What I will miss

Yesterday I was in Chisinau for the day. It was the second to the last VAC meeting, and while the agenda was fairly brief, there were home-made brownies and fresh coffee courtesy of Jeffrey. Just before the meeting I was talking with one of the newer volunteers about our end of service. He asked me what I will miss about Moldova, and I had no hesitation in coming up with several things that I will miss about this country.

I will miss living close to my food. Okay, maybe not so close that I know the name of the chicken that we are eating tonight for dinner, but I think you know what I mean. Besides that, they don't name the chickens here at this house. I know it is now an idea that has gained some momentum in the US, but here in my village, people survive on the crops that they plant, and the food that they preserve. It has been a healthy and tasty couple of years for me. Along the same lines, I will miss the time that I have had to walk everyday, and the way that it always makes me feel better, physically and mentally, after a good long walk. I have the best of intentions of continuing with both of these things, and I am hopeful that some of this will stick with me throughout my life.

Another thing that I will miss is the crazy efficiency of the public transportation system here in Moldova. I do not care if I never ride on another ruteria again in my life, but it is an amazingly complicated and supportive network of moving people, household items, small animals, and whatever needs to be moved. Wherever you need to go, and whatever you need to take with you, you can probably figure out some public transportation means to move it. It make not be comfortable, or particularly time efficient, but it is effective. We don't really have system of public transportation outside of the bigger cities in the US, except for inter-and intra-city travel. If you live in Durham, or Rifton, or Bowers, how do you get to Portland or Kingston or to Reading if you don't have a car? That is the biggest benefit of the system here. There are rutieras that go to every little village in the country. They may only go through once a day, but everyone knows when they need to be outside waiting. The other thing that they do here which is pretty amazing, is they will go out of their way to accommodate a special request or to drop someone off in front of their home. If someone needs to go to the train station, for example, the driver will alternate his route to take a passenger close to where they need to go. For the most part the drivers are helpful, accommodating and well-respected members of the communities in which they live. They often will just carry goods, and/or money from the villages into the raion center or to Chisinau. I have seen someone give my driver just a cell phone with a $20 (US dollar bill) to take to someone in the city. No note to sign, nothing. Incredible. Sometimes they do have someone sign a note, but I think that is for when the driver doesn't know the person who is supposed to pick up the item, so he doesn't forget who it goes to.

Of course there are other things that I will miss, and there are people for sure that I will miss. I have been humbled by the generosity of those with so little to give. I have been lucky to have done this thing, and I have persevered. Now, I just want it to get warmer and to come home! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami