moldova where the women are thanked for all they do and their contribution to society. On Friday Vice President Joe Biden visited Chisinau. This was a HUGE affair for Moldova. This was the first time someone of such high rank had ever visited. After getting through a mob of security and thick crowds, we watched a concert performed in front of the National Opera and then Vice President Biden and the acting Moldovan Primer Minister spoke. What was the most interesting, was the tame crowd and quiet reception. Everyone was happy he came and were excited to see him speak, but it felt as if the applause could barely last before he and his wife got to the podium! Throughout the speech and after it was quite quiet, with the occasional short applause. I was in awe of the difference of how this would have been in the States. Before the speech and after we did some dancing to the music to pass time, and it was fun as some local Moldovans grabbed me and a few other volunteer hands to do the horah! Afterwards Peace Corps Volunteers, Embassy staff, USAID staff and our Moldovan support staff were invited to a private reception. Our ambassador spoke, then Vice President Biden’s wife, and then Vice President Biden. He thanked the Embassy staff, and in particular their spouses for sacrificing their careers to support the US mission abroad in foreign work. Vice President Biden then posed for pictures with our whole PC group, and then told us all to focus on empowering women in our communities, and working in the fight against human trafficking here. Friday evening I went to the north of Moldova to the city Balti (pronounced Belts) to stay with my another volunteer, my friend Laela. She is front Kentucky and joined Peace Corps shortly after passing the Bar! She is working at a women's shelter in Balti, and she is in the middle of strategic planning there. I had never visited this city before, it’s a Russian-speaking city and the second-largest city in Moldova. I loved it! It was the cleanest place I’ve visited here. There is a new restaurant being built, lots of people walking in the evenings, grandparents and babies enjoying the parks, a stadium for professional soccer games, and a lake that I forced Laela to run around with me. It’s really nice to get out and see different parts of Moldova and see what different things are working here and there. It has me back at site at the moment with some new inspiration that there is always potential to be better. With the official start of spring coming in the next week, I couldn’t be more thrilled. I can hear the birds singing, streams of mud and water flowing down the village, and the sun is shining brightly. Today it is 60 degrees out and it’s the first day since fall that I can walk to work with only a fleece. Here’s to wishing you all back home a sunny and happy spring!

March 1 is considered the first day of spring in Moldova. But, my joke yesterday with everyone was telling them to look outside, it's snowing, it's not spring yet! There's more winter!

However, simply knowing the seasons are changing is giving everyone a happy attitude at the moment. The winter has been dragging on, and I'm really looking forward to having some sun again. I'm looking forward to putting my coat back in the closet.

Alright, I know. This is quite late. Moldova is just coming out of its holiday season which had me quite distracted. Anyways, I hope you all had a nice holiday season at home with friends and family. And now, hopefully staying warm and safe!

My host mom spent five weeks in America, leaving just before our Christmas. All of her family lives there, and once she got the visa to go, her family booked her a ticket right away! That was definitely a bit of a struggle here for me personally, as she is one of my best friends here and well also, she does all the cooking and cleaning, and runs the house! I helped out where I could, but it turns out my host dad is an excellent cook, so that was great. I woke up early each day to braid the girls' hair for school.

Additionally, the doctor in my village died right before Christmas. This was a very sad time for my village, as she was quite young, in her 40s with two children, but she had cancer. She was highly respected and everyone loved her.

As for the holiday season:

In Moldova Christmas isn't normally celebrated until January 7, according to the Orthodox calendar. For December 25 I had five volunteers come to my village for our own Christmas celebration complete with a Moldovan wild turkey that my tutor killed and cleaned for us. Many homes here have small guest houses attached and it was nice to have all of my friends hanging out in the guest house for a few days, cozied up to our wooden stove.

For New Year's I took a short vacation to visit college friends in Riga, Latvia, which was great! After returning to site on January 5 I only had a couple days to relax before the Moldovan Christmas. I went to the Orthodox midnight mass. I only stayed for about an hour since the service lasts until 4 in the morning. Even as I walked home there were several people on the street celebrating as they were coming home from celebrations or going to the church.

Christmas Day a colleague of mine, Nadia, invited me to her home where we ate and drank from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m! It was a great party, with her son and daughter-in-law and grandkids coming from Chisinau, as well as several local guests coming in and out throughout the party. As usual they were quite interested in the work we are doing here, but also her son was really interested in the cost of goods and life in America. Normally I can get annoyed when I constantly hear "how much is this, how much was that..." but I could tell he was genuinely interested in the difference, so I tried to paint a good picture for him. But this is always a tough conversation to have, because America is so huge and different, and I hate to generalize, especially when it comes to money, how much money people earn, and how we spend our money.

On January 14 was the Old New Year holiday and although I didn't celebrate this at home with my family at work we had a nice party.

A week later was St. John's day, according to the Orthodox calendar and since so many people in our village our named John (or "Ivan" in Russian) we also had a big party at work and toasted to all the husbands, uncles, brothers, and friends we knew of this name!

Avagail's 7th birthday was also in January and when my host dad and I took a cake to school, all the kids raised their hands eagerly to stand and give her a toast to health, happiness, and success!

There were also two holiday programs I attended during all of this, one for Avagail's class. All the kids wore costumes and sang songs and recited poems around the New Year's tree. The older classes had more of a talent show and competitions between each grade. They also wore crazy costumes: snowmen, snow princesses, snowflakes, and Santa!

And now that the holiday season is mostly over, or at least I think it is, it's back to work as normal. My work partner, Svetlana, and I just returned from Chisinau after working on a project plan there... we plan to do an overhaul of the sewage system at the school. The students have to go 100 meters from the school to use the restroom, and the chemistry and biology classes can't do labs because they have no way of dispensing their waste from the 3rd floor. The water only runs into the first floor of the building.

In addition, last Sunday along with another volunteer, Laela, we gave a presentation to 16 teen girls at the Jewish Center in Chisinau on body image, self esteem, and leadership. We are part of the Peace Corps group G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World) which gives presentations and camps to young girls and teens. This is being done in not only Moldova, but in other Peace Corps countries around the world!

Anyways, the presentation went well. I would like to go back and do more work with them on other issues. As for the language of our presentation, after about an hour we realized the girls knew pretty good English and so we ended up switching back and forth between Russian and English the whole time.

In other news, my English Club is continuing to go well and is still my favorite part of the week. The Public Achievement group I meet with has decided the problem they want to tackle is the lack of activities and professional development for students in this village. They are now doing research within the school to decide what type of programs their peers would be interested in participating in, as they have decided they want to create a "youth club" to meet these needs. I helped them create a survey last night, and I was excited to see them doing this all on their own, with their own initiative.

Here's a video of the skit Laela and I did. In the first scene Laela is a teen who doesn't care much about life besides playing on the Internet, smoking, and going to the disco. In the second scene, Laela plays an old grandma who I visit to try and help, with heating and food, for which she has no money. If you speak Russian, I'm sorry for our errors.

GLOW Presentation, Jewish Center, Chisinau

To follow-up from my previous post about the elections, no party won enough votes to hold a majority (61 votes) in electing a president. However, negotiations are said to be taking place about parties banding together, though the three smaller parties do not have enough votes combined to beat the Communist Party when they vote for president in the coming weeks. Read about the details here: Moldova's Election Results

As for me, I started my English Club two weeks ago and so far it has become the highlight of my week. The first week I had six enthusiastic students, ages 15 and 17, and this last week I had 12 students come! We practiced introductions, the verb "to be" and developing sentences. I try to make things as fun as possible and we played charades and ended both lessons with Uno. THEY LOVE UNO! They also find it amazing how I shuffle cards, as if they've never seen anyone do such a thing, and actually, I think that's true! So, a big Thank You to my cousin Christine, Aunt Anne, and friend Crystal for sending Uno cards over to me... they are being put to good use.

I am also meeting weekly with my Public Achievement group in the school. I am partnered with the history teacher and we have nine students ages 15-17 who have joined this group to learn and practice participatory-civic education. There are about ten other volunteers participating in this same program throughout Moldova and we blog weekly about our progress. This program was started by the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. At the moment with my group we have chosen a team name, "Svetliy's Future," set rules for ourselves, organized team roles to be rotated each week, discussed problems facing Moldova and our village. We do team-building exercises each week and in the coming weeks they will choose a single issue and problem in this community for them to learn how to take on themselves. What I love about being at these meetings is seeing the passion these young people have for their country. They are knowledgeable about the politics in this country, the issues facing them, and they all want for things to be better.

Lastly, I had a site visit from my program assistant this week to check in on things in my village. I've been brainstorming some ideas of project plans I want to make here (I'll tell you about that when they come to fruition) and she offered some great ideas on strategies to make them work. We also discussed ways to improve capacity in my office, including offering typing lessons and basic computer instruction to my colleagues who lack knowledge and practice on the simplest tasks. I've already been teaching myself to type in Russian so I can help them... I can't tell you how much this would improve their efficiency and time! Since the winter days are quite short now with the streets dark by 5 p.m. I have a lot more time to focus on project planning since we aren't all distracted by the work in the fields and gardens and feasting on the fresh fruits.

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season back home! I will be having a Hannukah/Christmas party this weekend with some fellow volunteers... the baking starts after lunch and should go through the evening! I have an extra bag of peppermint candy my mom sent me so I'm going to try and whip up something festive with that. Cheers!

P.S. Attached is a photo of me and my host mother, Elena, and host sisters Lenka, age 4, and Avigail, age 6, at the Thanksgiving Dinner we had in the nearby city, Cahul. There were about 10 volunteers plus our host families and colleagues we invited to introduce them to our great holiday! This big party included turkey, stuffing, pumpkin and apple pies, Christmas carols accompanied by an accordion player, speeches about what we were thankful for, and lots of good conversation in Russian, Romanian, and English.

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As one of my favorite holidays I am so thankful today for all of you reading my blog and taking an interest in Moldova and Peace Corps, my fellow volunteers and Moldovan family here, everyone back home, and for the little things that makes me smile: brown sugar, letters, and two-stepping!

We had a large Thanksgiving dinner at Peace Corps headquarters in Chisinau last weekend. Four volunteers bought turkeys from the market and killed, cleaned, and cooked them for about 60 of us! This weekend I will be at a second Thanksgiving dinner in the south of Moldova with a smaller group of volunteers and many Moldovans that we invited to join us to share in the fun and food. Plans for Thanksgiving in Chisinau this upcoming weekend was moved earlier due to the elections being held on Sunday, and as a precaution we have been told to stay outside of the capital due to violence that occurred during the last election in April 2009 when protesters stormed the parliament building and presidential palace, protesting the win by the Communist Party.

In Moldova parliamentary seats are elected by the populace, but president is elected by the parliament. Of 101 seats, 61 seats are required to elect a president. Moldova has several parties and no party has won enough seats, or joined with other parties to get the required 61 votes for a president for the last two times parliament has voted. In Moldova if parliament fails to elect a president, they must disband and new elections must be held. After the second round failed, parliament had to wait another year for elections, as written in the law. This September a Referendum was put to vote, that the populace was to vote if they wanted to elect a president by popular vote, but the Referendum failed to reach the minimum turnout required, keeping the government in stalemate. Moldova has been without a president since April 2009, and so the upcoming elections are a very BIG deal here.

The picture attached is of many of the posters plastered around the country right now. Political advertising has been at a high level... there were large concerts put on in several districts throughout the country by one candidate, young people promoting on all the buses at the bus stations, and several lively debates held in almost every village and district center. As a Peace Corps Volunteer we are a-political here in Moldova and in every Peace Corps country, but whatever happens in the government affects policy and in so many ways things we are trying to accomplish, and often how slow or fast many processes take.

Although this country is abundant with fruits and vegetables and nice people, it is also tough, especially financially. While I normally write about how delicious and beautiful life is here, it's important to remember just how poor and tough life can be here for the Moldovans. And it will be especially tough in the upcoming months with the tough winter we are preparing for. I want to show some of the prices of goods I recently came across in an article in my region's newspaper. The article was pointing out the big price increase for buckwheat, a staple in the Moldovan diet. There has been a shortage in Russia where they grow it, and it is affecting Moldova. They also showed some other prices (most all showing a little increase over the year prior):

1 kilogram buckwheat:

2009- $0.63- $0.67

2010- $1.25-$1.42

rest of 2010- $2 - $2.25

1 liter sunflower oil: $1.25- $1.41

1 kilogram fish: $1.92 - $6.66

1 liter milk: $0.58

1 kilogram meat (cow): $5.83- $8.33

1 kilogram sugar: $1.08- $1.42

bread: $0.20 - $0.32

1 kilogram potatoes: $0.29- $0.50

1 kilogram cheese (goat): $4.58-$5

10 eggs: $0.83 - $1.25

While these prices illustrate the vast difference in prices from America, I must note that Moldovans are living in the poorest country in Europe. Several sources site the per capita GDP being just over $2,000 with a majority of people living on less than $2 a day. During training we were given roughly that amount solely for "spending" money, which was quite difficult even for only that. A 10-minute phone call to the states on my cell phone cost $3, so you can imagine I didn't have many of those. A beer in my town that I was training in was $1, so budgeting was pretty tough.

In my mayor's office my colleagues have told me they make roughly 1,000 lei a month, which is about $83. My tutor who is living on a pension receives $75 a month, and has told me she receives a higher pension than many people because of her 30 years of teaching in the schools. Farmers receive almost half of what she does, she said. During the summer people can get by, but in the winter things get difficult since so much of their money is spent on heating. A good pair of boots or a winter coat easily cost more than their monthly income. Since incomes are low this results in so many people working abroad and sending remittances back to Moldova to help everyone make ends meet. Moldova is only above Haiti in the highest amount of remittances received (money flowing into the country from abroad). Remittances make up a third of the country's GDP.

While many people living in cities need to buy all of these goods mentioned above in stores and the markets, most families living in the villages can live off their gardens... we have chickens, tomatoes, winter squash, cucumbers, pears, apples, grapes, raspberries, watermelon, pumpkin... Though now that summer and fall is over I've been noticing we eat a lot of rice, buckwheat, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage. What's interesting is that even though I know everyone around is struggling, they ALWAYS bring food--homemade jams, homemade bread, fruits, cookies, and sausage to work to share with everyone at lunch. I'm not short on invitations to join people for dinner or tea and cookies either. This community really helps each other out and I'm growing such an appreciation for their open hearts, despite their tough circumstances.

The cold is starting to hit me hard here in Moldova, though as a South Dakotan I should be embarrassed to say that. A month ago I was able to wear sandals to work and now I'm already layering tights under my pants and wearing three layers on top to hold me through the day!

This new season brings an end to the summer of fresh fruits, which started with cherries and moved to peaches, apricots, watermelon, pears, and until a few weeks ago--grapes and wine season. Wine season started around mid-September for only a few weeks when Moldovans pick the grapes in their large gardens or help a neighbor with theirs, or go into the field and gather their grapes all in one day and then make enough wine, on average 100 to 200 liters, to last through the rest of the year.

I was able to help a colleague of mine gather her grapes, which meant three hours on our hands and knees in about 20 rows of grapes in her backyard--- it's a pretty large garden. Along with a few other women we gathered all the grapes and the men then pressed the grapes and did the rest. Wine season was during our very short Fall.

This post is a little late and past due to me being quite busy- I spent two weeks back in my training village learning more Russian and more program training and learning exactly how to apply our skills to work, which has been useful now that I understand more of the issues and problems in my village.

And as for work, now that I'm back at site, I'm in the middle of reviewing some past grants my mayor's office wrote. One for a city park that hasn't won for the past three years. I'm also in the middle of reviewing my host mother's founding documents and strategic plan for an NGO she is starting. Up until now she has been doing work on her own, and she's decided it would be best to create an organization to continue the work into the future. She is already in the middle of managing a renovation project for a building in town that will serve the elderly meals during the day and be an after-school center for kids. I'm hoping to collaborate with another volunteer to help her organize and efficiently plan. And in two weeks I'll be helping with some Halloween celebrations at a nearby city, one at a university class and another at a high school prom. That should definitely be fun, but I'm struggling with figuring out a costume---any ideas? The day after that I'm going to the capital city with a local teacher here for training on a "Public Achievement" program, which trains local leaders to guide a small group of students in civic education, and helping them organize themselves to solve issues and problems they see in their own community. It's a program founded by the University of Minnesota and being applied in several countries...

More to come!

The first of September marks the first day of school across Moldova. This past weekend has been a vacation for most everyone with two big holidays- Independence Day and Limba Noastra (Language Day). Unfortunately (but usually fortunately), I live in the independent state of Gagauzia and there was no celebrating to be had... people here are quite proud to speak Gagauzian and Russian (Romanian is the State language) and the people are quite proud to be Gagauzian!

Nevertheless, I experienced my first BIG Moldovan holiday when I went to school this morning with my host family. My 6-year-old host sister Avigail is in the first grade and we spent yesterday searching the nearby regional center for the perfect flowers for her teacher. There was a huge ceremony out in front of the school with all the parents standing around waiting for the students to come out... They came out class by class with all the parents clapping. The ceremony went kind of like this:

After all the classes were out everyone cheered as the kindergartners made their way past everyone...

Introductions of distinguished guests...

Short speeches...

A poem memorized by all the kindergartners...

A skit for the kindergartners telling them how much they will learn...

A little boy is escorted around the square with a torch ...

The 11th grade boys danced with their teachers ...

Flowers are given to the teachers by the students...

A little girl rings the bell to mark the official start of school...

Students walk back into the classrooms along with parents for a short orientation. The 11th graders walked the kindergartners in...

What you'll notice by the pics is the attire... everyone is wearing their best suits and dresses! Even the parents who took them to school looked wonderful. I felt completely awkward in my khakis and windbreaker. The girls wear these HUGE pom poms in their hair. I have no idea why.. it's just a tradition. My tutor showed me pictures of her 35 years ago with the same pom poms!

My youngest sister Lenka is only 4, but she loves to dress up so she was happy to get dolled up for her sister's big day. When we got to school she was pouting though, because she wanted to go to school too!

Introducing my new puppy, Jasper! I was walking to work Friday morning when I passed by a house with this adorable puppy out front. I stopped to coo and aww over him when the owner of the house came outside. He picked him up, put him in my arms and told me to keep walking down the road. I said, "what?... which house does he go to?" and the man just told me, "any house! please!"

There is an overpopulation of dogs and cats here, as you might imagine. Immediately I called my Russian tutor and explained the situation and she told me it's normal for families to get rid of their pets. They are mostly used as guard animals, not pets, she explained. So, I started to walk to work with him and then quickly turned around to go back home and asked my host mom for permission. I was like a little girl asking, "Please, please, please?!"

We already have a German Sheperd for a guard dog, but I think he'll make a nice addition to the family.

Recently my cousin asked me, "So what exactly is your job?" This is a GREAT question, that can't really be answered simply. To do so, I need to explain a little bit about the Peace Corps.

The mission of the Peace Corps is to promote World Peace and Friendship. This mission involves three main goals of which each volunteer here in Moldova strives to meet:

1. Helping the people of Moldova in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served in Moldova.

3. Helping promote a better understanding of the people of Moldova on the part of Americans.

This is broad, but the flexibility is what allows us volunteers to do so much!

As for tactical things that I will be doing, I am placed in a mayor's office in a small, Russian-speaking village. About 2,000 people live here, though it is probably less because many parents are working in Russia and abroad elsewhere, leaving their children with the grandparents...This is a HUGE issue in this country, and I will explain more about the living conditions and wages later.

Anyways, what I learned on the first day of work was the word "ot-poos-koo", which means leave/vacation. My work partner is on vacation for three weeks in August, as are many Moldovans this time of year. This leaves me to be completely on my own for a bit. I am spending my time researching about Modolova, history, country-specific issues and problems, and chatting with the few people still working as I study my Russian. I learned that my colleague applied for a grant to help with sanitation improvements, and I am busy trying to translate the grant to understand specific details about my village.

However, for the time being, for the most part, my job at the moment is to learn the language and to make friends. Pretty good, huh? In the coming months as I learn more and more about site-specific needs I will better be able to plan, organize, and help my colleagues and members in the community. I am completely flexible for what these project and development needs may be, but I hope to do some work with business development and infrastructure improvements.

Yesterday, along with 30 other volunteers in the Community and Organizational Development (COD) program and the Agricultural and Rural Business Development (ARBD), I swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer! The U.S. Ambassador and the Moldovan Agriculture Minister were present to swear us in as we move forward to be a part of the Peace Corps mission to "promote world peace and friendship."

It was a great day.. full of lots of emotion, as we are all so exhausted after 8 weeks of intensive language and technical training and are all eagerly and nervously looking forward to moving to our permanent sites. I am more nervous than ever, especially about the first day of work--- what will I do? What can I do, especially with my limited language capabilities? How will I be perceived by the locals? But, time will alleviate all of these anxieties...I'm sure :)

I'm now at my permanent site and am taking the weekend to settle in, unpack, and mostly rest up. I didn't get much sleep the last week or so as it has been tremendously hot ... around 90+ (and remember, there's no air conditioner) and I've had butterflies in my stomach all week! Wish me luck! :)

This week has been an incredibly busy week-- I found out where I will be placed to live and work for the next two years. I'm working in a "primaria", the mayor's office in a small village in the south of Moldova. A large majority of volunteers are in the central and north... so I will be more isolated than most, but it's a great opporutnity to work on my Russian.

As for Russian, my village is Russian-speaking only, which is GREAT! My new host family is young, two parents in their 30s with two small girls, ages four and six. They are adorable and I can understand most everything the youngest daughter says. The older daughter, Abagail, is very smart ans speaks a million miles a minute, so I think I have a lot to learn from her. :)

The drive to the south was gorgeous-- unfortunately my camera is "missing" and I will most likely be out of pictures until I get a new one. But to describe it.... the road started with rolling hills of vineyards that slowly moved into corn fields and then into a never-ending sea of yellow.... Sunflowers! They are a main export of Moldova and so far the best setting I've seen here. Everyone cooks with sunflower oil and I'm always surrounded by people eating sunflower seeds...

After I spent the day at site meeting people in the school, kindergarten, stores, and mayors office, I have a really great feeling about this village. It's small, but the people seem so excited to meet me and about the work I will be doing there-- which I still am not sure what that will be :)

The old ladies I met asked if I was married and then told me that I will definitely get married there... ha!

I also met the priest of the Orthodox church and had tea with him, his wife, and five children-- very nice people. He gave me a small icon as a gift. After the work day I was invited to a "masa" which is a large dinner that extends into the late hours of the evening with lots of food, wine, and family and friends. I spent a couple hours at one masa to then be taken to another masa of my new colleague. They were celebrating a saint's day-- but I forgot which saint, sorry.

The table of food didn't seem to end... it was full of sausages, cabbage rolls, chicken, fish, crepes, cookies, chocolates, vegetable trays.... wine, fruit juice, cognac, vodka.... I was there late into the evening somewhat entertaining people with my limited Russian. They wanted to talk about immigration and how difficult it is for Moldovan people to get visas to the U.S. The grandfather joked, "I'm waiting for my personal invitation from Obama..." haha!

It was a very good visit that has me very excited to move there... in 3 weeks!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! As this is my favorite holiday I was a little concerned about getting some homesickness, but a party sponosored by the Embassy in Moldova made sure none of that arose. Great American food, drinks, music, and good people kept for a happy celebration. You can check out a link to a television clip of the event here:

Enjoy the fireworks at home for me! :)

http://m.protv.md/stiri/social/ziua-independentei-in-stil-american-sarbatorita-azi-la-chisinau.html

Compote! This is a fantastic juice the Moldovans make--- all natural. Just get some rasberries and cherries (from the trees outside, of course), add water, add a little sugar, and boil for about 30-40 minutes.

Let it cool in the fridge and it makes THE BEST drink after a hot day, and goes with just about everything. My favorite phrase in Russian class thus far is "Ya liu blue compote"..... I LOVE COMPOTE :)

Here are some pics from my first week. I'm having major difficulties uploading and editing photos to Flickr, Facebook, and even getting them imported from PhotoBucket: http://s816.photobucket.com/albums/zz88/natalierooks/

Not sure if the technology problem is my own, or the fact that I'm using systems in Russian... ha!

I've been ridiculously busy with language training to have any time to spend on fixing these issues, but I will get around to it.

Hello everyone!

It has taken a while for me to get this blog started... as starting a blog has been something I've dreaded, but I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with all of you. Please feel free to pass this link along to anyone interested in Moldova, its culture, the Peace Corps, and a volunteer's personal experiences.

We began our staging in Philadelphia on June 4 and on June 5 departed for Frankfurt. We spent nine hours in the Frankfurt airport before boarding a small Moldovan Air flight to the capital Chisinau. My first impressions of Chisinau are that it is much mor developed than I had imagined, and that the countryside (from the sky) is beautifully green... all very rural. We spent two days in the capital with orientation sessions, including medical vaccinations---- I've gotten three shots thus far: Hep A, Typhoid, Rabbies.

By the way, it's incredibly hot here.. over 90 degrees with no air, and Moldovans don't drive with their windows down. Still have yet to figure this out.. apparently their is something taboo about the wind...

With a total of 70 new trainees that have come to Moldova there is a lot of socializing. I feel like I am surrounded by a great group of people. We all have a variety of reasons for volunteering, but it also sounds like a big reason for many people is that they've had a difficult time getting a job back in the states. I am in the Community and Organizational Development program with about 15 other volunteers. There are two young lawyers, a mid-age architect, retired businessmen, a young married couple, and variety of young 20-somethings. We are from all over the US, but most people are from the midwest and there seem to be several from Kansas and Missouri.

The first night in Chisinau we were taken to a local bar and another volunteer, Yoel, and I made friends with some local Moldovan men who bought a bottle of vodka for us to show their gratitude for coming with the Peace Corps. I slept quite well this night :)

The next day began our language lessons. Moldovans speak primarily Romanian, but they also understand and can speak Russian. There were seven volunteers selected to learn Russian, including me. AHHHHHHHHHHHH

After the shock has worn over, I am quite excited to be learning Russian, but I understand how difficult it is to learn and know that I have a tough summer of lessons ahead, and a tough two years ahead as well.

I have been placed in a host family that speaks Russian and Romanian. There are two daughters, Ireena (18) and Luda (21) who speak some English. The father, Serghi, speaks some Italian. We spoke mostly Italian during our first dinner as my English was too fast for the daughters and Serghi was excited he had someone to practice his Italian with (he worked in Italy for a few years ago). The mother, Galina, doesn't know English and is a French teacher.

On Sunday Ireena took me to her Russian Orthodox church for services-- another blog post about this.

Another Russian classmate, Carolyn from Alaska, is my neighbor next door. The following day was her host father's birthday and he had a big celebration--- he hired a Russian singer to sing from the early afternoon until 11 p.m. I went over in the evening to join everyone for dancing the torah (typical Moldovan dance... where you hold hands with everyone in a circle) and to twirl their 3-year-old daugher around --- she loved my country dancing! There was lots of toasting to us, to the birthday boy Gregory, good food, and family celebrating.

As for training, I live in the training hub site with the other Russian students. The other programs-- English Education, Health Education, Community and Organizational Development, and Agriculture Business Development-- live in smaller villages. I go to language lessons in the morning and then get driven to the COD site for program training.

That's all for now--- a novel, I know. More to come, but please know I am safe and sound and with good people.