Criuleni Miscellaneous

Some much was going on this weekend, it was hard for me to fit in all into the last 2 blogs. So here are some other miscellaneous things that happen this weekend that I forgot to mention in the last posts.

My partner teachers mentioned yesterday that I look Moldovan. It was nice to hear since I am trying to integrate. Apparently when Svetlana was meeting Veronica and me, she didn’t think I was the American at first. It’s nice to know that until I open my mouth and butcher the Moldovan language, I blend in.

Although, I don’t know how well I will be able to dress Moldovan. Women here wear heels almost everywhere, despite the fact they need to walk up and down hills and on rocky roads. Since we were supposed to dress professionally this weekend, I wore my heels. My leg muscles were burning from walking so much, and my shoes rubbed blisters on my feet. Not cool.

I was also able to talk to my host family’s son, Feodor, and Sarah on Skype. Sarah assured me that my host family is a nice family to live with. And Feodor told me to watch out for his father. Apparently, Ramon likes to play jokes. I should also stay strong when I don’t want any more wine. Feodor said not to listen to Ramon when says things like “I don’t respect him” when I refuse a drink. It’s good to know because I’m not sure how well I will read his sense of humor in Russian.

Yesterday morning at breakfast, my host mom mentioned that there have been 3 PCV who married someone from Criuleni: Sarah (their daughter-in-law), David (the one Svetlana mentioned Saturday), and Lawson. Sarah and David had worked at the school and Lawson had worked in a bank. I don’t know the details because this explanation was given to me in Romanian, but she made it very clear that 3 PCV had married a Moldovan.

Add to to-do list: learn as many Romanian words as possible related around the topic of marriage to better approach this conversation in the future.

Just Let Go And Fall

I’m such a worrywart. For those who don’t know me as well, I like to plan and think and understand. I like to know what is going on and understand what is to expect. So when I found out I was going to be visiting Criuleni last week, I want to plan the weekend. I wanted to know what I need to do, where I need to go, who I need to meet, how to fit it all into a weekend, what questions I have to ask, how do I get there, how do I get back, etc. Needless to say, I did not get the answers to these questions before this weekend. Yet it went well. I knew that going into the PC I would be get a chance to practice flying by the seat of my pants. I think I’m beginning to handle it better.

I met up with Svetlana, and she walked me to the school where we’ll be teaching together. We met up with Veronica and two of my other partner teachers, Maria and Valentina. Both women were very excited to meet me, and Maria greeted me by kissing my cheeks. There is one more English teacher, but she was out of town (I know, I know… I thought I had understood Veronica the night before saying there were 3 English teachers, but there are actually 4. Maybe that interview from yesterday wasn’t accurate?). We went into the school and they showed me their classrooms.

Then we went into what I think functions as the teachers lounge and sat and drank apple juice and ate chocolates. Veronica proceeded to update Svetlana, Maria, and Valentina about the Peace Corps and what I was doing in Romanian. It was weird being talked about right in front of my face and not understanding it, but oddly enough, it didn’t bother me.

After that, my partner teachers took me on a tour of Criuleni. It is beautiful. I love the wild flowers that grow in Moldova, and the gorgeous rolling hills in the background. Criuleni is located beside Nistru River, so we walked to see that. It’s wonderful here, and I can’t wait to be able to take walks through this town daily.

While we were walking, I found out that not only did Sarah marry my host mom’s son, but the last PCV was a man and he too married someone from the village. Svetlana asked me if I was married and I obviously told her no, to which she replied “don’t worry, you can.” She meant it as a joke, and I, of course, laughed.

I am starting to understand the warnings to single ladies in the PC about people in other countries expecting marriage. Now, no one has pressured me and I do not feel uncomfortable, but I have heard the word “marriage” more in the last 24 hours than it is said in a romantic comedy starring a single woman in her mid-30s.