Breaking Into Moldova - The Flight to Istanbul

The next morning in Philadelphia, we boarded a bus bright and early and headed toward New York and JFK airport.
I can't even describe the incredible feeling of pride as we rounded a curve in the road and saw New York City in all its glory. And there, like a defiant beacon shining in the June sun was the new Freedom Tower! We were all amazed by how incredibly tall it is and how it looked as it nears completion.

The wait in line at the airport was an eternity, because somehow the desk at Delta did not get word from higher up as to how much we were to be charged for our extra bag, and the Peace Corps prepaid for all of us to have a second bag. The process to finally let us in took over two and half hours, and many of us were already tired and cranky. Nonetheless, it happened, we made it to the gates and it was then that we found out what towns we would be staying in once we reached Moldova.

Getting ready to leave the country, knowing this would be the last time I would concretely be able to speak to family, and the reality of the situation hit hard. I felt incredibly vulnerable and yet excited as all get out. And then we boarded the plane.

My great intentions and forethought of bringing Melatonin so that I could set my body clock to Moldovan time were completely for nought. During the ten-plus hour flight to Istanbul, I managed about a half hour of sleep. I was too excited to sleep, so I worked on flashcards and wrote in my journal. I have to complement Delta for some nice meals and relative comfort despite being all the way at the back of the plane. Having a little more leg room would have been nice, but you know what they say about beggars and choosers.

We were to have a 10-hour layover in Istanbul, so several of us headed out to the city to have our first adventure. We purchased visas for $20 and went out into the city to discover what it held. Our first semi-adventure was trying to find someone who spoke English and how to find a locker for our stuff. The second semi-adventure was figuring out how to use the subway. A very nice gentleman who worked on the subway, understood where we wanted to go and pointed step by step the stops we would need to make and the names of the places where we would want to disembark.

I have to say, aside from seeing several Burger Kings and McDonalds in Turkey, I was amazed by the color and beauty. I definitely want to head back on one of my short trips. We visited the famous Blue Mosque and the Hegea Sefia (sp?) before heading to a restaurant for a much needed beer and then back to the airport. Keep in mind that the temperature was well above 90F, and none of us had had a bath or a change of clothes for several hours. This was to be the start of a non-stop sweat fest since I left New York.

There were several things I learned from this short excursion into Istanbul: A) I love learning about new cultures and seeing new sites; B) I must learn to pack lighter; C) Americans sweat far more than people in other cultures; D) I really prefer to travel in a one- or two-person situation; E) Americans, in large part, are completely unaware of their surroundings, or how they sound or are perceived; F) Americans stand out in a crowd; G) Istanbul is a beautiful city with amazing back alleys and a treasure of nooks and corners and shops on streets that you would never see if you didn't take a moment to explore.

The Famed Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

The spires of the Blue Mosque

Quinn and Matt - Fellow adventurers in Istanbul on a side street

Hegea Sefia - Another beautiful and very old mosque in Istanbul

Romy, Kim and Stephanie ham it up for the camera in front of the steps to the Blue Mosque. Women are required to wear headscarves. Men must remove all hats.

Eu Sunt Norocos Part 1

Eu Sunt Norocos [yay-oo soont no-ro-cos] (I am lucky).
I have to break the chain with this post and go completely out of order. But, it is important to bring everyone (including myself) up to date.

As background, it is important to note that while in training here in Moldova, the Peace Corps and our LTIs (Language Training Instructors), with much care and difficulty, place us with one family. For the English Educators, this placement lasts 10 weeks. After we are sworn in as volunteers, we will then go to our "permanent" site, where we will live with another family for a minimum of 3 months, and where we will work for the next two years.
So far, I've hit the jackpot!
My host family during training is AMAZING! Mariana is 37 and the Doamna Director (Principal) of the local grădiniţă (kindergarten) [gruh-deen-eet-zuh] (litterally little garden), is brilliant, sensitive, deeply insightful and an amazing person. I don't know how to say it, except that I feel strongly that God intervened and placed me with someone incredible. We have the most amazing conversations about life, religion, philosophy, Moldovan politics, and spirituality. Oh, I didn't mention she is fluent in Romanian, Russian, English and Korean, and also speaks Spanish, French and Moldovan (which is fast becoming its own dialect of Romanian). While Mariana has many hopes and prayers for this life, her strongest desire is for world peace and understanding.

My first week here in Moldova, as I was running around asking, "Cum se spune?" (how do you say) to everything, Mariana told me the names of a firefly and her son Gelu [jel-oo] told me the name of a ladybug. Shortly, thereafter, a children's book was born: Buburuză şi Licurici [boo-boo-roo-zuh she lee-coo-reech]. I've attempted translating the book into Romanian, and now Mariana is helping to proof my translation -- something in which she has a great deal of experience. My hope is to publish a dual-language book and have the proceeds go to strengthen the library at her school.

Mariana at the Nistru River

Gelu, Mariana's 15 year old son, is amazing in his own right. He too is fluent in Romanian, Russian and English, and just an all around good guy who is much older than his years, and capable of incredible greatness. It's so rare for me to meet someone his age or older who thinks the way he does. Gelu loves film, but not just any film. He is working his way through only the best movies produced. The other day, I asked him what he did with his day. He replied that he watched The Great Dictator. I asked if that was the new Sasha Baron Cohen film, and he replied, "Who is that? I watched the film with Charlie Chaplin." I immediately asked him who he was, and if he was sure he was only 15 years old. I went on to explain that the vast majority of teens in the U.S. would not have known about Charlie Chaplin, let alone watched him.

We are working on a screenplay together about Roman Centurions in ancient Dacia (the region that is currently Romania and Moldova). As a co-writer, I am literally astounded by the way he puts together words and descriptions. "A shadow spills across the threshold." If that isn't loaded with significance, I don't know what is.

Gelu playing it cool in his shades at a local lake.

Doamna Elena, Mariana's mother, aka Baba (diminuitive for Grandmother) is the superhero of grandparents. She works at the other grădiniţă in town and comes home, cooks amazing meals, cans, makes jams, works in the garden, sings traditional songs with the most incredible voice and keeps the family in stitches laughing. She is salt of the earth and fearless. Unlike the other grandmothers who walk around town in head scarves, Baba Elena holds her head up high and dares the world to take her on. At the same time, she is very loving and gets up early every morning to make me breakfast and to pack a lunch, does the chores around the house and feeds the chickens, rabbits, ducks, dogs and cats. The mother duck just hatched 13 youngins, and you should have seen Baba Eleana bursting with pride.

Baba Elena with family Friend Sasha

Sasha is a friend of the family, and while he only speaks Russian, every time I see him, he has some new word in English that he dredged up from his childhood education. Like the rest of the family, he is always ready to laugh, and so handy, I watched him turn some old rusty metal stairs into a very nice and workable barbecue in the matter of a couple of hours.