Happy Labor Day!
Labor Day here is celebrated on May 1st, but for my friends and family today is Labor Day. It is the unofficial last day of Summer, a day for picnics and parades and family gatherings. Here, today, it is too cold for a picnic. There is still watermelon on the menu daily, and the grapes are ripe on the vine, but all week-end it has been rainy, cold and miserable. The weather feels more like November than September. Since I'll be home in November, I'm gonna just let myself pretend for a bit that it IS November. Soon enough. Or not really soon enough, but only 63 days, and counting.
In an effort to save as much money as possible toward the last purchase of tickets, and because there is no real reason to travel to the capitol, I have been in the village for the past month. It is a quiet life, but busy with harvesting activities. My work at the Center is consistent and productive. There have been fewer kids and elderly folks staying there these past few weeks and the pace has been slow and easy. This past Tuesday, September 1st, was the first day of school in Moldova. At my village school they had a very sweet ceremony on the first day. It included the usual flowers and speeches that I've become accustomed to, but there was also a part of the ceremony that had the young adults of the 12th form escorting the youngest children entering school for the first time, through the village and into the school courtyard before the ceremony began. These "seniors" have a responsibility throughout the year for the two youngsters, one in each hand, that they escorted this first day of school to see that they are adjusting well, making progress, not getting picked on. Really, very nice. I'm so glad that this year I remembered my camera. Some of you saw my pictures of the graduation ceremony last year at this school, but this first day of school is much different. There is a seriousness and a solemnity to the first day of school that was replaced at the graduation ceremony with joyous over-dress and a sense of completion. Of the two ceremonies that I've been privileged to witness, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the first day of school over graduation. Hands down.
So, other than the first day of school, the weather, and counting down the days, there isn't too much new. My good friend, Teresa, just left after a long weekend visit. We worked on, and finished making a movie of my pictures so that I have it for presentations if needed when I come home. I tried to limit it to less than 10 minutes so I could put it on YouTube, but I just have too many pictures that I wanted to include and it ended up being a little over 12 minutes. It's not great, but it's something new that I've learned how to do, and I'm proud of that. It was great having her company and a productive weekend. Thanks for the mail, snail and email, and the phone calls. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami
In an effort to save as much money as possible toward the last purchase of tickets, and because there is no real reason to travel to the capitol, I have been in the village for the past month. It is a quiet life, but busy with harvesting activities. My work at the Center is consistent and productive. There have been fewer kids and elderly folks staying there these past few weeks and the pace has been slow and easy. This past Tuesday, September 1st, was the first day of school in Moldova. At my village school they had a very sweet ceremony on the first day. It included the usual flowers and speeches that I've become accustomed to, but there was also a part of the ceremony that had the young adults of the 12th form escorting the youngest children entering school for the first time, through the village and into the school courtyard before the ceremony began. These "seniors" have a responsibility throughout the year for the two youngsters, one in each hand, that they escorted this first day of school to see that they are adjusting well, making progress, not getting picked on. Really, very nice. I'm so glad that this year I remembered my camera. Some of you saw my pictures of the graduation ceremony last year at this school, but this first day of school is much different. There is a seriousness and a solemnity to the first day of school that was replaced at the graduation ceremony with joyous over-dress and a sense of completion. Of the two ceremonies that I've been privileged to witness, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the first day of school over graduation. Hands down.
So, other than the first day of school, the weather, and counting down the days, there isn't too much new. My good friend, Teresa, just left after a long weekend visit. We worked on, and finished making a movie of my pictures so that I have it for presentations if needed when I come home. I tried to limit it to less than 10 minutes so I could put it on YouTube, but I just have too many pictures that I wanted to include and it ended up being a little over 12 minutes. It's not great, but it's something new that I've learned how to do, and I'm proud of that. It was great having her company and a productive weekend. Thanks for the mail, snail and email, and the phone calls. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami
posted by Jami | 11:34 AM
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