I am assured all will be fine, I’m and English teacher and will be around English speakers. My teacher to keep in mind that if someone came to the US we would not expect them to speak English in one month! She’s right, all I can say is that I’m very grateful I’m in English Education…. Today I marched myself into a store with a sentence (of about 6 words) he didn’t know what I was saying. I don’t think it was my accent, it wasn’t that bad (I practiced many times with a Russian speaker first), but the younger people aren’t learning Russian here so I did the same old “point and grunt” I’ve been doing to get buy for a month.. At least I tried.
Imagine the other groups will be off soon to their jobs (2
weeks before us) and have to speak in their new language! In the middle of an important
meeting, one person said to me “English teachers have it easy” and I went “off on
him” how untrue that is, he looked at me with huge eyes and terror on his face
and said “I have to teach a Health class in 3 weeks in Romanian!!!” The look on
his face made me become hysterical with laughter, I wrote on a piece of paper “I’m
so sorry you are right” while the lecture was going on and showed it to him, which
set him off we did our best to hide it but we were uncontrollable and unable to
participate in some group projects. It felt great to have such a laugh though.
Once a week all 50 of us go to the university in the city,, Chisinau!
Piatza in the city
Another reason it’s great to be in education is the
directors of our schools will escort us to our new towns, the other members
have to get to their towns on their own!! Imagine that! This is the big week we
find out, next weekend we GO to the town
for the weekend!!! Though I’m very scared (most of us are) it will also be a
relief to know what my future looks like. All I can do is hope for the best but
be prepared for the worse (fingers crossed for indoor toilet and running water).
I think it’s the public transportation that scares me the most, it’s a maze of maxi-taxis
(vans which should fit 15 but they cram on 30 which often start my day with
motion sickness), buses and trolleys. Though the director takes me to the town
I have to come back on my own. I know I need to face this challenge eventually
but it’s still very scary.
I am living with a wonderful woman (speaks no English) and
her 23 yr old daughter (speaks English). I am comfortable and have been blessed
with an indoor bathroom, many of my counterparts, though in very nice homes,
have outhouses. This is because the country doesn’t have a septic system and it
will take a miracle for enough money to appear to create one. I stay in my room
most of the time studying. They work long hard days and come home to another
one job they do on-line. Still the woman (Lydia) has made me some wonderful
Moldovan meals!
My apartment, I say to myself every day 4 over 3 up... (just my luck they painted the door a different color one day while I was out, I counted 1, 2, 3, 4??? several times)
Outside "my" apartment
The country is extremely beautiful and will continue to become
more so as the acres and acres of sunflowers are starting to bloom. The grapes vines
are starting to produce grapes making them so pretty as the vines grow and wrap
themselves around trellis. Moldova is known for its wine production. There are
cherry trees and plum trees everywhere. (and walnut trees). We are told to
enjoy them now, there is a big shortage of veggies and fruit all winter. What you
have is what you’ve preserved.
There are 3 of us learning Russian and have been placed in a
town called Ialoveni about 20 minutes away on a Maxi-taxi, we trudge off each
morning and come to the bottom of a very very long and steep hill of a village
where our school is located. Most of us have some challenging hills to climb
each day. But at least in my town we
have paved roads. We have a saying “never look up in Moldova” which is very very
necessary in the village of Costesti where most of them live(and our school is).
My town is beautiful and very modern
with many pizza places and cafes! I have had many nice afternoons and evenings
having beers on patios of pretty places (well not that many but some).
School!
My town:
The Peace Corps is incredibly supportive, we have M27s and
M26s training us, every person you talk to is so kind and positive. I’ve had heart
to hearts with them as well as people all the way to the top with the country
director. You can feel the bond that they have formed with each other, they are
more than welcoming, supportive and just “there for us” as I’m sure I will be
next year for the M29s. A local volunteer in my village rescued me on a “meltdown
day” and took me for a great hike with wildflowers and walnut trees around, it
was just what I needed, though I’ve had a few more “meltdowns”, almost always after language
class.
I try to keep in mind that it’s the teaching and the
children I’m here for. On my breaks I sit outside our school where a group of
6-10 little boys hang out. They love us Americans, they were shy at first but
now love it when we come out, I played games wit.
h them the other day, and very
sweetly, one of them came up to me and handed me a handful of sunflower seeds
and showed me how to eat them. They cheer me up everyday.
Outside of class I'm having lots of fun with fellow trainees! In between studying and class that is...
A couple of interesting things about Moldova:
This is no ordinary mud, it's just a trick! Not sure what it is made of but it is more like walking on oil. If you make it through your shoes look like a clown shoes made of mud there is so much stuck to them! All places have mud scrapers outside their doors.... now I understand why. We balance on anything we can find to get past it.
Apartments started many years ago and never finished, I am told they are from the time of USSR
These are every 100-200 feet, they are wells. People bless themselves when they pass, old, young, on the bus, walking...
Well I guess that is enough for now! All other entries will be much shorter, this is a month long catch up! Thank you all of you that continue to support me, it means so much and the words of wisdom and support keep me hanging there.
Over and Out,
Sandra, Moldovan-American (by the way SANDRA is the name of the largest ice cream producer out here)
