2nd to Last Post from Moldova...

The few volunteers left...

Just over two years ago I arrived here in Moldova. I remember the drive from the airport, the exuberant welcome from my soon-to-be colleagues, and the frenetic pace of those first few days in an often overlooked Moldova. The first ten weeks were full of trainings, intensive language and the obvious stressors of adjusting to a new culture, language and job.

Initially Moldova seemed so foreign. The smells, the crumbling buildings, the imposing Breznhev era bloc apartments and the ubiquitous mobster run café. I had to learn just the right cadence needed to navigate the streets and market. I remember looking at menus out to dinner and having each meal having an element of surprise as I never knew exactly what I was ordering. I remember how arduous the task was just putting together the words to order another beer, let alone the correct one.

The naiveté of those first weeks and months here was priceless, and it has surely been lost over the last two years. The arduous task of ordering a beer can now be done in freely in both Romanian and Russian. In fact, sometimes I slip into the hybrid combination of both languages that is so often used here. It is called Moldovan. I wonder if I can write on my resume that I speak both Romanian and Moldovan?

My service was rich with experiences, monumental peaks, and the ever rare onerous moment. Work came, finished, and left, and at times returned again. At times ennui could take over, but a great book and the ‘Moldovan Latte (milk from cow + instant coffee)’ or ‘Moldovan Codru (the famous Bordeaux style Cab Merlot)’ could stand in as the perfect remedy.

I worked diligently at my microfinance bank in my small village. In my free time I collaborated with an international women’s initiative and taught in depth business courses. I mentored innumerable students in my village, and implemented a few ecological projects. I learned that I enjoy teaching after designing and implementing a basic entrepreneurship course.

I remember my first St. Andrew day here, my first wedding, celebrating New Years twice each year, once for the west, and once for Russia. I remember my first ‘International Women's Day’ here oddly only celebrated in the former Soviet Union. I learned how to make a Moldovan barbecue, or frigarui, or Шашлык. I learned how to make a proper Russian borscht as well as many other Moldovan staples here. I learned how to make wine!

So what are my peers thinking at this point their own service? Well we came in a group of just over 40 volunteers. As of October 21, there will be just 21 closing their service properly and on time. Some volunteers left for school, some just didn’t enjoy their experience, and some just left precipitously for the next chapter.

Two of our female volunteers are bringing home Moldovan husbands and one of the guys a Moldovan wife! They chose spouses as their souvenirs, it might be a little to late for me to find a wife, but I am in the market for a Soviet era map. At least a map is purchasable at the market (not as if women aren’t sadly purchasable somewhere else here).

All the best! Please check back for one last post!