Finally!
Finally, after two weeks without a computer, I think I am finally back online and the computer is working the way it is supposed to. I had my Internet service upgraded, but like many things here, the process was much more involved and time-consuming than I expected. There were a couple of days where I was very frustrated, to say the least. The Internet "cafe" in town is not really a cafe, and is filled with adolescent boys playing video games. There are 7 computers, and three of them are hooked up to the Internet. A wait of anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to check email. Again, my patience has been tested, and I have made it through another test...
Since I last wrote, the Center has really moved forward in a very positive way. The first week of December, there was a lot of entertaining of local community members, the funders, and then some dignitaries/funders from the World Bank. They had come from Kiev and Chisinau, and were offered traditional Moldovan cuisine, which they seemed to enjoy. There were lots of questions, and emails were exchanged. Last week was spent doing home visits with the social workers to some of the elderly residents of village who might be interested in moving into the Center for the Winter, along with visits to families who have orphan children. These children might only have both parents working outside of the country, and be living with other relatives, or one or both parents might not be able to care for their children, not necessarily orphans in the sense that both parents are deceased. I went along to visit some of the elderly, and the conditions under which some people live here are indescribably bad. Just so sad, worse than anything I have ever seen. And, I've seen a lot. Today, some children and elderly people began to move in, most with just with a bag of clothing. That's all they brought, and maybe all they have. Again, so sad. And, today the heat and water in the building did not work. It was cold. I am sure nicer and warmer than where these folks may have been living, but cold. I hope everything is working the way it is supposed to by tomorrow. **Note on Tuesday: We have 4 elderly women, and 6 little girls living at the Center. Lots and lots of females in my life now...It's a good time! I think I speak at the level of a 3 or 4 year old, so I am in good company.
Another thing that has been talked about in town, is another death of a young person from the village. This is the fourth death of a young person since I have been here. There were the two that I wrote about in June, and then in September there was a beating of a young man along the road where I walk. It was late at night and two other men from a neighboring village beat him, and he died. This young man, 25, was killed in a car accident in Chisinau. His father was working in Russia and his mother is in Italy. She was not able to come home, as she is there illegally, and would not be able to return. I did hear that his father did come home. As a mother, that is one of the saddest circumstances that I have heard in a long time.
With the colder weather, I am still walking, but finding more time to read. It is dark so early, and so I am reading more. I have finished 1001 Arabian Nights; 750 pages, with 150 pages of end notes! I have been reading a lot of historical fiction: First, War and Peace, then two novels of the Tudor reign, The Queen's Fool about Queen Mary, The Virgin's Lover, about the early years of Queen Elizabeth, both by Phillipa Gregory; Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak; Two books sent by my mom: October Sky, by Homer Hickam, Jr. and The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. This week I have read Between Two Worlds by Sadhana Banerjee, and two books by David Sedaris: Barrel Fever and Naked.
The weather is definitely December weather. Not the icy mess that has been in Maine this past week, but cold and damp. This past weekend was the brightest full moon I can remember for a long time. I traveled with some of the other volunteers to just north of Orhei to visit with Toumil in her village. We had a nice slumber party, Thai food and sappy movies. Just four girls, hanging out in Telenesti. It was a nice getaway. There is no holiday hustle and bustle. Following the Orthodox calendar, Christmas is celebrated here on January 7, and New Year's is on January 14th. It sure will be quiet here on the 25th. I'm glad I have saved a package to open! Birthday greetings, some of them late because of not being online, to: Mike, Adena, Shawn, Aleece, Martha, Michele's grandson, who just celebrated his first birthday, Emile and Robin. Hope you have/had great birthdays! Now that I'm re-connected, I hope to write more regularly. Miss you all. XOXO, Jami
PS. A funny note aside. I typed this yesterday, and then lost service until just about an hour ago when I got home from work! Thank goodness Blogger auto saves stuff, and I didn't have to re-create everything!
Since I last wrote, the Center has really moved forward in a very positive way. The first week of December, there was a lot of entertaining of local community members, the funders, and then some dignitaries/funders from the World Bank. They had come from Kiev and Chisinau, and were offered traditional Moldovan cuisine, which they seemed to enjoy. There were lots of questions, and emails were exchanged. Last week was spent doing home visits with the social workers to some of the elderly residents of village who might be interested in moving into the Center for the Winter, along with visits to families who have orphan children. These children might only have both parents working outside of the country, and be living with other relatives, or one or both parents might not be able to care for their children, not necessarily orphans in the sense that both parents are deceased. I went along to visit some of the elderly, and the conditions under which some people live here are indescribably bad. Just so sad, worse than anything I have ever seen. And, I've seen a lot. Today, some children and elderly people began to move in, most with just with a bag of clothing. That's all they brought, and maybe all they have. Again, so sad. And, today the heat and water in the building did not work. It was cold. I am sure nicer and warmer than where these folks may have been living, but cold. I hope everything is working the way it is supposed to by tomorrow. **Note on Tuesday: We have 4 elderly women, and 6 little girls living at the Center. Lots and lots of females in my life now...It's a good time! I think I speak at the level of a 3 or 4 year old, so I am in good company.
Another thing that has been talked about in town, is another death of a young person from the village. This is the fourth death of a young person since I have been here. There were the two that I wrote about in June, and then in September there was a beating of a young man along the road where I walk. It was late at night and two other men from a neighboring village beat him, and he died. This young man, 25, was killed in a car accident in Chisinau. His father was working in Russia and his mother is in Italy. She was not able to come home, as she is there illegally, and would not be able to return. I did hear that his father did come home. As a mother, that is one of the saddest circumstances that I have heard in a long time.
With the colder weather, I am still walking, but finding more time to read. It is dark so early, and so I am reading more. I have finished 1001 Arabian Nights; 750 pages, with 150 pages of end notes! I have been reading a lot of historical fiction: First, War and Peace, then two novels of the Tudor reign, The Queen's Fool about Queen Mary, The Virgin's Lover, about the early years of Queen Elizabeth, both by Phillipa Gregory; Dr. Zhivago, Boris Pasternak; Two books sent by my mom: October Sky, by Homer Hickam, Jr. and The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. This week I have read Between Two Worlds by Sadhana Banerjee, and two books by David Sedaris: Barrel Fever and Naked.
The weather is definitely December weather. Not the icy mess that has been in Maine this past week, but cold and damp. This past weekend was the brightest full moon I can remember for a long time. I traveled with some of the other volunteers to just north of Orhei to visit with Toumil in her village. We had a nice slumber party, Thai food and sappy movies. Just four girls, hanging out in Telenesti. It was a nice getaway. There is no holiday hustle and bustle. Following the Orthodox calendar, Christmas is celebrated here on January 7, and New Year's is on January 14th. It sure will be quiet here on the 25th. I'm glad I have saved a package to open! Birthday greetings, some of them late because of not being online, to: Mike, Adena, Shawn, Aleece, Martha, Michele's grandson, who just celebrated his first birthday, Emile and Robin. Hope you have/had great birthdays! Now that I'm re-connected, I hope to write more regularly. Miss you all. XOXO, Jami
PS. A funny note aside. I typed this yesterday, and then lost service until just about an hour ago when I got home from work! Thank goodness Blogger auto saves stuff, and I didn't have to re-create everything!
posted by Jami | 11:35 AM
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