Turkeys-A Metaphor for Responsibility
Last week, as I was coming into Chisinau in an ancient SAAB, we came upon some turkeys in the road. I was riding shotgun, so I had the perfect view of three turkeys who had hustled to the edge of the pavement and one foolhardy turkey continuing his liesurely progress across our lane. Flying down the un-monitored strip of road, our driver gave the (un-seat belted) passengers whiplash and bruises as he decided to both brake and implement evasive driving maneuvers to avoid the now freaked out tom turkey.
Lessons: 1)The turkeys' owner expected other people to take responsibility for the birds and not turn them into turkey-spam on the highway.2) Moldovan drivers accept this implied contract. It has to be a remnant from the Soviet times, this group concern mentality. I understand not schmucking a sheep who is standing in the middle of the road, picking his/her sheepish? butt (serious body damage to the car...and the sheep),but a turkey? Come on! A turkey would just be a squirrel-sized speed bump. But, Moldovans, instead of taking out their (understandable) aggression on jay-walking, un-monitored, badly-behaved, possibly-bird-flu-carrying fowl, take extra care, to the point of stopping traffic, not to hit a stupid bird (even one fully capable of flying, but has, instead, chosen to WALK across the road). And this phenomenon isn't contained to the drivers' villages, where a turkey-cide would be noted and theoretically punished, but also far from home where a turkey slaughter would go un-reported. FYI-this phenomenon applies to all barnyard birdies, but geese & turkeys are the worst-complete divas who refuse to get the heck out of the way. Chickens & ducks are slightly better trained/have a better developed sense of survival. My solution: a bit more individual, pro-active responsibility applied towards the super-free range nature of Moldovan domestic fowl. Turkeys kept to a fenced in area and off the roads. Simple, elegant, and a solution to the near fatal accidents of the turkey/concerned motorist genre.
Highlights of the 2nd half of 2006 in Moldova:
*Health Expo 2005 was a mind-blowing success. World Bank was over the moon with the results. 175 rural doctors, nurses, med students, peer education teams & their adult leaders rocked 2 days of info on TB, AIDS, breast cancer, domestic violence, diabetes, kids w/disabilities, healthy eating & more. 30 health NGOs presented 16 seminars & tables at the info fair. Awesome. One of the best experiences of my entire life.
*Applied to 5 MBA programs. Melanie Maddux was my editor in chief, Caro-my constant recommender, and Jen-my calmer-downer. Thank you ladies. Interviewed w/3. Got into all that I interviewed with (Yale, Georgetown, & Boston University) as well as Duke. Still waiting for Harvard's 'you're cute but not quite cute enough' letter. Can't wait to fill out financial aid forms: um...I have no assets, no income, and minimal savings. But I'm fun! And a good organizer!
*Went to Kiev, Ukraine to interview w/Yale's alum there, Nick Halliwell. 18 hours by train (to avoid the break-away repulic of Transniestria-SO IRRITATING!), 12 hours in the city, and then 12 hours by train back to Chisinau, Moldova (took the train THRU Transniestria on the way back). The interview went ok (he was inscrutable, being British), and to celebrate/relax, I took myself for sushi and walked around Independence Square. Had a lovely visit with new friends from UNDP CRP & stayed at a former PCV's apartment (although she wasn't there-she left the keys for me! Go Ann!) Other point of interest: on the way back, a Transniestrian border guard entered my train car and told all the passengers to get 7 Lei ready as a 'transit fee'. When he got to my cabin, the Russian guy I was sharing the berth with, starts going off about 'receipts' and 'being from Russia' (I can keep up with 30% of the conversation in Russian at best-and from what I gathered, the passenger was giving the border guard lip). The guard takes off to get his boss, and all the while I'm still hunting for another 2 Lei (I had the money, but I figured if I didn't give him exactly 7 Lei, he wasn't going to give me change back.) The guard never came back-and the train starts moving again. And then, SHOCKINGLY, the Russian passenger turns to me, and in clear English-ok, with a strong Boris/Natasha/cold War Accent-"I do not believe in bribes." We'd been together for 10 hours and he hadn't said BOO in English before then! So cool. Because of his actions, I didn't have to pay the money either.
*Speaking of Transniestria, I spent a week in Dubasari (in the forbidden republic-with special permission from the director of PC & THE US AMBASSADOR!) as a counselor for an English summer camp for kids with disabilities-and their families. The camp was held at a resort hotel on the shores of the Nistru River-and I managed to sun myself, relax, and shower daily. As well as teach kids the words "booger", "snot", and "butt-head". They taught me 'Tormoz'- 'asshole' in Russian slang.
*Conversely, in June, I was a counselor at a another camp-GLOW. Think wooden cabins w/mice & bugs, latrines which were unlit holes (I explained to my girls in cabin 2 that the trees were 'thirsty at night'...as the latrines were a good 10 minutes away), and hot-dog related food poisoning. It was the national girls' leadership camp, and 1lthough the digs were 'rustic'-it was more like a week-long workshop than a traditional YMCA experience.. I taught seminars on inter-personal communication & HIV transmission prevention - but also helped explain kickball in Romanian (oy! So many specific terms that sound so DUMB in another language), led tie-dyeing (and vamped for 10 minutes a session-as the shirts were pre-soaking-about 'The History of Tie-Dye'), and fed a stray mommy dog (I named her Marge, found her 4 puppies, and encouraged all the girls at camp to collect their leftover meat and noodles, which became Marge-chow. Marge gained at least 5 pounds that week and would come to me, no matter where on the property I was, if I called for her.). So fun yet so hot/sticky/dirty/gross. On the last night, the girls performed skits for the camp-and I was honored when one of their skit characters spoke 'Seanne-language' (limba Seanneasca), which is a mix of Romanian, Russian & the occasional American swear word.
*I moved into my own apartment this summer. 5th floor, 3 rooms, kitchen, sometimes hot water, resonably flushing toilet, scary Russian gas heater, and a room for the cat-Sveta. I've been having problems lately (now that it's winter) with my apartment's heat turning off on its own-only to find out that the problem isn't my heater, but the town's gas pressure. Iguess if too many people turn their heat on at once (i.e. demand gas) there isn't enough to reacy my apartment and my heat goes out (and the pilot light extinguishes). The same for my water. How wierd that I have the money and desire for something, but it isn't available to be purchased. Luckily, the cat has enough fur and sense to snuggle into my sleeping bag when the heat goes out and I'm out of town. I find her, when I get home, nested into a sleeping-bag-igloo, icy-pawed-and-nosed, meowing softly. To make up for it, I give her fake crab bits and let her sleep on my head. And yes, I'm still allergic to cats.
*Turned 30. For the occasion I had 3 celebrations. the first, I hosted, featured fried chicken fingers, 7-layer salad, & spaghetti & meatballs served to my old host fam, some neighbors, and 2 PCVs. On the day of, I was in Topala where there was a contained champagne toast to me at the mayor's office & I spent the night at Laura's house. Then finally, the Saturday after, 10 volunteer from all over Moldova converged on my apartment (luckily it was still clean from the weekend before) for a chili dinner and disco night. Lots of house wine, champagne, and peanut butter cookies. A good time. I got a toaster & lots of dishes as presents. Feel EXACTLY the same as 29 - it wasn't that big of a deal - only to the Moldovan ladies who think its high time I get married (to their sons).
*New Years 2005. Just me and Darcie Brownback (niece of uber-conservative senator Sam Brownback BTW). After a liter and a half of Darcie's host family's house wine, we were primed for New Years Eve in downtown Chisinau: the outdoor concert (lipsynched), the cartoon characters smoking unfiltered cigarettes and having 'Sto Gram' (100 grams-in Russian-of vodka), and the setting off of bottle rockets (without the bottles-you just have to hold them loosely I learned). At midnight, I kissed a Russian & French speaking Chinese chef. Weird, but fun
*Post script: Coming into Chisinau today, I saw the back half of a smooshed turkey in the road. Obviously, someone didn't quite buy into the social contract/shared responsibility thing.
*PPS: It iced over last night and I went FLYING down the (un-guardrailed, un-salted) stairs of Zorista Lux after meeting w/Mihai, the owner. Doctor Lica measured my purple & black hip/butt bruise this morning: 6 inches by 4 inches. I believe my 'padding' saved me from a fractured pelvis.