All's well on the Eastern Front. I'm healthy (although I'm still losing hair and weight). Happy (with supportive friends here and at home). And quite positive (except when I fantasize about drop kicking the chickens around town - which I want to daily).
Health Expo is Coming Along Great!
I won a grant from the Small Projects Assistance (SPA) program through Peace Corps. Most of the expo will be covered by that - but the remainder, hopefully, will be paid by the US Embassy or the McCargar Family Foundation. The event will be Saturday, May 22, from 10am-3pm. Please set an alarm so you can wake up and pray for me at that time.
Consider me the Moldovan Branch of McKensie
I am the resident business consultant for the region I guess. I have been approached, and reckless me, agreed to 'help' (which could mean anything from researching to actually DOING the whole request) the following people: a farmer who wants to get a loan to buy 4 cows (he already has 2 but wants to expand), a guy in Topal who wants to open a car/tractor/wagon repair shop, another guy in Topal who wants to open a bar (Now, people do vodka shooters in the general store. Vodka shots are 2 lei, house wine shots - poured from re-used soda bottles - are only 1 leu.), a guy in Cimislia who wants to buy 50 hectacres (1ha=2.2ish acres. . .so that's a lot of land) to put in more vineyards, to grow more grapes, to make more wine (yes, I do appreciate my role in that cycle), and finally, the best one, a man from Gradiste (grad-ish-tay) who wants me to get running water for his village (Oy! But luckily I've made contact with a Colnel at the embassy who is in the Corps of Engineers. So we may have a shot at that one.)
And did I mention that I've helped my host mom open her own Bed & Breakfast? Because her sister is in Italy, her sis's house (beautiful, running water, 2 story, indoor toilet, hardwood floors) is empty. In addition to overnight accomodations, we've put together "Excursions" - like a real Moldovan masa (with the foods I like plus the chicken jello for show), a 5-hour trip to the forest for a traditional bbq, music, dancing, games and wine; and a trip to a private beci ("bitch"), or wine cellar. I've costed everything, built in a little fluff, and we've got our pricelist done. FYI - opening day is May 23 with the arrival of the Haubers of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
New Gross Moldovan Food Alert
We (Maria & I) just had a volunteer farmer from the States, Tom Dobler, come to tell people that if they're nice to their cows and give them enough food -- the cows will produce more milk. Surprisingly, a new message for some of the farmers. Another interesting thing - Moldovans eat colostrum (you know, that first milk, filled w/antibiotics and stuff for the baby mammal?). Seriously. After a cow has her baby, depending on the family, the farmer's wife (who does 98% of the work anyway) will collect between 50% and ALL of the colostrum, bake it into a loaf and serve it like coffee cake. Tom ate before he asked (a rookie mistake here in Moldova) and soon found himself barfing behind the barn. Whether the barfing was from the taste, texture, or knowledge of what he had just eater - we can't be sure. Side note: Tom brought me clam chowder (Campbell's) and Cool Ranch Doritos. I hugged him (considered very unlady-like). Moldovans didn't like either American delicacy when sampled.
Pick a Freaking Temperature
I'm sure Wisconsin and Minnesota also experience wide swings in temperature with a spring day and from day to day -- but I didn't have to walk around outside in it! It is a daily mystery what I should wear. Heavy down jacket or spring one. Turtleneck and sweater or blouse. I have yet to pick right. We get some serious wind around here that can really cut through you - but the sun is hot too. One constant though - the office is always freezing. It's constructed out of concrete blocks (I think) and it is always significantly colder inside than outside. But, I've been assured, in the summer, because of the oddly placed windows, the building will retain vast amounts of heat and become a brick oven. Just ducky.
Random Cultural Notes in no particular order
I am shocked and astounded by the spring skirts and boot combinations I'm seeing on girls as young as 12. Think, "There is no way you're leaving the house with your tush hanging out and in hooker boots, young lady!" speech your mother might have given you had you wanted to wear an 18" skirt with 3" heeled black boots. There is a lot of leg exposed. The Peace Corps boys are happy. I'm well versed on the underwear stylings of Moldovan ladies. (Tending towards minimal coverage) ICK!
I am a farmer. I planted 3 rows of lettuce. And helped put in radish seeds. Therefore I am a gospodina ("go-spah-deen-a"), a farmer's wife. Bunica is very proud of me.
There is dust everywhere. Huge swirling clouds of it. It gets stuck in your throat - and takes a lot of mineral water to dislodge. When I walk to work, I dread hearing the sound of a tractor on the road - because it means I'll be enveloped in the sol ("soul" i.e. the dust). I spend a lot of time, please excuse the upcoming idea, thinking about my boogers here. I try to remember to breathe through my nose to filter some of it out -- but it just makes me think about the Super Boogers I'm creating.
We celebrated "International Women's Day" last month. Everything closed. Schools. My office. Everybody had the day off like it was Christmas. And we ate the same masa we had at Christmas - I was happy. But no chicken jello this time. The Moldovans were really surprised when I told them we didn't do this in the US. I think they felt lied to about the "international-ness" of the day.
Rules about baking bread: You must be very quiet "as with a small child". You cannot count the loaves before they are baked -- even to find out how many more forms you need. You must keep the room warm and all the doors in the house closed, lest there is a draft. I didn't actually bake bread (I overslept my 4:15am alarm) and began supervising around 10am. All rules compliments of Bunica.
Baby chickens are awesome. I was actually late for a meeting because I was hanging out in the big piata in Chisinau playing with the boxes full of chicks. And ducklings. And bunnies. I'm talking the chirping was deafening. There were like 500,000 chicks and ducklings there. Just tons. And people were really nice to me, as if I was a little slow, when I asked to "play" with their puisor ("pooh-ee-shore" - chicks). FYI - a chick costs 3.5 lei and a duckling goes for 7. I can also tell the genders - it involves holding the chick up by its leg - if the chick does a sit up its a boy, but if it just dangles, its a girl. I think I love the ducklings more than the chicks. Gender testing for ducks is easier though. If you're holding 2 ducks and one is bigger - its the boy. I thought this was a little unfair to lady ducklings of substance.
You will catch a cold if you drink something cold.
All babies are still wearing their snowsuits and hats - and if one is screaming on the rutiera - its not because its hotter than heck in that getup in the jungle-like mini-bus -- but because it doesn't like the "current" (the breeze).
Bottom line - doing fine. Not coming home anytime soon. Just 18 months left.
S