The Roads of Trușeni

There are so many beautiful aspects of Moldova. So many things that remind me, indeed of Kansas, like the rolling hills of NE Kansas, the small forests of locust trees, wild fruit trees, walnuts, so many of the flowers and plants are identical to our own heartland. The people too are in many ways similar to those I met in Kansas – here too, people care deeply about their faith and family. Neighbors go out of their way to help neighbors and it seems that everyone knows every other person of their village. That's one of the reasons that we Americans stand out so much. We are alien here, even if we don't have horns and scales. But, that is for a different blog.

Among the differences, there is one thing that seems to really stand out and that is the roads of Moldova. I also believe, that most Moldovans would agree heartily that many of their roads can barely be named roads – more like goat trails. On my very first visit to Trușeni, I was told, „Drumuri în Moldova sunt foarte teribil.” (The roads in Moldova are very terrible.)

All summer long I walked up and down this incredibly long and steep hill in Trușeni. And, in actuality aside from the brutal heat, or the incredible mud (when it rained) it was a Godsend. I managed to lose about 22lbs on that road and had a chance to let my mind settle after long hours of training and to prepare my mind every day on the way down the hill. And -- I miss this most of all -- my host brother Gelu and I would make the trek every three days or so all the way down the hill with several 6-liter bottles, visit the well and walk back up with them. It was an opportunity for me to listen to the profundity of his thoughts and challenge his teenage nihilism. But, more than anything, those treks back and forth made me feel a part of the scenery, a part of the family, like a real big brother.

A view from my hill into the village of Trușeni.

Several Moldovans who either dropped me off, or came to pick me up for events said it was "the end of geography”.

So the gods of the road not only stole 22lbs from me (which I was happy to sacrifice), but they also greedily consumed a nice pair of dress shoes and a pair of flip flops.

This particular road of which I speak had deep crevices where the rain gouged it, and the only walkable area was also where the daring drivers drove their varied vehicles, often seemingly aiming for the poor pedestrians that shared the road with me. Pedestrians simply had to head into the weeds to get out of their way.

It was nothing to see Bunice (grandmothers) carrying water up the hill, little kids in their Sunday best, or proud Moldovan women in their very high-heel shoes going up and down everyday. Bunica asked me for some glue one day, and I asked her what it was for. She needed it to glue the soles of her two-week-old Italian-leather shoes back together after the road chewed on them for awhile.

And then one day, a grader went up the hill and flattened out all the crevices. That was cool except for two things: A) it created a chalky dust that blew everywhere and turned my black shoes (with a mandatory Moldovan shine) completely gray when it was dry and, B) turned the road into a quagmire of mud when it rained. Naturally, the mud completely destroyed shoes, so a friend of my host family sent a truckload of building materials and had them deposited in the middle of the road. Gelu and I became instant muncitori [moon-chee-tor] (workers) and shoveled and hauled brick, plaster and assorted poly-styrene to create a path for the family to step on after the rains. This was hard but extremely gratifying work. Somehow, knowing that I was having a direct positive impact on the welfare of my host-family's feet and shoes made me feel like a thousand bucks. And... I felt somehow more like a real Peace Corps volunteer, helping to build a road.

 

I asked a Moldovan engineer if anything would be done about the roads in Moldova or Trușeni, and he simply shrugged his shoulders and said there was little the country could do. This was simply how it is in Moldova. There are more important things upon which to focus. So, the roads of Moldova will continue to be bad, but somehow they make the people a little more genuine, a little more neighborly, and a little more understanding of each other as they have a common complaint.

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.

Breaking Into Moldova - Staging

To my readers, I can only apologize for the delay in writing. It took a couple of weeks to get the Internet working on my computer, but I am here in Moldova, and as I seem to be up and running, I can get busy on my blog again.

Today, officially wrapped up the third week of pre-service training, and we are officially finished with 1/3 of our training. One part of my brain can't get around how these three weeks disappeared, and the other part of my brain refuses to believe that only three weeks have passed. Truly, so much has been packed into such a short time, that I can only believe that at least 6 months have passed in the last 3 weeks.

So, let me take a step back and describe staging. I arrived in Philadelphia the evening of June 4th, met up with some other volunteers, including the incredible John and Shelbi Rucker who flew to Philadelphia on the same plane. We had a pleasant dinner with some other volunteers we met (Mexican as a last tribute to foods we won't have for some time).

Several Peace Corps Trainees enjoying their last Mexican Masa.

The next morning, I was up early and out for a walk to enjoy the birthplace of the U.S., and it was an incredibly beautiful day, full of promise and a perfect start for staging. Later, I met Warren, my roommate (and all-around great guy - also a more mature volunteer) and we set off for Liberty Hall and to see the Liberty Bell.

The Birthplace of the United States of America

Freedom of Religion outside the American Jewish Museum

Yours truly by the actual Liberty bell with Liberty Hall in the background

It felt so incredibly perfect to start the voyage of a lifetime with a historical visit to where our brand of democracy was hatched.

The rest of a very long but fun and exciting day was spent with other trainees, filling out last minute paperwork, getting our passports from the Peace Corps, meeting the 66 other trainees who make up the M27 class, and having some insight sessions into what we would be facing in just a few hours. The excitement was palpable and there was a glow around everyone.

Some trainees I had met in Seattle already. Others, I knew from the Internet, but there were many others I didn't know and the exercises that the staging crew had for us to get to know each other were perfect and fun.

After a terrific day, Carl, Rhonda and Glen and I went to enjoy a final dinner in the U.S. at a great little French restaurant. The duck was amazing! After a final splurge, we headed back to the hotel for a last good night's sleep before getting up early the next morning to start our bus ride to JFK in New York.

It Has Begun!

Crazy roller coaster in the last couple of days:

An unbelievable evening on Saturday at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland, Wa. I was treated to an exquisite 5-course meal complete with wine pairings. Not only was the food phenomenal, but the head chef and owner, Holly, worked with my friend Kelvin to create a "Bon Voyage" menu just for me. The courses were truly edible art. Holly does a squab like no other chef. Her duck gizzard salad was so delicate and savory, that I kept wishing there was a way to bottle these flavors for a cold winter night in Moldova. If you have ever seen the movie, "Babette's Feast," this was very much like that... and all for me. Thank you so much, Kelvin, for the incredible going away gift.


Babette preparing the feast

Quails in Puff Pastry from Babette's Feast

Holly - Owner of Cafe Juanita - The true artist!

Add to that I had a chance to have lunch with a college buddy - Vince whom I haven't seen for years. It was amazing to catch up and find that he may be in Germany in January. Christmas in Vienna or Berlin? Hmmm... Sounds like a plan.

The inimical Vince Edd

Then last night, another cool (surprise) going away party with many amazing people. I'm going to have to post pics later when I get them. Thank you to all my many wonderful friends and family who are sending me off in style.

Today... bright and early I was at the airport with bags packed. Despite repacking many times, one bag was a little overweight. The result was a $90 penalty, and evidently I get to pay this in New York and Istanbul all over again. Sigh.

Met and traveled with some great M27s and we landed in Philadelphia late this afternoon. After getting chewed out by the van driver because of all of our luggage, we made it safely to the hotel and a group of us had Mexican food as a last Ole!

Already miss my family and friends. Will work to keep you apprised of this wonderful adventure.

Still Packing

Okay, I'm leaving my fourth packing job for a bit because I need the break. Weighed my largest bag today and it came in at 57lbs. before I get my hiking boots in, so, it was back to the packing this morning. Just 5 days left before I head to staging.

 My friend Sharon keeps texting me, wondering about could have beens and might have beens, and I'm getting a bit maudlin myself. But... I'm constantly pulled by the promise of the new adventure, the smell of change in the air, the taste of something different, that tingly feeling you get when you board an airplane; possibility around every corner. There's a great quote in Illusions by Richard Bach: "In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice."

I'm also thinking of another truth I've heard: "Life's like a movie; write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending we've done just what we've set out to do, thanks to the lovers, the dreamers, and you." - The Muppets

On a side note, I had a great Memorial Day weekend with my friend Kate. I made a "last supper"(of my all-time favorite meal) for us of thin pork chops, milk gravy, biscuits, broccoli (something I understand is not available in Moldova) smashed potatoes, apple sauce and a razzleberry pie for dessert. Okay, I gained about five pounds, but it was well worth it. The sun was brilliant and the weather cooperated all but one day so we got in some sight seeing, some long beach walks and, as it was garage-sale weekend on the Peninsula, some great deals on games for me to send to Moldova and some going away gifts for friends and family. Talk about an absolutely beautiful sunset:

Memorial Day weekend sunset in Ocean Park, WA

Thank you to Kate for making my weekend and my last visit to the beach for three years so special!

Thinking about, and thankful for, all the friends and
family who serve and have served our country.

Memorial Day Bald Eagle on the beach

Pack Up Your Troubles

With less than two weeks to go, the packing has begun in earnest. I found an incredible duffel bag with wheels at my local Army Surplus store for only $35, and thought that it could hold all of my clothes and I could use my cool "suit" suitcase to hold games, host gifts and my various personal effects such as deodorant, toothpaste, etc... Nu este posibil. [New yes-tay poh-see-beel] (It's not possible.)

The duffel bag is full, and I didn't get the recommended clothing in it, so I filled up the other bag with polo and t-shirts. I'm going to have to rethink this. The Peace Corps is permitting me two pieces of luggage at no more than 50lbs. My carry on bag (back pack) will have all my electronic equipment and some flash cards to study on the long trip to Moldova.

The PC strongly suggests packing all the winter clothes as well, but I don't have room for my Summer clothes and the books I want to have with me when I arrive, let alone a large Winter coat, boots, etc. And... I think I'm overweight on the duffel bag as well. Where the heck am I going to pack the shoes?

And, yes Mom, I did roll all the clothes. :o)

Not my suitcase, but I know the feeling.

Luckily I have a few more days to try again.