Dreams and schemes

The end of April

2011-04-28T13:16:00.002-04:00

In two days, April, 2011, will be over. When I updated this blog last month, I was wanting to make a stronger commitment to regular writing. That has not come to pass. Instead, my days have been busy with work and family, struggling to figure out how to do the same things with continued enthusiasm. I am content most days, but there are parts of almost everyday that encompass some sort of struggle. Here are the big highlights of the past month, not one of which is really mine to own, but each highlight is listed because it is an accomplishment of someone that I care about. My daughter and son-in-law have moved out of my home and are moving into their own apartment. This was not really an easy decision for any of us, and it is now feeling more comfortable than it felt a few weeks ago. Moving out. My friend and her husband will be moving to Azerbaijan, where she will become a Country Director for Peace Corps. Moving up. My grandmother is now safely back in NY, and doing phenomenally well once again, at 93, after another health scare in Mississippi. Moving on. My days are busy with work and worry, friends and fun. Just keepin' on, keepin' on. Short and sweet, and I'll try to get back to you all sooner. xoxo, Jami

Spring!

2011-03-20T14:12:00.002-04:00

Last night there was an amazing full moon, and today is the first full day of Spring! The days are longer and the sun is warmer. Its all good, and very welcome. Last week was stressful for me, on a couple of levels, and the time to think and relax this weekend was so welcome and needed. I have moved back into a job at Sweetser that is very similar to the job that I had before I left, supervising case managers. I like my job, and I am always grateful to be working. That doesn't mean that it doesn't get stressful sometimes. I am spending more time in a vehicle than I have in probably close to three years, and I have to say, that as much as I have always loved driving, I really don't seem to like it as much as I used to. For so long, and the whole time I was in Moldova, I spent most of my time walking, or riding on public transportation. Maybe it would be a little less stressful if I had a vehicle that I loved to spend time in, but I am not convinced that it would even make much of a difference. Walking just seems to be my preferred way to get around now. Oh, it would be wonderful to have a job that I could walk to everyday!

So, the past week was stressful. Driving, combined with the weather, which was not Spring-like at all, worry about the sorry state of affairs all over the world, worry about Japan and the feeling that Armegeddon is near, all contributed to a really stressed out kind of week. By Friday afternoon, after being tired and grumpy for a few days, I was ready to just collapse. I spent the evening totally alone in my own home....something that has not happened for over three years. It was heavenly!! It was an opportunity for me to remember how wonderful solitude is for my soul. I love my life, my family, my man. I need quiet to restore my energy. I had spent time being upset that I felt that I was not being included in an activity that I thought I wanted to participate in. My emotions had been feeling hurt. People at home were not treating me as I felt I needed to be treated...what I came to realize in my solitude is that what I needed was not to be with others, but to be good with myself. Its good when you get what you need for yourself. So now, the beginning of the first week of Spring. New growth, new life, warmer sunnier days on the horizon. All is good in the world, or at least in this little corner of the world. Hope all is well with you! xoxo, Jami

Where to begin?

2011-03-06T14:19:00.002-05:00

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon, the first Sunday in March, 2011. This week it will mark a year since I have been home, a year of change back to my "normal" life, and a time of re-adjustment back to my familiar routines. I last wrote on here just about 10 months ago, in the middle of May. After coming home, I spent a little over two months living with Bob, and his family, on Bailey Island, before being able to move back into my own home. We went hiking, took long walks and spent an unseasonably warm Spring enjoying life along the Maine coast. By mid-June, I was back at work with my previous employer, this time as a per diem Assessment clinician. The Summer and Fall were punctuated by visits from my PCV friends, Macie and Craig in early July, and Renell in mid-September. Fall went by quickly, with LL Bean seasonal work, third shift as a "picker" to accompany my regular work, leading to the holiday season. The first Christmas home was poignantly sweet. It was everything I had missed over the previous two Christmases'. There was no special gift, either given or received, that could replace the happiness of being home.

January and February have brought nothing special to write about. The days are getting longer, the sun is higher in the sky, and I am now a full-time, salaried employee, back doing the work I was doing for the same organization as I was when I left three years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same. But, I have changed. I have been writing to the new volunteer who is placed in my old village in Moldova. I have a new friend who just left last week to start his Peace Corps service in Madagascar. I am proud of my service. I am even happier to be done with it and home than I had imagined I would be. I am wondering what the next adventures might look like. I am back to writing, and hope that I will be able to do this more consistently. Keep in touch. xoxo, Jami

Back again!

2010-05-16T08:13:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe how time has flown by...I've been back in the US now for just over two months and the time has gone by so quickly. I have spent time with family and friends, visiting, hiking, and now it is time to get down to some serious job searching.

The time visiting has been so wonderful. Being away from my family and friends was, by far, the most difficult part of being away for over two years. I've not done anything spectacular since being home, but just getting to spend time with the people that I love most in this world has been spectacular. I have spent some time in Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire and most of the time in Maine. This past week, my beloved Uncle and Godfather, Harold, died in New York state. I was not able to be with him at the very end, but I was glad to have been able to see him a few weeks ago. My grandmother is doing well, and continues to be such an inspiration to me. My father-in-law celebrated his 90th birthday this week, and the family is planning a party for later today in Pennsylvania. Even though I have not been present at some of these events, I do feel more connected by proximity than I have in the past few years. It does feel so good to be closer to the pleople that I love. Yesterday Linnea and I spent the day with my parents, and my sister and her youngest boy, Daniel. I was able to talk to my brother before he set sail this morning from St. Croix to Boston. It is priceless to me to be able to do that.

My home in Maine has been rented to some Bowdoin students who are ending the semester this week, and it will feel so good to feel settled back in my own space. It has been a bit of a challenge to have been "floating" from place to place for an additional two months, but the end of the nomadic life is within sight. I know I am feeling the pull to get back to the routine of home, job, family, and regular daily responsibilities.

Some of the time these past two months have been spent hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Maine with my good friend, Bob. It has been a time of exploration of some of the most beautiful and challenging landscape in the the country. We have hiked through snow, ice, and thawing mountains. We have seen the earliest signs of Spring in the hills, and spent quiet times by the fire. It has been the adventure that I imagined it could be, and I am so grateful that we have been able to do this. It is much more abbreviated than I had originally hoped, or even planned for, but even the best of times exist within the reality of expense and time constraints.

So, now it is time for the return to my "normal" life. I can't wait to see what comes next. I will continue to write here, perhaps more sporadically. There are still observations and musings that I imagine that I might want to share with all of you. See you soon. xoxo, Jami

Busy

2010-03-08T06:48:00.002-05:00

As I am winding down, ending this part of my life here in Moldova, I have found myself to be very busy this past week. Its not been anything major, just a lot of little details and long trips on the bus which have filled my days. Last Sunday I was in Chisinau, returning in the afternoon. Monday I was here in the village and updated this blog. Tuesday and Wednesday brought a trip back into Chisinau for medical appointments, and a last night with Macie and Craig. Wednesday afternoon it was back to the village, work on Thursday, return to Chisinau on Friday morning for the weekend, returning last night to have a pizza party with my co-worker at the Center, Nadea. Nothing major, but a lots of running around.

The events of this past weekend included a wine tour on Friday afternoon, a visit to my training village on Friday night with Toumil and Veronica, and a party with Teresa and about ten other volunteers on Saturday night. It was good to go back to my training village. Maria and her daughters, whom I lived with during my training time, have moved to Italy and were not around, so it was a little sad not to see them to say good-bye. Veronica's host family hosted the three of us for the night, and we had so much fun! We woke up to about 6" of wet, Spring snow on the ground. It was pretty, but I am ready for Spring! It has been cold since the weekend, so the warm weather of last week was a tease.

For those of you who remember the pre-service journey and time it took to get medically cleared for this service, it should come as no surprise that I am once again having some trouble with getting my medical stuff in-line to go home. As it was then, there is not a big problem, just lots of little things, and an ongoing requirement for more information before all the signatures will be given. This is not a huge thing, as I am healthy now as I was healthy then, but it does require more attention than I thought it would, and in this case, might require some follow-up once I am home. Just some details that need to be attended to when I thought an easy sign-off might be forthcoming. I'll still be home on Friday!

So now I am in the process of letting go, saying good-bye, moving on and back to my more familiar life and options. It is a contemplative process for me, as many things are. It is not as much about the packing, or the worry about what is next. I am mostly packed, and have been for a while. I don't worry too much about what is next. This experience has reinforced my existing values and taught me in new ways to be grateful for all that I have and not to worry about the details of my existence so much. I can't wait to be home with all of you, and I am trusting in my own self-perseverance that I will be happy and busy where I need to be. This has been a great experience, I am so fortunate to have been able to do this, meet the people that I have met, and pushed myself out of a comfort zone into a new experience. While I haven't loved every minute of it, that has had much more to do with missing people from home than not being useful and productive here. I am glad that I have done it, and I guess more importantly, I am proud of myself that I have stuck with the difficult things when I wanted to quit. I am leaving here with a sense of satisfaction. That feels good.

This week is shaping up to be busier than last week, and the next post here will be from home. I can't wait to see all of you! See you soon...FOUR DAYS!!!!!!!!! xoxo, Jami

The third Martişor

2010-03-01T11:38:00.002-05:00

This week marks the beginning of the third year, or better stated, the anniversary of two full years here in Moldova. It has mostly been a good time, and now I am ready to come home. So ready. This past week I approached the Country Director, Jeffrey, about an earlier date to come home. There was a sense that the time that I have had here, while fulfilling and positive, will never replace my need to be with my family. It is the piece which has been hardest for me over the past two years, and the thing which was actually most surprising to me. I expected to miss my family, but not really as much as I have. There have been times, and events which have happened without my being home, without my supporting the people who mean the most in the world to me, and I have struggled with my absence from them.

Fortunately, my request was met with understanding and support. Yay! What that means, is that I will be coming home NEXT Friday evening, instead of the middle of April! Portland, Maine, here I come!!! I'm not sure exactly what is next for me after landing, but I will land on my feet somewhere. I will be home, closer to my family and loved ones, and that is what matters most.

That is the big news for the week. The past few days have been busy, busier than I have been in quite a while, as I pack, tie up loose ends, and prepare to finish all of the tasks that I thought I would have six weeks to do, and are now condensed into two weeks. Now, less than two weeks. I did a flurry of paperwork last week before even speaking with Jeffrey, so the majority of the paperwork is done, but there are still so many last minute bureaucratic things that must be put into place...t's crossed, i's dotted, all of it. It will get done, for sure, but it does involve regular trips between the village and the capital to see that it all falls into place. Which is time-consuming in its own way, given the buses here.

This past week-end I had a planned week-end visit to Jen, who lives in the village two villages away from me. She is my closest volunteer neighbor, and we had planned this weekend a while ago, long before I knew of my expedited trip home. It was a blast. First, it was really nice weather on Friday. It felt like Spring. I packed up my backpack and walked to her village, about seventeen kilometers. A nice walk. A nice day. Teresa and Sarah came down from Chisinau to join us. California rolls, tempura veggies and sweet and sour sauce. Yummy. Oh, and lots of house wine. Saturday was much colder, and another gray day. We mostly just sat around, talked, giggled, watched movies, and then a traditional Moldovan masa at the end of the day. Yesterday it was warmer than Saturday, but not nearly as nice as Friday, and I walked back to my village. A great diversion. A great time. I will miss the friends I have made here.

So that was the week that was. Big news, big plans to come home! Happy birthday tomorrow to my nephew, Nathaniel! Ten days!!!!!!!!!! Love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Close of Service

2010-02-22T00:40:00.003-05:00

Most of this past week was spent together with the wonderful group that is Moldova 22. The Peace Corps staff here did a fantastic job finding a really nice resort for our three day Close of Service (COS) conference. Comfortable beds, hot showers, lots of food and drink...and the best group of colleagues in the whole world! It was a couple of days filled with memories, planning for the future, and just enjoying the satisfaction of a job well done. Yay for us!! There are 22 of us out of the 29 who left Philadelphia, and it was so amazing to spend time with these great people and also to remember those who didn't quite make it to the end. Aaron, Cameron, Rose, Andrea, Rian, John, and Justin were missed and remembered this week. They are still a part of our group, and we wish that they had been able to join us at this event. The rest of us toasted them, and our success in making it to this point. There are so many friendships that have developed over this time, and so much professional respect for the commitment that this group has provided to the Republic of Moldova over the past two years. I am so thankful to have stuck with this when I didn't want to, proud of this group, and ready for whatever is next!

And, of course, there are a ton of reports, administrative things, medical things, all sorts of things that need to be completed and checked off the list before we can leave. I'll be busy. There are things that I need to finish here in the village, and now find time to fit in all of the other required things in the next 45 days. The pace will probably be closer to what I was used to at home, but its been a while since then and it will be good practice to get back into that pace again!

So, back to the paperwork, on with another week of work, focus on the work at hand, and dream about being home and all that the future holds...another week starting. A safe journey this week as my parents return to the cold of New Hampshire, and loving thoughts to Linnea and Joe this week as they are going through a bit of a rough time. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Knitting weekend

2010-02-14T13:11:00.003-05:00

This was the weekend for the re-scheduled knitting group. It had been scheduled for two or three weekends ago, and then several people were sick, so it was re-scheduled for this past weekend. It was lots of fun. There were about ten of us, all working on various projects. Almost everyone was knitting, and there were a few of us cross-stitchers in the crowd. I am currently working on a cross-stitch throw for Lidia, and I am now almost done. It is among the things I need to get done before I leave, so it was nice to have this concentrated time for handiwork. It was a nice group of women, and a lot of work was accomplished by all. There were two first time knitters, so it was fun to see them learn. Everyone knits in a different way, so it was a little confusing for the new learners, but they did really well. One of the knitters has learned to knit since coming here, taught by her host mother, so her style is so different! It was fun to visit, and connect with friends. I will never be the knitter that my grandmother and mother are, but it is a very relaxing hobby, for sure. I did start a small scarf, just to break-up my cross-stitching work. I know that is something I can finish and leave here before I come home.

Other than the weekend activities, there is not too much going on. Work has been busy, and the weather still mostly gray and very icy. There has been a lot of freezing rain this past week, and today the sun was finally out, and it was warmer. A nice day for a change! I have seen lots and lots of pictures from Pennsylvania this past week, and they have gotten pounded with snow over the past few days, and more is predicted for tomorrow. Yikes!

There's not too much else to write about. Happy Valentine's Day! The days are getting longer! Stay warm! I love and miss you all. 53 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxo, Jami

What I will miss

2010-02-07T08:31:00.003-05:00

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

Another one bites the mud....

2010-01-31T11:53:00.003-05:00

Even things that seem endless do eventually come to an end, and January is almost over! Since coming back to Moldova at the beginning of December, this was the milestone that I knew I would need to reach to stay until the end of my service. I have persevered, and tomorrow it will be February. In past years, I have always had such a difficult time through the fall months, as the days get shorter, anniversaries are painful, whatever...I did some good planning, and had a great trip home in November, just as I needed. Even though it went nothing as I had planned, it was the respite I craved. Those of you who have communicated with me, or read this, know that I have struggled more than usual since coming back. Unless there is an emergency, I do now believe that I will make it until the end of my service, and that is a good feeling. There was nothing in particular this past week that made feel more confident of that, just the passage of days, the crossing off of time on the calendar, the little bit more of sunlight with each day. Yippee!

Last week was a typical work week, nothing unusual, other than the bitter, bitter cold. Last Sunday night it was so cold here in Moldova, that there were several reports of people freezing to death in villages around the country, and I saw two frozen animals here in my village. Sad. Schools were on an abbreviated schedule until Wednesday because it was too cold for children to walk to school. I'm sure its not the last of the cold weather for this winter, but I hope it doesn't get that cold again here before I leave! Now it is warmer, and VERY muddy in my village, hence the title of today's posting.

On Friday, I was planning to go into Chisinau for a knitting weekend with some of the other volunteers. Unfortunately, that was postponed because so many of the people who were planning to attend had bronchitis, or some other sickness. I went in anyway, and had a great time. I stayed in the capital with a new friend, a woman who teaches at the International School, along with another volunteer. I had stayed in her apartment with a different volunteer a few weeks ago, while the teacher was visiting in the US, so it was nice to finally meet her and enjoy being in her great apartment again. She is very generous with her space, and it was good to end the month in such a positive way. The knitting weekend has been postponed until the middle of this month, so I still have that to look forward to! I had three showers in three days, four letters and a package, so all is right in the world! Now I am back in the village, getting ready for another week at work. It was still pretty light out when I got off the bus at 5:30, so the days are getting noticeably longer. That is a good thing, too.

Safe travels this week to my parents as they head to St. Croix! Happy birthday this past week to my friends Ed and Kirsten, and this coming week to my sister-in-law, Brenda, and my sweet younger brother, David. And special thoughts to my friends Betsy and Momen this week, as Momen's brothers are visiting from Uzbekistan. Momen had not seen anyone from his family for over 27 years! I can't even imagine that, as I have had the hardest time here and couldn't even make it one year without seeing all of you. Wherever you are, hold those you love a little closer this week. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Endless

2010-01-24T05:11:00.003-05:00

This month of January feels endless today. There is still a week before its over, and it feels like its been January for weeks, and weeks, and weeks, almost since I got back here. This week there was more to do at work, and the week was punctuated by a mid-week trip into the capital so in theory it should have felt like it was passing more quickly. That theory being the one that espouses that the busier I am, the more quickly the time seems to pass. Not really true, but the days are passing, no matter how slowly it feels that way sometimes. You know the saying about molasses in January, well it would be frozen here today!

Right now there are 7 kids at the Center, along with the 5 elderly residents. Some of this increase is due to the very frigid weather we have been having this week. Yesterday and today the temperature has not gone above -15C. That was the warm number, and converts to about 5F. Without a calculation for wind chill, which has been considerable, that's the coldest I think it's been in the almost two years I've been here. It's been that cold for the past three days. Yesterday I was more aware of the lack of sun over the past few weeks, only one day and a few hours so far this month. Today we have sun, hooray!, but it is too cold to be out for very long. The wind has been fierce, which is really makes the cold penetrating. I've had two days without my usual walking, and I think my mental health is suffering for lack of walking! Last year was so much milder, less snowy, and almost pleasant in comparison. I took my heavy coat home in November and left it there, not anticipating how much I would miss it this month. Still, I know I will be glad not to have to carry the heavier coat home in April, and that is what I am still focused on.

The kids are good, and fun to spend time with, as always. They like playing dress-up, building houses with blocks, doing puzzles, reading, coloring, learning poems to recite, and working on writing and simple math problems. School doesn't begin for kids until they are at least seven years old here. All of the children currently living at the Center are between four and eight years old. The oldest, Lenuta, goes to school everyday, but everyone else follows a schedule of activities everyday. This week, even in the bitter cold, there was a lot of time outside sledding. It feels good to have good work to do everyday. Even when I am frustrated with other things, I have always loved going to work, and this is no exception.

My trip into Chisinau was a good one and a welcome break. I went in to get my B12 shot, had an awesome 4 hour lunch with a group of volunteers, visited with Teresa for a bit, watched the movie Sherlock, which I really enjoyed, had a very productive meeting with the acting Program Manager, and safely made it back to the village before the bitter cold hit in full force. Not a bad week, just one that is part of the seemingly endless countdown. Even when I try not to be aware of it, not one day passes that I don't think about all of you and wish I was home. It's close, but not quite close enough. Oh well. Nothing is ever endless, and this too shall pass. Spring is just around the corner! 75 days. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Teaser

2010-01-17T05:35:00.002-05:00

This week started out as a "teaser". It was warm enough to feel like Spring was just around the corner. On Tuesday it was probably close to 50 degrees, and the sun was out for almost an hour! HA! Wrong!! It's cold, and today it is icy. January. There is no getting around it. Spring will come, I will be home to enjoy it, and for now, I am in the village routine. As always when I am here, there isn't too much to talk about.

The census is down at work. This week there are three children and three older women, and one older man. Two of the three children have been living at the Center, on and off, for much of the past year. Their mother comes to visit them sometimes, but isn't able to have them at home. There is no heat and no glass in the windows at their apartment. These two little girls, Iulia and Maria, are funny and spunky kids, in spite of living apart from their mother. They came to live at the Center with shaved heads, due to a terrible problem with head lice. This week I was reminded of a story that my friend, Robin, shared with me years ago, as these two little girls paraded around with their tights on their heads, pretending that they had long, beautiful hair! Bittersweet little lives. Speaking of head lice, it is a terrible problem here, and I guess it is worse in the winter. It is cold and hard to bathe. It is a pain to wash clothing and hair. So far, I've avoided any bug-jumping, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Yuck! It makes me itch just to think about it. On that happy and cheerful note, know that I love and miss you all. 81 days! xoxo, Jami

Another week in Chisinau

2010-01-10T05:39:00.003-05:00

This week, on January 7th, was the Orthodox Christmas holiday. There have only been two children at the Center, and it has still been vacation week from school, so most of the past week I spent in Chisinau with other volunteers. I had gotten a call from Pan, one of the other older, single women in our training group. She has a friend who teaches at the International School who has a very nice apartment in downtown Chisinau. Her friend was going to be out of the country and offered us the use of her apartment while she was away. We were there from Tuesday through yesterday, with a brief stay in Orhei with Macie and Craig on Wednesday night. We had all sorts of plans to do some "touristy" things, but actually spent a lot of time visiting other volunteers and relaxing. It was a good week, busy and fun, but not overwhelmingly so.

Yesterday, in downtown Chisinau, when I was walking to the bus I saw a car accident on the sidewalk. On the main street in the down town area, people consistently park on the sidewalk. Again, its not too safe here in many ways. I sent a message out to a few of the other volunteers who responded with concern that the driver had hit a pedestrian, which would be a logical response, knowing not to be surprised about the car on the sidewalk. No, I explained, this was one driver backing up into the main thoroughfare of the sidewalk, while the second driver continued to move forward to take the parking space that was being vacated! It is a thinking that is sort of consistent with how people push to get on to the buses, and all public transportation, before letting exiting travelers get off. I'm not sure if this is a "survival of the fittest" mentality, or just plain rudeness, but it is frustrating and exhausting to deal with. There is no orderliness when there is room for aggression. So, yesterday there was a fender-bender. On the sidewalk. Oh my. Other than that, not too much new to write about. It was a good week, and now I am back to the slower pace of village life. There isn't much time left, and still some stuff I want to work on. I do know that the busier I stay, the faster the time goes. Its under 90 days, and I can't wait! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Twenty ten

2010-01-02T12:20:00.002-05:00

A new year, a new decade, a full, blue moon, and time out of the village! Not a bad week at all! This is the year that I finish my service and come home, and the count is now under one hundred days, so all is looking good today.

The weather outside is frightful, but it isn't going to bring me down. It was warm most of the week, and even though it is colder now, and it will probably snow, it is, after all, January, and its doing what it is supposed to be doing outside. On Wednesday this week we had our holiday program at work. Like last year, there were poems recited, music sung, games played, and treats for all the residents. It isn't really like Christmas at home, but it was a good party for everyone, and people seemed to have a nice time.

This year things seemed a bit more organized, which shows planning and progress. It was a smaller crowd, and there was more time to prepare this year than last year, when everything was so new. There was a funny skit about the difference between village life and city life, and it was funny to watch people laugh at their own cultural idiosyncrasies. I tried not to laugh louder than anyone else, but it was pretty amusing! I did leave before the dinner was served as I didn't want to deal with the serving of wine to children, and feel my frustration rise with how hard it is to change a cultural norm like that. I have addressed my concerns about this with my co-workers more than once, and I have been told that it is not only okay, but expected, that young children drink at celebrations. When I saw the wine being poured early in the day, I decided that I wanted to leave at the end of the program before the meal. I am living here, in this culture, and I have given information to the staff that talks about the dangers of alcohol for children specifically, beyond that I just don't know what to do. So, except for leaving early, and not fully voicing my concerns yet again, it was a good holiday party at the Center.

New Year's Eve I travelled to Orhei, to stay with Macie and Craig, Teresa and Paul for two days, returning earlier today. It was a low key couple of days. There were fireworks on and off all night on Thursday night, last night was spent watching movies and relaxing before heading back to the village today. It was a quiet and mostly uneventful celebration, but I expect that there will be more celebrating for me over the next few months as I come home and get to see all of you! I hope that 2010 brings us all health, happiness, and hopes for peace and love. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T11:34:00.005-05:00

I hope that you all had a great Christmas, filled with lots of fun with your loved ones, everything that you wanted, and happy and peaceful times. My holiday was sort of like that, more or less. I just got back to my village after spending the last three days with about fifteen fellow volunteers. Fun, not really relaxing, but happy, fun times nonetheless. It goes without saying that I would rather have been home. It was a decent substitute, and definitely better than sitting here in the village feeling sorry for myself. There isn't much to write about this week. Lots of fellow volunteers are heading out of Moldova over the next few days for vacations: Berlin, Prague, London, Italy. You all know that I am happy that I was able to come home twice this past year, and I am counting the days until my time here is done. I am now just about over 104 days, and the days are getting longer, a little bit every single day! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Blizzard!

2009-12-19T07:42:00.003-05:00

It snowed all week. Everyday. Today the sun is finally out, but too quickly headed for the horizon at a little before 3 pm. There was a little snow on Tuesday, a lot on Wednesday, more on Thursday and Friday, and this morning there was another foot or two that had fallen overnight. Overall, there is probably close to four feet on the ground. Pretty, but a big, cold, pain in the patoot. Especially on the trips to the outhouse. The days will start getting longer this week, and even though I won't be able to tell for a few weeks, Spring cannot come soon enough!

Weather is the only real news this week. Work is work, my walking is pretty limited by the weather, there is no transportation out of the village for the foreseeable future, and so I am spending my free time reading, working on projects, and trying to stay warm. I'm trying hard not to think too much of all the fun, and people, I am missing, with somewhat limited success. If I can get out of the village, I am hoping to get to spend some time with other volunteers this Christmas. Last year I spent the day working, as it isn't a celebrated holiday here. This year, if the weather allows, I want to be around some celebrating Americans if I can. It might mean that I don't actually get to Skype until after Christmas, but I can't wait to hear what the holiday was like at home, so as soon as I can, I'll be in touch! Happy birthday today to my friend, Robin, and have a great week preparing for Christmas! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Gray and Brown

2009-12-13T10:32:00.002-05:00

Gray and brown were not only the colors of the Moldovan landscape this past week, but it was a pretty accurate description for my mood earlier this past week. Everyday this week it tried to flurry, but mostly just stayed gray, drizzly, and miserable. The mud is disgusting! It was hard to come back, and for the first few days, it was hard to be here. Oh, what a difference a weekend can make!

I got back to my village on Monday afternoon, and went to work Tuesday morning. The staff had posted signs that said Welcome Back Djemi (Close enough!), and everyone seemed so happy to have me back. The kids were happy to see me, for sure. I saw Natalia on Wednesday morning, and she let me know that she would be in Stefan Voda all day Wednesday, and in Chisinau on Thursday. I let her know that I was planning to go to Chisinau on Friday. That was the extent of our exchange, and so I still don't have a clear sense of how she is feeling. I am guessing that like me, perhaps her emotions are all over the place about this lost opportunity. Just a guess, though. So, work is back to the same routine. Overall, that is a good thing.

Friday morning I was up early and in at Peace Corps first thing in the morning. I love a Peace Corps shower when there is lots and lots of hot water! I like them okay even when there is not unlimited hot water, but getting there first is great. Later in the day I met briefly with Jeffrey, our Country Director. He had read my blog from last week, so he had a better idea of where things fell apart. It was helpful for me to process the whole thing with him, and I really appreciate his support. I felt more at peace and happier about being back here after speaking with him.

The rest of the week-end was spent at a "Dirty South Party in a Northern Village". Several volunteers serving in the North: Toumil, Veronica, Neal, and some others, prepared a weekend long southern eating marathon, along with lots of fun and games. Friday evening was Tex-Mex all the way: queso, quesadillas, onion rings, fried jalapenos, fried pickles(!), all sorts of good eating. Neal, who comes to Moldova from Louisiana, prepared the Jambalaya for Saturday night. Lots of good times, laughter, and a very grateful reminder for me that it is my colleagues who understand this journey like no one else can. Thanks, guys!

Now I am back, ready for another week at work. I still don't like the gray and the mud brown, but I am in a better space. In only eight days it will be the Winter Solstice, and the days will slowly start getting longer again. YAY!! Happy birthdays this week to my niece, Adena, Michele's grandson, Ryan, my sister-in-law, Aleece, my friend, Martha, and to my niece, Emile. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

The Story

2009-12-07T12:47:00.002-05:00

Today it is almost a month since I've written, and so much has happened. I'll start at the beginning, the start of the journey home. For those of you who have heard all of this, sorry about the repeat, for everyone else, its a long story, so skip around as you want. As I've been writing for months, I have been working for months to bring my Moldovan work partner to the US for a 'field trip'. I have struggled on how to explain the vision of how services might look, what administrative practices could, or should, be put into place in the Center in the village. My language skills are not that strong, but I realized a while ago that even when I had the vocabulary to describe policies and procedures that we often take for granted, I was not always believed. There are other Residential Centers in Moldova, and most of them are learning from each other on how to improve in areas of administration, documentation, services in general. But beyond what is done here, there is little vision of how things might look with a little more structure and organization. It was, and is, a great idea. I was so excited to be able to show her how we do things. So....

Shortly after my vacation home last Spring, I began to work toward bringing Natalia to the United States. I started with finding a very reasonably priced ticket from Frankfurt, Germany, to Boston. Check. We made application and she received her visa to the United States in mid-August. Check. Around that time I began to look at ways to get to Frankfurt from Moldova, and realized that Air Moldova did not fly to Frankfurt on the day that I had the tickets from Frankfurt to Boston. We talked about options. I asked her to follow-up with the German embassy to find out about transit visas. No check. I bought the tickets from Chisinau to Frankfurt. Natalia waited until November 2 to contact the German embassy, and then felt that the application was too difficult to complete. I did not hold her hand and assure that this was completed. In hindsight, it is the place where the whole thing fell apart, and I probably should have taken control of the whole thing...We got to the airport at 3 am on the morning of 11/11 and she was denied access to the flight to Frankfurt because we were going to be there for more that 24 hours. There was an actual lay-over time of 28 hours. We went to the ticket counter and I purchased an alternate ticket for her to fly from Chisinau to Bucharest, and then from Bucharest to Frankfurt. She was scheduled to arrive at Frankfurt on 11/12 at 10:50 in the morning. Our flight was to leave Frankfurt at 12:15pm that same day. Check. Whoops....the flight from Bucharest to Frankfurt was delayed on the morning of 11/12, and was scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt at 12:30. The authorities in Bucharest denied her access to the flight to Frankfurt because she would be unable to make the connecting flight. They decided to fly her back to Chisinau. At the time, I knew none of this, except that the flight was delayed. I tried to exchange the tickets that I did have for some later the same day. Lufthansa was willing to let me purchase new tickets (at $1500 a piece!!) to fly into JFK later on 11/12. I had already paid out a lot, and to be honest, I wasn't sure where Natalia was at this point. Thank goodness I didn't go ahead and buy more tickets that would have been wasted. I flew on to Boston alone, not sure where in the world Natalia was...Bucharest, Frankfurt, Moldova???

I got home to Boston on Thursday afternoon, met by my parents, but without my Moldovan co-worker, and lots of time to try to figure out what had happened. I have had so many conflicting emotions about this whole thing. I was so excited in planning and thinking about this trip, and I think Natalia was also. I feel like I dropped the ball by not hand-holding and taking more control at every single point. I feel like Natalia didn't do the one and only thing that she needed to do to ensure that she could have this experience. I go back and forth between knowing that things happen the way that they are supposed to, and just being so disappointed that this didn't happen the way it was planned. It is hard for me to be back here now. It was a thousand times harder to leave this time, and I just want to be done. I feel like I have failed to do the good thing that I had planned, and I am frustrated in so many ways right now to be back here.

I am staying focused on the things that I am thankful for, the family and friends who have supported me in so many ways over this journey. It was a wonderful gift to be able to spend time with everyone without the time and energy that translating and entertaining would have expended. Even though I feel like I have let so many people down by not seeing this to the point of fruition, I know I gave it my best shot. The good news is that Natalia still has a good amount of time left on her US visa, and I am still interested in hosting her at some point in the future. At this point, it will be up to her to see if it happens.

So that's the story of the past month. It is disappointing, and a little sad, but it was a wonderful vacation. One hundred and twenty-three days to go....I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

I Can NOT wait!!!!

2009-11-08T05:36:00.002-05:00

I had a fun week, and still I cannot wait to be home. This past week Lidia was at a conference away from the village. She asked me if I would stay here and cook for Ion, and I politely declined. The women that I work with could not understand why I wouldn't want to do this, and how he would be able to survive without a woman cooking for him all week. I do miss cooking and baking sometimes, but really, I don't want to get into doing that while she is away. I have known about her not being here for a month or so, and I had made plans to visit other volunteers. This was the week to visit, and I really did have a good time. I met with my English club students last Monday afternoon, and headed out at 5 am on Tuesday morning.

My first stop, after stopping in at the Peace Corps office for a nice hot shower, was to the city of Balti, in the north. I was there for two days, visiting with Cristine, Marilyn and David. It is a really nice city, much smaller and more accessible than Chisinau, but with everything within an easy walking distance of the downtown area. I spent both nights with Cristine. She has a great little apartment in the center of town, and she is a really great hostess. Wednesday morning there was a dusting of snow on the ground, and it was pretty cold outside most of the time that I was there. I did walk around the piata and went into some shops, and just visited and had a great time. Thursday morning I took a rutiera back to Chisinau, and in the late afternoon I headed to Orhei to stay with Craig and Macie. Good food, good beer, good conversation...fun times! Friday it was on to Teresa's for the night, and then last night back to the village for my final few days before we leave! A lot of running around, and a good time to visit with other volunteers and hear about what all they are doing in their communities.

This week has also brought about serious concerns about the swine flu around Moldova. When I left my village on Tuesday morning, I had not heard much about it locally. When I arrived back in Chisinau from Balti on Thursday afternoon there were people all over town wearing masks! The schools are closed next week, and when I arrived back in the village last night, Lidia told me that she had been home since Thursday because her seminar was cancelled at that time due to concerns about the flu. I have not heard of any quarantines, and this scare had better not interfere with my plans to come home!! I am a little worried about it, since there does seem to be a fair amount of panic, at least in the capitol, about it. The Ukraine apparently is limiting land travel in and out of the country, but I don't believe they have limited air traffic, and I have not heard of Moldova instituting anything yet...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

This morning I went to work, and not long after arriving there, I was told that there is no gas service to the village right now. This just happened this morning, and apparently there will be no gas for about a week. It is inconvenient, but not not too bad, really. The house is heated with wood, there is still electric service so I can use the computer, and the electric tea kettle. All is good in the world! I am now down to counting the hours!! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

The first of November

2009-11-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day of November. Yay!! I'll be home in less than two weeks for a visit!! Today there were flurries in the air, and it is cold and damp. The days are shorter than ever. Having moved the clocks back last weekend, this week the days have seemed to be over almost before they begin. This week seemed even shorter, and the time went by quickly, as there was a training in Chisinau on Thursday and Friday, and I just returned back to the village a few hours ago. It is dark here already at 5:30.

The training brought together all of the volunteers from our group, the 22's, along with volunteers from the most recent group, the 24's. Coincidentally, there are 22 of us still here from our group, and we have not all been in the same place at the same time since last January, at an earlier training. It was nice to connect with so many great people. Even though we all split into our usual peer groups for evening activities, the daytime training time was shared time, and lots of fun. It was good to hear of all the good work that people are doing, and a pretty inspiring couple of days.

There isn't much time left before I come home, and I am so, so ready. I have been packed for weeks, and now there is just the waiting. This week it is school vacation week in Moldova, so I am planning a trip to the city of Balti, in the northern part of Moldova for a few days. It will help to pass the time as I am now down to counting the hours until I am home. Happy birthday yesterday to my son-in-law, Joe, and happy first anniversary this week to Linnea and Joe. May you have many happy years together. I miss you all! xoxo, Jami

To Chişinău

2009-10-24T11:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I took a day off and went into the capitol. It was nice to get out of the village, and it had been almost a month since I have been in the "big city." It was a good day. Sort of low key, since there weren't a lot of people around, but it felt good to be out of the village for at least a little while. I spent the night last night with Teresa and Jenna, eating enchiladas and watching this weeks Grey's Anatomy. Fun!

The week has been like most others, a little slow in the day to day routine, but busy enough in the everyday routine that I have become accustomed to. On Tuesday we had some visitors to the Center from Smaland, in the south part of Sweden. They were visiting to look at projects to fund in Moldova. My brain was working over-time to think in Romanian, try to remember my Swedish, all while translating in my head what was being said into English. Whew! Other than that, and the big countdown, there isn't much to write about.

It is a big birthday week, and best wishes go out to my nephews, Daniel and James, my friends Adrienne and Helen. Have great celebrations! It was nice to talk to my parents and my grandmother this week. I'll be home in less that three weeks! I can't wait to see you all! xoxo, Jami

Bored and cold

2009-10-18T08:21:00.002-04:00

That's what I am: bored and cold. Its been a rainy, damp week here in the village. I am anxious to be home. There is nothing new, except that I am cold....since early last week we have finally gotten into some colder weather. That is to be expected for mid-October, but the rain that has accompanied the colder weather has made it damp and really sort of miserable.

I have finished some projects in good time for coming home, and I am not interested in starting on new projects so close to leaving for almost a month. I'm glad that I have tied up these loose ends, and I am ready to head out of here. I am thinking that coming back this time will probably be a lot harder for me than when I was home in the Spring. At least there will only be a few (cold) months left to serve. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

It was great to speak with my parents this week, and I just talked to my nephew, Stephen, who will be flying home from Chicago on Monday. I can't wait to see him, and everyone! Safe travels this week to Linnea and Joe, Kim and Mike and all others out there on the roads...see you all in less than a month!! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Counting down the days...

2009-10-11T05:39:00.003-04:00

Here it is, another week-end, and another week closer to home! This past week has been typically quiet, with not much going on. Yesterday was Winefest in Chisinau, but I am saving money for the trip home, and decided that this trip was not in my budget. I think this is an event that most of the volunteers try to attend, so I was a little sad not to see everyone and spend some time together. I know it won't matter in the long run, and the weather was not great, so it is just as well that I stayed in the village for another week-end.

I forgot to write about it last Sunday, but last Saturday another one of the volunteers from this part of the country hosted a raion (county) party. There were four of us women: Alex, the hostess, me, Jen, and Janie. Jon joined us for dinner, but only the females spent the night at Alex's. Italian food was on the menu: gnocchi, garlic bread, spaghetti. It was a nice time, and the highlight of the week. Other than that little jaunt last week-end, not much else to write about.

I was so glad to talk with my grandmother on Thursday for her birthday, and birthday wishes go out this week to Betsy. Thirty-two days until I land in Boston!!! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

October

2009-10-04T12:00:00.002-04:00

This past week has been a busy one. Last weekend my friend Na'Ima came for a visit. We had a great time, and it was really nice to show her around. She was here until first thing Monday morning, leaving on the 5 am bus to Chisinau. On Sunday evening we were sitting in my room, and there seemed to be an awful lot of activity at the house. We were mostly in my room, so I was only peripherally aware of this, but there seemed to be something different going on. Early Monday morning, just after Na'Ima left, Lidia was up and told me that Sunday evening her 21 year old nephew, the brother to the bride of a few weeks ago, had died the night before in an accident in the village. His head hit a tree. That was all she was able to say about it, and I didn't feel comfortable asking for more information. It was too personal, and she was too sad. She spent all evening on Monday helping her sister-in-law prepare the body, and prepare food for the services which took place on Tuesday. It was very sad around here all week.

Tuesday I had already planned to go into Chisinau for a birthday celebration for Teresa's 30th birthday. There were five of us who gathered for this celebration, me, Teresa, Jen, Jenna, and Veronica. We had a very nice lunch, and it was great to see everyone. I had just purchased the tickets for the flight from Chisinau to Frankfurt, and I was feeling so good that this was finally taken care of. The economy is stronger, the dollar and Euro are stronger, and the exchange rate was not as favorable for me as it was last Spring. The price in Euros was the same, but the heightened exchange rate made it a pricier purchase than I was hoping to have to deal with. Still, they are purchased and we will be on our way in less than forty days!!! When I got back to the village on Tuesday afternoon the funeral services and gathering was going on at the home of Lidia's sister and brother-in-law. I had some quiet time at the house, called my parents and told them that the tickets are all purchased, sent some emails, enjoyed the time alone.

The rest of the week was back to the routine: work, walk, read...not much else new this week. It was still a sad week for the family here, and a happy week for me, knowing that everything is now in place for my visit home. Happy birthday this Thursday to my Grandmother, whom I love and miss soooo much. Best of luck to my friend Kim as she gathers support for her petition to keep her community Post Office open on Bailey Island. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Grapes and Walnuts

2009-09-26T06:03:00.002-04:00

This has been the week for gathering walnuts and grapes, making wine, and preparing the last of the produce for Winter eating. Along all of the major roads, the ones that I travel between here and Chisinau at least, are walnut trees. In this village, many people go out along the road and gather walnuts for the winter. They carry long sticks to hit the branches, and then open the green shell and take the nuts, place them in very large bags, and load their bikes with a bag or two. There was one family who showed up with their car to load, but it has been my observation that most people only gather as much as they can manage to carry back home. They can, however, carry a lot. I am surprised that there are any nuts left at all, but I just came back from my walk, and there were still some people out there. Lots and lots of walnuts.

As many walnuts as there are, there are surely more grapes here. Last week and this week has been grape harvest, and wine-making in earnest. At every home there are wooden barrels, thousands of bees, and lots and lots and lots of wine. Unfortunately, there are also more than the usual number of inebriated men in the village. Apparently, tasting is the best part of wine making, and the more you taste the better it is! It is a source of familial competition, but after a pahar (glass) or two, everyone here agrees that it is all good, and that Moldovan wine is the best in the world. No comment. I did try the musty juice, just before it is fermented, and its got some funky taste going on. Its hard to describe, and not really bad, but very different.

That's the news on the home front. Work has been good, with the exception of all the kids, and now me, getting sick. The changing temperatures, cool in the mornings and evenings, and warm in the afternoon is part of it, but I don't believe that upper respiratory infections are caused by changes in the weather. Yesterday I took a day at home, did wash, and then slept most of the afternoon. I feel so much better today. I did talk to the doctor, and will see her next week when I go into Chisinau to buy the plane tickets to Frankfurt. Yippee! It will be good to have that task done and paid for. Safe travels this week for Linnea and Joe as they travel to Maine and New Hampshire, and thank you to whomever has sent me a package! I love getting packages! I received an email from Peace Corps that I have a package, but they don't tell you from whom, so thank you in advance. I really can't wait for Tuesday, and my trip to the capitol...all sorts of good things await me there! Anyway, that's all folks! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

A Good Week

2009-09-20T06:27:00.002-04:00

There was really nothing extraordinary about this past week, and still, it was a pretty good week. The weather has been great, for one thing. There have been some occasional rain showers in the evenings, but cool mornings and evenings, and warm, almost hot, comfortable days. It has been just beautiful weather for walking, for being out and enjoying nature, and for playing with the kids. I'm enjoying it while it lasts, that's for sure.

Tuesday morning I went with the kids and another staff person on a long walk over to the vineyards at Purcari. This is one of the most famous and best vineyards in all of Moldova. We got to see the grapes being picked, loaded into wagons attached to tractors, and then moved from the wagons into larger trucks which then were loaded to take the grapes into the factory where they actually make the wine. The workers were happy to show the children the grapes, we ate as many of them as we could manage, and while they didn't stomp the grapes with bare feet, they did wear rubber boots when trampling the grapes in moving them from one wagon into another. At the end of the visit, one of the workers gave us a ride back to the Center in an open horse drawn wagon, and gave us lots and lots of watermelon to eat later! Yum!

Wednesday brought the Peace Corps staff, my program manager and the assistant program manager, to the Center for a site visit. It was pretty benign, neither good nor bad, just one of those things that needs to be done. The nice thing for me was that I made a spontaneous decision to return with them to Chisinau. A free trip is always nice. I wasn't sure that I would be able to run all of my errands and make it back on the last bus, so I checked with friends in the town of Orhei, Macie and Craig, to see if they could be a back-up plan. Macie enthusiastically invited me for Thai curry chicken dinner. It turns out that I almost could have made the 5 pm bus back to the village, but knowing that there was a good dinner and time with friends, the desire to stay overnight was stronger than any desire to rush back. After all, its been over a month since I have been in the capitol. Thursday I visited briefly with Peace Corps staff, got my B12 shot, and headed back in the afternoon. Friday was more working, walking, enjoying the nice weather, and a call from Jen, who is the new volunteer in the village two towns away. We made plans to meet yesterday in Stefan Voda, and had a good time there. We visited the piata, ate some (not very good) pizza, and came back here in the afternoon. Last evening we just watched movies, made hot chocolate, visited. It was low key and very nice. The whole week was sort of low key and very nice. Now, if I could only have spent it with all of you, it would have been perfect. Happy birthday this week to Bob and Donna, and happy anniversary to John and Melba (56 years for my in-laws, Wow!) I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

September

2009-09-13T06:51:00.002-04:00

I like September. I know what's coming, and I like it anyway. The cold, short, shallow days are in sight, I know. Still, this time of year has always been a favorite of mine. Cooler, and as crisp as a fresh apple, the air warms throughout the day, bringing memories of the summer that has just past. This past week in the village has been one like so many others. After the soaking rain of last weekend, this week has recovered nicely weather-wise. Work and life is at a steady pace. This past week, another volunteer, Jenna, took the bus to come see me and do a presentation for the staff at the Center on basic computer skills, reviewing Word and Excel for staff. She did a great job, and it was so appreciated, by both me, and the entire staff who participated.

Yesterday I got a call from the new volunteer, Jen, in the neighboring village. She came into my village this morning at 6 am with her host family to sell the pig that they butchered yesterday. It was nice to see her, and we made plans to travel into Stefan Voda next Saturday to spend the day together. It's nice to have some English-speaking time once in a while! I am so glad that I don't have that butchering thing to deal with. It is enough for me to deal with the chickens. Thank goodness we don't have pigs or cows here at the house. It's enough to make me a vegetarian!

Also yesterday, Lidia and Ion, my host family, went into Chisinau for a big wedding for their niece. They arrived back at home this morning around 7:30 am, and we are preparing for round two. I am excited, as I have not yet attended a Moldovan wedding. The event yesterday was the "modern" wedding. Held in a restaurant in Chisinau, and an expensive event, today's festivities are considered to be the "traditional" wedding celebration. Lidia has spent much of the past week with her female relatives preparing food. Everything will be home-made. No store bought food at this masa. This party is for those who could not travel to Chisinau yesterday, or for the closest of family who have been invited to both events. It is nice to be included today, and it was really nice to have the house to myself for a few hours yesterday. So far the week is shaping up nicely.

There isn't much else new. Yesterday was a sad memory day, but I had lots and lots to do (relatively speaking), and it passed, as they always do, with just a little prayer for what might have been. As always, I am counting the days until I come home. It is now just over 60 days. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T11:34:00.004-04:00

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

The end of August

2009-08-31T07:42:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day in August. Here it is a holiday, Limba Noastra, "Our Language" day. In 1989, on this date, Moldovan/Romanian was officially declared the national language. Still, there are lots and lots of people in Moldova who primarily speak Russian. Also, this past Thursday was Moldovan independence day. Its been a five-day week-end. Funny thing though, almost everyday here feels like a week-end. I go to work everyday that I am in the village, which has been most of this month, but the pace of life here is so slow and uneventful that the time moves forward without any real sense of weekday versus weekend.

This past week it was mostly very hot and sunny. Last night we had thundershowers and it has been raining all day today. It is also about 20* cooler than it has been.

For all of my friends who have children starting kindergarten: Melissa with Meredith, Jami with Anna, Alicia with Cam, and Kirsten with Kate, relax and enjoy! All the rest of you starting back to school, or sending kids off for their first day this week, enjoy as well! It is a good new beginning! Schools in Moldova start tomorrow, so there is busy-ness here, as well. Happy birthday this week to my mother-in-law! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Eighteen months

2009-08-24T05:51:00.003-04:00

Today it is eighteen months since we first met as a group in Philadelphia to begin this Peace Corps journey. There were 29 of us in our group, now there are 22. Two volunteers left for medical care, and the other five for personal reasons. Those of us who remain are probably here until the end, although unforeseen circumstances could change that in a minute for anyone of us. It feels sort of amazing to have made it this far, and the countdown to the end is in sight.

In the meantime, there is the trip home in November. Planning is going well. I have given Natalia the task of contacting the German embassy to find information about transit visas. It was sort of a cop-out on my part, as the information on the German Embassy page was in German and Romanian. I figured she would be able to get the most accurate information from them. From what she shared after speaking with them is that it is a pretty simple and relatively cheap thing to get now that she has her visa for America. She needs to show up at the Embassy with all of her documents, including her American visa, proof of purchase of round-trip tickets, pay the nominal fee, and then we really will be good to go. I will be purchasing the Chisinau to Frankfort tickets early in October, and then we will get the transit visa. We are moving along. In researching all the options, it really is not only easier, but also probably cheaper to fly in and out of Chisinau. If we take a bus to Bucharest, or from Romania through eastern Europe to Germany, Natalia will have to secure transit visas, and pay a fee for each of them, for every country that we pass through. Traveling in and out of Chisinau will certainly be easier. So as soon as I get back into Chisinau I will get the tickets and start counting down for November!

Other than that there isn't much new. I haven't been to Chisinau in a while, and I have no plans in the foreseeable future to go there. It is a quiet end of Summer time. Work is good. Crops are being harvested, preserving of fruits and vegetables is going full force all over the village, kids are getting ready to go back to school. Life is good. Happy birthday today to my nephew, Ahren. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Halfway home

2009-08-18T00:24:00.002-04:00

Back in June I found a really great price on tickets from Frankfort to Boston. I bought them when I found them, hoping that everything would work out, and so far it has. Natalia has her visa, and plans are shaping up nicely for our activities. Now I just have to figure out how to get us to Frankfort. This is not as easy as it sounds, at least for Natalia. On the day we are planning to leave, there is no direct flight from Chisinau to Frankfort. We can fly the day before, and be in Frankfort overnight. She will need a German transit visa to do that, and she might need one in every instance, as we clear customs before we get on the Lufthansa flight to Boston. We can fly from Odessa through Istanbul, but this is an expensive and long way to get there. Equally long, but much cheaper, is to take a bus, or maybe a flight out of Bucharest. The problem might be in getting the transit visa through Romania, and again in Frankfort. It is a challenging process for Moldovans to get visas into Romania, as it is now in the EU and the gateway to other European countries. I am working on it, and its sort of fun to try to figure out what to do next to get us across the continent. I know from when I flew home before that it costs as much to fly from Chisinau to Frankfort as it does to fly from Frankfort to the US. Crazy!

Other than the field trip planning activities, I am enjoying these last few weeks of Summer. The weather has been warm and sunny, the grapes are ripening, work is good and fun, and I am settled into village life. I am content, but still counting down the days to November 12. I miss you all! xoxo, Jami

Good news!

2009-08-12T09:49:00.003-04:00

The good news is that Natalia's visa to visit the United States with me has been approved! Since writing last Sunday, I spent last week working at the Center. On Friday, I was scheduled to go into Chisinau for a meeting for the mentors. The new trainees officially became volunteers on Saturday morning. That is an exciting time for them, and they have now moved to their sites where they will live for the next two years. Sunday I stayed in Chisinau, as Natalia and I were scheduled to go to the US Embassy on Monday morning. We met at the Peace Corps office and went to the Embassy together, but I was not permitted to join her for the interview. I was nervous about how it would go, but yesterday afternoon she picked up her passport and the visa was approved! Now I feel like I can begin planning in earnest. We are scheduled to come into Boston on 11/12...90 days from today! I can hardly wait.

There isn't too much else going on. I have one more trip into the capitol this Saturday, and then I think I will be in the village for the rest of the month. There is a lot of work to do here this time of year. My work at the Center is fairly consistent, but there is much more to help with around the house...grapes and tomatoes to pick, pickles to make, all sorts of work.

Happy birthday this week to my friend, Bob, and my nephew Dustin. The summer is going past quickly, enjoy it! I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Election results

2009-08-02T10:41:00.002-04:00

Well, I have to start by saying that I am a little frustrated right now with my computer. I just updated to Explorer version 9, and for some reason I am no longer able to cut and paste from other sources into this blog. I am sure it is probably just some setting that needs to be readjusted, or this blog added to something so that I can paste into it, but in any event, it makes it a little more complicated to put stuff in here from other sources. I always cite the original source, except once with a picture, but until I figure this out, you will only be reading what I am writing. The reason this is so annoying right now, is because this whole election thing is sort of confusing. Added to that, I am really trying not to get involved, or even care a whole lot about the outcome, although I do care greatly about the process.

The elections were held this past Wednesday, July 29. The election was well supervised and there were no riots or problems during or after the voting. There are still some alliances that will need to be formulated to elect a President and the Speaker of Parliament. The important thing to remember is that this time things were done without rioting, without loss of life, and hopefully this country can move forward in peace. I think I have taken for granted the smooth transition of power, more or less, with the exception of the election in 2000, and the confusion in Florida at that time. Still and all, we do seem to manage to move forward more quickly, and with more consistency than has been the process here this year.

Other than the election, the only other thing going on besides work, and my usual daily routine, is working on getting my partner to the US for our visit in November. We have completed her visa application, and are scheduled for an interview at the Embassy next week. It is a lot of little detail stuff, and a fair amount of big bureaucracy stuff, but we are wading through it okay. I anticipate that we will know about the visa by mid-week next week.

Work has been fun this summer. I really am enjoying my time with the residents so much. Everyday that I am here in the village I go to work, usually for about 4-6 hours every morning. Right now there is a young teenage mother and her infant girl staying there, along with two little boys who have been there since January, and three little girls. There are also 2 elderly women, and a middle aged man who is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He is also a stroke victim. During the day there are also a few, anywhere from 2-6, other kids who come between 9-4 or 10-4. It's busy, and lots of fun. I am glad to at least have enough communication skills to be able to talk to a kid! As I have said before, I can get everything I need, even if I don't always get exactly what I want.

Other than that, there isn't too much that is new. The days are getting shorter, and I am trying not to think about the coming winter, except in terms of my visit home. Its what keeps me going. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Motorcycles and the upcoming election

2009-07-26T08:39:00.003-04:00

I love motorcycles. I have loved them since taking my first ride many, many years ago. There really is nothing quite like the feeling you have on a motorcycle: the wind, the rush, the paying attention to the road in a new way. Amazing.

It's a firm and emphatic rule of Peace Corps that for safety reasons we are not allowed to ride on, or operate motor vehicles (except tractors with special permission). That's a pretty good rule, given the roads and the drivers here, and probably in most of the countries where volunteers are serving. I love them anyway, knowing that they are so unsafe, and a risk. I always follow the rules. The heat the past few days has been so oppressive that it has been almost unbearable. A nice ride would be welcome. Over the past few days I have seen even more motorcycles than usual, or maybe I am just more attuned to them. Either way, I have seen some amazing things related to motorcycles over the past year, so I thought I would write about some of them now.

There are mostly Russian motorcycles here, and for practical reasons almost all of them are equipped with a side car. They are often the only means of motorized transportation that a family might have. Last summer I saw a motorcycle with a side car transporting seven people!!There were four in the side car and three on the motorcycle. Earlier this week, in the big heat, I saw a young family riding a scooter. Not really a motorcycle but a scooter. The father was driving, one preschool aged child standing on the running board, and a second toddler wedged between her father and her very pregnant mother! Four on a scooter! I haven't written about this kind of sighting for quite a while, because in some ways I am now more accustomed to seeing this kind of craziness. The heat this week helped me to observe this kind of activity in a way that I did at the very beginning of my time in the village, but now seems ordinary. That is my observation for the week.

The heat has been very bad all week, but finally broke last night with a big thunderstorm and lots of rain. The temperature has been above 40* Celsius all week, but today is in the 30*s. It's much nicer today. The upcoming elections will be held this week, on Wednesday. We'll see what the outcome brings for Moldova. Our Peace Corps staff have said that they are not anticipating the trouble that occurred here in April, but really, anything can happen, and we have to be extra careful with our reporting if we leave our villages for any reason.

There isn't much else to write about. This is a big birthday week at home, so I am sending out special birthday wishes to Nick, Michele and Steve, Ginny Z., Stephen, and my beautiful daughter Linnea. I wish I was home to celebrate in person. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Hazy, hot and humid

2009-07-20T06:15:00.004-04:00

It's now the middle of Summer, and the weather has been REALLY hot. I'm not complaining, merely stating the fact. The temperature has been in the 90's for most of July, and for sure all weekend. It is the way Summer should be. Last year we had the rain and flooding that seems to have landed in Maine and New Hampshire this year. The only time that I struggle with this warm weather is on a very slow moving bus, over-crowded trolley, or any other mode of public transportation. I love contact with people, I just prefer a little more space, deodorant, and maybe even air conditioning. Adding to the discomfort is the belief held by many people here that windows should not be opened near small children as the "current" will make the children ill. Since I have not heard much about children getting ear infections here, there may be some truth to the superstition. It does, however, make an already hot journey even hotter.

So, weather is the big news this week. Work is going well. My days are spent working, walking, reading. The kids are so cute, and I really enjoy what I am doing. That is good. I really thought that as a Community and Organizational Development volunteer, that I would probably focus on more macro kinds of change. I have found the greatest contentment in the littlest kids, and the littlest changes. I still know I am making positive changes in my life and the lives of others, and at the end of the day, isn't that really the best reward?

This past weekend was another trip to the training house in Ialoveni for a gathering of the chronologically advanced volunteers. We call ourselves the "Old Farts", and we have a couple of "Geezer groupies". The "groupies" aren't old enough to qualify as OF's but we like them and invite them to join with us for whatever the group gets together to do. The monthly events usually involve a fair amount of eating and imbibing in adult beverages, and Saturday was no exception. Jen prepared a great dinner, there were adult beverages, and we had some of the new trainees join us. Lynn and Jen are finishing their service at the end of this month. Jen will be heading home and hopefully moving into a job in Washington, DC. Lynn is planning to spend the rest of the Summer in Budapest before returning to California. Macie, Craig, Pan and I are the representatives of our group, and there are six or seven adults in the new group of trainees who might at some point want to be included as an Old Fart. There aren't many of us, but its nice to have a peer group. Now I think I am done with the traveling for a while. We'll see, as something always seems to come up.

So that's the news from another week. I am looking forward to coming home with Natalia in November. I know we'll be busy, but I can't wait to see everyone. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

July

2009-07-13T11:40:00.004-04:00

Summertime, and the living is easy. There isn't even much to write about this week. My daily routine has become just that, routine. Work, walk, read, walk, work, read. Village life is slow. Last week I was here in the village Monday through Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were spent in Ialoveni with the trainees, providing insight as a part of a panel discussion. It really is a highlight to be able to reflect back and share experiences, provide some support and guidance to the trainees. Saturday and yesterday were spent back here, and I'll be here until the weekend. There's really not much new, but I wanted to say hi and let you all know that I am still out here counting my time and experiences.

There is some big Moldovan election news: The elections have been re-scheduled for July 29th. I have heard many people in the village voice complaints about a mid-week election. For people living out of town, but who are registered to vote in the village, this means missing a day, or possibly two days of work. This mainly affects young voters, and there is some belief that the date was purposely set for mid-week to sway the outcome. After the upheaval following the April elections, there is concern about the results of this process, and the potential for additional rioting. There is little concern for that in the villages, and the only way it may affect us is that we may be restricted from travel to and from the capital, as we were in April.

Birthday greetings this week to Jonny and to my sister, Julianne. You'll never be as old as me! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Roman(ian) Holiday

2009-07-05T11:34:00.006-04:00

Okay, really Romania is not much like Rome. In fact, the cities that we just visited are more German than Roman, I'm not Audrey Hepburn, and there was no Gregory Peck in sight, but what a great vacation!

It's been a while since I've written, and its been a busy and fun summer so far. The mid-summer week-end was spent in Orhei and Chişinău, mentoring the new volunteers, showing them around the city. It was a long, hot day, and week, before vacation. Work continues to go well, and I enjoy spending time with the kids so much. We have been playing a lot of water games in this heat and that has helped to cool off the hottest times of the day. All week I was at work, but really spending a lot of time thinking about my upcoming vacation. Some things are the same no matter where you live or what work you are doing!

Last Saturday Teresa and I left Chişinău on the only bus that goes to Braşov. The bus leaves at 7 pm and arrives around 3:30 am. Fortunately, we were meeting one of Teresa's friends, who was already in a hotel room, so we only had to get there and settle in for a few hours sleep. It was uncomplicated but tiring. Braşov is a very pretty city, set against the side of Mt. Tampa in Transylvania. The area was settled by Germans in the late 1400-1700's. (I guess they didn't all go to Berks County!). While the topography reminded me a little of Jackson Hole, WY, with ski slopes coming down right into town, most of the architecture was reminiscent of colonial Philadelphia. The German name for Braşov is Kronstadt. Of the three towns that we visited, it was by far the most cosmopolitan, and international. There were lots of tourists and students, and most people seemed to be able to speak English. Our Romanian was appreciated and understood, so that was cool, too. Teresa friend, Glenda, was with us for the five day vacation, and was a good addition. On Sunday afternoon, we hired a driver and went to see two different castles. The first one we went to was at Peleş, in the town of Sinaia. This castle was built in the late 1880's and is a little froo-froo, with fancy Rococco work, lots and lots of stained glass. Its very pretty, and looks like a fairyland castle.

It was the end of the day, but we found time to also visit Bran castle. This is the legendary home of Vlad Ţepeş, the inspiration for Bram Stokers' Dracula. It is a much different castle, and more impressive to me. It is more fortified and stark, and not a bit spooky. There are lots and lots of little nooks and crannies and places to explore. It is older, from the 1400's, and feels more like a fort than a castle. We were a little rushed going through, as it was late in the day. I do think we saw everything, and it was an impressive place. Just outside the entrance there were the usual tacky touristy kinds of shops. I didn't buy any vampire stuff although I had lots and lots of opportunity to. If you really want a tacky tee shirt, you'll have to go there to get one yourself. Its a place that I would recommend, if not for the souvenirs. After visiting the two castles, we also drove past the fort at Raştov. By this time it was after 8 pm, and this fort was closed. We did see it from the road, but didn't make a trip back to see it later in the week.

Monday morning we walked around downtown Braşov and just acted like the tourists that we were. It was fun. A nice lunch, some shopping for postcards and then on the train for Sibiu. What an awesome place. I'll bet most people haven't heard of it, but it is just such a pretty, quaint (I don't like that word, but I can't think of a better way to describe it) town. It is mid-sized, with three large open squares in the center of the old city. Again, the architecture is German, from the same period. The German name for the town is Hermannstadt, and there seemed to be mostly German tourists in the town. Many shops and restaurants seemed to be able to provide some German speaking staff. Glenda had lived in Germany for a few years, so she was able to converse here in German, along with our Romanian, so we were in good shape. We were here for Monday night and Tuesday, and I could easily have stayed longer. It was that pretty. Beautiful churches and museums, clean and friendly: It felt like a real vacation! Tuesday we spent the day just exploring and enjoying this city.

Wednesday morning, back on the train, this time to Sigişoara. Also German, known in German as Schassburg, it is the birthplace of Vlad Ţepeş. It was by far the smallest, most touristy, and dirtiest of the three towns that we visited. There is a small central square inside the walled part of the old city, with churches and a historic clock tower, but not a whole lot else. There are lots and lots of ticky-tacky Dracula gifts. Again, I didn't bite. (Sorry, I couldn't resist...!) We got to Sigişoara in the late morning, and by dinner time we were making plans to go back to Braşov earlier than originally planned on Thursday morning, which is what we ended up doing. Thursday Teresa and I spent the day in Braşov again, while Glenda went on to Bucharest to catch her plane home. There is a really cool gondola car which goes up the side of Mt. Tampa and a little hike at the top of the mountain. There is a big"Hollywood" kind of sign (it says Braşov, not Hollywood, of course) on the top of the mountain. We went up there and had a great view of the city. We had ice cream and coffee, and then we got back on the bus at 7 pm to come back to Moldova.

The ride back was prettier than the ride going to Romania, mostly because the evening hours when we were awake and able to see the countryside was spent driving up and down through hairpin turns as we left the Carpathians. It was a pretty sunset and really picturesque, and just a tiny bit scary. The only funny thing to happen was the bus driver stopping at the "Valley of Trousers" (written in English!) for about half an hour to go buy some pants, leaving us all waiting for him. Coming from Moldova, this is not at all surprising, but cracked me up anyway, as it is considered an "International" journey! Through many of the villages signs were written in Romanian, German and Hungarian. It was truly an international adventure and so much fun!

Friday and yesterday were spent in Chişinău, with the big US Embassy party last night to celebrate the Fourth of July. It was a good time, with hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad. There were no fireworks, but still lots and lots of fun, with almost all of the volunteers attending, along with lots of other Americans and Moldovans. Now I am back in the village, catching up on all that I've missed here. Its back to work tomorrow morning, and I'm looking forward to getting back into my routine.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday. Thank you Mom and Dad, Linnea and Joe for more packages! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

The Sun

2009-06-19T12:08:00.002-04:00

The Sun
by Mary Oliver

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone--
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance--
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love--
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed--
or have you too
turned from this world--

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

Happy Midsummer. Happy birthday John. Happy Father's Day this Sunday, not last, as I had thought. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Sunday evening

2009-06-14T11:43:00.003-04:00

Here it is, the middle of June. The very best time of year. Plus, its my birthday! Yippee! This year it was mostly a quiet day, after five days in Chişinău with the new trainees. That was a lot of fun, filled with busy days and late nights. Wednesday and Thursday were spent shopping for small gifts, preparing events and activities, making signs to hold up at the airport. Fun stuff, but nothing too taxing.

Thursday evening the trainees arrived. Tired, excited, overwhelmed. All of us "seasoned" volunteers spent time remembering how it was for each of us as we entered this service, and this different culture. We spent a lot of time talking about how the past year and few months has changed us, and brought a different perspective to how we view ourselves and others. For me, it was a reminder of the reasons that I wanted to do this work in the first place: the enthusiasm, the pride, the belief that one person really can make a difference. It was good for me to remember.

Thursday night after getting settled there was pizza and a little time out on the town. I met Jon and passed on the greetings from his family. He gave me a big hug and literally lifted me up off my feet! What a nice young man, one who will be learning Russian instead of Romanian. It is always good to have Russian-speaking friends! Friday and yesterday were spent moving people and luggage from one location to another, organizing meals out on the town in Chişinău, buying forgotten items for the trainees, and again, late nights. Yesterday evening by 6 pm, all of the new trainees were moved from Chişinău into their training villages. Last night it was dinner with five other volunteers and then an early evening. This morning I picked up my three (!!!) packages, sat on the bus for three hours, and now I am relaxing and catching up on all that I missed here in my village. Tomorrow it is back to work.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes, especially thanks to my Mom and Dad, Linnea and Joe, Kim, Mike and Bob for the packages. Thank you all who have already made donations for my special project. It means so much for the future of the work here. I have so much to be grateful for. Happy Fahter's Day to my Dad, my brother, Nick, Joe and all my friends to whom this applies. Special thoughts this week for my friend and fellow volunteer, Justin, as he is being sent to Washington for some testing tomorrow morning. This week should be back to the quiet routine of village life. As I have learned, there really is no routine to village life, although it is usually a quiet life. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

A busy week

2009-06-09T05:43:00.003-04:00

It feels good to be busy. I am not busy in the way that I was busy at home, but I am busy this week in my Peace Corps life. This is the week that the new trainees come into town, and there is a fair amount of preparation for all of us to do to make them feel welcome. It feels good to be a part of this effort. Teresa has really assumed the position of being the lead organizer from the volunteer perspective, and she has done a great job. Now there are just last minute details before the "newbies" arrive on Thursday evening.

This past weekend I was in Chişinău and went to a volunteer gathering at Lake Ghidighici after the VAC meeting. This lake is the largest lake in Moldova, and is located just north of Chişinău. There was a pretty good group of people at the lake and then most of us headed back to Jenna's for the evening. Again, lots of fun. Yesterday and today are work days, and then tomorrow I head back into Chişinău for a long, activity-filled birthday weekend. I am looking forward to meeting all the new trainees and helping them acclimate to this different life!

Peace Corps news: Jeffrey Goveia, who has been our Acting Country Director since the departure of the previous Country Director, has been named the new Country Director for Moldova. This is great news from my perspective. Jeffrey is fair, enthusiastic, smart, and a pleasure to know and work for. On a sadder note, my friend, Andrea, who lives in the village closest to me, has decided to return home. She has thought through her decision, and of course, as her friend I support that decision. I will miss her lots, and wish her lots of luck and happiness. Best of luck to Jen and Matt V. Good news for them! I'm looking forward to "seeing" my family on Skype this weekend, and hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the long, warm days of June. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Zuia Copiilor

2009-06-03T11:20:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, late afternoon in early June. Since I last wrote I have had another fun weekend in Chişinău and a good and productive week here in the village. On Friday morning I headed into the city, and then out to meet with Teresa. She has been working to prepare for the new group of volunteers who will be coming a week from tomorrow. She is very organized, and I was visiting more for the company than any real work that she needed me to help with. Eden came out later in the evening, and we had such a good time. On Saturday we were up early and headed into Chişinău for a full day of meetings. It was actually a lunch gathering, and then an afternoon of meetings on providing peer support. Then back to Teresa's town for a birthday party for Lauren, who turned 23 on Saturday. What a fun time! There were 15 of us, and lots and lots of good food and funny stories. Lauren will be leaving us shortly to enter Law school this fall, so it was nice to have this time together. Sunday was spent at the Peace Corps office, and traveling back here to my village life.

Monday morning the day at work started with popsicles for the kids. June first is Children's Day (Zuia Copiilor) and what better way to start the day than with a popsicle. It works for me! Shortly after getting to work, my partner told me that there was a visiting American coming to the village for the day, and did I want to meet him? So, this man turned out to be a native Moldovan who moved to the US in the late 1950's. He was raised in Chişinău, and his ancestral home is the village I am living in. He spoke Russian very well, and since almost everyone here prefers Russian to Romanian, he fit in much better than I do. We had a really nice day, and toured the local winery, along with some interesting sites that I have already seen in the village. The website for the winery is www.purcari.md. Check it out to see the best and the brightest of Moldovan wine making. It's not typical of life here, but it is interesting. Yesterday and today have been routine, but all in all, its been a good week.

This weekend I am headed back into the capital for the VAC meeting on Saturday. I am planning to stay and help prepare any last minute things needed for the incoming volunteers. Next week will be busy for sure. My thoughts this week are with all of my Ream family as Memmy is struggling with her health, and with Michele who is headed out for a family cruise. Keep the letters and emails coming! I love hearing from everyone! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

I'm loving my (Peace Corps) life

2009-05-28T06:12:00.003-04:00

Since coming back to Moldova from my vacation in the States, I have been in such a good state of mind. Content, happy, feeling really good about being here and the work that I am doing. Yippee! It feels good to feel fulfilled. It was reassuring to be home and to see everyone thriving without me. It was mostly good to just see everyone, period. And now I have less than a year to serve. I know it will pass quickly, even if some days drag on forever.

While I was home I talked with family and friends about my work, and my life here, and what is good, and not so good about the Peace Corps life. I mostly only have positive things to say about my Peace Corps experience. While the initial weeks and months were a struggle for me, it was more about my personal responsibilities that I abdicated to others, than it was anything that the Peace Corps did or did not provide. Its a great organization overall. Like many big organizations, there is often the perception that there are too many layers, too much bureaucracy. I'm guessing that is true, but as a volunteer I am mostly, and blissfully, unaware of most of this bureaucratic layering. What I am aware of, and what I started to talk about was a sort of "colonialist" model that Peace Corps has. In talking with another volunteer upon my return, she corrected me. As volunteers, we are not forcing anyone to espouse American, or Western, ways of thinking. We are not trying to "take over" anyone or anything. What I came to realize in this conversation (thank you, Zan, for helping me to clarify my argument) is not that Peace Corps is "colonialist", but rather it is unilateral. There is not the sharing of experiences across cultures that there could be. It is not as collaborative an engagement as is possible. Its good, but its not great. It could be better.

So, the big question is: What will I accomplish in the coming year? In a program specific questionnaire that we received a few months ago about how to improve partner relationships, an idea began to germinate. In the coming year I would like to bring my Moldovan partner to the States to see programs and services that are designed to serve the same, or similar populations (elderly and child residential programs). I want this field trip to offer her some of the richness of experience that I have been blessed to have here in Moldova. I want to be able to help her expand her frame of reference on what is truly possible. She is visionary, but limited by resources and knowledge. To increase knowledge is to improve sustainability. I think it is a great opportunity for both of us to increase our collaborative efforts.

So here is the scheming part of my "Dreams and Schemes". I am looking to you, my friends and family, and even strangers who read this who have never met me, to contribute to this effort. I understand that Peace Corps, as a taxpayer funded organization, cannot use any of its funds to pay for our host country friends and partners in any way. I generally agree with that stance. What that position does mean, though, is that I cannot use any Peace Corps money in furtherance of this goal. So I am looking to you, your church organizations, scout troops, community service projects, whomever you are, to help me make this dream happen. My parents, who have power of attorney, can deposit checks to help off-set expenses. Their name/address: James and Beverly Kelly, PO Box 1205, Wolfeboro, NH 03894. Thank you and I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

"I used to assume that the direction of 'progress' was somehow inevitable, not to be questioned. I passively accepted a new road through the middle of the park, a steel-and-glass bank where a 200 year old church had stood...and the fact that life seemed to get harder and faster with each day. I do not anymore...I have learned that there is more than one path into the future and I have had the privilege to witness another, saner way of life - a pattern of existence based on the co-evolution between human beings and the earth...Community and a close relationship with the land can enrich human life beyond all comparison with material wealth or technological sophistication. I have learned that another way is possible."

Helena Norberg-Hodge in Ancient Futures, found in Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I just finished Three Cups of Tea, and found it really inspirational. Maybe its where my head is at....

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T05:56:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day. No holiday here in Moldova, but still a day of remembrance for Americans. And, of course, its the unofficial beginning of summer. Love it!! This is the last week of school here, and many kids are already spending their non-class time helping in the family gardens. There is not a lot of free time for kids here in the village.

We received this information last week in our Weekly Highlights, and I thought it was interesting information about the political process here. As you may remember, after the election on April 5, there was rioting in Chişinău. From Jeffrey Goveia, our acting Country Director:

I got a request from a Volunteer to give a quick review of the election. While, I’ll admit that this is a confusing process to explain, I’d prefer trying to explain this process to you than trying to explain the Electoral College to anybody. Let me try to sort through what I’ve been told. As you probably know, the President here is elected by Parliament by a minimally-required, super-majority vote of 61 (greater than a 3/5ths majority) members of parliament. The Party of Communists currently holds 60 votes in Parliament…one vote shy of the needed super majority. At this point, all three opposition parties have stated that they will boycott the vote for President. The vote for President is by secret ballot, BUT…the fact that a person votes is NOT a secret. The members of Parliament must leave the chambers, walk into the hallways, get a ballot from a registrar, walk into a voting booth, and then deposit his or her vote into a voting box. As such while any given vote is private, it does not appear possible for any given opposition party member to decide to vote without this being known. This provides a very public mechanism to help ensure party “discipline”.

At this point, the first attempt to elect a President will be held on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009. The Party of Communists has submitted two names for consideration. The first is outgoing Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanii and the second is an academic, Stanislav Gropa. As the opposition parties are boycotting the vote, there are no opposition candidates under consideration.

If no candidate receives sufficient votes in the first round of voting on May 20th, a second round of voting must be held within 15 days. If no President can be elected within three rounds or by June 7th, then the acting President (former President and current Speaker of Parliament, Vladimir Voronin) must dissolve Parliament and announce new elections. I’ve not yet succeeded in tracking down the time given for the new elections to be held. Assuming new elections are called, it appears that Vladimir Voronin will continue to serve as Acting President and Head of Government until a new President can be elected.

An update to this is that there was no President elected this past week, and a second round of voting is scheduled for next week. I think its interesting information, even though we are not involved in the internal electoral process here in any way.

Other than this political news, and my return to village life from my mini-vacation in Cahul, its back to work and focus on the day to day routine. I hope you are all well and enjoying the holiday. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Cahul

2009-05-19T05:40:00.003-04:00

Today I am writing from an Internet cafe in the city of Cahul. Why am I here, you ask? I've only been back for a little over a week. Shouldn't I be staying in my village? Well, yes, the short answer is that I should be there, but sometimes life involves the longer answer.

Last Tuesday I was in Chisinau for the day, really only taking the time to meet with the doctor (no rabies booster, yay!) and have a nice lunch with Teresa. Together we also went shopping for a small gift for Ana. A nice day. Wednesday and Thursday were spent uneventfully at work. The party for Ana was scheduled for Friday, and I had already made plans to return to Chisinau on Friday. The doctor needed to meet with me to "read" the TB shot in 72 hours, and the plan always was to return to Chisinau at the end of the week. As I looked at my calendar, and thought about what my plans would be for the summer, I realized that I have not done a lot of traveling to visit other parts of Moldova, and have not seen the work that my colleagues are doing. Two of the places that I really want to travel to this summer include Cahul in the southwest part of Moldova, and Balti, in the north. I have been to see the villages of some of the others in my original training group: I have been to Teresa's many times, and I have also traveled to the village where Veronica lives, and also to Toumil's village. These two small towns are not really so different from my village in many ways. Village life is village life pretty much. The other two women that I trained with in PST (Pre-Service Training) are Jamie and Na'Ima. Jamie lives in a small village, and Na'Ima lives in Cahul. Sort of on a whim I gave Na'Ima a call on Thursday evening to see if she would be open to some company. And here I am.

Friday after the very brief doctor appontment, and a nice party for Ana, a group of us had an apartment for the night and spend some fun time together going out for dinner and karaoke. No, I did not sing. Its enough fun to watch this silliness. Saturday and Sunday were spent in our last language IST (In-Service Training) and a language exam on Sunday afternoon. The previous two times that I have had my language tested my physical health has not been so good. I'm not sure how I did on the exam this time, but at least I felt good. I know last time I was surprised that I had improved a level when I felt so bad. I am not expecting to improve another level, but we'll see.

Sunday afternoon I left Chisinau with Na'Ima to come to Cahul. It is a nice, small city. The population is maybe about 40,000, and there are many amenities that are not available in the village. It is still easy to navigate by foot, and it seems that many or most residents do not own cars. There are more cars here, for sure, and tractors in town, but still, many people walk. Right now there are two voluteers in Cahul, Na'Ima and Jen. Jen is ending her service this summer, so I wanted to be sure to visit before she left. Even though I am not so far in distance from my village to Cahul, there is no easy way to cross this country, and travel is most efficient through the capital. It made sense to do this visit now, while I already was in Chisinau, and I am so glad that I decided to come now. Na'Ima has been a great hostess and I have joined her at work yesterday and today. Today there is a seminar that her organization is sponsoring. It is in Russian, so we understand very little. It is a presentation that is offered by two consultants from Latvia and Russian is the unifying language. Since there is little to understand, we have come to the internet cafe, but now it is time for lunch. Gotta go back for that! I hope everyone is well. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Back in Moldova

2009-05-11T13:28:00.002-04:00

It was a great vacation. I got to everything that I wanted to do for three weeks. Even though there were people that I didn't get to see, I got to see many of the people that I wanted to. Now I am back. It was not nearly as hard to leave this time as it was last year. Now there is less than a year to serve. I more or less know what to expect of the remainder of my time here, its not so scary and crazy as it was starting out. I have friends here. Life goes on.

Some of the highlights of my time home include the time I got to spend with Linnea, my parents, my brother and sister and their families, my grandparents, my new son-in-law, Joe, my step-grandson, Joey, Joe's family, meeting my new friend, Kim, seeing Bob, and Mike, and too many other family and friends to mention...you know who you are! Really, just seeing people that I love was my main reason for coming home. It was so worth it.

And now I am back. The flight back was much more uneventful than the flight home. For those of you who do not know, I got a case of food poisoning right before I flew out of Moldova. As someone said to me..."What a crappy way to start your vacation, no pun intended". Accurate, but not pleasant. I did spend the first night back here in the Medical apartment and the doctor very graciously came in on Saturday morning to talk with me about it. She said that after three weeks I was probably over everything, and had cured myself, but I am scheduled to come back to Chisinau tomorrow for them to double-check me, give me a TB and a B12 shot, and believe it or not, today, my very first day back in the village, I got bit by a dog again! That makes three. The second one didn't break skin, so I may not have written of it. This bite hurts, but I don't think they will give me another booster. We'll see. I don't know what it is with the dogs here. They are a source of curiosity for me, on so many levels.

It was good to spend a nice warm late Spring weekend in Chisinau. I was supposed to have a language training this past weekend, but while I was home it was postponed until this coming weekend. We will be having our last language exam until we finish service. Because they were not expecting me until Sunday afternoon I decided to spend the weekend in the city before re-integrating back to village life. Sort of slow things down a bit...get used to Moldova urban life before going back to the village life...which is, as I have shared, extremely slow. Saturday was a fun time. There were lots of volunteers in Chisinau, and Saturday night was a dinner at a Mexican restaurant for about twelve of us. It was Andrea's 24th birthday, and she joined the group, which was nice. Andrea is the volunteer who lives in the village closest to me. Her mother is coming for a visit this weekend, and I know she is looking forward to that. She has been having a rough week, and family visits always help.

Today when I went into work everyone, but especially the kids, all seemed so happy to see me. That was really, really great, and just what I needed to feel like this work matters. Maybe some days it only matters to one little kid, but it matters. So, with that feeling this afternoon, I left work, and went for a walk, only to end up getting bitten by that pesky mutt. Some days it is up one and back two. Today it felt like up two, and back one, so I'm still ahead. It really is okay being back here. I wasn't sure how I would feel after being home, and I'm guessing there will still be hard (lonely) days ahead, but right now I am on a "home visit high". Its sort of funny to me that while I was home there were things that were overwhelming to me (the mess in the attic, Walmart, traffic, thinking about next year when I am really home for good). Not the visiting, ever, but some of the things about our way of life are just so hectic/commercial, and I guess I had forgotten, or took for granted that everything at home would feel natural. Not always so, and a little surprising to me. I wonder if there is a middle ground? I wonder if it is just me? I wonder what's next...after tomorrow, of course.

Belated Mother's Day greetings to my mother, my grandmother, Linnea, and to all of my friends to whom this applies. Betsy's mother, Sarah, is back living at home, Michele is home from the hospital, doing well, and getting ready for a family cruise. My thoughts go out to Kim who has recently lost her father. The sun is warm, and the days are long. Spring! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Home

2009-04-22T15:56:00.003-04:00

I love being home. I have been able to visit, relax, do lots of driving, shopping, eating. Its been great. The flight home was good, even if I did get sick on the plane. That is something that has never happened to me before, and it is not pleasant. Linnea and Joe met me at the airport, and we spent a day in Pennsylvania before heading to NY to my see my grandparents, and then on to New Hampshire to my parents and Maine to visit with friends. I know it is not realistic to expect that I might get to see everyone that I miss, but I am trying to see as many people as I can. We are still in New Hampshire, and doing trips to Maine for a day or two at a time. I hope everyone is well, and that I at least get to talk to people on the phone if there isn't time to get together in person. Life is good. Jami

Unrest

2009-04-10T13:20:00.002-04:00

Post-election Moldova has been a time of unrest. There have been demonstrations in Chişinău this week, and concern for all citizens here as they voice their feelings about the election process. I have included some links for you to read, if you are interested, about the events here this past week:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/world/europe/08moldova.html?_r=1&hp http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7988028.stm

While there were some opinions about the election here in my village, all of the conflict seemed to be centered in the capital. There were no demonstrations of any kind in my little town, and life goes on, as rurally peaceful as always. The primary focus this past week, while most of the days were warm and sunny, was getting all of the crops, especially the potatoes, into the ground. Priorities!!

Work has been unusually quiet, with many of the residents returning home now that the weather is warmer. Everyone is needed to help out at home, even the youngest children, and while we still have five elderly residents, many who had been staying with us have returned home recently, and these are some newer residents still settling in to the daily routine. We still have 3 little boys and 3 girls staying with us, but somehow it just seems quieter. Maybe its because more time is spent outdoors, and so the noise and activity is given freer reign...I'm not sure exactly what it is, but its been nice. The great weather has been awesome. While it has turned colder today, most of the week was really warm and sunny. Finally, Spring!

This weekend I am heading into Chişinău, and flying home on Tuesday for a three week visit!! I can't wait. I have been counting the days since they were over 100. Now I am down to three! I will try to visit with as many people as I can possibly see, and hope to see you all soon! Happy Easter this Sunday! Miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Election Day

2009-04-05T07:42:00.002-04:00

It is really and truly Spring here now. The birds start tweeting early in the morning, the daffodils are blooming, the willows and other trees are budding, and the fields are green. Yippee! It feels good to be warm.

Yesterday was another Saturday in Chişinău. This week it was for the VAC meeting. As always, it was a long day, and, at the same time, nice to get out of the village. Unlike others in recent memory, it was warm, sunny, and actually nice to walk around town. Our Country Director has just resigned, taking a job in Seattle. He will be leaving at the end of this month, and our Program and Training Officer will be the acting Country Director until a replacement is here, probably sometime in June or July. It won't have much of an impact on me in the day to day life here. What might have a bigger impact is that the Assistant Program Manager, Ana, is also leaving soon. She is moving with her husband to East Timur. Brave. Last year, when we first got here, our Program Manager, Liliana, was just going out on maternity leave. She has been back for a few months now, and she is great. My initial contact, however, was primarily with Ana, and I have benefited from her support. I wish her the best in her new adventures.

Today are the elections for Parliament and a new President in Moldova. Here people vote for a party only, and not for direct representation. There are currently 28 different parties identified on the ballot, and to have a representative voice in the Parliament, a party needs to secure at least 6% of the vote. Another way to secure a voice in Parliament is to form a coalition with another party, so that there is at least a partial representation of a party platform. I do enjoy the American political process, and try to be an active participant in our political process. Here it is interesting to be a passive observer to a process that I really don't understand. It is hard for me to imagine how a system works where there is not a process to identify individuals who will represent my individual interests. I take for granted that even if I don't agree with every decision my political representatives make, that they, as individuals, are accountable to me, as an individual voter. This voting for just a party is a little confusing to me, and it has been an interesting learning experience to observe this election process. I'm glad for the opportunity to be here during this time, and I'm really glad that we are not to get involved in this process in any way. It makes my life so much easier.

I haven't done an update to my reading list for awhile, so here it is: MotorMouth, Janet Evanovich; Three Junes, Julia Glass; An Ocean Apart, A World Away, Lensey Namioka; Native Speaker, Chang Rae Lee; The Master Butchers Singing Club, Louise Erdich; Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire; Stranger Than Fiction, Chuck Palahniuk; A River Sutra, Gita Mehta; Absalom!Absalom!, William Faulker; Lost on Planet China, J. Maarten Troost; Four Corners, Kira Salak; The Hours, Michael Cunningham, and I have succumbed to volunteer peer pressure and I am currently reading Twilight, Stephanie Meyer.

I guess that's all for this week. I'll be home in NINE days!!! I hope to see as many of you as I can. Special birthday greetings this week for my Daddy, a remembrance for my nephew, Paul, who would be 26, and for my sister-in-law, Gale. See you all soon. xoxo, Jami

Slumber Party Weekend

2009-03-31T02:14:00.002-04:00

I'm a little late this week with my usual Sunday posting. Sorry about that, but I just came back to my village from a really fun weekend with the "girls". Friday morning I left the village to go into Chişinău. I was originally scheduled to have my mid-service physical last Friday, but most of it had been completed when I was in Chişinău earlier in the month. The only things left to be done were the TB test and the dentist, which was scheduled for yesterday. The TB test is given one day and then needs to be read a few days later. They usually give these on a Friday and ask to read them on Monday. Great for me since this weekend was planned a while ago. Last week I got a call from the doctor that they have temporarily run out of the TB test. The very same day my tutor was telling me that there is a TB "epidemic" right now in Chişinău, and that many people are in the hospital with either the "gripa" or TB. I think I'll be careful and still take my chances on leaving the village. I'll get the TB test when I get back from vacation, and I'm sure I'll be fine.

The rest of the weekend was spent in the town where Teresa and Jenna live. They hosted a "Tudor's weekend" at one of the cabins near to where Jenna lives. The cabins are so cute! There were between 12 and 15 of us there for some or all of the weekend, watching the Showtime series "The Tudors", eating, laughing, having a GREAT time! It was just so much fun, and a great, warm, beautiful weekend. Love it!!!

Yesterday I ran some errands in Chişinău, had my dentist appointment (no problems, sorry David!) and headed back to the village. On the way back the bus had a flat tire. I think this is probably the fifth or sixth time that there has been a problem with the bus ride back and forth into the city, usually a flat tire, but one time it took almost 2 hours by the side of the road before the problem was resolved. I've lost count. It's not as bad in the warmer weather, but it still makes a long trip even longer. Ugh!

So now I am back, taking the day to catch up on some things around the house before heading back to work tomorrow morning. I was hoping to do some wash today, but now it is raining, so I guess that will have to wait for a day or two. Rain doesn't stop the Moldovan women from doing their wash the way a religious holiday does, but it seems pointless to me, so I'll wait. It's bound to be sunny again soon.

This week the national elections are being held here. I believe that there are 28 parties and the whole process seems a little confusing to me. It feels like a relief to me that we are not allowed to become involved in this political process in anyway. The elections will be held on April 5th, and the campaigning is in earnest in the village, and on a larger scale in Chişinău. I go back into the city for the VAC meeting next Saturday, so there will probably be even more activity then.

Two weeks and I'll be home. I can't wait to see everyone! Congratulations this week to Nicki and Keith, Caleb and Connor who have welcomed Abby to their family. See you soon!!!!!!!! xoxo,Jami

March

2009-03-22T12:02:00.004-04:00

More than half over. Filled with the promise of more warmer, beautiful days. Marching forward, another week that has passed by. This week, like more and more of them recently, has happened with increasing anticipation for my trip home, and the almost routine feeling that my life has now assumed. The big events this week were that Lidia's father had his only cow and her unborn calf both die trying to give birth. It was traumatic for him, and a big loss.

Work is good. There has been some turnover of residents, as the goal is to limit residential stays to three month intervals. The past three months have really gone by quickly, when I realize that the people who were first living at the Center have now mostly returned home. The children and elderly who have returned home are getting follow-up home visits from the Social Assistants, and are eligible to come back after some time. I am not sure what the time frame is to be re-admitted, but I will find out.

Yesterday several of the older volunteers met for a light lunch in Chisinau. It was a one day quick trip in to the city, lunch, and home again in the afternoon. Not quite as much fun as heading into Manhattan for the day, but always a nice change of pace. A hot shower, a letter, all is good.

My tutor told me that he bought a pig head at the market this morning, and was cooking it down to eat tomorrow. Yum. Not. I have never eaten a lot of meat, and I am almost a vegetarian after a year here.

Happy birthday tomorrow to my niece, Jean Marie, and later in the week, to my friend Allen. I'm counting down the days. Miss you all. xoxo, Jami

The Ides of March

2009-03-15T03:14:00.005-04:00

The middle of March, and the weather here is windy and cool. March weather. Everyone here is waiting for April and May, when the days are consistently warmer. We have had a few "teaser" warm days, and now it is back to feeling more like Winter than Spring.

This week I spent a lot of time in Chişinău. I went in on the bus first thing Monday morning to see the doctor. I've been having headaches in the morning when I wake up, and I thought it was because I need some stronger reading glasses. That turned out to be true, but I also had a sinus infection with a fever. Mostly because of the fever, the doctor decided to keep me in medical TDY. The TDY apartment is in the building right next to the Peace Corps office, and it is a nice break away from the village life. Its a great place to be when not feeling well, that's for sure. Comfortable beds, hot showers. Very nice. On Tuesday I met with the doctor again. I still had a slight fever, had and eye exam and got stronger glasses, and got most of my mid-service physical exam done, and the doctor asked that I stay in TDY one more night. I have to go back at the end of the month to get my PPD/TB test done and read and see the dentist, but the doctor didn't want to give the TB test to me with even a slight fever. No surprise, I'm healthy. Nothing of concern. For all the time it took for Peace Corps to medically clear me before my service, I have been remarkably healthy since coming to Moldova. Yay! So many volunteers seem to have some pretty serious gastro-intestinal stuff. I'm glad that I've avoided that mess...*knocking on wood*.

Wednesday morning I had a large package arrive from Kim and Mike with gifts for the residents at the Center. Thank you so much!!!! In this picture the kids are listening to a story and just holding on to their new stuffed toys. The "babas" loved their warm pj's and robes, too, but they didn't want me to take a picture of them, so I respected that request. Everyone was so appreciative, and after the week I had last week, it surely helped to show up to work with gifts from America. I only went to work on Thursday and Friday this week, and yesterday I was back in Chişinău for the day. Yesterday the trip was for the Book Club meeting. It was a rainy, dreary day, but as always, nice to meet up with my friends. Today I am meeting with my language tutor, and then heading out to work for the afternoon. This is a shorter note, probably because now my life has a real sense of routine and it doesn't feel like there is so much to talk that is new and exciting. I'll be home in a month and I am counting the days! Miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Zuia Femeilor

2009-03-08T11:34:00.002-04:00

Today is International Women's Day here in Moldova. Its a big day here. Its more than just a celebration for mother's, but really for all women. The international thing is because it was a holiday all over the Soviet Republics. The eighth of March, at the end of the week of celebration of Martişor, ushers in Spring. The days are warmer more often, and noticeably longer, and the snowdrops are blooming.

The work week was a little dramatic, and not in a good way. On Wednesday and Thursday I was at work with just the helpers. The professional staff were at training both mornings. I don't really mind one day a week or so, but two days in a row is sometimes a challenge. I can usually make myself understood to everyone there, even though most of the staff prefer to speak Russian. They will always switch to Romanian to include me. That feels good. I like to play games with the children, and most of the time we get along great. This week it was a vacation week from school, so there were some additional kids who came up for parts of some days. That was okay.

On Wednesday afternoon, several times when I was alone with the kids, one of the older girls would hit the younger kids. Hard. Usually on the head or on the arms. There was a fair amount of crying. It was a challenge. Thursday morning when I went in to work, the same girl started in with this behavior again right after breakfast. At one point she took the littlest boy who is about 18 months old and flung him by one arm down into a chair. She really hurt him. I sent her to her room and made her lie down on her bed. When one of the aides came into the room, I took a break and called my friend, Teresa. As Teresa listened to me, and supported my complaining, one of her co-workers, overhearing only her side of the conversation, took it upon herself to call the regional authorities in Ştefan Vodă and make a report that the staff were abusing the children at the Center. Whew! Not true, and not what I was even saying to Teresa.

I have struggled a bit with the rampant use of negative reinforcements rather than positive ones that I have witnessed, and I know that there is not the same emphasis on safety here that there is in the US, but the upshot of this report by someone who only heard one half of a conversation is that I have lost some trust of my co-workers, who only heard that someone from Peace Corps had made a complaint. So, after some phone calls to and from Peace Corps, it was determined that no one from Peace Corps, not me, not Teresa, not the Program Manager, had called to make a report. I already knew this, and even though I have told this to the staff, I'm not really sure that they believe me. So, I'll keep working at it, rebuilding trust, showing up, doing what I am supposed to.

On a happier note, on Friday the children put on a show at the Center for zuia femeilor. There were many older women who showed up for the festivities, and it was a fun time. Right before the program was to start, the power went out and the kids and staff had to improvise, but they did a great job! It was fun to see them recite their poetry and sing songs. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day.

Tomorrow I am going into Chişinău for the day. It will be a nice break from village life, and there are some things I need to get done. I'm looking forward to a day in the big city. I hope everyone is doing well, enjoying the nicer weather, and getting ready for St. Patrick's Day! I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Martişor

2009-03-01T11:34:00.006-05:00

March first. Cool. Another month has passed, and the days are getting longer and warmer. Here in Moldova, seasons are determined by the months, not by the lunar calendar, so here it is officially the first day of Spring today! In fact, this week is another vacation week for school children and today is the holiday of Martişor. Everywhere here women and children wear little floral decorations on their coats in the colors of red and white. The more decorations they have on, is supposed to indicate the more popular the person is. This past week was also the holiday of Dragobete. I have copied a little blurb from our Director about the holiday for your reading pleasure:

Dragobete is a traditional Romanian holiday, celebrated on February 24. Dragobete was the son of Baba Dochia.
The day is known as "the day when the birds are betrothed". It is around this time that the birds begin to build their nests and mate. On this day, considered locally the first day of spring, boys and girls gather vernal flowers and sing together. Maidens used to collect the snow that still lies on the ground in many villages and then melt it, using the water in magic potions throughout the rest of the year. Those who take part in Dragobete customs are supposed to be protected from illness, especially fevers, for the rest of the year. If the weather allows, girls and boys pick snowdrops or other early spring plants for the person they are courting. In Romania, Dragobete is known as a day for lovers, rather like Valentine's Day.
It is a common belief in some parts of Romania that, during this celebration, if you step over your partner's foot, you will have the dominant role in your relationship. Dragobete customs vary from region to region.
In neighbouring Bulgaria, the custom of stepping over one's partner's feet traditionally takes place during weddings, and with the same purpose, but it is not believed to be connected to Dragobete.

In my Center work this past week, on Tuesday, the 24th, there was a celebration for Dragobete. I had invited the Country Director, the Administrative Officer and my Program Manager to come and enjoy the festivities. Teresa had been visiting since Sunday afternoon, so on Tuesday there was a full house at work, and lots and lots of activity. The kids were excited and of course, cute and mostly well-behaved. The activities were fun, and it was a great public relations event. That day there was also some training provided to the staff on Program Development by an organization in Soroca. It is very exciting to see this progress. Wednesday and Thursday were more typical work days, and then on Friday I headed into Chişinău for the weekend.

Friday was an early day on the bus and then when I got into town, the first thing I did, after my PC shower (!) was to go get my ticket for my trip home in April. I had bought the ticket for the Frankfurt-Newark part of the journey, and now I have my tickets for the entire trip. Yippee! The price of the round-trip ticket from Chişinău to Frankfurt was only $36 less than the ticket from Frankfurt to Newark! I know it is MUCH cheaper to fly in and out of Bucharest and take the bus back and forth to Moldova, but that just seems like so much more work. So now it is real! I am coming home on April 14th! Forty-five days! I can't wait! Well, of course I will wait, but you know what I mean...

The other big, fun time this weekend was our one year anniversary party on Saturday night. What a blast. A great dinner in a new restaurant owned by an American investor, and then out to a club dancing until early this morning. Almost everyone from our group made it to the celebration, and it was so much fun. Today I relaxed on the bus ride home, and tomorrow it is back to work.

I almost forgot, when I got to the Peace Corps office, I had two letters and two cards waiting for me! I was so excited that some mail actually got through to me! All in all, a very good week! Tomorrow is my nephews' birthday, so Happy Birthday to Nathaniel and Happy Martişor! Now it is Spring, even if it doesn't feel like it every single day, more and more days will be warmer! Miss you and love you all, xoxo. Jami

Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!

2009-02-22T05:59:00.004-05:00

After a few days of warmer weather last week, today is FREEZING! I can't get warm, even with my space heater going. I am not in a happy place right now. It will pass, but not until I am feeling a little warmer. Why am I in Moldova and not the South Pacific today (or St. Croix)? What was I thinking when I accepted this work? If the worst thing that I deal with is the weather, how bad is that, really?

The week was mostly uneventful, which in itself is an event. I was thinking about that as I was walking the other day. I think I am more or less adjusting to my "new normal". That is to say that my routines now feel routine. I usually know what to expect in a given situation and where to turn for support or guidance, something that has taken the better part of a year to figure out. So all of that is good, the cold weather aside. I have read Anna Karenina this week. Written by Leo Tolstoy, I think it was my favorite of the Russian books that I've read over the past few months. His descriptions of peasant life in the 1870's made me realize how little has really changed in this part of the world in over 140 years. I also read a really trashy book called Kink by Saski Walker and Sasha White just so my IQ stays in balance. That's all the books I have, so its back to finding other things to keep me busy (and warm!) until I go back to Chisinau next weekend.

The poor mail delivery continues to frustrate me, but I have been able to talk to Linnea regularly on Skype, and that is an awesome thing. Because we have computers with web cams, I can actually see her when we are talking. I think it is the most amazing thing ever, and I it makes me imagine how people must have felt the first time that they used a telephone. I'm not sure why it took us so long to figure it out, but most of the time when we were not able to connect it was because I didn't have regular Internet access. That is one thing that I am really thankful for. I'm trying to do a positive re-frame, can you tell?

Today it has been 52 weeks since the Sunday afternoon when our group met for the first time in Philadelphia to begin this journey. The actual date was February 24, and it was Oscar night, as it is tonight. My friend Teresa is coming to my village for a visit today, and staying until Tuesday, so that will provide a nice diversion this last week of February. In hindsight, the year has gone by quickly, although there were times that it didn't feel so fast.

That's all that's new this week. I'll be home for a visit in less than two months, and I am counting down the days! Love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Half Past February

2009-02-15T11:05:00.010-05:00

February is officially more than half over! Here in Moldova they celebrate the first day of Spring on March first, so in less than two weeks we will be in Spring here. Just to remind us that it is, in fact, still Winter, on Friday the thirteen, we got about 3-4" of snow. I'm not superstitious, so I don't believe that the date had anything to do with it! Thursday it had rained all day, and it was really miserable. Friday morning, it was one of those snow days with the snowflakes that are so big that when one lands on your tongue it quenches your thirst...When I got up in the morning it was drizzling, and by the middle of the afternoon it was done, so it wasn't too bad all things considered. The snow that had fallen in January was gone, and the ground was not really frozen, so I'm hopeful that this won't last too long.

So, now you can see that I have added some pictures. At night and on the weekends, when the connection seems to be a little faster, I am trying to upload some pictures for you all. I am going back in time and adding them to the dates that they occurred. There are still big gaps of time with no pictures, so don't rush going back trying to see them yet. At the rate things upload, it will take a while. I'm working on it....

This week at the Center I have worked with the kids on covering their mouths when they cough, learning "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", the "Hokey-Pokey", "London Bridge" and "Ring Around the Rosie". The kids don't really know what they are saying, but they are so cute. I am also learning Romanian pre-school songs: "Buena Diminata" and Mamma mea, te iubesc"... We are all learning at about the same level. Today when I went to work we made some snowmen. Boy, I'll bet St. Croix isn't this much fun!!!

Yesterday I was in Chisinau for the day. I went in for the VAC meeting, and got my B12 shot, and a hot shower (!) and pretty much just turned around and came home. It's a long day doing it that way, but they had asked me to work at the Center today, and I think I wrote last time how often the kids seem to be left alone, so I was happy to be there today.

There isn't too much else new this week. I will be home for a visit in less than two months! I can't wait...I confess, I have a countdown calendar! Special get well wishes to Betsy's mom who is back at Maine Med. Greetings to all, where ever you are reading this from. I miss you all and hope that you are doing well. xoxo, Jami

Working, Reading, Writing, Walking, Falling

2009-02-09T05:39:00.003-05:00

Working: Besides the necessary eating and sleeping, the above five verbs pretty much sum up the past week. Not in any particular order, or with any comment on frequency, this has been the past week here in my little village. I have gone to work for a few hours everyday. There is no reason not to, even on Saturday and Sunday. There are kids and old people who like company and there are always things to do. I am surprised and not always happy, although I am working on letting it go, how often and under what circumstances the children are left unsupervised. I think it is a recipe for disaster, so I try to show up often. The other thing about work that I am working through in my own mind, is the regular threatening that staff do with the kids, and the use of corporal punishment. There is a switch. Not kidding. I've not seen it used, but I have seen kids threatened with it. I have talked with the people (staff) I have seen threatening kids about the dangers of emotional abuse, but I don't think that I'm making an impact. It's a tough thing for me, and I'm trying to figure out how to make this point understood.

Reading: Since I last listed my reading list, this is what I have read: Waiting by Ha Jin, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Pact by Jodi Picoult, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Singing Boy by Dennis McFarland and Selected Dialogues of Plato, the Benjamin Jewett translation. Now I'm all out of books until I go into Chisinau this coming Saturday. I just finished the Plato last night, and I have lots of writing to do, so I know I can stay busy and out of trouble.

Writing: I have started working on two different grants, both with lots of writing involved. Enough said.

Walking: Everyday, my usual walking. Again, enough said. Oh, wait, I did want to add that the weather has felt Spring-like since last Friday. Although sometimes rainy and damp, it has been unseasonably warm. Its been a nice treat.

Falling: I don't consider myself a clumsy person. I don't remember the last time I fell before coming to Moldova. It might have been when Dice pulled me around the yard like I was the sled and he was the lead musher, but I really don't remember for sure. In less than one year, I have now fallen here a total of 4 times!! I fell the day of "swearing-in" on the carpet in the hotel, I fell with boiling water and burned my hand in November, I fell on ice in January and on Friday I slipped in the mud on my morning walk. The mud is as dangerous as ice here. I'm not kidding.

Nothing else new from Moldova. Have a good week. The days are longer, Spring is just around the corner, and life is good. I love and miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T00:32:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friend Allen for the reminder: Today is Groundhog Day. Punxatawney Pavel has seen his Moldovan shadow and is predicting another six weeks of Winter. No surprise. Actually, I don't think I've seen a groundhog since coming to Moldova, unless maybe it was as mystery meat....:)

February First

2009-02-01T01:56:00.002-05:00

The first day of February, 2009. It has been dreary and cold, snowy and wintry all week. Monday and Tuesday were spent in Chisinau at program training. The actual training was low key and not too stressful. There were all of us in the Community Organizational and Development group, as well as the Agriculture and Rural Business Development volunteers. I'm not sure what the other group did, but our group time was pretty unstructured and as is almost always the case, the real benefit was getting together and talking about what is working, and what is not working, wherever we are. I did walk away with some ideas for how to be more effective and helpful here in my little village, and a new perspective on things that are perhaps more universal than I had realized about the PC Moldova experience.

One thing that was different for me was the number of very late nights in Chisinau. Here in the village, it is dark before 5:30 (although its staying light a little longer everyday!!) and I am usually creating diversions to stay up until after nine at night. I am still having trouble sleeping, but more often, I go to bed early, and then wake up before four in the morning and think (too much). The three nights that I was in the hotel in Chisinau, it was after 3 each morning before I fell asleep and as always, I am an early riser. What a change! I didn't go out on the town, but shared a room with others who did. That, plus being in unfamiliar surroundings, with unfamiliar noises, made for some long, or short, depending on your definition, nights. It was a relief that the training was not more intense than it was. I had a great time, it was great to see everyone, and it was a break from the routine of village life. The upshot, though, is that I returned on Tuesday evening, slept for 12 hours straight through(!!), and then on Wednesday and Thursday, started with a bit of a cold. Lots of vitamin C, tea, and sleep, and I think the worst of it is over. Hopefully!

So now I am back to the village life. For the next six or eight weeks, I expect to dig in to the routine here, look for some resources online for funding some projects, write some grants, and count the days until I come home for a visit. Except for a meeting in Chisinau in the middle of the month, I don't anticipate any need to leave town. Hopefully the time will pass quickly in a boringly productive fashion.

Greetings to all, and special birthday wishes in the week that was to my friend, Ed, who was my Peace Corps inspiration, and to Kirsten, way out in San Diego. In the week that will be, Brenda, my awesome and in loco parentis to Linnea sister-in-law, and my best brother in the world, David, may you all have great birthdays. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

Sunday in Chisinau

2009-01-25T10:16:00.002-05:00

Today it is Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting in the Peace Corps lounge after two full days of language training. Tomorrow and Tuesday we will be attending training with the group who came before us. That group, the 21's, are also volunteers who are specializing in Community and Organizational Development (COD) and Agriculture and Rural Business Development (ARBD). There are about 60 of us who have descended into Chisinau for the two days. It should be a good time.

The abbreviated work week that just was felt understandably shorter than usual. There is a core group of regular residents at the Center, and then a fluid group of day visitors, mostly elderly folks. On weekends and holidays there have been many kids who have come during the day. The day activities seem to be mostly unstructured, and I have been working with the social assistants to develop a schedule of activities and a plan for who will be visiting the Center during the day, what time to expect each visitor, and what activities the visitors might be interested in participating in. Many people are coming just before lunch time with empty jars which are filled with soup, and then they return directly home. Others come in late morning, and then stay and visit into the afternoon hours. In the next few weeks I plan to be going with the Social Assistants to do some more home visits in addition to the work at the Center. It feels so good to be busy with meaningful work.

My parents are now on St. Croix visiting with David. I am sure that 85* and sunny beats the New Hampshire winter. Linnea is doing well. I have heard from my sister-in-law Brenda this week that my father-in-law is having some health problems that are of concern. Now that I have internet again I have been hearing from many friends via email. I am getting calls and even the sporadically delivered letter, although the irregular mail delivery continues to be among the most frustrating things for me. Yesterday my Grandmother called and told me that her Aunt Emily died in her sleep this past week. My grandmother is 91 and Aunt Em was 93. May I be so blessed to have such a long and healthy life. Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I miss you all. xoxo, Jami

It's Cold-ova here!!!

2009-01-19T13:18:00.003-05:00

Okay, the truth is, I've been wanting to use that as a title for a while. Now, its finally cold enough to use it as an accurate description of the weather here. I know that Maine just got another foot of snow yesterday, and we don't have much snow to speak of here, but we are now getting some of the Arctic blast that blew across the Northern United States last week.

Since Dustin left last week, I have been once again dealing with computer frustrations. I know I should be grateful to even be able to use the computer at all here. When I actually think about it, it is sort of amazing to even be able to access this level of technology. We have an outhouse, a well for our water, and broadband internet. Go figure. I paid the internet bill late this month, and because of the many holidays in the beginning of January, they were not able to re-connect the service until today. I think it is now straightened out but it is still incredibly slow broadband, as slow as dial-up.

I was in the village last Thursday and Friday, and then on Friday afternoon I went back to Chisinau for an impromptu birthday party for one of the other volunteers. We had "funfetti" birthday cake with chocolate icing, and a nice time. On Saturday, Teresa came into town and we met for book club and then headed out to the newest mall in Chisinau. It is called Mall Dova. I kid you not! It is filled with French, British, Italian and American stores. It is the first time in almost a year that I wished I was making an American salary and not living on a volunteer stipend. There has been little I have needed, and not much I have wanted in almost a year, but I did see things on Saturday that I wanted, even though I have no needs. Its good that I clearly know the difference between wants and needs, or I might have been tempted! One funny thing about the day is that Teresa and I ate at KFC, and I had chicken and coleslaw. It wasn't until yesterday that I thought about it and realized that even when I don't have to eat cabbage, I am still eating cabbage, even if they don't make coleslaw here anything like KFC coleslaw. Too funny. The mall is new and clean, very western, it was fun to check out, and a great way to spend a dreary January Saturday afternoon.

Speaking of book club, this is what I have been reading since the end of December: The Christmas Train by David Baldacci, Cocktails for Three by Madeline Wickham, Saturday by Ian McEwan, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, Liliane by Ntozake Shange, A Common Life by Jan Karon and I am currently reading Maya Angelou's All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes.

Tomorrow is the inauguration. A proud day for America. Have a good week. I miss you all. XOXO, Jami

Dustin

2009-01-12T15:37:00.004-05:00

I have a visitor from home! My nephew, Dustin, has been visiting me since last week. Dustin is a student at the Tyler School of Art, part of Temple University in Philadelphia. He is in a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) program in photography there, and he is here on his school break taking photographs, and checking out the local scene.

He was supposed to fly in last Friday evening, January 2. His flight from Frankfurt to Chisinau was cancelled on Friday evening. Air Moldova put him, and several, but not all, of the cancelled passengers, into a nice hotel in Frankfurt, gave them meal vouchers, and they arrived safely on Saturday evening at the appointed time. No problems with the flight on Saturday, everything went smoothly. We spent the first few days in Chisinau, and returned to the village on Monday evening. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in the village, walking around and exploring. I went to work, and Dustin joined me for most of the day on Wednesday. Wednesday was Christmas here. It is mostly a religious holiday, and the young children did get some small gifts. Thank you to my parents and family for sending stuff for me to share with the children. Everything was appreciated by everyone.

Thursday we came into Chisinau again for one night, and returned back to the village on Friday evening, where we stayed until yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. Again, the time was spent showing him around town, introducing him to the people I know, other volunteers, my host families, both the current one, and the one from training. It has been a fun week, and the time has passed so quickly. Today we have been visiting in Chisinau, and tomorrow he is planning to go off on his own for a while and shoot some photographs in the morning, and then in the afternoon we will probably look for some souvenirs for him to take home. His flight returning home leaves at 5 am on Wednesday, so he will be leaving Moldova soon. It has been a really good break from the coldness of January to have him here. I do know that the days are getting longer, and each day I believe I can really feel it, especially in the afternoon. I think I want it so badly, I am making the days grow faster than they actually do.

Last time I wrote about letting go of people whom I have struggled with trusting. I realized that I need to figure out how to work through this issue if I am to be successful here. I think that in many cases I have such different expectations than what people here have about "stuff". I often think that casualness about time or events is somehow a personal attack, when often it is just a different expectation about time frames or work. Again, I am working on letting some stuff go, but not actual people.

I am not sure if this has made the US press, but there is a problem with natural gas coming from Russia into Europe through the Ukraine and Moldova. There has been a shortage of gas, and problems with the movement of natural gas, and Moldova has been forced to tap its national reserves. There is a lot of concern that if this issue is not resolved soon that many people may be without heat or the ability to cook. In my village, school has been cancelled this week, as there is not enough gas in reserve in town to heat the school. Most homes in the village are heated with wood, so there is not as much concern about home heating in my village as there is in Chisinau. People across the country of Moldova are dealing with a basic necessity that I have always taken for granted as being available, even if expensive. It is living Maslows hierarchy at the most basic survival level.

I hope everyone is having a great January! Enjoy the longer days, make a snowman, have some soup or hot chocolate by the fire. Spring is coming. Really. St. Croix is always an option when you think you can't stand another cold minute! Have a safe trip Mom and Dad! Miss you all. xoxo, Jami

New Year

2009-01-02T04:46:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year to one and all! I was hoping to update this blog yesterday, but once again, the phone service was not working. Oh well. My reflections for the past year are mostly centered on this Peace Corps work, since it has really consumed most of my time and energy over the past year, and much of 2007, as well. The year that was, was filled with lots of new adventure: meeting new friends, fellow volunteers, Peace Corps staff, and Moldovans; increasing my patience and tolerance for the many things that are beyond my control or understanding; working hard to make my needs understood in a new language; increasing my capacity to trust, and also learning to let go of things, and maybe people who have made me question if they continue to be worthy of that trust.

Now I have been in Moldova for a little over ten months. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I left home. In hindsight, the time has gone incredibly fast, although there have been many days that have been so long I thought they would never end.

My personal goals for the coming year are focused on the work that I have started this past year, and will be working on for all of 2009. One of my challenges will be figuring out the sustainability piece of this work, and how to support what I do here this year, beyond my time here. My village is a place with many physical needs. People see me as someone who might be able to help them find a way to finance projects. I didn't come here only to write grants for things, although I do see this as a part of my work. Some of the needs that have been identified by people in the village, from the mayor to school children that I have asked, are as follows:

Help with improvements at the school. There have been many days where there has been no heat in the school, and students have been sent home early because of this. The heating system needs to be replaced, and many of the desks are falling apart.
Money to fix, or pave the secondary streets. The main road was paved this past year, but no other streets in the village are paved. Because the village is on a hill, every time it rains the main street is filled with mud that runs down the secondary streets into the main road.
Musical instruments for the high school. There is a piano at the school, but there are no other instruments available for public use. There are some instruments at the School of Art, but no everyone can afford to take lessons there.
Help with improvements, including heat, at the teen center. This building is only available for use in the summer as it is not heated.
Outdoor play equipment at the pre-school and at the residential center where I am working. There is no outside equipment at the residential center, and the equipment at the pre-school is old, rusty, and unsafe
More jobs....

So, that is the big list. The reality, I know, will be less. I will be okay with less, but will try to help with this list as much as I am able. It's why I'm here, and there are a lot more little things that are needed, but not asked for in such a big way: Toys and toiletries for the center, benches for the park, improvements to the bus stops...the list goes on.

This evening my nephew is coming for a visit. I anticipate that he will probably be the only one of my family and/or friends to come to Moldova. It will be great to have him here, and I can't wait to see him!

I wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year! May 2009 be a great year for all of us! xoxo, Jami

My Parents

2008-12-29T06:32:00.002-05:00

I have written before about my parents, and how they have supported this journey. What I haven't written is how they have always supported me, and my siblings, in every journey, and in everything that we have done. They are wonderful as individuals, and awesome as a team. For the past fifty-two years they have worked together to create a wonderful family. By their example, they have imparted the values that I hold most dear: commitment, respect, loyalty, honesty, integrity, hard-work, love of others, and compassion. It is also through their example that I have learned the importance of a good education, civic responsibility, and social justice. They have always been fair in their judgements of others, and have been respectful of others at all times. They may have sacrificed personal goals for the sake of family life, but I have never been aware of such sacrifice, for it has never been spoken of. If they have quarreled over the years, it has been a private matter, resolved between the two of them. I have never been asked to choose sides. By growing up in their loving home, I have been been blessed to know the way that love compromises for a greater good. Thank you, Mom and Dad, and Happy Anniversary! I love you, Jami

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-25T07:13:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone, from Moldova to wherever you are! There is no Christmas here in my village today. Everyone here celebrates Christmas following the Eastern Orthodox calendar, which puts their Christmas at January 7th, and New Year's on the 14th. My co-workers and host family wished me a merry Christmas this morning, so that was nice. This morning before going to work I opened my packages which I had received earlier and saved for today. I am wearing my new long johns, drinking real hot chocolate (with mini-marshmallows) and eating Christmas cookies! Not exactly home, but not too bad, considering everything.

I just wanted to send out a quick note, and let everyone know that I am thinking about and missing you all. Tess called last night, and that was an awesome surprise, and I have heard from so many people via email. I really feel blessed this Christmas. I am lucky to have this opportunity, and even though its not the same as being home with my own family, its still a cool thing. Love you all, XOXO Jami

Snowy Solstice

2008-12-21T08:41:00.003-05:00

The shortest day of the year, already getting dark here at 3:40. Actually, the sun hasn't been out all week. Dreary, dreary weather. This morning I went out for a walk in the fog. By the time I got home, it had changed from misty fog, to freezing rain, and then into snow, with the snow being best of all. I think it has stopped now, without too much accumulation. At least there is not as much snow here as Maine is getting right now.

There has been "real" work to do everyday now, and that is such a welcome thing. I have gotten so good at being busy at created work, that there has been a little bit of an adjustment in finding enough time to do the real work! By Wednesday morning when I went to work there was finally both heat and hot water at the Center. The residents, both the girls and the women all seem to be adjusting well. I have been spending much more time with the little girls. It is much easier to communicate with them and they like to play (and so do I!). There is Maria, Julia, Luba, Vera, Luminita, and Sveta. Maria and Julia are sisters, as are Luba and Vera. They are all so cute, and I look forward to going to work to see them everyday. This week I am planning to spend more time with the older residents. It is harder for me, as they tend to prefer to speak Russian. I am learning some Russian phrases and the Cyrillic alphabet, but it is enough of a challenge to spend the whole day speaking Romanian. I keep working it, so it gets better, but it is still one of the hardest parts of this experience for me.

Yesterday I spent the day in Chisinau. There were two meetings that I attended: One for the Model United Nations program (MUN). My partner is hoping to coach a team to send to the regional competition. This is a program that past Peace Corps volunteers have spear-headed. They also have been involved in bringing Odyssey of the Mind (OM) to Moldova, along with sport teams, mostly basketball and baseball competitions; summer camps, and a whole bunch of other "secondary" activities, like the English clubs that I have been doing here in my village. The problem with secondary activities is figuring out how to make them sustainable after the volunteer leaves a community. The MUN program is in the process of moving from being a totally Peace Corps sponsored activity to one that includes more Moldovan people in the planning and implementation of this activity. The volunteers who are organizing the competition are working with the Ministry of Education to see that it has broader support within the existing educational programs. I am not an organizer, but am willing to help support this activity in my town, with my partner as a coach. We'll see how it goes. The other meeting that I attended was for the Peer Support Network (PSN). I think Peace Corps loves acronyms more than any other organization I have ever work for! Anyway, PSN is a group of volunteers who get together to figure out ways to support the larger PC community. Overall, I think its a nice idea, and although this group is a little loose in structure, it is well-intentioned and with some interesting discussions and interpretations of what constitutes support.

After these two meetings, the PSN group sponsored a little holiday gathering, which I did not stick around for. I gathered up my package, (thanks, Mom and Dad!) visited briefly with Rian and had some home-made chili, went to the piata for some oranges and hot chocolate and was on the bus home at 5. The difference in daylight between June and now is probably close to 8 hours. This summer it was light in the mornings when I got on the bus at 5 am, and was still light long after I would get home after 8 pm. Yesterday it was just getting light when I arrived in Chisinau after 8:30 am, and was dark before I got on the bus to come back to my village at 5 pm. Oh well. Now they are getting longer, and that's what I hold on to.

This week I will be working all week. No Christmas here until January, and no plans to do anything special, except open my packages. That will be special enough. I am thinking of you all, and hope that everyone has a really wonderful and special holiday. Miss you and will be with you all in spirit, XOXO Jami

Finally!

2008-12-15T11:35:00.003-05:00

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!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T02:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-23T08:04:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-16T11:12:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-09T10:10:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-02T09:04:00.003-05:00

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

Wednesday evening

2008-10-22T11:54:00.002-04:00

It has been a mostly quiet week since I last wrote. The days have been sunny, cool, and crisp, and the nights cooler and longer. I have been doing lots and lots of walking, and reading War and Peace. It is easier to read than I anticipated, but it sure is long. The hardest thing about reading is that with copy I have the font is so small, and the pages are so yellow, that my eyes are having a hard time adjusting. The light in my room is very poor, so that pretty much limits my reading to the daylight hours. While reading War and Peace, I also picked up at Peace Corps, and have finished American Taboo, by Philip Weiss. It is non-fiction, and is the story of the murder of a Peace Corps volunteer by another volunteer in the 1970's. That's all that's new with the reading list. There is a book club that is starting with some volunteers in a few weeks, and I plan to join. That will give me some additional people to share books with.

My parents called today. What a great treat! They sound great, and from what they told me, things continue to go well with my mom's recovery. My grandparents are planning a visit for early next week, so that will be nice for all of them. There is not much new there otherwise. My brother lost his patio roof during hurricane Omar, but other than that his house didn't sustain other damage. The Virgin Islands have escaped real damaging hurricanes for several years. I am glad that he has weathered another season with minimal damage.

Today I spent the day chopping and stacking wood for the winter. I ache in places I didn't know existed! We started about 8:30 this morning, and worked until about 4:30 this afternoon, and we have done about half of the wood. It was slow going at first, but then I got a good swing going. It's sort of like baseball, but in a different direction. Sort of. I don't think I'll have a problem sleeping tonight!

The center appears to be done, and they are talking about opening sometime in November. Representatives of the funding agent came to the Center to review everything. I think the plumbing has even been hooked up! I did try to turn on the lights, and they weren't working, so the electricity is not on yet.

I think Teresa is planning a visit this weekend, and next Monday is Hram (village day). There is no school on Monday, and the following week is a vacation week for the school. Happy Rocktober! Take care, xoxo Jami

Better

2008-10-16T12:05:00.002-04:00

I just talked to my parents, and my brother, David, a little while ago. My mom came home from the hospital yesterday, and she seems to be doing really well. She sounds good over the phone, anyway. It is amazing to think that only a week ago she was preparing for major surgery. One tough cookie, my mom! She will be having the visiting nurse come in regularly, and I hope she takes it easy, and doesn't try to over-do things. That is my biggest worry, because I know that I come by that tendency genetically. Thank you so much to all of you who have called or written, or just been around for me. I appreciate it, and all of you.

I was in Chisinau from Monday until yesterday, trying to figure out whether to stay put, or use my credit card to make an emergency trip home. After thinking about all the alternatives, I have decided to stay put for the time being. It has not been an easy decision. I really would have appreciated the two weeks that might have been granted for emergency leave, but that was not to be. I think in the long run, I will be happier to be home in the Spring for my planned vacation. By then, hopefully, my mom's health will be more stable and we can better enjoy our time together. I will really miss seeing my brother, as he won't be home then, but I know I will see him when I get back.

While in Chisinau this week, I spent time with Teresa, and with Renell. Renell is heading home tomorrow. On Saturday, Renell and I had briefly visited the wine fest, and Tuesday was Hram in Chisinau. It is a one day fair, with dancing in the streets, and lots of activity in town. Even though I really wasn't in the mood, it turned out to be a great time, and just the distraction I needed. The week had felt sort of hectic, and fraught with worry, so the loud music, wine, and dancing was fun. I had been at Renell's Friday, Saturday and Sunday, up for the 5 am bus to Chisinau on Monday, back last night. Whew! The other thing that happened to me last week, that was so minor in light of my mom's stuff, was that on Saturday morning, as Renell and I were heading into Chisinau, a dog bit me at her house! Can you believe it? What is up with that?? So, while I was in Chisinau, not only did I get my B12 shot, but I also got a rabies booster. And, I have to go back into Chisinau tomorrow morning for the second booster. Hopefully, that will be the end of my trips into Chisinau for the month of October.

Again, thanks to all of you who have sent notes, or calls, or prayers and thoughts of support this way. I appreciate it, and I know my family is stronger for this challenging reminder of how much we mean to each other. xoxo, Jami

Heart attack

2008-10-12T13:18:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday, when I was having such a nice day, and took the time to write about it, my mom was in the hospital having tests done after having chest pain on Wednesday night. On Friday morning she had bypass surgery, and I am freaking out. I hate being so far away much of the time, and at times like this it feels almost more than I can stand. Peace Corps in Washington has called the hospital and also talked to my sister, both of whom have said that she is doing well, and her situation is not life-threatening, so going home won't qualify as paid emergency leave. That doesn't make me feel much better, although of course, I am thrilled that she is doing so well. My brother flew home from St. Croix, so this feels to me like if he made the trip, then I should, too. My family is not asking me to come home, but this is really difficult. I am so torn about what to do. God, sometimes I can't believe that I ever wanted to do this work more than just be home....I guess I'll be listening to those CD's a lot more in the next few days and weeks.

An Almost Perfect Day

2008-10-09T09:57:00.002-04:00

Today is what fall should look like. Sunny, lots of blue sky, cool, maybe not red and orange here in Moldova, but pretty and nice, just the same. We have had so many damp and rainy days since the middle of September, and today is just about perfect for a change. There has been nothing really special going on, but the sunshine can change my mood pretty quickly. I got some CD's in my package from Kim, and I have been listening to Living Joy, and Living Peace. They really seem to help to "center" me, and calm me when I am frustrated with viata satului (village life).

The week has been typical, meaning slow, but today was a trip into Stefan Voda, a very brief visit with Renell, and then a nice walk in the sunshine. Tomorrow its back to Stefan Voda to help Renell pack. She heads home to Minneapolis in a week! I am staying with her tomorrow and Saturday night. Saturday we are heading into Chisinau for the day. I have a VAC meeting, Renell has last minute things she needs to do, and then we are off to the Wine Fest for the afternoon. Neither of us are drinkers, but it's supposed to be a good time, even for the non-drinking crowd.

Have a great weekend! Miss you all and wish you were here with me to enjoy this great day! xoxo Jami

I miss red

2008-10-06T05:57:00.003-04:00

I miss the beautiful fall colors that Maple trees offer. Here in Moldova there are mostly fruit and nut trees, which seem to go quickly to yellow and brown, without any last hurrah of color. There are still leaves on many trees, but they are falling fast, and the days are smaller and darker. There is no Fryeburg fair here. Actually, there are no fairs here at all. Every village has a one day celebration, called Hram. I think the Hram for my village is on October 27. I don't think it is a "fair", but I'll let you know after I've been to one.

The first part of this past week was spent in the village, and then on Thursday I went into Chisinau for a long visit. I spent some time on Thursday and Friday with Teresa, and then on Saturday came back to Stefan Voda to spend time with Renell. She had a gathering of all the volunteers in this part of the world, and it was a great get-away. Renell is heading home next week. I will really miss her company when she leaves.

The Center appears to be almost finished. The projected opening date is hopefully sometime in November. There is some controversy now about funding for staff, if I am understanding things correctly. The Raion is saying that it is the responsibility of the village to fund these positions, and the village believes that the Raion should support the staff needs. I may end up being the only one working there!

There is not too much else to write about this week. Linnea is back in Pennsylvania for the winter at least, looking for work. Today is my wedding anniversary. My grandmother has her 91st birthday on Wednesday. Wish I was going to be home to help her celebrate! I will be with you in thought. Thank you to my parents and to Kim for the great packages!! I love to get packages!!!! I hope you are all well, and staying warm. xoxo, Jami

The last week of September

2008-09-28T05:07:00.003-04:00

So here it is, the end of September. Another month served, and Autumn is clearly in the air. Monday was a quiet day, and I met with my partner in the afternoon to talk about my week of training, and her week in Romania. She was supposed to attend the training with me last week, but at the last minute was invited to attend a training in Romania, so she had sent her 17 year old son to attend the training with me. Teenagers here are so mature and responsible, and Andrei is no exception. It was great to have him attend in his mother's place. He took notes, and paid attention throughout all of the training, and I predict he will be a future leader in the village, based on his interest and intelligence. It was nice to be able to report to his mother how interested he was in the concepts of program development and management. She had attended some other training on developing residential centers in Romania, so we both had a lot of information to share. Most of my information was available in both English and Romanian, and hers was just in Romanian, but overall, it is more important that she have the information, so it is okay, I can translate what I think I might need. There was no English club for adults, as she wanted to meet with me, and there are ususally only 2 or 3 other adults who attend.

On Monday evening, I got an email that there was a potluck gathering on Tuesday in another village in the raion with the other volunteers in the area to meet with the new Administrative Officer. I made my bean salad, David would be proud of me, although I am sure it is not quite as good as his! There are canned beans here, and fresh onions and garlic, so it was a good addition, as several of us who were there are mostly vegetarian. Sarah, the AO, is originally from Minneapolis, served in the PC in the Pacific Islands, has 2 children and a husband who are here with her. She met with me, Renell, Janie, Jon, and Kelsey, and then was driving to see Jimmy, who also lives near me, but teaches school all day and couldn't make our lunch. So, Tuesday, a second week that I didn't meet with the kids for English club. I have to say that I missed seeing them. Wednesday, the big (only) event was meeting for tutoring. It was good to practice again one on one, and review the language training that I had all last weekend. Thursday, Friday, yesterday and today have been spent walking, reading, the usual quiet village life. This week I read: The One True Ocean, Sarah Beth Martin, The Short History of A Prince, Jane Hamilton, and 41 Stories, O. Henry. When I finish online, it is on to War and Peace this afternoon. That should occupy a week or two....

The other thing of note from this week, has been these great connections that have happened through email, and facebook/myspace, mostly facebook. On Tuesday, I got an email from the language director, Sergiu, was that I advanced on my Language Proficiency Interview (LPI). I am pretty sure it was a gift, as I was really feeling badly on Sunday afternoon at the end of 5 long days of training, and I was sure I had bombed. I'll take it for what it is, keep practicing Romanian, and just be grateful for the score. The other thing that has happened on Facebook is that I have reconnected with my cousin Ann who reached out to me, along with her brother, Robb. Great to hear from them, and know what is going on in their lives. Robb is off to China, Ann is living in Allentown, Laura still in Florida. Ann's girls are growing up, teenagers, and they seem to be doing well. Her parents are still in Florida, and seem to be managing okay, although Ann did express concern about her mother's health, and the strain on her dad trying to manage that. I also connected with my old friend from high school, Allen Hoppes, who is living and working in Madrid, Spain. He is married to a Spanish woman, and working for an organization that promotes tours to Morocco. He told me that Joel Carroll's daughter, Mary, just left this week for PC in Turkmenistan. That's almost this neck of the woods, but a little further removed from where I am now. Allen was in PC Mali in the 90's. He then spent several years of doing 6 months stateside, and 6 months of travel. Sounds like that might be a plan that works for me, post-PC. We'll see. The organization that he works for is www.moroccoexchange.org if you are interested in checking it out. So good to hear from him, Ann, and others. Hope you all have a great week and try not to let Kyle get you too wet! Sounds like he's heading straight for Maine!

Monday morning

2008-09-22T02:05:00.002-04:00

This past week was spent mostly in training. On Monday and Tuesday afternoon, I had planned to meet with my English clubs, but no one showed up! Initial enthusiasm has waned pretty quickly. I think it may have been because my partner was out of town all week, and didn't remind students, but in any event, there were no meetings. On Wednesday morning, up at 4:30 to take the 5 am bus into Chisinau. We had technical training on Project Development and Management Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday and Sunday we had language in-service training. It's been a pretty hectic week. Besides the training schedule, there were volunteers that I hadn't seen since coming to the village in May. There was a lot of catching up to do, and every night was a of late night. Overall, it was a great break from the village life.

I shared a room with Teresa and Veronica, both of whom were leaving from the training to spend a week in Budapest and in Romania. I hope they have warmer and drier weather than we have been having in Moldova. Teresa came to Chisinau with a bad cold, and now Veronica and I are both sick. I have the advantage of now being home where I can relax and get better. Its the easiest way that I can think of to rationalize the fact that I am back to the slow village life, while they are off exploring the world. When I got home last night, it was pouring, and so I have wash to do before I try to round up some interest in English club this afternoon. Missing the Common Ground Fair, and all of you. It's definitely Autumn!

Chilly

2008-09-14T02:17:00.002-04:00

It is a chilly Sunday morning, after a soggy, rainy day yesterday. It's probably about 40 degrees, but at least the sun is shining this morning. Yesterday it started to rain about 10 am and it rained all day, and got progressively cooler as the day went on. I really can't complain too much, because it has been sunny and warm all summer, and I prefer this cooler weather over the heat that we had at the end of August. Other volunteers have talked about how incredibly hot it was here last summer, and instead of the flooding that we had this summer, there was a drought. Weather is just weather, and there is nothing to do but talk about it.

This week was spent trying to stay busy and focused. On Monday, I started my second English club for adults. There were 3 of the teachers at the high school who showed up, and then about half way through, three students showed up. We had an informal discussion, mostly about greetings and basic phrases, and it seemed to go well. On Tuesday, I met with the student English club for a second time. Last week there were 22 students, and this week there were 8! Some of the initial curiosity was satisfied the week before, and I think this is a more realistic number who will actually participate from week to week. It was a much more manageable group for learning, and I think the numbers will be fairly fluid from week to week. It is a club, not a class, so as long as a few kids show up, I'll be there to work with them. I wanted to begin to talk about meaningful things with them, not just conversation about the weather and the days of the week, and months of the year. So we translated questions about about life in the village: What is good about living here, what could be better, what would they like to see improved? Sort of combining English lesson with my community organization and development goals. Love it when I can accomplish two goals with one action!

Speaking of the Community and Organizational Development (COD) program, this coming week the volunteers and our partners will be attending a training in Chisinau from Wednesday to Friday on Project Development and Management. I'm not sure how much I will get out of the content, but it sure will be great to see everyone. Many of the other volunteers I have not seen since our swearing-in back in May. When I look forward, four months seems like such a long time, but when I think about how quickly the time has past, I can't believe that I've been here almost five months. After our technical training ends on Friday, we are to stay in Chisinau for the weekend for a language training on Saturday and Sunday. With all this activity planned, this upcoming week should pass quickly. To prepare for the Project Development training, there was a proposal that needed to be developed, translated, and submitted by Wednesday. So I spent most of my "free" time, which I still have a lot of, working on this. I got it done in time, but it was a pretty intense amount of work. Not really, but for here, at least. It did occupy my time for most of Monday and Tuesday when I was not doing the clubs.

Thursday I went to Chisinau for the day. I had called the doctor because I was still having so much trouble sleeping, and I also had to get some vaccinations/booster shots due in September. It was a long day, but it was good to get away for the day, and a nice way to "celebrate" getting my report done and submitted on time. Andrea also was going to see the doctor, so we rode in on the bus together, and had lunch between my appointment with the doctor, and hers. Plus, I knew there was a package waiting for me, and I couldn't delay the gratification of getting it until next week. Thanks Mom and Dad!! Friday and yesterday were back to the same routine, trying to fill long days without structure, with meaningful activities. Friday I did a lot of walking, and with the miserable weather yesterday I read almost all day, and played on the computer. I'm currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. That's about it for this week. I hope you all are well and staying warm. I miss you all. Jami

Sunday Morning

2008-09-07T03:37:00.004-04:00

It's a quiet Sunday morning, and time for my weekly update. I want to be able to share something exciting and new, but its not going to happen this week! After anticipating that the beginning of the school year would bring structure and purpose to my time, the reality has fallen a little short of the expectation. Monday morning did start with a celebration at the school. As always, lots of flowers, teachers greeting students, about an hour in the classrooms, and then everyone left and went home by 10 am. No one really wants to do too much on the first day of school anywhere. Here they don't even stick around and pretend that they are trying to start to work!

Tuesday afternoon I got a surprise call from my parents. What a nice treat! Nothing new at home, but it was great to talk with them! When they called I was on my way to the first meeting of English Club. This group started in May when I first got here, and met for a few weeks before the end of the school year. There were about 5 kids who would show up and we would fumble through conversation in English and Romanian for an hour. I was not prepared then, for the 22 kids who were waiting for me on Tuesday afternoon. They had lots of questions, we talked informally about what they are interested in talking about. This is not an English language "class" as much as it is a club for kids who have taken, or are taking some English classes, and want to just practice. It is good for them, and great for me, since almost everything needs to be translated into Romanian. They were so enthusiastic and energetic! It was great! There were also 3 adults who showed up, and they asked if I would be willing to have a second "club" for them, around topics and language that they might need professionally. That group will start to meet tomorrow afternoon.

That really was the high point of the week. Not much else has happened since Tuesday. Friday I went to Stefan Voda, and yesterday I met with Andrea for a visit, but that's about it. I've been doing a lot of reading. I re-read The Reader and now I'm on The Purpose Driven Life. I also read a good, but older, book about life in Alaska, Coming into the Country, by John McPhee. I wonder if Sarah Palin has read it??

This weekend I am missing the Air Show in Brunswick. I used to love to sit on my deck and watch the jets fly so low over my house that I could almost see my reflection in the sunglasses on the pilots as they flew upside down over my house. (Only a slight exaggeration!) I guess the weather isn't great there, so maybe I'm not missing too much. Have a great week! Jami

Independence Day, Limba Noastra, and the first day of school

2008-09-01T04:00:00.003-04:00

This past Wednesday, August 27, was Moldovan Independence Day, celebrating their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Nothing happened. I didn't really expect parades, or fireworks, but there was nothing. Just a regular day. I only heard one reference to the "holiday" from a neighbor. I have to say that I was a little disappointed. Since Moldova has only been independent for 17 years, maybe this is the reason that there isn't more going on. Do you think that Americans celebrated our independence the way we do now, back in 1793? I did hear from some people in the village that there are celebrations in Chisinau, but there was nothing going on here.

Yesterday was Limba Noastra "Our Language" day. This date, August 31, celebrates the day in 1989, when students and others protested against the Soviet Union for recognition that Moldovans learn Romanian as their language, and asserted their belief that language identifies them separately from the Soviet Union, which unified the Republics through the commonality of Russian language expectations. There are still many people in Moldova who only speak Russian, and almost everyone who speaks Romanian also speaks Russian but this seems to be the celebration of greater pride. It is in this village, at least. Last evening there was a concert at the Casa de Cultura with speeches, recited poems, and singing.

Today is the first day of school. No labor day holiday to postpone the beginning of school for an extra day. This morning there was a celebration at the school - speeches welcoming students to the new year along with lots of flowers for the teachers. Then everyone left, or just milled around the school yard taking pictures and talking, around 10. So, it's the first day, but like almost everywhere, students and teachers are easing into the new year. The learning will start tomorrow. Its nice to have a sense of routine again.

The only other thing that I did this past week worth noting was to visit with Renell in Stefan Voda on Saturday, along with two other volunteers who also came into town to do some banking. As always, it was nice to get out of the village for a little bit. Renell is done with her service in mid-October. I'm going to miss our visits.

There is noticeable progress on the building and the pace does seem to have increased. There are now doors on the building, so construction is moving along. I have said it before, but I will be glad when it is done. It rained on Friday and Saturday, and the standing water that was remaining from the flooding last month appears to have gotten deeper with the additional rain. There are no reports of any additional flooding, so that is good news. The weather here is cool and sunny today. It feels a little like a Maine day, cool in the morning, and warm and sunny by the afternoon. Have a great Labor Day! Miss you all. Jami

Just a quick update

2008-08-25T23:13:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to let anyone who was worried after reading my last note that things are better for me already. It makes me wonder how much the hot and humid weather, combined with all of the mosquitoes and a spider bite impacted my mood at the end of last week. The time in Chisinau was well-spent and productive. I spent Sunday night visiting with my friend, Teresa and her host family. We had a really nice visit, and a great dinner! Then, after dinner, the wind blew, and there was thunder and lightening, and it poured. Since that time, it has been about 15 degrees cooler. Autumn is in the air! I got back to my village last night and slept a few hours, and I am generally feeling better. I'm still sad, but I do know that there are reasons that things happen the way that they do, and the things that are out of my control I have to let go of. This week is the last before school starts, and like every year, this feels like the true "new year". I've always been so academically oriented, that the beginning of September always feels more like the beginning of a new year that January 1. There isn't much else going on, but I wanted to reassure anyone who was concerned that I am doing okay.

Four weddings and a funeral

2008-08-22T23:17:00.003-04:00

No, not the old Hugh Grant movie. This is the tally of events missed to date, not including birthday parties and new babies. So congratulations are in order for Candy, Adrienne, Kristen Tresaloni, and for Danielle, and the funeral, sadly for my Uncle Ed. Best of luck to each of the new brides as they start on a new journey of partnership with their beloved.

I am writing very early on Saturday morning here, Friday night at home, as it has been another up and down kind of week, and I am up and awake now. Last weekend I spend both Saturday and Sunday visiting with Andrea, who lives in the closest village. It is about a two hour walk to her house, so we met both days at the main road to eat ice cream and visit. Surprisingly fun in an otherwise boring weekend. We also agreed to travel together on Tuesday to visit the market at Stefan Voda, and visit with Renell. Tuesday turned out to be a great day. The bus from my village almost broke down, and was filled with rubber-smelling smoke by the time we got to Stefan Voda, but that was the only thing that happened that was not great, for the whole day. We didn't buy anything at the piata, but went to the post office, and then to the bank and the store. In the store I got a text message from Renell saying that she was baking chocolate chip cookies. We got to her house just as the first batch was coming out of the oven! Renell is always a thoughtful hostess, and this trip was no exception. Warm cookies and milk, her friend, Drea, and Andrea and I visited for a few hours. We had such a great visit! Both Renell and Drea are finishing out their service in October. They were so positive about their experience here, and about how quickly the time goes. I was feeling more positive than I have felt in a few weeks, maybe since seeing Teresa and Veronica and traveling to Odessa. A good day, maybe the best since I have been here. The rest of the week, not so much....

Since Wednesday, I have been back to questioning this decision with a new intensity. An intensity that I am sure will pass, and I'm sure I'll work through, but it has been a rough couple of days. I have struggled with the irresponsibility of leaving so many financial matters to my parents, and I have worked through most of that. I surely feel better about some of that, now that my house is rented and they are always reassuring me that it is fine. I have worried about my feelings that I am abandoning Linnea, but she seems to be doing just fine without me most of the time, so that has been reassuring. The last piece of work that I need to figure out, and maybe the hardest of all for me, is figuring out my personal life. Not wanting to share too much, I have struggled to figure out my feelings for a special person. Last month, he had a very rough month, and I think my letters brought him comfort. He wrote some things to me that I held onto and believed. Only a month later, his actions speak louder than the words he wrote, and I am hurting. Hurting in a way that is deeper and more painful because I am isolated from my usual supportive friends and family, and calls and letters just aren't the same as a hug. Its so hard when the people you love the most let you down, because then there is no one to turn to. I can't really talk through and about all of this with him from this distance, and that just makes it worse. Not to worry, the not eating will not kill me, and eventually I will sleep and stop crying, but honestly, I don't think I have felt this bad since John died. It's been rough. The heat and infernal mosquitoes are only negative enhancements on a terrible couple of days, along with the fact that the people that I do know in the village are all at the Black Sea for vacation these last two weeks before school starts. I am not sure that it would be worth the work to try and explain my current status in Romanian, so maybe I should just go with relief that I don't have to talk about these feelings. Not having any other outlet though, is probably the reason the emotional stuff is in the blog. Tomorrow I am going to Chisinau for a VAC meeting, and I'm staying over to see the doctor Monday morning for a B12 shot. If I haven't slept by then, and certainly if I'm still crying like this, I'll ask her for something so I at least sleep. Some of the crying for sure is because I am so tired.

Enough of that, although how I feel and what is happening is not resolved for me. Here is another funny outhouse story, no roosters involved, and more in keeping with my mood this week. Recently, spiders have been building their webs across the door, so that every morning, I have some spider web on my arm, or worse, on my face. Yuck! I didn't know this until yesterday, but they are also building webs across the seat. Most things have enough force to make it through the web with no problem. Not always paper, but I'll leave it at that. Yesterday morning, doing my thing...got a big old spider bite on my ass....that's just the way my week has been! I can't wait to go to Chisinau tomorrow. Life has got to get better soon. Please don't worry, I'm just venting like a fan and air conditioning would be nicer. My room is 87* at 7 am, and I think its the coolest part of the day. Miss you all and hope that you are enjoying the last days of summer vacation....Jami

Another week

2008-08-17T04:00:00.002-04:00

Another Sunday, another week served, and another week closer to home. This past week I had a site visit from Peace Corps. The acting Program Manager, Ana, came for a visit on Tuesday. This meeting went well, I think, in terms of her helping to clarify for my partner the parameters of my work in the village. I have a pretty clear understanding about what is expected of me, but I am not sure that I have been able to communicate well enough to be clear to my partner. An example of this was that she wanted me to teach health and safety issues to students in the high school. While I have been amazed at some of the safety things I have seen, and I have some more today, this is not really in line with my role as a community and organizational development volunteer. There is a group of volunteers who are here working in health care programming, and one of them is in a nearby village. She might come and do a one day seminar, which I can help coordinate, but really it is not my area of expertise. All in all, it was helpful to have Ana come and define things. Some of the communication that took place was not so much about language, as about authority. Even though Ana is a young woman, she represents Peace Corps and verifies what I have been saying about what is expected of me with an authority that is respected. It helps, for sure, that she is Moldovan and firm. Its not that I haven't been respected, but I think my partner has been less clear about my responsibilities and role here than I have been, and my communication is limited. I think now some things are clearer for both of us.

A visit to the building where I will be working was also on the agenda. I have been told by my partner that the foreman has been telling her that it would be completed by the beginning of August. Didn't happen. Then she told PC this week that it would be done by the end of August. I said to Ana that I couldn't imagine that it would be completed and ready for residents to move in much before November. My partner called me a pessimist, but there is still a lot to do! I responded by saying that I am a realist! When I met with her on Friday, she had met with the foreman, who confirmed that it would probably be mid-October before the building was completed. I feel absolutely no satisfaction in being a realist about this, and in fact, it is a little bit frustrating not to have this work in place. I am patient, but I will be really glad when it is done. The sooner, the better. I just try to work within realistic time frames.

The flooding of the village has definitely receded, but there are still many fields within sight in the Ukraine that are under water. The crop loss has been significant, but I have not seen any information on potential financial loss. In this part of the world there was no loss of life, so that is positive.

So the safety thing that I saw this week confirms for me that I want to stay as healthy here in the village as possible. This week I saw the ambulance driver and medic stopped in the center of town, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer, and then getting into the ambulance and driving off! It's been hot all week, so I understand wanting a nice, cool beer, but again, what are they thinking?! I have seen them smoking often while driving through town, but this was the first I saw them having a beer while on duty. Since cigarettes are about 50 cents a pack, lots of men and even young boys smoke. It is a cultural thing here in the village that women don't smoke. I have only seen one woman smoking here in the village, although in Chisinau I have seen more women smoking. So on that note, I keep walking, try to stay cool and healthy, and try to be as productive as possible. There are only a few short weeks of summer left, so I am enjoying them, as I hope all of you are! Miss you all. Jami

Another Happy Birthday and some fashion statements

2008-08-10T12:06:00.006-04:00

It's a slow Sunday afternoon here in the village, and I am wishing that I could be sharing another birthday, this one with my friend, Bob, and also, my nephew, Dustin who is having a birthday on Tuesday. Have a great day, and know that I am missing you! Since I last wrote, I have gone to Stefan Voda on Thursday afternoon, and Friday I went into Chisinau. I met some friends and we had a mini-reunion of the training group from our village, five out of six of us, without Veronica. It was nice to go into Chisinau this time, I think the pace was better, or I was in a better mood, or something. When I got to the PC office, I had 5(!!) letters, so that alone improved my mood considerably. I took a nice, long, hot shower (!!!) and then went out for lunch with my friend, Teresa, to a fancy Uzbek restaurant. I was thinking of and missing Betsy and Momen while wondering how authentic the food was, but it was nice to have a nice lunch and visit with Teresa. In the late afternoon, all five of us headed to Magdacesti to visit and get together. It was so nice to see Maria and the girls, and we had a quick dinner, and then gathered at the "Church Bar" for an evening of fun. This bar has an Icon of Jesus on the Cross in the front yard, hence the reference. I wasn't out very long, because the day started for me at 4 am to get into Chisinau, and I didn't want to drink much. Yesterday morning, I got up early, visited with Maria, ate a huge breakfast of fried fish and fruit, and headed back into the city. I hung out at the PC office for a while, and then headed back to the village on the 1 pm bus. Along the way, there was some problem with the bus and we all had to get off and wait by the side of the road for about 20 minutes while the men on the bus jacked it up and were looking underneath. With nothing visible changing from my perspective, and little command of the language, I am not sure what they were doing, or how whatever it was that was causing the problem was resolved, but we were back on the road and home only a few minutes late. I'm glad it was August, and not January!

So, here is some commentary on fashion in Moldova. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not care much about fashion. I like comfort over beauty, and that alone is enough to make me stand out in Moldova, where the sparklier, the tackier, the better! I have been surprised by some things that I have seen people wearing: Lots and lots of men of all ages in capri pants, with socks and sandals, man purses (lots of them), grown men wearing Tee shirts that say "Super Boy" (Who is Super Boy??) and today at the Piata I saw a toddler wearing a Tee shirt that said "Southern girls like slow, wet kisses" I know that people don't necessarily know what things say, but who makes these things? Men wear shoes that are very long in the toes, and in my opinion, not attractive at all, but they do make their feet look bigger, if that is the look they are going for. (You know what they say about big feet!) Women prefer anything with sparkles, glitter, lace, and short, (dresses and shorts) and the older women wear bathrobes as coats in the winter time. Eggplant is a favorite hair color, that lovely maroon tint looking not one bit natural. I know the questioning of sense of fashion is reciprocated by the looks I get for the hiking shoes I wear, and maybe some other things. Women especially, look at my feet and my shoes like I have just stepped off a space ship, and sometimes I feel like I have!

It is true everywhere in the world, I think, that summer goes by too fast. The days are noticeably shorter, the mornings just a little cooler, and a touch of Autumn is in the air. My mom wrote and said that I was nearly 1/4 of the way through. Math is not my strongest subject, but I do know that it is only 1/8 of the service time that is completed. Thanks for the optimism, it is appreciated! I do try and make everyday meaningful, even when I just want to be home. I know I will do good things here and that this is a good thing to be doing. That doesn't mean I don't miss you all everyday.

Forty years

2008-08-05T07:36:00.004-04:00

Actually its only been thirty nine years, since 1969, that the flooding of the Nistru River has been as bad as it is right now. My village is mostly on a hill overlooking the river, but there were some homes in the older part of the village, close to the river, which were actually flooded by yesterday afternoon. On Thursday afternoon I had helped some families who were relocating possessions out of their homes in anticipation of possible flooding. By Saturday afternoon the river had flooded the adjacent fields in the Ukraine, but had not flooded into Moldova. In the village there are levees built up to protect the fields from typical spring flooding on this side of the river. By Monday morning, the water had risen and the lower fields in town were flooded. Many people have lost some crops, but there has been no long-lasting damage to dwellings. In nearby villages, the losses have been much greater, with some homes lost. It has not rained in several days, and the water slowly seems to be receding.

On Friday afternoon, my friends and fellow volunteers, Veronica and Teresa came for a visit. We had a great weekend! They brought smiles, my package from home (thanks Mom and Dad!), chocolate, and movies which I can now watch on the computer. We had a great weekend, and I loved having their company for a few days. We had a big adventure on Sunday, heading to Odessa for the day with my friend from the village, Natalia. We went sightseeing, went to the beach, and had a great time. Because of the flooding, the bus took a detour both coming and going, and the travel time was significantly longer than usual, but it was still a good trip.

With the flooding, construction on the Center is almost at a standstill. Maybe the building will be ready by October. I am learning patience at a new level every day.

Another safety thing I saw this past week that sort of blew my mind: Remember I wrote a while ago about all the construction guys wearing flip flops to work in? This past week I saw road crew workers, pouring hot top in flip flops!! That has to be dangerous, or is it stupid? I guess its technically not my problem, but what are they thinking?? The other thing I learned this week from Teresa is that if you go to the hospital here, you are responsible for bringing your own linens and having someone bring you your meals. Family members bring baskets with food into the hospitals here everyday and feed their injured or sick. That's one way to cut medical expenses! There are lots and lots of things I am learning here everyday.

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-30T01:24:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday today to Linnea and to her cousin, Stephen! Twenty-six and twenty years ago two great people were welcomed into the world. Enjoy the day and have a great celebration!

There has not been much new here in the past week. Lots and lots of heavy rain, followed by cooler days and nights. There has been a lot of flooding in the Ukraine, and the Nistru river that is the border between our village and the Ukraine has flooded in some areas, but our house is far up the hill, and I am very safe here. I did get a call on Monday from the PC Safety guy, just checking to make sure that I was okay here. It was reassuring to know how closely situations like this are monitored by Peace Corps, but really there was little risk for me and this village. Last night I did see a television news report, and the flooding in the Ukraine is quite serious, with a lot of crop damage, so concerns were not unfounded. The price for food in this area of the world has increased noticeably, although there are not reported shortages yet, and this will not help things over the coming winter.

Other than watching the rain, not much else is new. People here walk down near the river to watch the water, just like they do when there is flooding at home. Must be a human trait not determined by geography! Construction is moving along, but slowly. Many of the workers have returned to their homes to work their fields for a few weeks. Just a few weeks ago there were about 15 people working there, and now there are about 5 working everyday. I've been staying as busy as I can, and go into Stefan Voda for the afternoon if I get too bored with village life. Last week I went there both Thursday and Friday afternoon! Same old, same old...Happy birthday to my favorite daughter and her cousin!

Phones are working again!

2008-07-23T05:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday it was a week since the phone has been working here at the house, so I haven't been able to use the dial-up to post anything. Now I am finally able to get back online, although I was in Chisinau briefly on Monday and did read my email at least.

Last Tuesday I spent the day digging potatoes. All of you Maine readers who have done this, or anyone else, for that matter, I have a new appreciation for this work. My main response though, is YUCK! There were five of us, Lidia, her sister, Nadia, Nadia's husband, Eugene, and the hired guy, Igor, and me. The field was probably not bigger than a quarter of an acre, and it only took one morning, but it is a lot of bending and lifting. Everything here is done by hand, and is much harder than it needs to be. We dug from 6 in the morning until about noon, and finished the field. We filled 7 bags listed as 50 kg. (110 lbs.) so probably between 700 and 800 lbs. of potatoes. Lidia said that this year the potatoes are smaller, and there are not nearly as many as there have been in other years. I did get a rash, or ant bites all over my legs, and had a hard time sleeping that night, but other than that side effect, it wasn't too bad. The rest of last week was spent studying, walking, the usual slow stuff. The best thing was a phone call from my family. I got to talk to Linnea, my mom, my grandmother, and my sister. That was a great treat! I can't wait until I can get the high-speed connection here at the house, sometime in October or November, and can try the Skype again. I know from experience that it doesn't work well with the dial-up, and the phone is so incredibly expensive.

Progress is being made daily on the Center where I will be working, although I don't see how it will be done within two weeks. Natalia and I did meet with the foreman last week and he said that it would be done by August 1. We'll see.

Monday, as I said, I went into Chisinau for a VAC phone call with some volunteers from Romania to talk about similarities between the programs between the two countries, and trying to support a collaborative process for the Peace Corps Volunteers in Eastern Europe. While in the big city I looked for some gifts to send home for upcoming birthdays and weddings, but everything here is of very poor quality and expensive at the same time, so I left empty-handed except for some new books to read. Early apologies to those who will not be getting gifts from me this year.

Not much else new. The summer weather is warm, the watermelon, peaches and plums are ripe and yummy, and I am settling into this slower pace. Miss you all.

There is no OSHA in Moldova

2008-07-11T13:11:00.004-04:00

I have seen some of the most unsafe things since being in Moldova that I have ever seen in my life, and this week was no exception. I never realized how aware of safety issues I am, and have taken the whole safety thing for granted for years. I did serve on the Safety Committee for a while when I worked at Sweetser, but other than that experience, I have been blissfully unaware of how conscious we are as a culture of our personal safety. Here are some examples of things I have actually seen here in my village: At the construction site for the building where I will be working all of the workers wear flip flops, all the time. No closed toe shoes, much less steel-tipped boots; I have seen many people on ladders on uneven ground and hills, picking fruit out of trees and working on wires of some kind (I don't even want to know); I have seen six people riding down the road on a motorcycle with sidecar; I have seen an adult with up to three children riding a moped. I actually see this a lot, one or two toddlers standing on the floorboards facing the adult driving, with one or two sitting behind the driver. I have not seen an adult with four children, but two or three seems pretty common, and the toddlers are pretty young (two or three years old) who are standing facing the driver. I guess it is better that they face the driver and not the road, but come on! This week I was out for my walk one morning, and saw a young man stop on his bicycle at the gas station to get some gas. He put it into a 1.5 liter soda bottle and rode off. I then saw him stop and light a cigarette! Yikes! Not the sharpest tool in the shed, that one! There was no subsequent explosion, so I guess I had nothing to worry about!

Since I mentioned it, in general the construction site is moving along well, safety issues aside. The flip flops are just one example of things that just don't seem "right". The fact that the workers are living in the building while it is nothing but a shell probably would never pass OSHA standards either. The new windows are in, and the crew is now working seven days a week and clearly more than 40 hours a week. The plan was for the building to be done by August 1. I am not sure that they will be done in three weeks, but I do think we will be in there by the middle of the month. That is exciting!

I didn't write this last time, but I was in Chisinau on July 3 and had a really productive trip. My computer had "crashed" and I got it fixed. The PC IT guy, Andrei Rusu, worked on it for about 4 hours, and it is working just like new. Thank you, Andrei! The other thing that I was in for was that as the VAC (Volunteer Advisory Committee) rep. I was invited along with the rest of the VAC committee to the 4th of July Party (on the 3rd) at the Ambassador's residence. There is a new Ambassador to Moldova, and he was not in residence yet, but it was a big deal. There were lots of State Department officials, Moldovan representatives, and others. It was more of a reception than a party, with lots of speeches and schmoozing, but it was cool to be invited, and the perks were great. The down side of this trip was that there was another party that PC volunteers were invited to, but it wasn't taking place until Saturday, the 5th. That was just too much time for me to be away from my village, and the turn around time was too fast to make it back in to Chisinau for Saturday night. So I came back to my village on Friday afternoon, with a working computer and figured I just lay low for a while. I didn't realize how much I would miss seeing my friends here and how slow this week would go. I did get a nice surprise phone call from my mom which brightened up my week, but by Wednesday afternoon I thought I would lose it, I was so bored! I was like a kid again..."Mom, I'm bored!!!!" I was supposed to meet with my tutor on Wednesday afternoon, and he cancelled. I knew I needed to do something. I called my friend Teresa, who lives in a suburb of Chisinau and went for a visit yesterday afternoon, coming back this morning. I went to see her work site, met some Dutch women who are also volunteering where she works, went on some home visits with the visiting nurse type person and Teresa and the other volunteers, had dinner with Teresa and Jenna, another PC volunteer, met her host family, watched American TV, had a great time!! Just what I needed. See, I do know how to take care of myself! I still worry, but I can't stand to worry and be bored at the same time! I can only handle over-whelming emotion at a time, and things are back on track.

Ripe

2008-07-03T03:20:00.004-04:00

It is the season of ripe fruit here in Moldova. Last week I spent a lot of time picking, pitting, and helping to preserve cherries, both black and sour. The plums are almost ripe and the peaches are getting ready to be picked. I really do love all the fresh fruit. For many years I had allergies to fresh fruit, but I am finding that if I have just a little bit at a time, I am able to do pretty well with it. Everyday since being here I have had cabbage and potatoes offered up in many different ways, but now all of that is supplemented with really fresh and healthy food.

The other thing that is ripe, and I don't mean this to be as offensive as I think it might sound, is that the heat, combined with the different sense of "space" that most Moldovans share, has made for some "ripe" moments on the buses and around town. I don't know if I have shared how different the Moldovan sense of personal space is from my own, but at times it has been uncomfortable for me. There is an almost constant need to be touching others that I have been challenged by. The heat has made this a bit more of an issue for me, as odors have increased along with the temperature. I have some lovely homemade soap that I use daily and am so grateful for, but not everyone here shares my need not to feel so "ripe". On the buses it is particularly interesting, as many here believe that the fresh air coming in through open windows causes illness. Babies are bundled even in the heat, and windows on the buses are almost always left closed, even though there is usually no working air conditioning. I personally don't care for air conditioning, but fresh air has always been welcome. Whew!

I have gotten a few more questions:
How hard is the language? I feel fortunate because I think Romanian is not that difficult compared to other languages. It is very close to Latin and Italian, so my nieces Emile and Sloane would probably not have much trouble with it. My receptive skills are much better than my expressive skills with the language, but everyday I learn new words. and it is coming along. I am glad that I didn't have to learn Russian, and I am working to learn more phrases and words, but realistically I know that I will not become proficient during the next two years in Russian.

What can you buy there? What is in the Piata/Market? In the market in my village, which is on a Sunday morning, you can buy food and clothing. In the market in Chisinau you can buy almost anything. The quality in both markets is not great, although the produce is very good, the other household and clothing items are not of great quality. I think that if I needed to I could probably find everything I need in Chisinau. My local market meets my everyday needs.

So last thing before I sign off is just to say that I am still in the process of "letting go" and using the serenity prayer to remind me that there are so many things that are beyond my control right now. I think that my house is finally rented. Linnea is doing okay, still trying to figure out what is next for her, but looking forward to a visit from her friends from Pennsylvania. I am saying a special prayer for my friends whom I miss everyday, and some of whom I love and worry about all the time. Thanks always to my parents for their letters and ongoing and incredible support. I couldn't be doing this without you all backing me up! Miss you all. Jami

Midsummer

2008-06-21T00:04:00.002-04:00

I know I've been writing more lately, but this is probably a much shorter note than those of the past few days, and significantly more upbeat. This is a very inappropriate note, so if you are easily offended (mom), please don't comment. I am sharing this story in the spirit of my Uncle Edward Bailey, who recently died and is missed by family and friends. I know he would have enjoyed this story:

Last night I woke up around 3 am. For those of you who are confused, it is 7 am here, but my clock on this blog is still set for home, hence the midnight post time. I needed to make a trip to the outhouse. I didn't want to go, as I could hear that it was drizzling. I tried to go back to sleep, with no luck. I got up and went out to take care of my business. A little groggy from the hour, I wasn't really paying attention, and proceeded to do my business. Suddenly, I hear something at my feet. It sort of freaks me out when I feel pecking at my ankles. Suddenly the rooster who has left his coop and is sharing the outhouse with me begins to crow and then continues to sort of peck at me! I wasn't quite done, and couldn't really get up and leave. I am sure he was as freaked out as I was, but now it just cracks me up. So for all of you who have been wondering if I am getting any action, I did have a little cock last night, but it was a little more than I bargained for!! Gotta love Moldova! Happy Midsummer! The sun is shining and life is good!

Questions and answers

2008-06-20T06:24:00.006-04:00

Here are some more questions about Moldova, and my time here, along with my answers. Again, as the disclaimer states at the top of this page, these are my reflections and do not reflect the Peace Corps in any way, except that I am here because of my volunteer status.

1. What kinds of cars do people drive? I have seen mostly Volkswagen's, Lada's (a Russian car), Skoda's (another Russian car), Mercedes and Volvo's. Also, many, many more people seem to have horses and wagons for field work although there doesn't seem to be a problem driving any car into any field. Most of the cars here are well used, and the majority have at least one broken windshield, and many have shattered glass in both the front and back windows. This is also true for almost all of the buses I have ridden in as well. I don't believe that there can be an inspection process in Moldova based upon what I see driving on the roads here.

2. What do people eat there? How is the food? Cabbage is a daily staple here. I have had it almost everyday since arriving, prepared in more ways than I thought possible. Cabbage is followed closely in popularity by potatoes. The food here is generally pretty good. This time of year the eating is easier, as all produce is organic and healthy all the time. There is a homemade cheese called Brinza, made from cow, goat or sheep milk that is pretty good, and offered up daily. This week I have been eating fresh peas and raspberries from the garden, along with cabbage and potatoes. Moldovans in the village typically eat their big (hot)meal in the middle of the day. Today it was roasted potatoes and a chicken leg. The chicken was running around in the hen house last week.

3. Is there television? What do people watch? Yes, there is television everywhere. There are satellite dishes and antennas everywhere in the village. If people use an antenna, as they do here at this house, the best reception in this part of Moldova is exclusively Russian speaking, with sub-titles into Ukrainian. The programming here is coming out of Odessa for the most part. Where I was living before there was much more Romanian television available. I don't watch television much at home, so I don't miss it here. I did watch some parts of "Freaky Friday" and "Home Alone" in Russian.

4. What kinds of trees/flowers/plants do people grow? The gardens here are amazing, and every family has a house garden where they grow both flowers and vegetables. There are fruit trees in every yard. Here at this house there are several variations of cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, and of course grapes everywhere. In addition to the house garden, many people also have a field garden out of town, where they grow corn, melons, pumpkins and other vegetables. Every household preserves fruits and vegetables to eat year round. I am told that winter eating is a lot of pickled food. Almost every house has a "betch", or root cellar, and things are kept there. The trees and flowers are very similar to the US. The catalpa trees are flowering now. In addition to the fruit trees there are walnut and chestnut trees. Flowers are everywhere, and everyone here loves to give and receive flowers. The children are not discouraged from picking public flowers and flowers are offered up at most public events.

5. What do you like best? I like eating healthy food all the time. I like when the sun shines. I like practicing a new language. I like meeting new people. I like walking everywhere.

6. What are you going to do after the Peace Corps? Too soon to know for sure.

7. Have you been to the Church? I was in the church in Magdacesti at Orthodox Easter, but have not attended a full length service. The Orthodox service last several hours on a Sunday and there are no pews. People stand for hours. I am not that curious about it.

8. Will you be able to vote? Yes. I participated in the Maine caucus before I left home, and I plan to vote.

9. Are you taking care of yourself? Yes, of course I am. My physical health is better than it has been in many, many years. My emotional health is not as solid, but I am strong enough to figure out what I need to do to maintain that as well. No one need worry about me.

10. What do you miss most? Family, friends, familiar routines, soaking in a hot tub, getting my hair and nails done!

11. What have you been reading? Lots and lots of stuff. The Peace Corps library has a good selection. I will try to add a listing of books read to this blog sometime soon, along with uploading all my picture. I still have a long list of things to do here, both professionally and personally!

12. What are people like there? The people here are like people everywhere. Mostly hardworking, dedicated family folks. There are some very traditional roles that are played out within this village. Men do not usually acknowledge women in public, and many more men than women are outside of the house. Women are pretty closely tied to the home and house work. Men seem to be out and about with much more freedom, but that also might be true everywhere.

So that is it for the questions that I have gotten recently. I wanted to acknowledge that today is John's birthday. He would have been 54 today, matching the year of his birth. Even after all these years there is an void left by his decision that can never be filled. I now wear his loneliness like a crown of thorns; A martyr to the emptiness that he left. It is hard for both Linnea and for me to figure out ways to fill that loss. I know that given the choice a few months ago, I listened to my head and not my heart. I ran, when every emotional cell in my body wanted to stay in Maine and see what the journey there might bring. My favorite defense mechanisms have always been escapism and rationalization, and it was easy enough to rationalize this Peace Corps decision as a thoughtful one. I had thought about it for years, that is a fact. What I was never prepared for was to rationalize was the way that decision has allowed my loneliness to fester. John taught me that it is easier in many ways to be the one leaving, rather than the one left behind; to be the one who pushes away, rather than face any inevitable rejection. I'm the one who left, against what my emotions wanted, believing that my brain was stronger than my heart. Today I am not so sure that is true. I hope that someone goes and puts flowers on his grave and remembers what a good man he was.

A visit from the President and two funerals

2008-06-17T17:01:00.010-04:00

Today, or actually yesterday, now that it is past midnight here, the President of Moldova, Mr. Vronin, came to the village to cut the ribbon on our newly paved main street, and to talk about agriculture. I could not really hear him over the crowd, so I am not sure what he was talking about, but there was a fair amount of pomp and circumstance all over town.

On Monday I had traveled to Chisinau for the day to attend my first VAC meeting. It was a really long day, as I leave at 5 am and then missed the 2:30 pm bus to return home, and took the 5 pm bus, returning home around 8:30. Long day. When I got back to the house Lidia told me that there were two young people in town who died on Monday. One was a young woman, maybe 18 or so, who has had cancer for the past three years. Her mother is a teacher at the Russian school, and different people in the town have raised money, sending her to Germany for treatment at one point. The other loss was a young man, now living in the capital, who fell from a 5th story balcony there.

I left the house this morning just before 9 to go for a walk, aware of this information, but unprepared to see four young men carrying an open casket just past my house and down the main street, followed by many, many of my neighbors. Someone, a family member I am guessing, left the procession to offer me a gift of a tea cup, a chocolate, a handkerchief, a candle and matches. I am not sure of the significance of the gifts, but I was moved. The procession was lead by the priest and at each intersection the pall bearers put down their load, and there were prayers and lots of incense. It was very moving, and reminded me how fragile life is.

Like at graduation, and every other celebration I have attended here in Moldova, there were literally thousands of flowers that were everywhere in town. It is rose season, and there were roses even in the street between the church and the cemetery, and petals strewn all over the floor of the church. It was very pretty, but sad.

This was followed by some sad news from home. News that I was expecting, but sad for me none the less. I know that all things happen for a reason, but I have held onto a hope and a dream that I need to let go of. It makes me sad...

Good thing I know tomorrow is another day.

Reflections

2008-06-14T13:14:00.005-04:00

Well, here it is the middle of June, and a big day for me and my parents who today have enjoyed that status for the past fifty years. Whew! Time does fly when you are having fun! It seems like just a few years ago that I was a young kid, and most days I still feel pretty much like a kid. I want to be live a life like my grandmother, still rocking and rolling at 90. Here is a picture of my celebration at Renell's!

To all of you who have been so supportive with email, calls, and attention while I have been in a BMW (bitch, moan, whine) funk for the past few weeks, or maybe its been months, thank you all for your support. I think more than anything I was surprised by how I felt about this recent journey when it actually came to happen. Like many things, the whole Peace Corps process prior to actually coming to Moldova was a "hurry up and wait" kind of thing. I waited for months to actually get invited, and then once invited, felt like I just didn't have quite enough time to wrap up all the details that needed to get done. I was so focused on wrapping things up at work, and with the houses, that I don't know that I really took the time before I left to prepare myself emotionally to "let go". The first two and a half months of training were so packed, and the past month has been so much slower, I am feeling like I am just now able to spend some time on the emotional processes of enjoying myself, and remembering why the Peace Corps matters to me.

So here it is, and if you have heard me on this soapbox before, please skip the following:

This journey has been something that I have thought about for many years, since being a teenager and hearing the Katter's talk about their Peace Corps adventures in Africa in the late '60's. I have always loved travel, language, culture. But really, it has always been less about what I want, and what I think is important in life. Service is important, responsibility is important, loyalty is important, fidelity is important, and peace is important. For me, the decision to apply at the time that I did was driven by the national political stance that did not agree with my personal pacifist stance. I think it is important that Americans are seen as good, peaceful, and productive members of the world community, and not interested only in world domination and war. This is not a comment on American international politics as much as it is about my belief that if you are not a part of the solution, then maybe you are a part of the problem, and a personal need to act in response to the state of the world. I want to make a difference. I know I will meet people here who have never met an American before, and I want that experience to be a positive one for them, and for me. I am proud to be an American, and this experience has reinforced that pride. I don't feel that pride in a boastful way, but as a gift of my family, and home and community, in a grateful way. I have been really blessed my whole life to have had the love and support of family and friends who have given me so much. I have always wanted to share those blessings with others who may not have had the same good fortune that I have had.

This past week, volunteers were asked to complete the Biennial Volunteer Survey. The questions were mostly about volunteer satisfaction, and among them was the question of whether you would recommend the Peace Corps experience to others. I absolutely would. My struggles here have been of a personal nature and not reflective in any way of any issue with the Peace Corps. I have been impressed by the level of support, leadership and infrastructure that is PC Moldova.

So, now I think I am moving out of the funk and into the real work. I am excited and ready. This past week I went to Chisinau on Thursday with my partner and gave a VERY brief speech in Romanian. My fellow volunteer, Rian, who had a little more lead time, and had a phenomenal powerpoint presentation, and a speech written out, but I did okay with "winging"it. Not impressive, but I went and did my best under the circumstances. Plus, I went to the PC office and had 2 packages! Thanks Mom and Dad, Bob and Kim! You guys made my day! Today, Renell had a gathering at her place, tacos and birthday cake. It was a good day. Monday I am back in Chisinau for my first VAC meeting. It is always a long day going into Chisinau, so tomorrow I'll just relax. Happy Father's Day to my Dad, and to all the dad's out there who read this. I miss you, and hope you know how much your support has meant to me all these years. Love ya, Jami

A little more cheating

2008-06-08T11:30:00.003-04:00

This is a quote that I found recently. I think it was given to us in the very early days of training, but it means something to me now, that didn't compute when I first read it:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistance. Talent will not, nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genuis is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistance and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Coolidge. Perhaps not our most famous president, but he perservered to the presidency. I am staying the course, especially when challenged.

Speaking of challenges, the most recent challenges have been of the boredom, not enough "real" work. I certainly stay busy, but it feels more like busy work, than the helpful work I came here expecting to do. This past week, I did attend a seminar on some legal aspects that NGO's face in working with municipal government. One of the presenters was an American, so that part was easy to understand, and the rest was in Romanian, and I did understand the general gist of the presentations. That was Tuesday. Friday was a trip into Stefan Voda for a haircut. Three dollars for the haircut, and 50 cents to get my eyebrows plucked. I feel like a new woman. The rest of the week was filled with walking, swatting at mosquitos, reading and studying. I wrote job descriptions in Romanian for the day center, and conjucated verbs. Life is slow.

Cheating

2008-06-05T16:50:00.003-04:00

I called this post "cheating", because I am planning to cut and paste most of the posting from other sources. Maybe I'll write more, but it's almost midnight here, so I doubt that I will do more than this. The first thing I wanted to share was a poem written by one of my fellow M-22 volunteers, Na'Ima Perkins:

5/15/08
“Moldova – Month 2.5”
People constantly ask me how I like Moldova.
And they watch me intently for a response
I always give the simplest response I know, which is “I like it a lot.”
But the truth is that right now, I like it as much as I like walking into a deep, dark cave in the middle of a pefectly
bright and sunny day.
I like it as much as I do those first terrifying moments when I breach the mouth of a cave and I have difficultly
catching my breath because I cannot sense the true depth of the cavity into which I’ve hurled myself.
It’s at this moment that my reality becomes suspended and my body clamors to adjust to my drastically changed
environment.
All of my senses are engaged to this end.
My eyes struggle to perform their solitary task of illuminating the strange and unknown world I’ve entered,
begging it to unfold and reveal itself to me.
This is the moment that is currently my life.
It has stretched itself unnaturally through time and persists daily.
Don’t get me wrong.
I love caves.
A lot.
A whole lot in fact.
They are wondrous monuments and testaments to the deliciously complex world in which we live and they never cease to amaze or disappoint me.
I will always love exploring caves despite those initial moments of what can only be described as suffocating and alarming.
Once my eyes adjust and I can make out the forms around me and learn to appreciate the complexity that surrounds me, I’m sure that I’ll love Moldova, too.
Until then, I’ll keep trying to catch my breath in the darkness.
- Na’Ima Perkins

Thanks, Na'Ima. Sums it up pretty well...

The other thing that I wanted to include here was an email that I received from another reader, David's mother. David is currently serving here with me, also as a member of our M-22 group. He is in the far north, so I don't imagine I'll see him often. Here is the note I received from his mother, specifically about mail:

Hi Jami,

You don’t know me, but I’m a faithful reader of your blog. My son David is in your M-22 group. He was in Ratus for training; now in Criva. I’m following a few blogs of other Moldovan volunteers; sort of my own sanity preserver for news and reflections on the experience in between times David manages his own blog update.

Anyway, I mail things to David regularly. So far only one package has not made it to the PC office, a box my daughter sent. We think the problem there was that she was too literal in her customs declaration. She recorded ‘chocolate’ and ‘DVD’ where I have been writing ‘motion picture’ and ‘sweet edibles’ on my form, etc. for any word that might be easily recognized.

That doesn’t answer your concern about the greeting cards (how frustrating!!!) but I read a suggestion on yet another volunteer’s blog once, and I think it’s a good one. Suggest to your friends and family that they enclose those cards in a bubble wrap envelope. The bubble envelope adds negligible weight and therefore postage, but it becomes a package instead of a letter and seemingly less likely to be opened to look for money.

I mostly send David books using flat-rate priority mail envelopes. I can usually get two books in there; sometimes I need to open one in the middle to make it flatter. The priority rate (now $11.85 for the envelope) includes insurance on the contents, so if someone mails things of value, like DVDs or books, there’s recourse if it doesn’t arrive. Of course, the postage is already quite the investment! All of my priority mail has arrived, in about 10 days it seems. Maybe the envelope looks somewhat official, and that reduces the temptation to open it.

I wish you luck on your communications. David is able to text message me when he’d like to chat, and so far I’ve always been able to call him, including on his cell phone. It makes all the difference in the world, for those of us at home as well as for David, I think.

Sincerely,

Carol

So there is my cheating blog. Better than nothing, a good poem and some good advice about mail. I'll write again this week-end about the week, but it's been slow. Later, 'gator. Jami

The first of June

2008-06-01T04:14:00.004-04:00

I don't know any poems for the first of June, but it's here already. On one hand, the days seem to pass slowly, but I can't believe that I've been here for 3 full months already. I guess time probably will go pretty quickly, even though there are many days when it feels like the days are just crawling along.

The past week I traveled again to Stefan Voda. I needed to get to the bank, and the closest branch is there. I also visited with another volunteer who is living there, and had a GREAT visit! She has been here almost a year and a half, and is finished in November. She works in the local Art School, and has her own house that she rents. The only problem with the visit was that after I spent the day with her, I was a little jealous of her independence, and I know that I need to figure out how to find a place of my own here in the village. I do sometimes feel like I am imposing into family life here, and really miss having my own space. PC Moldova requires that for the first six months in site that volunteers live with a family. I am sure that there is probably some good rationale for this, but I hope that in five months I am living on my own. Anyway, the visit was fun. She had made a tasty chicken salad lunch, including chocolate chip cupcakes, and we drank Coke with real ice (a first here in Moldova) made from distilled water. Yummy!

Friday was the last day of school here. There wasn't much school going on. I think that is probably the same everywhere in the world. Kids are kids, no matter what language they speak at home. Getting out of school for the summer feels the same everywhere! There was a ceremony on the athletic field, with lots and lots of flowers from everyone's gardens. The roses are especially plentiful here, and so pretty. There were a lot of speeches, and recognition of teachers and students. It wasn't exactly a graduation ceremony, but more of a promotion ceremony, as it included students from all grades. Friday evening at the school there was a concert, where each class did a presentation to the other students. It was mostly the older students, and was a lot like a talent show. Lots of singing and dancing. I am not sure if I have written about this before or not, but I am so surprised at how many men of all ages, including young men and boys, sing and dance publicly here. Its not something I am really used to seeing. The students danced everything from the waltz, to traditional Moldovan dancing (the Hora) to hip-hop, and most of it was very good. There was also a lot of singing, again, a wide variety, and most of it good, or at least interesting.

Yesterday, the village School of Art had its 30th anniversary concert at the House of Culture, or Casa de Cultura. Again, lots of singing and dancing, and lots and lots of speeches. The total event was close to four hours long! I was not prepared for how long it was. Again, mostly good, always interesting, and I could even understand a lot of the speeches, so that's progress, too.

Today there is a soccer tournament at the local soccer field, and tomorrow begins another week. The progress on the Center where I will be working is going surprisingly fast, and they are paving the one main street through town. Life is good. I'll write again soon. I miss you all. Jami

Lack of Communication

2008-05-25T03:10:00.003-04:00

It really is the lack of communication that has been the most challenging thing for me, and I find that it is evident in so many ways. First, there is really only one person in the village whom I have met who speaks English really well, although many are willing to say the few words that they are comfortable with. Many people will greet me with "hello" and try a few words, and all are patient with my feeble attempts at Romanian, and the three or four phrases that I have learned to say in Russian (hello, thank you, yes and no!). I have found a good tutor for Romanian. She is the French and English teacher at the Russian school. She is very nice, and I think she is a good teacher for me. She does speak some English, but with a French accent, and between Romanian, French, English, and the dictionary, we are able to figure out a conversational level of communication. She is leaving for a month in Moscow, so I will need to find someone else to work with in the meantime. I am not sure who I will ask, but I will figure that out. My preference is to work with a young person, maybe one of the teens, rather than a formal teacher, but at this time, I just am not sure which direction I will go in.

The second, and much more frustrating piece about the communication is the inability to communicate regularly with friends and family at home. I had thought that when I got to my village that things would improve, as far as being able to stay in touch with people. On some levels that is true. I do have much more ability to communicate in real time via the Internet. The phone is far less reliable, and I can't seem to dial out on the house phone. My cell phone works for several hours on some days, and then won't have a signal for several days. It is frustrating, when I send emails that I will call at such and such a time, and then I can't! Drives me up a wall!!

The third, and maybe the MOST frustrating thing about communication, is that I have not gotten some mail recently that I know was sent to me in April. What other volunteers have shared with me is that there is a problem specifically with getting greeting cards sent from the US. Several volunteers have shared with me that they also have not gotten cards that were sent. There is a general belief that these cards are opened and checked for the possibility of money being enclosed. I just wanted my card so badly! It hurts that someone else got to read the words that were written to me, and I can't. That may be selfish, but that is the piece about the lack of communication which has been the hardest thing for me to deal with over the past week or so. And thinking about the next couple of weeks, if anyone has any thoughts about sending birthday cards, (and this is not a shameless plug for cards!), please do not send them. If you do, please put the card in an envelope that does not look like a greeting card envelope. If you take the time, and spend the money, I surely want to get my mail.

On a totally unrelated note, although I guess some of these events could also come under the heading of lack of communication, they have begun construction of the place where I will be working when the construction is completed. The workers were supposed to arrive last week, on Monday, and then on Thursday, and they finally arrived this past Tuesday evening. I was very surprised that the workers had brought bedding and cooking equipment, and were planning to stay in the shell of the building that they are here to reconstruct. No per diem/travel expenses for workers in Moldova! There were some beds, and I am using that term very loosely, left in the building, and the workers have moved them into two rooms, and are sleeping there. They also dug a fire pit to cook over. Yesterday morning, some officials from the organization who is funding the re-construction came to the site, and there were some strong words about food, and who is preparing meals, and cooking for the men. There are no hotels or restaurants in town, so there is no real way for them to get extra money to buy their meals elsewhere. There was a woman at this meeting yesterday morning, whom I believe is preparing meals for the men. There was some fairly loud disagreement about how she was to be paid, and if the men even wanted her to cook for them or not. It seems to be a general practice here that if workmen come to the house, they are fed as a part of the payment. This was true at my first home, when the electrician came, he was fed before he went home, and this is also true here, where yesterday the man who helped in the garden also got breakfast before they left for the garden, and dinner when he was finished. Anyway, this "discussion" appeared to be another lack of communication, but this one hardly affected me at all, only being an observer.

Other than this, there is not much new. I did go into Chisinau on Thursday for a shot, and got to spend some time with my friend, Teresa, who lives very close to Chisinau. It was nice to get out of the village for a day, but it is a long day without much reward. It is about 7 hours on the bus, for about 3.5 hours in town. I won't be doing that more than once a month! Take care all, and know that I miss you! Jami

Saturday evening

2008-05-17T11:54:00.004-04:00

So, the village life is very slow. What did I accomplish this week? Not much, in fact. The highlight of the week for me was a trip on Tuesday into the town of Stefan Voda. Mr. Voda was a ruler in the 1400's from this part of the world, and the Raion (like a county) is called Stefan Voda, and there is also a town with his name, sort of the county-seat. It is a nice enough town. I don't think it is larger than where I am living, but there are more paved streets and more shops and official looking buildings. It was nice to get out of dodge for the afternoon, and I met some of the officials from Stefan Voda, so that made it a productive trip.

Everyday my routine has been to go to the school in the morning. I am in a room that is used for the chess club, and kids come in when they have a free period, and play checkers with the chess men. I am usually at the school until 12 or 1. I am slowly getting to know some people at the school and in town. Every afternoon I have been going for long walks through town, usually for about 2-3 hours. This morning I walked all the way out to the main road, not so far, but almost all uphill.

One of the projects that I will be working on is a day center that is being developed for the elderly. The center is to be developed in a building that is little more than a shell. The woman that I am working with has received grant money from a Swedish organization to rehabilitate the building. They were supposed to begin last Monday, and then on Thursday, but on Friday morning, I was there with some of the high school boys who were going to cut the grass, and construction still had not started. Imagine how surprised I was when the boys showed up with scythes! I didn't expect a gas mower, but I thought maybe push mowers might have been what was used. When they were done, a woman who lived nearby came with a large basket and filled it with the grass for her animals.

The other project that I am hoping to work on with the teens is to try to develop a teen center. There is a building that has been identified, but I don't think it can be used year round, as I am not sure there is heat in the building. It is near the river, and will be a great place for teens to meet. Lots of work to do here, that's a good thing, since it's why I'm here.

Tomorrow is Market Day, and it makes me want to be a complete vegetarian! Remember the nursery rhyme where everyday was a different chore. This is the day we wash our clothes, etc.? Well, now I get it. I washed my clothes today, and it took almost 3 hours of heating the water on the stove, scrubbing by hand, wringing by hand and hanging to dry. That's enough for one day. As my grandmother wrote to me, that's how it was for her, and even though she wouldn't want to go back to it, it didn't hurt. It doesn't hurt, but it takes a lot of time. It's a good thing the pace is slower, or is the pace slower because things take so much longer?

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T13:02:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my Grandmother, to all of my friends (you know who you are), and especially to my daughter, who has made me the mother I am today. Here in Moldova, they celebrate the Day of Women in the beginning of March. The holiday here is mostly focused on mothers' as well, but is a carry-over from the Soviet era and is a much more general holiday to celebrate all women . Here the men mostly buy flowers and visit their female relatives, and there are concerts that celebrate all things feminine. I don't think that there are a lot of gifts bought, and from my observations, the women still did all of the meal preparations on that day.

Some of the questions that I have gotten from family, friends and other interested people I will try to answer now:
How did I decide on which host family to live with? Well, it was pretty easy for me. The first family that I stayed with were close in age to me, a little older, children grown and living in Chisinau, they had hosted a volunteer in the past and were familiar with Peace Corps. The other family was also very nice. They had three young children, ages 5, 11, and 17, and cows and goats. There was much greater activity at that home and everyone was nice. I know myself and my need for quiet time. I felt that it would be easier for me to live in the quieter home. All the volunteers that I have spoken with have suggested that it is more important to follow your "gut" than to look for amenities, or any particular "thing", when choosing a family. The original living arrangement is for a minimum of six months, but many volunteers stay in the same arrangement for the full two years of service. It is always possible to move if you are truly unhappy, but I don't see that happening in my case.

What is some of the history of Moldova? I am certainly not an expert in this area, so please read the following with caution, knowing that I have already put out the disclaimer that I am sort of an idiot about this, and clearly not the best person to talk to about this, but here goes: When you look at the map of Eastern Europe, it is easy to see how Moldova has been a pawn of Kings and rulers throughout history. It is in the center of many things in some ways, but far from the centers of power over time. For example, long, long ago, Moldova was invaded by the Romans, hence the strong Romanian/Latin language base. Moldova is far from Rome. After that, it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Moldova is far from Istanbul/Constantinople. Then there was a long period of time where it was closely aligned with Romania, with sovereignty. It is not that close to Bucharest, although we are getting warmer. At the close of World War 2, Moldova was a part of the Warsaw Pact, and was turned over to the Soviet Union as part of that treaty to end the war. Moscow is far from Moldova. During this time, many of the Moldovan people were caught in the middle of political decisions in which they had little input. There are strong feelings here about language as a symbol of national pride and identity. It is part of the reason that it is so important for volunteers to learn Romanian. In the village where I am living, I believe that almost everyone over the age of 5 or 6 is at least bi-lingual, in Romanian and Russian, and most everyone also knows at least conversational Ukrainian before they are out of school. It is amazing to me, as I struggle to learn just the Romanian. I find that I am able to say a very few words in Russian, but I am not sure I will learn the Cyrillic alphabet in the 2 years I am here.

How poor is Moldova? It is very poor financially, but the people are rich in spirit and their generosity. "If you have no money you are poor financially, if you have no dreams, you are truly poor". If that is a true saying, then Moldova is not poor. Everyone here has dreams for a better life, for themselves, their families, and for the country. The average annual income for a Moldovan worker is about $2000. The average pension for an elderly person is about $40/mo. The greatest source of income for most families is from someone in the family who is working abroad. Almost everyone I have met has someone in their family who has traveled to another country, Italy, Portugal, Russia being the more common countries, and is sending money home. I have been really amazed at the number of teenagers who are living independently of their parents, and who get money sent to them from abroad. They manage to pay the bills and take care of themselves and the family home. Most teens that I have met here are extremely polite, mature, and respectful. I am constantly impressed by them.

Right now, I am not aware of any English clubs in Chisinau. I did put a notice up on the bulletin board in the Peace Corps office, and asked that if anyone is aware of any of these clubs that they email you directly.

Keep your questions coming. Now that I have finished my formal training I have more time to communicate with other, both from home and here in my village. Enjoy the rest of this Sunday, and know that miss you all. XOXO, Jami