Last Friday was a difficult day for me. I won’t go into too many details but this is the gist: I didn’t want to wake up. I don’t teach the first hour and I decided I wanted to sleep in a little bit. So that’s what I decided to do. Except my partner calls me asking if I’m at school, the director wanted to speak with us. I was still in my pajamas. Soooo I rushed to got ready and ran to school. We had a sit down meeting: My partner, adjunct director, and the director. It was a strange meeting and I got frustrated because my language skills were not up to where I wanted them to be. It ended with me going to class and crying and unable to tech all three of my classes that day. I was there and assisting as much as I could, but my frustration got the better of me.
Now, to today. Today I decided I would make sure I’m ready and at school around the start time. I scanned in my absentee ballot for voting in the Midterm Election. Once I was done I had about a half hour until class began. So I went into the meeting room and hung out. I took my laptop out and then I got a phone call. My partner called asking if I am at school. Today, I could say yes! This time she asked me to come to her room. I gathered my stuff up, locked the meeting room, returned the key. I had no idea what was happening. I knew she had an art class and wasn’t sure why I would need to go to the art class. All I could think was that the Raion was there to speak to me. I was nervous. I go to open the door and suddenly I am being showered by leaves. A bunch of the fifth form girls had made me Halloween themed artwork. They gave me some chocolate and a juice box. I stood there while all of the students yelled “Surprise!” and “Happy Halloween!” I had to resist crying. They were far too sweet.
One of the purposes of living with a host family is safety and security. The purpose is to try and integrate in with them. You’re able to meet people in the community easier and have a trusty life line within the village.
I’ve certainly realized just how true this is recently.
My village is made up of people related to everyone. A day doesn’t go by where someone will say “oh that’s my cousin” and then the next day someone else will tell me that same person is their aunt. I have begun making a mental web of who is related to who in the village.
After school I tell Mama about how my day was. Often times I talk about the same kids because they either lift me up or frustrate me. We were walking home from the magazin one day and she pointed to a kid and said something about the kid. I said, “Yeah, he’s the one that I was talking about Thursday.” Well. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing I said something. He ended up being a star student the next lesson. I was so excited about it! (I will explain in a later post.)
When I got home from school I was so excited to tell Mama about it! Well....it turns out she went and called him out on it. She told him to be kind and not rude in class. To get off his phone and try to pay attention. And it worked. He apologised to her for giving me a hard time....
So! Although that’s not exactly a safety and security purpose of a host family, it is an example of how family looks out for family. And I really appreciated it. :]
I never talked about the day I felt my happiest. Swearing in.
It was a bitter-sweet day because I would be leaving my PST host family, with whom I have grown quite close. But, I was off to become an official PCV in Moldova.
I will start by speaking about the evening before. My PST village and volunteers got together to with our host families for a celebration. We went to Michael’s host family’s lake and had a barbecue. It went on for hours, until about 11p. We got back to the house at about midnight. Ana-Maria and I had already planned to have one last movie night together before I left but the party interrupted that plan. So, I decided I would suffer the tiredness and do the movie night anyways! (Spoiler: I fell asleep through 90% of the movie) At about 2a we went to sleep. And then at 6a we were up.
My stomach was in knots. I was so nervous about the unknown. I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be happening. I couldn’t even drink any tea. So, the rutiera that was here to pick up Diamond, Jorge, Katie, Kathryn, and I (and Emilia and my host family) arrived and we loaded in our stuff. Then the bumpy road to Chișinău commenced.
We finally arrived and were one of the last ones. Sadly, a couple people on my bus ended up getting car sick and we had to yell to the driver to pull over to let them off. I think from the long night before and nerves for today mixed with the driving didn’t help anyone’s stomach. Once finally parked in the correct location we needed to bring all of our luggage into a luggage room…..down a set of stairs…. I came to Moldova with a big suitcase, hiking backpack, a large school backpack, and a purse. In addition to all of that my suitcase was MUCH heavier and an additional five bags of stuff from Peace Corps that I acquired all summer. I was thankful for having Danu there as he assisted me bring my stuff downstairs.
So, now that we’ve arrived it was time for us to get changed. Those that were performing were allowed to wear the national costume through the ceremony! We did a run through of our performances. To be honest, we all didn’t know all of the word to the song and thankfully we were allowed to have a paper with the words on it to assist us! Made it so much better.
Then came the dance. We’d been practicing on a stage but where we were dancing now was not a stage. We didn’t have as much space available and had to adapt as we were dancing with placement. After that we did our Peace Corps Oath. Then stood around waiting for the actual ceremony to begin.
It was all so exciting. The choir from my PST village came to sing the Moldovan National Anthem. Then five volunteers went on stage to sing the US National Anthem. They did a very good job!
We sat through speeches presented by people in the Moldovan government, the Ambassador, and Peace Corps staff. It was quite the occasion! When it came time to officially swear in EE was first! We went up and stood in our specific locations. It amused me because EE was off to the left while HE and COD were off to the right.
Finally, at the end we did our performances. Another village had prepared two songs which they performed. Then came my village’s turn. We did our song. Then we did our dance with a couple other girls from the other EE village and Danu and Clayton. (As the perfectionist that I am, I was upset with my singing and dancing. I and another volunteer began dancing at the wrong moment while we sang. And while doing our dance routine I forgot a part. But, forever grateful for Jorge, he remembered and tugged me to get me moving!)
Once our dance was done we ran off to get changed out of the costumes. We were no longer PCTs but PCVs. Some of the people talked to the PC staff and apparently our performance was one of the best performances they had seen at the swearing in ceremony. Very up lifting.
Once done getting changed I found Liliana, Danu, and Ana-Maria. We went and got some food. I found my director and introduced them all. While the room began to disperse, Emilia came and said goodbye to me. And I lost it. Once she walked away I began to cry. Then Ana-Maria began to cry. And we were all getting teary. It wasn’t a goodbye, but see you later. After living with them for ten weeks it was hard to leave. Many people saw us all getting emotional and came over to give me a hug goodbye and wish me succes, such as Galina my LTI and Nina my PM. We went off and found my director outside again. Then together we all got my luggage and brought it to his car. After our final goodbyes the Director and I were off to my permanent site!....with a quick stop to pick up his daughter in the capital.
It was a fairly quiet ride. My brain wasn’t fully functioning for English, let alone Romanian. I was full of so many different emotions.
When I arrived at site mama was there waiting for me. We didn’t talk much and I rested a bit. I remember being a bit chilly in my room even though it was so hot out. This. This is where I will be living.
Leading up to Swearing In a lot of changes occurred. Our Country Director was moved to another country and we had an Acting Director. We had two people leave Peace Corps the week of Swearing In. There was a language assessment a few days before we swore in which stressed me out immensely. But overall, it worked out. Everything was fine.
Hi everyone! I wanted to give a shoutout to another EE volunteer who is starting a vlog with an accompanying blog. If you have any other interest in reading and hearing about her adventures on the North East of Moldova (as opposed to myself on the North West!).
As I mentioned in a previous post, be wary of a single story! By hearing about other stories you can see how vastly different Moldova is!
School began on 3 September 2018. First bell. The first day of school is quite the celebration. My day was slightly different from what other volunteers experienced, specifically because I actually had classes and a meeting to attend!
To begin the day, I went to school with my partner. I met up with the girls that I danced with at Hram and they were essentially in charge of me to make sure I didn’t get lost or if I had any questions. We all stood outside waiting for the celebration to begin. Ludmila came up to me and was about to ask me where I was, because like in normal Jc fashion....I accidentally dressed like a student.
Anyways! There were speeches, songs, and dances. A few students passed out. That was scary, especially when I had no idea what was happening and the director and other teachers began carrying students up the stairs.
School begins at 7 years old here, first form/grade. The students walked from the entrance of the open yard where we all were to the front doors. There they stood on bleachers. They performed a poem, including Ludmila’s daughter Melissa. The ninth form students went up and gave them books as a gift for starting school.
Once everything was all said and done, the tallest ninth form boy went up to one of the first form boys and put him on his shoulders. Then the ninth form boy walked in a specific pattern with the first form boy. The first form boy rang a bell signaling the start of school. It’s at this moment all of the ninth form students went and got a first form student and walked them into the school. Then confusion for me started. Students began handing out flowers to the teachers. I actually got some too! It was very sweet.
I went with my partner and met some students, where we taught some. then at noon school was let out and the teachers went to a meeting. It was at this meeting that I was introduced to all of the teachers.
Rundown of my school:
It is a gimnaziu (middle school). But, because my school is so small what that means is that from first form to ninth form are all in the same school together. it is actually a larger school with three floors. It was a liceu (high school, containing forms 1-12) last year but due to changes and lack of students it became just a gimnaziu.
Students from two other villages attend my school because their village had to shut the school down. This is highly difficult for many reasons. Specifically for me because one of the villages had not taught English, but French. So, this means many students are behind in school through no fault of their own. And, the other villages have school buses to get the students to school. But, for some reason the bus is sometimes late. This past week alone (Today is Wednesday...) it was late twice.
Mama and I were talking about the school and she says that they wouldn’t shut down my school because it’s the only one left in the area. For Liceu the students go to the raion, or to other raions to study.
Hram. Village Day. One of the first words I learned from my PST host family. And one of the words I had a quite a bit of difficulty learning to pronounce because the H in Romanian is hard and a slight rolled R. Having H-R together felt strange in my throat.
I was lucky enough to have been able to go to both my PST Hram and my permanent site’s Hram this summer. As with everything in life, there are differences and similarities between the two. To begin, I will discuss Strașeni’s* Hram and then I will discuss Fălești’s* Hram. Then, I will discuss the similarities and differences.
(*Giving the Raion name, not the actual village name where I’m living)
Strașeni:
Sadly, Hram landed on a Thursday during PST so I, along with the other Trainees in my village missed the beginning. But, also thankfully, it was a Thursday! If you recall from a previous post I mentioned how on Thursdays we generally had Hub Site! We talked to the people in charge and we were given the opportunity to skip breaks to make the day move faster. Instead of Hub Site ending at about 5-530p we were able to leave at 330-4p. We invited other Trainees to come visit our village since there are often lots of rutiere and taxis. It would be easy for them to return to their village. The neighbouring village/other EE PST village came and some COD people came as well. (They needed to take a taxi but split between ~4 people it would only cost 25lei which isn’t too bad.)
So onto Hram! When we arrived in village, since Diamond and I lived in the center and closest to the stadion (where Hram takes place) we offered everyone to leave their bags at our place. Alleyce dropped her bag in my room and charged her phone while we waited for others to situate themselves. Mama was home and very jubilant. It was early but she said we were going to eat dinner now and then head out because the parade will be passing by around 6p. We sat down to eat and Alleyce was very happy with the food. Then Diamond and Angela came by. Mama had them sit down and join us for dinner. They, too, enjoyed the food. Since it was a celebration we were given a glass of wine.
Then, Nana Mila was at the front door yelling frantically and the four of us we confused and Mama began yelling telling us to leave the masa and go to Hram! We were confused but then we looked at the clock: it was 6p! We went running up the road just in time to see the parade passing with Ana-Maria walking in traditional clothes! The parade was a little confusing but it had to do with a reenactment of a wedding from a fable or something. I was confused. I asked Ana-Maria about it, she, too, was confused by it all. Regardless, it was pretty and I’m glad I got to see it!
Overall, we did a lot of standing around and mingling. There were manymanymany speeches, including a mayor from a village of the same name from Romania! (I hope to visit there someday.) Like everything, we were told dancing would begin at a certain time but it didn’t start until a few hours later….The surprise? We were going to dance! That’s why we wanted all of the Americans there to join us on stage! We had planned 2-3 dances but the night dragged on, more people left, and then suddenly I said to the group, “Isn’t that Ana-Maria on stage?” We walked over and it was her! We watched and then Kathryn came up to us saying frantically “WE’RE NEXT!” So we went running to the backstage. We ended up only doing one dance, Copperhead Road. I’d never done it before but it was easy enough! Everyone loved it. Sadly, since we were the only Americans left….no one was there to record it.
After dancing we were given a small masa and chatted with other people performing. Ana-Maria had gone home and changed into more relaxed clothing. We all hung out. Danu had been selling corn all night and he gave us free corn to eat. But as the night went on, people went home. Ana-Maria and I were the only ones left. She convinced me to go on the trampoline. While standing in line we met some classmates of her’s. They thought I was younger than her. :[
I say she convinced me because I was exhausted and wanted to sleep. I’m glad I went because I forgot just how much fun it was! I just wish I had changed into pants or shorts since a dress on the trampoline was not much fun…..
After that we met up with Beatrice. We walked around some more. Found Mama. We ate some cotton candy. Then I went home at 11p. My phone was at 5%. I went to plug my phone in when I saw there was a message from 1030p from Katherine saying there was a surprise masa for us held by the Mayors from Moldova and Romania. I told Ana-Maria I should go. Both she and Beatrice accompanied me. They stayed outside and I walked in alone. Very intimidating. While sitting there, both Ana and Beatrice walked in helping bring in more food! Kathryn, Katie, and Jorge were already there. As was Volunteer Clayton and Jorge’s friend he met at Hram. I stayed for about an hour and walked home (with a phone at 1%) at midnight. I felt safer (still significantly nervous) than in America.
When I got home no one was there, so I took a quick shower and relaxed on my bed. At about 1230a-1a everyone came home. We chatted for a while and I went to bed!
But, as I mentioned….this was a Thursday. Friday I had Romanian at 8a. I woke up early, somehow was functioning and off to school I went!
Fălești:
I arrived at site mid-August and 11 days later was Hram! A great opportunity to meet people. But also an opportunity for people to learn that I’m in the village. The day before I had been to a birthday party with Mama and we were out until about 3a. Thinking Hram began at 10a (like it had in the past and the that’s when the other Hram had start in Strașeni), Mama and I woke up early and headed out. But they were still setting up at the stadion and people were playing soccer. We went back home and I slept a little more.
At lunch time we ate and a couple woman came over to join us. My stomach was nervous as well. Why? I was going to dance again! Ludmila, my partner, is the diriginta* of eighth form. The older classes prepare and perform on the stage. Three girls from the class and I did a five minute mishmash of the Cupid Shuffle, Cotton Eyed Joe, and Copperhead Road. It was fun! Afterwards Sergiu gave me a bouquet of flowers!
Before the performances we were hanging out behind the stage and I had the opportunity to meet the mayor of the village. She apparently didn’t realize I was the volunteer and thought I was 18...at least that’s what she said to me. She told Mama and others she thought I was 14. Darn my young face!
When I was finished with my performance I went into the audience and watched the remaining performances. After a while I went off with the students to see children wrestle for a rabbit. It was hilarious and wonderful. I hung out some more. We listened to some people from the village perform songs. Then the biggest draw arrived: a famous singer from Chisinau. While she was singing Mama and I joined groups of people dancing. People were impressed that I knew how to do their dances. It was difficult in a large circle to dance but it was lots of fun!
After dancing for a while people left to go eat dinner. Mama and I went home. I was tired and stayed home. Then, suddenly, I heard fireworks. I watched from my porch. I guess after I left there was a large disco. I wish I had stayed for it but there’s always next year! If only I was more of a night-owl partier.
Comparison:
I’d like to point out that PST village on paper has about 4.000 people in it. While my permanent village has about 2.500 people. This contributes to a lot. The PST Village had the rides and trampolines up for a couple days—into the weekend. But Site was on a Tuesday and I didn’t return to the stadion right after, but I assume everything was taken down. The trampolines were not like in PST and the Stage was built then taken down, unlike the permanent stage in PST. Also, PST did not have fireworks. My Site had more dancing from the audience which was a lot of fun!
*diriginta: a combination of a homeroom teacher and a guidance councilor. Essentially knows everything about everything in each student’s lives.
