Highlights (because I've been a tool and not written since November).
*I was the head judge and certificate maker (the horror of my non-crafty-ness decorating with glitter glue!) for the Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Talent Show. Kristi and the other Moldova 12's were priceless in their parody of a Moldovan fashion show. Aaron (Mr. Abercrombie) appearing in a fur hat, a teeny Speedo and a man-bag was a highlight.
*Maria (with my data-hampster-like skill at analysis - thank you Darren) won her lawsuit and also held a press conference to shame the factory into paying our farmers for their milk from July. The punative damages should be coming in by March.
*I found out that my favorite Moldovan, my host grandpa Bunel (real name Grigore) is a Communist. But according to my host mom (and his daughter) a well-behaved Communist (Communist cu minte.).
*The water project is coming along great - the transformer is in place and we're negotiating to get a cheaper pump. Water shall flow in Topala again! (At least by the end of June.)
*If you remember the cartoon Pinky & the Brain (two mice, and the one with the big head plans to take over the world every night and the tall,skinny, Cockney-accented one is his dim-witted side-kick) - Natasha is the Brain and I'm Pinky. She comes up with ideas on a weekly basis on how to improve herself/Cimislia/her family's situation -- and then turns me into an accomplis. Example - she wants to open a pizzaria/kebab stand. Kebabs are the hottest thing in Chisinau now (only 12 lei for a HUGE pita/meat/cheese/sauce/veggie sandwich in a country where McDonalds has so far had the lock on the ENTIRE sandwich market!). So we've done that business plan and are heading to the capital next week for a kebab orgy - i.e. testing out 5 or 6 different styles. AND she got this idea to do an NGO project for Lia-Cimislia (the women's org). The idea is to give people who didn't have the chance to go to college the opportunity to learn about business in an intense 7-week session. 28 classes covering everything from accounting (8 lectures!), marketing and management to the practical Moldovan stuff like working with the mayor's office and how to dance formally with the Fiscal Inspector (not kidding actually on that one). This should roll out March 1 - so I have less than a month to find $700USD.
*I was so loved in the month of December - packages rolled in from Beth, George, Suzanne, Jen (of course), Amy, Aunt Mary and in a surprise twist - my Aunt-in-Law by marriage. Crisco oil, chocolate covered blueberries, SpongeBob Jammies, lime Jell-o (which I shared with Valentin at MoldTelecom for his invaluable help), a christmas tree complete with ornaments and more packaged noodles/rice than you could shake a stick at seemed to all arrive at the same time. I'm super grateful - 1)because its some good stuff and 2)because after hauling 30pounds of crap food up a hill for 4km, I figured I had burned off enough calories to get into the Peperidge Farm cookies Beth sent. I ate one cookie and Verginia, ostensibly while "cleaning my room" over the New Year's holiday (tradition says that your house has to be spotless for New Years - like there was dirt to begin with???) ate them. And the Goldfish crackers. And all of Suzanne's Reese's Pieces. And 3/4 of the marshmallows without reclosing the bag. The girl weighs less than 100 pounds and is 13 - so Lord knows she needs the calories more than I do - but COME ON! (Envision me stamping my food and looking murderous here.) Tragically, she now knows that 'little weasel' isn' a compliment.
*Send a BIG BIG BIG grant out for Maria's Cimislia Rural Women's Business Center. To the tune of $17,000 dollars we're hoping to set up 6 computers, 2 full-time consultants, office equipment and a year of seminars. Feel free to pray that MamaCash or the Global Fund for Women will be generous to us.
*In the midst of all this work I have been having fun. Christmas in Ungheni at Kristi's house with 9 other volunteers. We made dinner (I was in charge of potato cleaning & boiling), drank mulled wine, and spent 24 hours in our PJs watching DVDs on Kristi's computer (ok - the others went out and played football while I watched the Passion of Christ).
*New Year's was spent in Istanbul. (TURKEY!!!!!) I went for 10 days with Dana and April and had a heck of a time. Met a guy who was playing 3-Card-Monty with a baby black-and-white bunny -- sortof guess where the bunny is - and when the police pulled up he took off -- only to stop me 30meters down the road -- and pulled the bunny out of the front pocket of his ultra-tight 501's. I think the bunny was stoned. Another night I found a food-stand outside the grand bazaar that deep-fried all the seafood caught in the Bosphorous or Marmara. I got the Turkish version of a shrimp poorboy - but with a thick garlic sauce. Happy. V. Happy. I explored much of the city on my own and even took a 3 day solo excursion to Ankara and then to Bursa (returning by bus through Ialova and then by fast ferry to Istanbul). While in Bursa, I went to the famous hot springs Turkish bath (called a Hamami). I had been to a Hamam in Istanbul with the girls and we did it buck-naked -- like everybody else. My designated washer/massager/hair washer I nicknamed Baba Turceasca (Turkish Grandma) as she slapped me around like a granny, was at least 300lbs., and topless. Sorry for the image but imagine being washed by her. OK with that experience under my non-existant belt, I headed to Bursa expecting the naked treatment again -- wrong. The ladies in charge were really nice, but very insistant that I wear underwear. Logistically speaking, I couldn't see how I was going to bathe in my underwear and then wear them on a bus ride then a ferry later. So they pointed me to the REALLY old baba in the corner who sold me - AN ENORMOUS PAIR OF RED COTTON GRANNY PANTIES THAT SEEMED TO REACH MY RIBCAGE. As if my lack of Turkish language skills wasn't identifying me as a foreigner - I had virtually the Chinese flag on my ass. Overall, the undies worked in my favor as the local women fed me stuffed-grape leaves, fruit, and tea that they had brought. Final note on Istanbul - New Years Eve at the Northern Lights Bar with a bunch of Peace Corps volunteers from the country of Georgia -- and one independent French/Turkish filmmaker named Osman. Excellent cross-cultural exchange.
*Back to work - the Green Card Lottery deadline expired in the beginning of January so I helped my host family (Natasha, Victor, Lina & Verginia), Valentin at MoldTelecom, Stas the town lawyer, and my friend Nadia from my first village Suruceni and her family apply. To apply - it has to be done on-line and using a digital camera. Let's just say digital cameras in Moldova are rare and we're considered 2nd world.
*A former PCV who is now a math teacher in Seattle is my World Wide Schools partner. Her kids write to me - I send them digital pictures and answers. For Thanksgiving, they sent me cards and notes - and I emailed each back individually. Because I want more cards and art.
*Laura. New PCV Laura Padula has been installed in Topala as their permanent volunteer. She is sweet, smart, and really really pretty. She's also from southern Ohio and is a Methodist - so we've got lots in common - and have joked that it's possible we're relatives (more of a Kentucky joke than Ohio - but the two states DO share a border). She's fitting in and we're working well together. She's already written a project for the Topala school to put in a garden so the kids will have veggies to go with their pasta and oil lunches (curtesy of USAID). I see her once a week and bring her news and old Cosmos.
*Health Expo planning has started - but I'm thinking of moving the date to June as April is coming up too fast. I've roped in one of the new volunteers to be my partner this year and to take over the beast next year. Her name is Erin and I think she has some idea of what she's been sucked into.
*Pending approval by my boss - I think I know my exit date. October 16, 2005. The official date we can leave has always been stated as October 20 -- but now we're hearing rumors we might be released with full benefits a bit earlier. All I know is that I need to get home to buy a dress for Debra's wedding - and thanks to General Mills, I'll be heading back to Minneapolis (Jen's been promoted and sent back to HQ).
I think that about covers it - Less than 10 months until I'm back and you can take me out to dinner.