Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for in this world. My family, my friends, my health, good work to do everywhere in the world, sunny skies, the list goes on....

This week, however, started out with a little bit of a problem. About an hour after I wrote last, I was carrying a teakettle of boiling water to the other house to help with dishes after the masa, tripped and fell, spilling boiling water all over my right (writing) hand. Ouch!!! I have second degree burns, with gross, oozing blisters on the top of my hand. The pain was pretty bad on Sunday night, but is much better now. I called the PC doctor Sunday right after it happened, came into Chisinau on Monday to have it looked at, and it is, and I am fine. What a klutz! Really, it wasn't totally my fault, although I know I probably shouldn't have been carrying boiling water through a dark vineyard without a flashlight, but someone had moved a bench into the path, and of course I didn't see it in the dark. Este viata! That's life!

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty quiet. No activity at the Center yesterday, and only some housekeeping folks there on Tuesday when I walked past. Next week I will be focused on that work, for sure.

Today, to take care of myself, I have come into Chisinau and will be heading up to see my friend, Teresa, in her town. She has planned a Mexican feast for her family, and invited me to join with them. Tomorrow we are heading together to Orhei, a larger town about an hour north of Chisinau, to have a Turkey celebration with some other volunteers: turkey with all the stuff that goes with the big bird, football, games, sounds like fun.

The year that I was 18 I lived in Sweden for the year. I had a blast. I was young, care-free and without responsibilities. That sounds much better than irresponsible, don't you think? That year, the only day I remember being homesick was on Thanksgiving day, talking to my family. This journey has been fraught with so many more challenges for me. I have struggled much more with the issues of cares and responsibilities, and all that I have left for others to assume in my absence. Funny how maturity can do that....Anyway, this time I have done what I can to prepare for this time of year, to stay busy, to remember why this service time was important to me. I am thankful everyday. This is really just one more day to be thankful. It, and the 4th of July, are my favorite holidays. I'll see you all soon. I think its now around 135 days! A special happy birthday this month to my brother-in-law, Donald, and to my good friend, Lisa B. both of whom are now fifty!!! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! Love you and miss you all, XOXO, Jami

A Busy Week

This was the busiest week I have had here since training ended at the beginning of May. It still wasn't terribly busy when I compare it with where I was last year, working full-time at both Sweetser and Bean's, but I can't compare my Moldovan life to any other life I have ever lived. I have to remind myself of that fact quite often. It is so different here, and I am living a different life. Unlike anything else I have ever done, the things I do here are different. In both good and not-so-good ways.

Last Sunday when I wrote, I was fairly sure that the painting of the fence at the Center was done. I was wrong. When I went to work there last Monday morning, there was more painting to be done. On the fence. Little white accent painting. I was not in the mood for more cold, miserable painting, but I came here to work, and not to complain, and I don't really know how to gripe in Romanian, so we all were spared my bad mood, and paint, I did. All day Monday, and most of the day Tuesday. Frumos! (pretty!) Wednesday and Thursday I worked with the same group of women who did the painting to prepare the food for Friday's celebration. All of the food was prepared at the Russian School, and then brought up to the Center on Thursday evening. Everything was in place and put together for Friday morning. I didn't do my English club on Monday or Tuesday because of the preparations for the Center, and I heard from my language tutor that kids were waiting for me on Tuesday, so that is on the agenda for this week.

The Grand Opening was grand! There were lots of regional dignitaries, singing, dancing, flowers, speeches, and then lots and lots of food. A true Moldovan celebration if ever there was one. The rumor mill had been saying the the President of Moldova, President Vronin, who had been in the village to dedicate the new road back in June, was planning to attend. He didn't make it, but other than that, I think everything went as planned. The priest came and blessed the building. There is no separation of church and state here in Moldova. It was a cold and cloudy day, but the energy was high, and there were a lot of positive comments from community members and visitors from Chisinau. The Peace Corps Program Manager, Ana, came for the opening, along with my friends, Teresa, Rian, and Annie. Annie is heading home in about three weeks. She is in the 19 group, as was Renell. Annie was first assigned to this village, and then had some health problems, and moved to a larger town in the North, Orhei. For her, it was coming full-circle to be back here after a year and a half. She commented that there weren't many changes that she noticed at first, but the town seemed poorer than she remembered. Maybe her perspective is different as she has been living in Orhei for over a year. Or, maybe it has gotten poorer. I don't have any frame of reference for comparison. I will agree that it is a poor town, but people here are so open and generous, it really doesn't feel poor to me. During the opening speeches, one of the dignitaries commented that the project to open this Center has been four years in the making. That is a long time, but often government sponsored projects take that long at home, so in perspective, that may not be so long. I know that actual construction began at the beginning of June, so that feels like it went pretty quickly. Overall, a good day, a great celebration, and a lot for this town to be proud of.

Friday, after the celebration, Annie stayed at the house with me, and Lidia. Annie had also lived in this home, in the same room as I am staying in, so, as I wrote earlier, this really did give her some closure on her time here. I think she was really glad she came back to see the village, and Lidia and Natalia, and others. She left to go back to Chisinau on the 5 am bus yesterday, so she didn't have a lot of time here, but a good visit.

When I had come back from Chisinau last weekend, I noticed that the well and the Icon on the corner had been painted. Lots of painting going on in the cold weather, apparently! Yesterday, the day was spent preparing for the blessing of the Icon and the well, which just happened about 2 hours ago. The priest and other religious people, along with the entire neighborhood gathered for the blessing and then a giant masa. Masa means table, or, in this case, table overflowing with food. Moldovan food. Most of it good, and some of it unusual, but lots and lots of food. Everything is served in small serving bowls, and everyone gets a fork and eats communally. Double-dipping is the way to go! Lots and lots of wine. Everyone here makes their own, and it is one thing that everyone is proud of and shares liberally. Last weekend at Maria's I had some of her home-made wine, and now I am at the house away from the masa for a bit, so I don't overdue it again. I don't even like wine that much, but it is expected that you drink here. I have not been to a social event where wine was not offered to all ages. I have seen parents share with their young children, toddlers, teenagers. Not a lot, and maybe not a problem, but surely a different way of life.

Yesterday afternoon the weather was terrible. Blinding, sideways rain, and bitter, chilling-to-the-bone cold. I got messages from my friends in other parts of Moldova that they were getting snow. I didn't go outside until this morning, when everything was covered with a dusting of snow. Cold going to the outhouse, that's for sure! It is still very cold, but the sun was shining all day. Now it is about 3:50, and the sun is setting. Oh well. Only a few more weeks before the days start getting longer. Have a good Thanksgiving, and know that everyday I am most thankful for my family and my friends. You are always in my thoughts, and I miss you all everyday. xoxo, Jami

The hardest time of year

Its the middle of November. I don't hate the cold, but I don't really like it, either. But what is most difficult thing about this time of year, for me, is the darkness. I want to live in the light. Or at the very least, somewhere lighter. I don't like that it is dark before 5 pm here, and doesn't get light until after 7 am. It is not so different from Maine, but I didn't like the late fall darkness there, either. And, even though I just said that I don't hate the cold, this year it has taken on a new meaning. I don't like the outhouse in the cold, I don't like bathing out of a bucket in a house that doesn't really get warm, and I don't like when there is ice on the bucket of well water in the morning! Yuck! Every year, I struggle through these last few months of the calendar year, from September through the Winter solstice, knowing that the light will soon enough reverse itself. Personally, this is also a time of year filled with anniversaries of personal loss, yesterday being the ninth anniversary of John's death. I'll be in better shape in January. Even though it will probably be colder, I will at least be comforted knowing that the light is increasing a little bit everyday.

Knowing that this weekend would be a time of potential sadness, I worked really hard this past week to stay busy. It's always been my best defense mechanism against the blues. The week started out with a national teachers strike which began on Monday and was resolved by Wednesday night. The teachers did get a small increase in salary, but are still under-paid compared to other countries. Not necessarily compared to other professionals in Moldova, but compared to other teachers in other parts of the world. An average teacher here makes about $120 a month. Not a whole lot of money, that for sure. Peace Corps staff shared with volunteers some statistics from the US Legatum Institute, http://www.li.com/, about the prosperity level of Moldova. According to their report, Moldova ranks 84th out of 104 countries, between Honduras and Pakistan, and the lowest rating among European nations.

The strike only had a very minimal impact on me, in that Lidia had more free time and was at home more this week than usual. I spent the week, which for the most part was very cold and very damp, painting the fence at the Center. Not fun. Not fun at all. Too cold, for one thing, and it was so cold that the oil-based paint was like glue, even with paint thinner added! It is now a green fence, which is still in my hair and on one pair of jeans that I wore everyday to paint in. I painted with several other women all day on Monday and Wednesday. On Thursday there was only the gate to finish, but it was raining, and the paint wouldn't adhere to anything, so someone else probably has finished it up. The Grand Opening was originally scheduled for tomorrow morning, but Friday morning while I was in Chisinau, I got a call saying that the opening has been postponed until this coming Friday, 11/21. That should be a good thing to help get all of the details done and make everything nice.

My friend, Kim, pointed out to me that I haven't really written about what the Center will be used for. The money for this project came from the Moldovan government to provide social assistance to different villages across the country. There is also money that was donated to this project through a development grant from the Swedish International Development Assistance (SIDA) program. My village has used the money to create this Residential Center, which will be able to provide supported living for both children and the elderly together. I have worked in both kinds of facilities, but never in a facility which worked to serve both populations at the same time. It should be interesting. The plan is to have 4 elderly residents and 8 orphans living there. At the same time. There are two rooms for each age group, but the kids get bunk-beds, so each of the two rooms can have 4 kids in them at the same time. The furniture is in place, the opening is scheduled, and the interviewing for staff is happening. Progress, a little bit at a time. I'm still not sure that it is entirely clear how staff will be paid, or who exactly will be living there, but every little bit moves the project forward. The concept of a needs assessment seemed to be a new idea, but welcomed. I do feel that I am listened to, and respected for my opinions, so sometimes it feels like I need to remember to keep my mouth shut and let this community figure out this project without me, or with less input from me. I like being consulted, but not necessarily deferred to, and we are all working together on that one.

Knowing that the weekend would be a difficult time for me, I had made plans to spend the time in Chisinau. Just getting out of the village for a day or two can be refreshing. I went into town on Friday morning, got my flu shot and my B12 shot, went out to lunch with Teresa and then to my first host family for a visit. Drank too much home-made wine, and spoke Romanian for hours! Hours! Without a break! I had a good time, but yesterday I paid for it. I attended training all day for the Peer Support Network, PSN, and by the end of the day I was tired and weepy. But, after training all day I went back to Maria's for more of the same! I must have a masochistic bone somewhere in my body! I drank some more last night, much less than Friday night, but both nights I slept in the bed with Dorina and Viorica and had elbows and knees poking me all night long. Oh well, sometimes you get what you ask for. Today was much more relaxing, even though it was long. I spent much of the day relaxing with some of my fellow volunteers in the Peace Corps lounge, went to the first meeting of book club, and sat on a slow bus ride home for three hours. All and all, not too bad. Only six more weeks until the solstice. When I make it to that time, I know I will have made it through another milestone. My thoughts this week are especially with Betsy, as Moby is celebrating his first birthday, and her mother is having some health problems, and with Kirsten. I hope the fires in SoCal are far from you all and that you are safe. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Election 2008 and school vacation week

One of the last things that I did before leaving Maine last February was to participate in the Democratic caucus in Brunswick. Since that time, I have been spared the incessant commercials, and all of the other hoopla that goes with a Presidential election. That doesn't mean that I don't care about the election process, only that I have felt relieved not to have had to deal with the entire process. We did get a transcript of the concession speech by John McCain, along with the acceptance speech by Barack Obama. Both men clearly care deeply for America, and each would have brought their experience to lead the country forward. We are walking forward in history. This really is an amazing and proud time for America. Living in Moldova and hearing the comments and conversing with people here, they are often surprised and pleased that America has chosen Obama to be our next President. The comments and questions I have heard usually start with the race issue, but have quickly moved to content. With the exception of one person from home, whom I know clearly represents the religious, and very conservative perspective, and who has taken this win by Obama somewhat personally and written inflammatory comments in public forums, this seems to be a win for many, many people. Let's all hope that this optimism and good will carries us all forward in positive ways.

Closer to where I am, this has been school vacation week in Moldova. The week has been even slower than usual. Lidia was on an excursion to Crimea, and her daughter, Natasha was here at the house with me. Again, lots of walking and reading. I finished War and Peace, and then read a really trashy quick novel, Wild Silver, just to give me some perspective after War and Peace. It was so slow this week that I also read The Prairie, by James Fenimore Cooper. This book is the last in the Leatherstocking Tales, and is the end of the trail for Natty Bumppo. Antiquated language aside, it was a good story. Now I have started 1001 Arabian Nights, with tons (!) of footnotes. Again, close to 1000 pages, so this might take me almost into December.

The Center is done, furniture in place, and the Grand Opening is scheduled for next Monday, the 17th. I have invited some Peace Corps staff and some other volunteers to come for the day, and I'm hopeful that they will make it here. I'm not exactly sure what will happen after the opening, but starting this week, I have a place to go and almost "real" work to do. Natalia has started interviewing potential staff, but as far as I can understand, no real decisions about residents have been made yet. I'm along for the ride, wherever it takes me....

The weather, which up until the middle of the week had been warm and cloudy, is now once again cooler and crisp. The days, short as they are, have been sunny. This past week most of the gardens have been turned over for winter, and the fields have the beginning sprouts of winter rye and wheat.

I talked to my parents this past week. My mom continues to do amazingly well. Her health is good, and they are looking forward to St. Croix in January. My grandparents had a good visit with them and they are now back in New York. Linnea sounds happy, and seems to be doing well back in Reading. Aunt Brenda, Uncle Larry, Aunt Donna and Uncle Bob are all there and super-supportive, along with Nicki and her other friends. It's still hard to relax and totally "let go". For a laid-back kind of person, there sure seems to be a lot that simmers just beyond my control. The coming weeks are bringing some challenges for a special friend. I will say my little prayers of support from this distance, and hope that all goes well. I miss you all. xoxo. Jami

Warm

I know its been over a week since I have written here, but I have a good excuse, really I do. Since last Saturday, 10/25, my computer has not been working. There are such extreme power surges, and even with a surge protector, electronic devices take a beating here in Moldova. I finally got it fixed this past Friday, so hopefully it will be good again for a while.

Last week was warm and sunny most of the week, and today it feels like it must be close to 60 degrees! Last weekend Teresa did come to the village for a visit. We did some walking, and watched lots of movies on her computer and drank hot chocolate with marshmallows, and ate toast. Last Sunday I broke down and bought a toaster. I know that my family here thinks its silly to make toast when bread can be just as good stale, (!)
but I like it warm. Yummy!

Last Monday was Hram in the village. Hram is the day honoring the patron saint of the village. I had thought it was just the Village Day, but as with many things here, there is a religious connection to the festivities. The day starts with the ringing of the village church bells, and day- long church services. Unlike at home, here in the village, the service seems to be continuous, and people stop in at the church and stay as long or as little as they like. There have been banners flying at either end of the village, announcing a concert starting at 2 in front of the Mayor's Office/Town Hall. The actual concert was at 4, in front of the school! Close, but not really accurate information on those banners! The concert went on for several hours, and apparently there were fireworks at the end, around 10 pm. It was a chilly night, and really, not that interesting, so I had left around 7.

Tuesday afternoon I met with my tutor at the school after English club. We met from 4-6pm, and when we were done, we realized that we were locked in the school! He called the School Director, who said that the security person, or someone with keys would be over in a while. After waiting a few minutes Ion found a window that could be opened, and we climbed out. In the process, I dropped my glasses. I found them on Wednesday morning, right where they had fallen out of my pocket just under the window. Just a little adventure to keep things interesting!

Wednesday was a day for moving furniture. All of the furniture was moved into place in the Residential Center. There is a little more furniture than there is room for all of it, but it looks great! I think the opening ceremonies should be taking place soon, but I haven't heard a date yet, or when it is expected that people will be moving in, but there is significant progress, and that feels really good. I have heard that the President of Moldova will be attending the opening ceremonies. We'll see. Also, on Wednesday, Lidia and I moved some furniture in my room. Some big chairs were moved out and a table rearranged. My room feels so much more spacious now.

Thursday was a trip to Stefan Voda. It was sad to go there and not be able to stop and visit with Renell. I only needed to get to the bank to get my rent money out, so it was a really quick trip. When I say quick trip, I think I need to explain what a "quick trip" is here. The bus leaves my village at 2:30 in the afternoon. It is maybe 10 miles to Stefan Voda. The bus takes about an hour to get there, because it stops so many places to pick people/things up. This bus stops for absolutely everyone who needs a ride. So I get there around 3:30, walk to the bank, go in the "nice" market in Stefan Voda, quickly buy a few things, and go out to the road to wait for the bus back. While waiting at the bus stop a car from my village passes, I recognize the driver, and get a ride back with him. We talk, I tell him that I am an American, and we talk about the work I am here to do in his village. He asks me if I like apples. Sure. He stops and gives me a crate of apples! He wouldn't take any money at all. Sometimes people are so generous when they can least afford it, and when I least expect it. Sometimes the little things that happen are the most thoughtful. These are really, really good apples. I am loving it, and truly eating one a day. For years I had an allergy to fruit, but it seems to have disappeared. Hope it keeps the doctor away!

This past weekend was spent traveling. On Friday morning I was up for the 5 am bus to Chisinau, got my computer fixed, finally, and then went with Teresa and Eden up to Veronica's village in the north. The bus left Chisinau at 3:45 pm, and it was dark by the time we got to Veronica's. She had done an amazing job organizing a Halloween dance at her Casa de Cultura for the teenagers in her village. Many of them were wearing costumes. It was a lot of fun! Veronica has a site mate, Judie, so there were five of us volunteers visiting with her host family. They are such a fun couple. They had made pizza (really good pizza) and lots and lots of drinking (not by me) and dancing (yup, me too) was going on. Teresa and Eden stayed later, but I needed to get the bus home yesterday afternoon, so I was up and out early yesterday morning. When I got home, Lidia told me that she was going to a training in the Ukraine for the week, and she was leaving early this morning. It was good that I decided to come home a little early, as it simplified things at this end. Today has been quiet. I did get a call from my grandmother, a nice treat! and talked to my parents on Wednesday afternoon. Things with all of them are going well. Linnea is also doing well, and still looking for work. I talk to her a couple of times a week.

This past week it was birthday time for Daniel, James, Adrienne, and Helen. Happy birthday to each of you! xoxo, Jami