It's been a few
weeks since I have blogged… Mostly because I have been working and enjoying
Moldova! The last three weekends, I have
had the opportunity to taste some culture in Moldova: by attending a music
festival in Orheiul Vechi; by celebrating two national holidays, Indepedence
Day and Our Language Day; and by participating in the grape harvest and
wine-making celebration.
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| Checking out the view with some other volunteers. |
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| Some babas (elderly women) also enjoyed the Gustar Festival |
I have been busy
during the week as well. During the last
week of August, I attended a training session with a few other volunteers in
Peace Corps. We had all been nominated
by our peers to be formal Peer Supporters.
That is, if a volunteer has any issues to resolve that cause
mental/emotional stress perhaps, we are here to listen and support them as we
are able. The training was helpful in
thinking about how best we can listen to our peers in times of stress or crisis
and enable them to solve problems. (and
I hear those times do come to all of us!)
This week and last
week, I have taught Business English classes interestingly enough at a bank in
Chisinau to three adult students. I
forgot how much I like to teach. I
essentially taught the remaining six classes of the term. Since the classes were in Chisinau, I
commuted 1 1/2 hours one-way, back and forth from Chisinau to my town. But never fear, podcasts, good music, and my
Kindle are here! Additionally, this
teaching opportunity has allowed me access to resources and given me practice
in teaching Business English, which I plan to do at my site.
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| Grape harvest! |
Last weekend, I
helped pick grapes at a vineyard and observed the process of a small commercial
winery making wine. I really enjoyed the
experience, mostly because I find the story of this vineyard and winery encouraging
and inspiring. Two brothers had a dream
a decade or two ago to start a vineyard and winery close to their small town in
Moldova. They both lived abroad, one of
themfor 13 years in the United States.
They worked and saved up money and eventually came back to Moldova and
made their dream come true. I and many
others can testify to the quality of the wine that they produce. I particularly enjoyed the ice wine they made
(that's when they pick frozen grapes from the vine, which makes a sweet,
refreshing, and balanced wine). The
event was not only interesting because of my curiosity with viticulture, but
also due to the mix of great Moldovans and ex-pats that were there. Most of them lived in Chisinau, and about all
of them spoke English well. (I tried to
force myself and them to speak Romanian!) The Moldovans there were mostly in
their 20s or 30s. They love their
country and work hard to make the kind of living that they want, which is
civil, urban, and perhaps more sophisticated than my life in my town in
Moldova. When I told them I was living
in my town of 18,000 for TWO YEARS, some of them cringed and asked why. (Where I live is boring, slow, not so
attractive, they tell me.) My answer is
more than a few words.
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| Working my first grape harvest |
I
joined Peace Corps and moved to Moldova, because I was a little bored (even in
Washington DC, a thriving, attractive city itself). I'm young.
I want to give back and serve, because I feel privileged to have grown
up in the U.S. and to have been educated as an American (and as a Nebraska farm
girl!). I also am fascinated by new
places, different cultures, different languages, and the mixture of
perspectives and knowledge you gain from living abroad. Așa. That's right. That's why I'm here. I'm still at the learning stage of what
exactly I am to accomplish in Moldova.
Time will tell, but as my Business English students from the bank told
me (paraphrased), the quality and ease of life and work comes down to
people. Good people. Good employees. I've held this opinion for a while now, and I
don't think it will change here. So if I
do nothing else, friendships and positive working relationships are the bottom line for what I must do. But certainly more can and I believe will come from
that.
