Today was a particularly difficult day. It’s not like it was really that different from any other crazy day. I think it’s just that I have been trying to not let things bother me that actually do bother me in the long run. All the little things add up. Straw that breaks the camel’s back kind of thing, you know?
All week, I’ve had no idea how long the classes were going to be because they would ring the bells early to end the school day early because the building is too cold. Then today, I tried to play a game of Memory with one of my classes for the first time. But it was a huge headache. The students only know how to behave with lectures. So when I introduce an activity, it can be kind of wild. Then half of my students in my last class were missing (there are only 8 students in the class total).
Usually, I have a lot of patience and stamina for this chaos. I actually am kind of proud of myself because I have become pretty good for letting things roll off my shoulder, which says a lot coming from this slight (okay, more than slight) control-freak. But apparently on my hard days, my newfound maturity and flexibility are out the window, and what is left of Maggie wants to jump out the window. Oh well. I guess I’m bound to have hard days. It’s just difficult having hard days in a foreign country.
When I had a bad day back in the States, I often turned to my good friends, Ben and Jerry. But they don’t have it here. I miss Ben and Jerry’s. They have ice cream here, but most of it is served on a stick. And it’s relatively cheap. It’s not the same. I miss good ice cream.
I went on a mission today after school to find ice cream that wasn’t served on a stick. It took a great deal of searching, but I found some in a carton at last. Unfortunately, there was only one kind, vanilla with caramel swirl. Normally, I need something with chocolate after a day like this. But beggars can’t be choosers. And in my current state, I really don’t care. I’m just happy to be able to eat ice cream with a spoon tonight.
Well, in my misery, I have turned to poetry to express myself. I dedicate this to you, Ben and Jerry, lifelong friends to those in need.
You are the ice cream with much flare.
For your taste I greatly care.
But since I moved to Moldova,
My life’s been all ova’
Since I can’t find you anywhere.
Yes, I realize I’m being a little (okay, more than a little) melodramatic. But can you blame a girl? I mean, I’m in foreign country having a bad day. Add in the fact that I haven’t had Ben and Jerry’s in almost 5 months, not to mention countless other things I miss (ode to Mexican food soon to come). For those who might not know me as well, have no worries. I’ll get my ice cream fix as I watch a sappy romantic comedy and I’ll be back to my semi-mature and capable self. But for now, I will moan and groan and complain.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Poftă Bună!
The biggest struggle for me is the meat. Dad, I think you would love it here. The meat is mostly kinds of pork. Lots and lots of kinds of sausages and salamis. And fatty sausage and salamis at that. And if it’s not some kind of pork, whatever meat it is, it’s very fatty. Most of the time, the meat is served still on the bone. And many Moldovans eat every piece of meat…including the marrow. It was weird the first time I heard my host family eating meat and it was crunching.
But if there is one piece of information to remember when eating Moldovan food, this is it: never bite into anything assuming there aren’t seeds or bones. I only made that mistake 10 or 11 times.
Here are some popular Moldovan dishes, foods, and drinks that are new or interesting for me…
- Compot: boiled fruit with sugar or honey. Tastes like Kool-Aid.
- Plicinta: mini pies filled with cheese, cabbage, potatoes, or fruit. Very tasty, and very common. The ones filled with cabbage are my favorite.
- Mamaliga: cornmeal mash. Made from water and cornmeal. I like this a lot too. It reminds me of grits, which kind of makes it a comfort food for me.
- Sărmale: rice and veggies (and sometimes meat) rolled in cabbage or grape leaves. This isn’t new for me; I had them in the States before. But I wanted to include it in the list because they seem to be at many masăs. Stuffed peppers are also very popular (they use the same stuffing as sărmale).
- Răcituri: meat jello. When I first heard about this dish, even though I knew this wasn’t correct, I pictured a jello mold with pieces of meat floating in it. This is not correct. To me, it looks and tastes like congealed chicken broth. And it’s very salty.
- Hrișcă: brown buckwheat. I like this very much. It is very oaty. Parascovia serves it with something very similar to spaghetti sauce on it.
- Brînză: sheep cheese. It’s very similar to goat cheese or feta in texture. It can be sweet or salty. I really like the salty kind with tomatoes.
- Pelmeni: meat ravioli/dumplings. Maybe I don’t need to include this on the list, but this is one of my favorite meals. So I wanted to mention it. It is basically mini dumplings, and Moldovans serve it with sour cream instead of soy sauce. And I really like it with the sour cream. Funny thing though, they are in the frozen food section. Wouldn’t it figure that the American’s favorite dish is a frozen prepared dish?
- Salată de crabi: egg salad with artificial crab and potato. It’s very yummy.
- Chefir: buttermilk (kind of). It’s like a chunky buttermilk. Very thick and sour. When my host family gave it to me to try, they insisted that it’s good for my stomach. I felt like I was drinking sour milk.
- Păpănaș: small, dense pancakes. They are very sweet and yummy. Parascovia makes them almost every weekend, and I eat it with dulceață.
- Dulceață: jelly with pieces of fruit. It is very sweet, with the juices and chunks of the fruit. It’s very dessert-like.
Monday, October 24, 2011
I Sure Hope That Was Cooking Oil
I forgot how much I love cooking. Many of my favorite memories revolve around cooking with someone I love. And I’m not too bad at it. I think I have pretty good instincts. Although I make lots of mistakes, I usually can come up with some way to fix them. I just love it.
Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to cook in the last 4 months. During PST, my host family was paid to provide my 3 meals, so they cooked for me. And now, I’m paying my host family for lunch and dinner (and I usually sleep until the very last minute, so no time for cooking breakfast). Sometimes I think about just paying my host family for dinner, so that would give me something to cook for sometimes. But Parascovia cooks a lot, and I worry about being in her way. Plus she’s a great cook, and it’s just easier this way.
But these past 2 weeks, Parascovia and Roman have been in American visiting their son, and I have been in charge of my meals. At first, I was really excited about this. But since I’m only cooking for myself for 3 weeks, I don’t want to go out and fill the cupboards with all sorts of stuff. I sort of feel like I’m cooking as if I were moving in a couple weeks; you want to use what you have already and buy as little as possible. Nearly all of my meals have been frozen ravioli or spaghetti, mostly out of laziness.
Well, today I cooked, and it felt great. It was an interesting experience. I was using products in a Russian kitchen, so I had to depend on the pictures on the labels and my nose on things like spices and unmarked cans. And there aren’t cups and teaspoons. In fact, I couldn’t find any measuring utensils. So it was all eyeballing.
My aim was split pea soup. I didn’t have chicken broth, or cream, or dry peas, or many vegetables at all. And I couldn’t identify the spices. I did have a can of peas, oil, sour cream, onions, and garlic. Those are the only things that I actually know for sure went into my dinner. Everything else just smelled right. Because I didn’t know half the ingredients and I had no measuring utensils, I couldn’t reproduce this recipe if my life depended on it. But it turned out well. And it was a fun challenge actually. I kind of felt like I was on Iron Chef or something, except I didn’t know what ingredients I was using and I had no sous chef.
The scariest part was when I decided to use what I was hoping to be cooking oil. The cooking oil is kept under the sink in old water bottles. And they look like oil, but I was half worried they were drippings or cleaning oil or something. But I have eaten my dinner and don’t feel sick yet, which is a good sign. However, if I’m MIA for a couple days, you know why.
Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to cook in the last 4 months. During PST, my host family was paid to provide my 3 meals, so they cooked for me. And now, I’m paying my host family for lunch and dinner (and I usually sleep until the very last minute, so no time for cooking breakfast). Sometimes I think about just paying my host family for dinner, so that would give me something to cook for sometimes. But Parascovia cooks a lot, and I worry about being in her way. Plus she’s a great cook, and it’s just easier this way.
But these past 2 weeks, Parascovia and Roman have been in American visiting their son, and I have been in charge of my meals. At first, I was really excited about this. But since I’m only cooking for myself for 3 weeks, I don’t want to go out and fill the cupboards with all sorts of stuff. I sort of feel like I’m cooking as if I were moving in a couple weeks; you want to use what you have already and buy as little as possible. Nearly all of my meals have been frozen ravioli or spaghetti, mostly out of laziness.
Well, today I cooked, and it felt great. It was an interesting experience. I was using products in a Russian kitchen, so I had to depend on the pictures on the labels and my nose on things like spices and unmarked cans. And there aren’t cups and teaspoons. In fact, I couldn’t find any measuring utensils. So it was all eyeballing.
My aim was split pea soup. I didn’t have chicken broth, or cream, or dry peas, or many vegetables at all. And I couldn’t identify the spices. I did have a can of peas, oil, sour cream, onions, and garlic. Those are the only things that I actually know for sure went into my dinner. Everything else just smelled right. Because I didn’t know half the ingredients and I had no measuring utensils, I couldn’t reproduce this recipe if my life depended on it. But it turned out well. And it was a fun challenge actually. I kind of felt like I was on Iron Chef or something, except I didn’t know what ingredients I was using and I had no sous chef.
The scariest part was when I decided to use what I was hoping to be cooking oil. The cooking oil is kept under the sink in old water bottles. And they look like oil, but I was half worried they were drippings or cleaning oil or something. But I have eaten my dinner and don’t feel sick yet, which is a good sign. However, if I’m MIA for a couple days, you know why.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Can the American Catch Me?
My partner teachers seem to be very one minded; they are standing at the front of the room giving the lecture. They do not notice or choose to ignore the students who are not focused or playing with other items. I see it often, and I do not ignore this. When a cell phone is out, I make them put it in their pocket. If they are drawing, I take their picture. If they have another class’s textbook or homework, I tell them to put it away. Overall, I think I catch most actions.
I could tell the students were not used to being caught with their homework or cell phone (or whatever else they were doing in class) right away. For the first month, the students looked so shocked that I noticed they were texting in class or doing another class’s homework. They were not used to the teacher noticing. The funny thing is that they weren’t even trying to hide it. They would have their cell phone out and on their desk and were surprised I noticed.
Now that most of them know I am correcting the behavior, they try to be more discreet when doing something they are not supposed to. The key word here is ‘try’. The younger students might fold their arm and lay their head across their desk in a way that I can’t see what they are doing. But they are obviously doing something. And the older students hold their cell phones in their lap and pull the textbook close the edge of their desk so it looks like they are looking at their textbook. But obviously they are not completely focused on reading their English textbook (unfortunately), not to mention they are staring in their lap, not their desk.
The funny part of this is that many now almost make a game of it. They know I will catch them and tell them to put it away. So while they’re “being sneaky”, they stare at me until I catch them. Then when I see them, they innocently smile and pretend like they were behaving well the whole time. And many times, they wait until I stop looking at them and start again. Most days, I find this almost amusing.
Today was particularly funny. One of my 6th graders was drawing in class. After playing “can the American catch me” for several rounds, I took his paper. He no longer thought it was funny and started to pout. He then laid his head on the table and began to fake cry. And I mean fake cry like in cartoons; it was a rather pitiful attempt. I had to be really careful about not laughing at him because it really was quite humorous. It was even harder not to laugh because the rest of the students knew I had upset him. And they would look at him and then at me and laugh.
Anyways, as amusing as this all is, I really am hoping that I am teaching the students to focus on English when in English class. Constantly correct this behavior can be a little tedious, especially since I’m the only one doing it. But I’m hoping my partners will become more aware of the students’ behavior by watching me correct it, and eventually be correcting it themselves.
I could tell the students were not used to being caught with their homework or cell phone (or whatever else they were doing in class) right away. For the first month, the students looked so shocked that I noticed they were texting in class or doing another class’s homework. They were not used to the teacher noticing. The funny thing is that they weren’t even trying to hide it. They would have their cell phone out and on their desk and were surprised I noticed.
Now that most of them know I am correcting the behavior, they try to be more discreet when doing something they are not supposed to. The key word here is ‘try’. The younger students might fold their arm and lay their head across their desk in a way that I can’t see what they are doing. But they are obviously doing something. And the older students hold their cell phones in their lap and pull the textbook close the edge of their desk so it looks like they are looking at their textbook. But obviously they are not completely focused on reading their English textbook (unfortunately), not to mention they are staring in their lap, not their desk.
The funny part of this is that many now almost make a game of it. They know I will catch them and tell them to put it away. So while they’re “being sneaky”, they stare at me until I catch them. Then when I see them, they innocently smile and pretend like they were behaving well the whole time. And many times, they wait until I stop looking at them and start again. Most days, I find this almost amusing.
Today was particularly funny. One of my 6th graders was drawing in class. After playing “can the American catch me” for several rounds, I took his paper. He no longer thought it was funny and started to pout. He then laid his head on the table and began to fake cry. And I mean fake cry like in cartoons; it was a rather pitiful attempt. I had to be really careful about not laughing at him because it really was quite humorous. It was even harder not to laugh because the rest of the students knew I had upset him. And they would look at him and then at me and laugh.
Anyways, as amusing as this all is, I really am hoping that I am teaching the students to focus on English when in English class. Constantly correct this behavior can be a little tedious, especially since I’m the only one doing it. But I’m hoping my partners will become more aware of the students’ behavior by watching me correct it, and eventually be correcting it themselves.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Kids, You’re Gonna Get Me Through This
Partner teaching is no easy task. Many days, I feel like I’m just working as their assistant, not the partner teacher who has a master in education and actually knows a lot about pedagogy and research-based teaching methods. I’m supposed to help bring student-centered activities to the lessons, but the ideas I bring to the table aren’t always welcome. Or my partners make changes without telling me. One of the reasons we team-teach is so that there is sustainability. On particularly difficult days, I feel rather useless, and I worry that all the time I spend making or planning high-quality activities will be done in vain. Right after I leave, all my work will be put on a shelf and not used. Thinking about this makes me worried how I will make it through the next 2 years.
However, over the last week, I have concluded that my students are going to be the ones that get me through these next 2 years. Their faces light up when I bring pictures or do pretty much anything different from the textbook, and they can’t wait to find out what we will do. I fuss at them in class when they are drawing or not paying attention in class. But then after class, they come to me and give the picture that they were drawing and just got in trouble in class with.
One of my favorite moments so far happened a couple days ago. I was walking to school, and one of my students (a boy who can be a particular handful, but you can’t help but love) ran to catch up with me. He was really excited about something and was talking in Romanian too fast for me understand (not that I would have understood him if he were talking slower). After a long time of him talking and me not understanding, I eventually figured out that he was telling me he did his homework (mostly because he showed it to me).
Now, he didn’t do the homework that was assigned, but he took the time to do English work outside of the classroom. Homework is not really done by the students here (this is one of the things I’m hoping to improve). So the fact that he did something, I think, is a pretty big step. It was a good feeling. These feelings are what will help me get through the next 2 years.
However, over the last week, I have concluded that my students are going to be the ones that get me through these next 2 years. Their faces light up when I bring pictures or do pretty much anything different from the textbook, and they can’t wait to find out what we will do. I fuss at them in class when they are drawing or not paying attention in class. But then after class, they come to me and give the picture that they were drawing and just got in trouble in class with.
One of my favorite moments so far happened a couple days ago. I was walking to school, and one of my students (a boy who can be a particular handful, but you can’t help but love) ran to catch up with me. He was really excited about something and was talking in Romanian too fast for me understand (not that I would have understood him if he were talking slower). After a long time of him talking and me not understanding, I eventually figured out that he was telling me he did his homework (mostly because he showed it to me).
Now, he didn’t do the homework that was assigned, but he took the time to do English work outside of the classroom. Homework is not really done by the students here (this is one of the things I’m hoping to improve). So the fact that he did something, I think, is a pretty big step. It was a good feeling. These feelings are what will help me get through the next 2 years.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Take A Left At The Chickens
I was walking home from my tutoring session today, and I started thinking about the directions I tell myself to get home. When I turn off the main road, sometimes I forget which road leads to my house, so I tell myself to turn left at the house with all the chickens. How great is that? I love that this is a legit instruction for directions.
And I thought about how since I’ve been in Moldova, that piece of direction can be too vague many times because of all the houses around here that have chickens. And that, too, makes me smile. Even with all the stress that comes with this job, I really love being able to say that I live somewhere where the directions consist of “take a left at the chickens."
And I thought about how since I’ve been in Moldova, that piece of direction can be too vague many times because of all the houses around here that have chickens. And that, too, makes me smile. Even with all the stress that comes with this job, I really love being able to say that I live somewhere where the directions consist of “take a left at the chickens."
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Goodbye, Herbal Essence
When I was taking my shower today, I finished the last bit of my Herbal Essence conditioner. I bet you’re thinking two things. 1. OMG, it took her 4 months to finish a bottle of conditioner!! How often does that smelly girl shower? 2. So you finished a bottle of conditioner. It’s just conditioner! Throw the bottle away, buy a new one, and stop pouting, you big baby.
To the first comment, I shower enough for now, okay?!?! I even get to shower more than some of the other volunteers. Once winter comes along and the pipes freeze, I’ll shower less than now. It’s an unfortunate “experience” that comes with working in the Peace Corps. But it’s not like I came here with the expectations of having the same standard of living as I did in America.
And to the second comment, it was a sad moment. I love Herbal Essence conditioner. It took me several years to find the conditioner I liked best, and I have been using it ever since. And now, it is no more. I must use Moldovan conditioner. Additionally, my herbal essence conditioner was one of the last things with a smell that reminded me of America/home. And while I’m getting used to Moldovan smells, I miss the ones that remind me of home. Although I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the smell of burning trash. Yuck.
Because I recognized this momentous occasion would soon take place, I prepped myself for this unfortunate event by buying new conditioner a couple weeks ago, which was not an easy task in Moldova. I could only find shampoo. And anytime there was a bottle that looked like it might be conditioner, it was written in Russian, so I had no way of reading it. I’m still half worried I bought lotion instead. That will not help with the greasy mess I now call my hair! But despite the fact I was “ready” for this, when I squeezed out the very last drop, my shoulders dropped and I was sad.
Change happens. Sometimes, change is not good or bad. It is just change. But sometimes, I hold on so tightly to small, insignificant things, that I begin to taint an experience or lose perspective. I’m so busy looking back that I don’t see what is right in front of me, or the possibilities that could be coming. I let myself be distracted from the bigger picture, and I let myself get in my own way. I may not like the change, but dealing with it is just a part of life, and it is most definitely a part of the Peace Corps.
I will be perfectly fine with Moldovan conditioner. In fact, after a couple weeks, I won’t even think about what kind of conditioner I’m using any other time than when I’m showering. When I shower, I will remember that I’m using some make-do conditioner, and not MY conditioner. And I’ll pout, but then I’ll move on.
You know, I think I love Herbal Essence even more now since it’s helping me grow up and mature. Maybe they should include that function in their next commercial.
To the first comment, I shower enough for now, okay?!?! I even get to shower more than some of the other volunteers. Once winter comes along and the pipes freeze, I’ll shower less than now. It’s an unfortunate “experience” that comes with working in the Peace Corps. But it’s not like I came here with the expectations of having the same standard of living as I did in America.
And to the second comment, it was a sad moment. I love Herbal Essence conditioner. It took me several years to find the conditioner I liked best, and I have been using it ever since. And now, it is no more. I must use Moldovan conditioner. Additionally, my herbal essence conditioner was one of the last things with a smell that reminded me of America/home. And while I’m getting used to Moldovan smells, I miss the ones that remind me of home. Although I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the smell of burning trash. Yuck.
Because I recognized this momentous occasion would soon take place, I prepped myself for this unfortunate event by buying new conditioner a couple weeks ago, which was not an easy task in Moldova. I could only find shampoo. And anytime there was a bottle that looked like it might be conditioner, it was written in Russian, so I had no way of reading it. I’m still half worried I bought lotion instead. That will not help with the greasy mess I now call my hair! But despite the fact I was “ready” for this, when I squeezed out the very last drop, my shoulders dropped and I was sad.
Change happens. Sometimes, change is not good or bad. It is just change. But sometimes, I hold on so tightly to small, insignificant things, that I begin to taint an experience or lose perspective. I’m so busy looking back that I don’t see what is right in front of me, or the possibilities that could be coming. I let myself be distracted from the bigger picture, and I let myself get in my own way. I may not like the change, but dealing with it is just a part of life, and it is most definitely a part of the Peace Corps.
I will be perfectly fine with Moldovan conditioner. In fact, after a couple weeks, I won’t even think about what kind of conditioner I’m using any other time than when I’m showering. When I shower, I will remember that I’m using some make-do conditioner, and not MY conditioner. And I’ll pout, but then I’ll move on.
You know, I think I love Herbal Essence even more now since it’s helping me grow up and mature. Maybe they should include that function in their next commercial.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Cognac Makes All Right
Well, I’m sick for the first time. Noting serious, just a head cold, but it’s quite annoying. Parascovia noticed Friday night I had a sniffly nose. But it wasn’t until yesterday morning that she became quite motherly. She made me drink tea, which I wanted already, before she pulled out all the contents from the refrigerator for me to eat. It took some time to explain that all I wanted was bread. And then during lunch today, she once again wanted me to eat my weight in food.
While I was finishing washing my dishes, she noticed that I was wearing socks instead of slippers. So she went to get her pile of slippers for me right away. And this morning she fussed at me because I wasn’t wearing them.
The best part was when Parascovia insisted that I take a shot of cognac yesterday morning. I told her I didn’t want it (it was 8:00 in morning, after all), but she was insistent, saying that it will clear my head. Then Roman joined in insisting, so I caved. And she offered cognac once more at lunch yesterday. She didn’t seem to understand that I simply didn’t want any. She just assumed that I had taken medicine, so I couldn’t have any. Anyways, I think I’ll be healthy enough to go to school tomorrow, so maybe the cognac did work.
While I was finishing washing my dishes, she noticed that I was wearing socks instead of slippers. So she went to get her pile of slippers for me right away. And this morning she fussed at me because I wasn’t wearing them.
The best part was when Parascovia insisted that I take a shot of cognac yesterday morning. I told her I didn’t want it (it was 8:00 in morning, after all), but she was insistent, saying that it will clear my head. Then Roman joined in insisting, so I caved. And she offered cognac once more at lunch yesterday. She didn’t seem to understand that I simply didn’t want any. She just assumed that I had taken medicine, so I couldn’t have any. Anyways, I think I’ll be healthy enough to go to school tomorrow, so maybe the cognac did work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)