E Iarna

The seasons are much more sensible in Moldova. There's no waiting for the solstice, no breaking the month of December as being Autumn until the 21st and then Winter. Instead, Winter starts promptly on the 1st of December. "Vine iarna" (Winter comes) is a common phrase when the first snow falls, or the ground is frosty in the morning. While the average Moldovan seems to need - but despise - rain, the feeling about snow is quite the opposite; it's not needed, but it is loved.

Many of my lyceum-aged students had teze (themes - semester tests) last week in English and several other subjects, and as I read the essays from the 11th form, the idea that was repeated many times was that one can find Heaven on Earth if one only looks to the beauty of snow.

Snowball fights during the breaks.
Some of them thought it was fun to throw at Mr. Tim.

From the seemingly endless questions in Romanian about whether I have ever seen snow before, or if there is snow in the United States, to the literal banshee cries of NINGE!!!!!! of the students if it happens to be snowing during a break, to the nearly manic descriptions of what it will be like when there is over a meter of snow on the ground, it is easy to tell that there is a love affair with snow in this country -- at least from the young people. But, even my host parents seem to act a little more spry when they see the snow.



Snow in the schoolyard.

Today, I went running in the snow with one of my students, and it was like running with an extremely playful otter. He was doing flips to land in the snow. We met up with some younger students out with their sleds on the nearby hill and Cristi borrowed one sled to show them how to do it. "Mr. Tim," he said afterward - out of breath, "that was the first time this year that I sledded. Oh, it was so fun!"

Naturally, I can't help but make comparisons with snow falls in the U.S. Here it is a matter of course that the snow will climb above a meter, and that many roads will close, but since a significant percent of the population walks, their is no concern. As long as the main road into town is plowed so supplies can get to the stores, there will be food and water. Even the old folks take the snow in stride, careful in their steps and hunkering down when they can.

In comparison, I'll never forget the panicked calls I would get at my stores in the Seattle area if there was a threat of snow (even a centimeter high) for two days in future. People would storm in to stock up on pet food, "just in case!" Here, there is no run on the stores; no stressful faces. There is only studied concentration of footsteps and the oft spoken, "frumos" (beautiful).

First Snow

unexpected

delicate
crystals wash
the cynicism
from the city

turn pavement

to playgrounds
roads to slides
and we are all young

the calendars are now correct

winter has come
and cast its spell

look, over there

he must be 50
and yet caught
catching the odd flake
on his playful
pink tongue