POTD 38: Cojușna Students

My first 10 weeks here were really intense because they were the training weeks to prepare us for our 2 years in Moldova. For three of those weeks, we had practice school, where I taught students from my training site, Cojușna. Teaching these students gave me the encouragement that I need to start my time here and develop  the optimistic attitude that I took with me to Criuleni.

The 4 Times I Almost Cried During PST

So far, I have not cried, which I think is a big accomplishment. I thought there would be at least one break down by now. However, I did have my weak moments when I almost cried. And the surprising thing is that for all but one time, I almost cried over something I didn’t think would make me cry.

1. It was during the first week of Practice School (7 weeks into my time here in Moldova) when I was teaching by myself. I had been working until 11:30 every night for 3 nights now, and I was not yet feeling particularly proud of my lessons. It was 6:00 and I had at least 5 hours of work ahead of me. I was walking my 40-minute walk home and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do and what is expected of us. I was starting to cry as I was walking, but I still had 10 minutes before I got home and no sunglasses. I did not want everyone in my neighborhood to see me cry as I walked into my host family’s home.

2. My host family was having a masă. I was noticing my host mom and sister interacting, and they reminded me of my mom and me. I was suddenly overwhelmed with missing my mom, which grew into me missing my family and friends. I started to get teary-eyed, but there were 15 people around me and I did not feel like explaining why the American is crying when everyone was being very hospitable.

3. It was 3 days before I was leaving Cojușna. I was walking home when one of the neighbor kids has said hello to me. I had recently learned her name, Mihaela (Cute story: she always says hello to me, and her cuteness stands out compared to the others. One day, she said “hello, Maggie” to me and I said hello back. Her brother was with her and tried to tell her how to say “my name is Mihaela” in English, but she just ended up saying “hello Mihaela” instead. It was very cute. I understood well enough, and now I knew her name). It was very dark, and I could barely make out shapes. But when Mihaela said hello to me, I could easily tell it was her. She giggled when I said “hello, Mihaela”, and I could hear her talking about me once I left. All the sudden I realized that I would not be seeing her or any of the neighborhood kids any more. It took me 2 months to make friends with them, and I walk through a neighborhood everyday. In Criuleni, my house is practically on the main road. I was very upset at the thought of not making friends with neighborhood kids. But I was almost home, and I didn’t want to explain to my host family why I showed up in tears. So I held the tears back.

4. It was the last night in Cojușna, and I was spending it with Holly, Jim, Matt, Lauren, and Cassie at the Cojușna winery. On our way out, I said something about how I was going to miss them. And then it hit me that I was going to be the only American in a 30 kilometer radius, and that I was going to see these guys for several months. My eyes started to water, but Cassie demanded that I stopped because she would start to cry as well. So I did.

High School Graduation Moldovan Style…And I Mean Style

Today I attended the high school graduation ceremony for the village of Cojusna. And let me tell you how much way cooler it is than American graduation ceremonies. First of all, each graduate walks in to the theme of Star Wars. Enough said.

Then the graduates sang several songs and read poems (I think they were reading poems. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but that’s my guess of what was happening).

Next the graduates danced a waltz. It reminded me of a princess scene from a Disney movie. Once again, I was jealous.

After the mayor of Cojusna spoke for a bit, the graduates were given their diplomas. Following that, the graduates danced again. This time, one of the students sang “Once Upon a December” from the Anastasia movie.

Then they danced the hora!!

They ended the ceremony with a song, and this time I could hear the men singing. Beats an American graduation by far! Note to self: next graduation take place in Moldova.

All You Need To Know Is “Noroc!”

Ahh, Sundays. The day of rest. It’s nice to have the day off today. I was able to get all of my unpacking done finally, and finish setting up my phone. I discovered a flashlight on the phone, which will be useful on midnight runs to the outhouse. The best part was the sleeping in.

Some members from my training group and I walked around Cojusna for a little bit. It really is a beautiful village. I was able to get lots of pictures.

This afternoon, my host family invited me to their weekly picnic that they have with their friends. And even though I didn’t understand anything that was being said, I really enjoyed the cultural experience. The women and men stayed separated except during dinner. But even then, the men sat on one side of the table and the women on the other. There was lots of pointing towards me and lots of comments directed at me. I think they continually forgot that I don't speak Romanian, because once they remembered, they yelled for Diana. And they were very proud of me when I said “Noroc” as a cheer (“cheers” in Romanian).

And I have experienced something new while there. The PC has warned us about how Moldovans try to be good hosts by making sure plates and glasses are full. They mentioned how the host often fills the glasses without asking. I had not experienced this with my family; they are very understanding when I say “I’m full” or “No thank you”. However, whenever my glass was empty or not completely full, it was filled. Moldovans drink their wine in shots, so even though I had 7 glasses of wine, it’s not as much as it seems. But I’m glad this is not a daily feeling.

This picnic is apparently a weekly thing. Since it was such an enjoyable time without understanding anything, I can only imagine how much I would enjoy it if I knew more Moldovan. Motivation for studying!

There Are No Sensitive Butts In Moldova.

Today was the first time we had our lessons in Cojusna. It’s in the village’s high school. It was not the most comfortable thing sitting in chairs that are meant for younger children for the 4-hour lesson. I guess I’ll get use to it.

After my lessons, my host family took me to pick strawberries. Even though we can do this in the states, I never had. It was gorgeous, and the strawberries were so very tasty. I don’t know if I’ll need any dinner tonight. The best strawberries were getting hit with the sun, so they were warm and would melt in my mouth as I ate them. There was a thunder storm in the distance, but I seemed to be the only one concerned. I guess they’re use to it in Moldova. After all, it has rained every afternoon that I have been here.

I love the view from my window. I get to see it every time I sit down to write. It’s a little escape from reality. My time in Moldova reminds me of Under The Tuscan Sun. There is going to be a lot of hard times and feeling of loneliness, but there is lots of beauty in the scenery and the people.

I also hung out with Diana and 2 of her friends. Her friends don't know English as well, and they had a much harder time finding what to say than Diana and Daniel do. The best part was when they told me that I was boring, when they meant that I was bored since I didn’t know Romanian as well. At least, I hope they meant that I was bored. And they want to me to go to the disco in Chisinau next Saturday. I actually want to go to the disco eventually, but I don’t feel comfortable enough with my Romanian to relax and enjoy myself while I am there. Hopefully in a couple of months. Despite our difficulty in understanding each other, they were very pleasant and understanding of my Romanian handicap.

Goat In The Street

Very long day. We left Philly to drive to JFK at 9 am. We made it through security by around 1, when we then waited around until our plane started boarding around 5:15. We then flew for 8 hours, arriving in Munich, Germany around 8am. We had to book it to our gate because our next plane was leaving at 9:15am. We left a little late, and the plane was too small for all of the luggage, so some of it was flying over later.

We arrived in Chisinau (pronounced Ki-shi-now) at 12:40 pm. We went to pick up our luggage, at which point I was relieved to find both my bags. Here is what I saw when I walked outside of the airport.

The Peace Corps picked us up and took us to a high school next door to the Peace Corps headquarters to get an introduction to that night. We were then told a lot of information of which I do not remember anything except that we will be told everything again so we didn’t have to remember it. Lack of sleep does not flatter me. I picked up my months allowance, my cell phone and calling card, my first aid kits, and my room equipment (fire extinguisher, carbon monoxide/smoke detector, and brita fliter).

A van drove training group pink, which consisted of 7 trainees, to neighboring villages where our host families live. My town is Cojusna (pronounced Koh-shew-shnah). My favorite part about the drive to our village was the goat that crossed the street on our way into the village. There was a chain around its neck, but no owner around. That is something I’m hoping to continue to see, perhaps without the chain.

Our host families picked us up at the village center square. My family consists of the father, mother, daughter, and son. The father’s name is Vladimir. The mother is Tatiana. The daughter is Diana. And the son is Daniel. Diana and Daniel are both grown (26 and 32 years), and Diana speaks English well. It’s a little broken and she still searches for words, but she know all the English necessary to communicate efficiently. I have not met Daniel yet. The family is very hospitable and polite.

Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyways), it was a very long and productive day. Since I hadn’t slept in 31 hours, I went to bed at 9pm. Ready for day 2 Moldova.