Mergem a Cricova!

Benit ati venit la Cricova! A few EVS volunteers and myself caught the bus out to Cricova Winery yesterday morning. Meeting at 9:45, we planned to have a nice, easy ride out to Cricova and arrive in time for the 11am tour. The minutes ticked by at the bus stop while we waited for the #2 bus to come pick us up. Only around 10:30 did we finally board the bus, and get to Cricova around 11:15. Very fortunately we were able to secure another full English tour for our money because we were so many.

We boarded an extended golf cart and drove through a set of impressive doors and cold, humid air blasted us as we entered the cellars. As we descended to our final depth of 80 meters, we stopped a few times, all shivering as we were too ignorant to bring coats. We saw rows of countless numbers of wine barrels, all stacked neatly along the walls of the cellar. The halls were stunning, stretching on into the darkness. The winery designates separate locations for its wines, with red wines, white wines, and sparkling wines all in different parts of the cellar. Surrounding the entire cellar are under-developed tunnels that may be used later if the winery is expanded. One could easily become lost for a long time in those tunnels!

After seeing the room holding the machinery creating sparkling wine and a hall where about 200 wine bottles per day are tilted 15 degrees every couple days, and the personal collections of many notable political figures (including that of Sec. of State John Kerry), we finally made it to the wine tasting.

The tasting was held in an impressive underground room with stained glass depicting each of the seasons in Moldovan winemaking. I couldn’t help but notice when we began the tasting, the room was all but silent; everyone talking in hushed tones and whispers. I was seated on the end of the right side of the table and separated from the people I had come to visit with by a man from Denmark and his travelling companion from Ukraine. Therefore I was not having much conversation. At least not until we had all had a few tastes of the wine! Then all the whole room was chatting with each other as if we had always been best of friends! I now understand why drinks are provided at some professional events! It loosens the tongue just enough to remove the awkward silences and sticky situations!

*Note: the wine bottle enclosed in glass is the oldest bottle in the winery and also the ONLY bottle of "Jerusalem of Easter" left in the world!!!

Obviously I should be a math major

I woke up bright and early on Saturday, simultaneously hating and loving myself for getting up early but also going for a jog in the crisp morning air! As usual I ran to the lake and it was gorgeous as always! I’m going to miss Valea Morilor…

After showering (by the by, Vera’s apartment complex doesn’t have actual standing showers installed. They instead have huge Jacuzzi-size tubs with shower nozzles attached to the side which can be held to wash one’s hair and body. I have yet to take a bath in it but I intend to, it’s going to be so nice and relaxing! Anyway back on topic, after showering, I went out to meet Maggie and her husband Don. I had met Maggie on Wednesday in Tucano’s. She is here for a few months with her husband while he completes a construction project for the US Embassy. Because she doesn’t know Romanian or Russian, it is difficult for her to meet people so we were both glad to get together and get to know one another.

We went to the central market, which is near Bulgara and Columna. It is a gigantic outdoor vending congregation of countless farmers and shopowners selling fruits, vegetables, clothing, electronics, screws, lights, tools, books, shoes, bolts, anything. You name it, they have it somewhere. You just have to find the store that is selling it.

I ended up buying a sundress and cookies. However with the cookies, I screwed up the conversion in my head, thinking that 1lb =2.2 kg, when in fact it is the other way around. I asked for 1kg of cookies, and left with 2.2 lbs worth, about forty Fionas, which was what they were called. Don’t get me wrong, they are delicious! But that’s a lot of cookies right there!

On Sunday we (Angee and her host family and Amelia and I) were planning to go to Vadu lui Voda again. We woke up and it the sky was overcast, making us doubt our plans. We called off the trip, only to discover that the sky stayed clear the entire day. Everything is backwards here; if it is cloudy when I wake up, it will be beautiful for the rest of the day. But if there is not a cloud in the sky when I leave the house in the morning, it will downpour without warning in the afternoon, despite the sunny forecast.

So instead of the beach, I went to the FLEX program’s picnic. They were having an American picnic with hot dogs and chips. I arrived at the end so I went to the staff office to chat with Marina, Vlad, Rodica, and Dragalina and also Vladian. I had a relaxing time there learning more about FLEX and watching the kids’ team bonding exercise. When it came time to leave I walked with Vlad, Rodica, and Dragalina to the supermarket to get chips and popcorn for the movie night later. They watched either Frozen or How To Train Your Dragon, both my suggestions!! How can you go to America without seeing those movies!? I hope they liked it!

Afterward I met Angee for dinner at Andy’s Pizza, which is THE fast food chain in Moldova. But the word fast food doesn’t exactly describe Andy’s; it has a much more asthetic appearance and the food is better quality than what we would define as fast food in America. We had a pizza (no way!) and French fries (classic) and lounged around. Beforehand we did a bit of shopping at a place called Terra Nova down the street on Stefan cel Mare where I bought shorts and a skirt. It’s getting hotter and hotter here!

Noroc!

Time to travel to Japan from Moldova! On Tuesday night I prepared Japanese curry for Vera, Amelia, and Angee. I took such a long time at the grocery store deciding on which rice to buy because I had never seen any of the brands before! I also grabbed some green peppers and chicken.

When I got back I realized I had no idea how to cook rice in a pot…rice cookers are the best! Well that’s what the Internet is for –precisely these situations! So I just went for it and my rice turned out fairly decent for my first time using a pot! The curry itself was probably the best I had made so far because I didn’t make the mistake of adding too much water. I think the only thing that was a bit off was the carrots –they were a little undercooked in my opinion. Still, I loved having my good old rice and curry again! And I hope Vera, Amelia, and Angee liked it too!

Angee in turn was planning an Ecuadorian dish for Friday night so on Thursday we went shopping for her ingredients. As expected, they did not have plantains. Angee was persistent so she tried to ask the employee but of course they pointed her to the bananas. We made do with French fry substitutes. Angee prepared for us Ceviche, a shrip-salsa-soup hybrid with limes, pepper, tomatoes, and orange, and parsley and other ingredients. What she didn’t know was that the shrimp were already pre-cooked. She put them into boiling water for about 10 minutes and when we peeled the shells and heads off they were tiny! All the better for me though, because I’m so unused to eating shrimp so the more unrecognizable, the better!

Her dinner presentation was much better than mine, as you can see! I loved having the rice with the dish and the French fries were a great substitute. To compliment the dinner we had Chisinau beer and some homemade wine. Delicious!

I returned to their house on Saturday night for a traditional Moldovan dinner prepared by Nina, Angee’s host mother. She is an amazing cook, just like Vera! She made for us all mămăigă (cornbread-polenta dish), grilled pork, smîntîna (sour cream), svecla (pickled and shredded beets), brînza (cheese), and some sausage and salad greens. Previously I had not liked mămăigă very much but Nina’s mamaliga is out of this world! It was so moist and soft to eat, and the perfect combination between the pork, smîntîna, and brînza!

Angee lives with Nina and her husband, twin sisters Christina and Ioana, and another person from the US here on a language program, Stefan. Their house is always quite lively and entertaining. I’m not sure I could keep up with all the energy though! I enjoy the quiet atmosphere that I can get in Vera’s house. Both worlds are different and it is quite interesting to view the spectrum of hosting!

 

Show the world we are one!!

Putting my rollercoaster of emotions aside, I have MULT to catch up on! Let us begin with Sunday night: the World Cup 2014 final match. I had been planning to watch the match with some EVS volunteers but that afternoon during bowling, Nicu kindly invited me to watch it with his friends. I arrived about 20 minutes into the first half and the stadium was, if it’s possible, more packed than it was for the semifinal. All the benches and opera house steps were crammed full of people. A mass of people were also standing on either side of the center, ready to sacrifice their leg comfort to witness the closing match. I arrived at Nicu’s table and met many of his friends, including Maxim and Octavian. Maxim was a FLEX alumnus while Octavian was someone they had met only recently.

I enjoyed myself very much at the match. The people I was with at my table were closer to my age than most of the EVS volunteers (at least I’m assuming so) and subsequently, I felt I could connect with them more personally and experientially.

Well as usual, I didn’t care so much about the football, but it was so elating to hear a thousand bodies and voices rising up and cheering or groaning at every scoring attempt or misfortune that befell the German team (almost no one present was in support of the Argentina…). I hope this video works!

After Germany’s late goal, we (myself, Angee, Nicu, Maxim, and Octavian) skipped out just ahead of the mass exit, and headed to Eli Pili for a late-night snack (aka a second dinner).  There I enjoyed one of my best nights in Chisinau. I was in the company of people I felt truly comfortable talking with.  Who can tell exactly what our conversation concerned? I only remember my content!

Electrifying

I had my “mid-abroad” panic attack on Wednesday. Sitting at my desk at work, around midday I had the realization that only about three weeks remained of my time here in Moldova. Although I did not express any physical sentiment, I had completely broken down inside. My productivity that had lasted all morning withered and died. My heart and mind were completely shut down. As soon as I left the office for the day I walked and walked and walked around Chisinau to places I hadn’t been, blindly meandering towards Alecsandri and down Ismail and back around to 31 August. I had hoped this unexpected excursion would release some energy but it did little to relieve my turmoil. I returned home, distraught, but, as usual, perfectly composed externally.

Eventually it came time to attend a FLEX picnic at the Lyceum, where they were having chocolate chip cookies (again, to assimilate to American culture). I decided to run there, as it did not look too far on the map. I gathered my emotions and set out, and the run began to help me organize my emotions. I began to look forward to going to the picnic and once again talking to the FLEX staff and kids. Unfortunately, the distance was a little bit longer than I had presumed and furthermore I could not find the turn for the street leading to the school. I circled around to the other road that lead back towards my house, where supposedly the road leading to the university exited. I could not find it there either. Frustrated and angry with myself I started my run home. About two miles away, the wind picked up suddenly and cold, hard rain began to pelt down from the graying sky. I saw no other choice but to keep running. In a few minutes, the sky had turned the color of slate with lightning splitting the clouds every now and then, accompanied by thunder.

I was exhilarated. All of my frustration and confusion drained from my body into the storm and left me feeling whole again. Instead of returning home, I turned for Valea Morilor, the beautiful lake I always go to for my runs. Soaked through, to run around the lake and observed the water’s surface. The heavens drummed their tiny feet upon the glass, which undulated continually to swallow each beat. The water danced, each droplet’s ripple colliding and harmonizing to become a mighty outburst of percussion. The lightning fragmented the strangely calm skies, while sudden explosions of sound fractured the air itself. I appointed the trees to safeguard me while I ran, my waterlogged shoes dispelling water with every step. Rain flowed down my face and through my hair in rivulets, refreshing, renewing. I will never forget this run. Beautiful, awakening, stirring, electrifying, heartrending.

Iubesc Moldova!!!

Marina’s weekend trip for this weekend was to go on a tour scheduled for students with the FLEX (Future Leaders Exchange) program. FLEX allows privileged high school student from Eastern European countries like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Romania to study for one year in the States with a host family. Before the leave this particular group will spend one month in Moldova improving their English.

For the tour we took a bus around the city and learned about certain monuments and memorials. Fun fact: Moldova has only ONE equestrian statue, of Grigorii Kotovski, a participant in the Russian civil war. Also, the maker of this bust of Mihai Eminescu incorporated his own profile that can be seen from when standing behind the bust. We also went to the WWII Memorial that tends an eternal flame for everyone who gave up his or her lives. Each pillar represents one year of the war’s presence in Moldova.

We ended the tour at the MallDOVA, and because I had enjoyed meeting all the students and staff so much, I decided to stay to socialize more with them. We went to MacDonald’s in the mall, so the kids could experience American culture. Apparently some of them have never had MacDonald’s!! I could not believe it! After lunch they all went bowling and offered me a spot on a team as well but I desisted as I’m lousy at bowling. Instead I spent the first hour or so talking to Vladian from eastern Russia. He is disabled in his lower extremities and uses a cane to get around, but he impressed me in that he accepts his condition and continues to strive towards his goals nevertheless. I respected his drive and passion about the things he loves or future ambitions. He enjoys music and photography, and keeps a public Facebook page with pictures of himself! I never got to asking for his full name so I still can’t find it. He’s a bright young man with a bright future!

Eventually I grabbed some coffee as I was burning out, and took a turn at bowling for Nicu, one of the counselors. I made a strike!! (Sadly, all my other attempts did not end so well). The other counselors were Marina (coordinator), Rodica, Vlad, and Dragalina. All are FLEX alumni who are now mentors for those currently completing the program. It turns out that Dragalina spent her year in the States in Marlborough, attending Marlborough high school!! The world is always smaller than we think!

I had a great day and learned so much about FLEX, American Councils, and different people’s lives and experiences. The greatest part about traveling is meeting someone new and traveling to their world through their descriptions without ever needing to leave their side!

Viva la Voda!

Stuffed maxi taxi!

A few days ago I agreed on a trip to Vadu lui Voda, a beach on the River Nistru, which runs through Moldova near Chisinau and is a popular attraction for visitors and residents alike due to the fact that Moldova doesn't have direct access to an oceanic beach. One has to pass through Ukraine in order to reach the Black Sea.

Well Angee and I planned to meet at 12 pm on Saturday to catch the 130 or 131 maxi taxi to Vadu lui Voda. We met at 1:30. Also, what we understood, but did not factor into our itinerary, was the fact that Moldova's maxi taxi schedule has no set times for leaving and going from the station. We ended up sitting on the stifling bus for about thirty minutes before actually getting on the road, which is frustrating because that could have been a half hour more at the beach! Well we arrived around 3pm (or 15:00) and during the lengthy ride, a man standing and bracing himself against the jolting of the bus fainted and fell down against the other people. He was right in front of me and immediately people grabbed their water and poured it on him. He came to in a few moments. someone gave him her chair and i offered him my water but he would not accept it. a couple stops later he got off the bus. i really hope he was all right. heat exhaustion should be a significant problem here as it is consistently 85 (30!) degrees for the majority of the day here.

Anyways we finally got to the beach stop (at which we were unsure of whether or not it was the right stop so I asked the driver, "Unde est la plaja?" to which he confirmed that it was the current stop. i'm learning, slowly but surely!

We walked to the beach via a path lined with small eateries nad the cramped conveninece stores that make themselves present in multitudes thorughout Chisinau. Locals were also selling salted fish and crabs that smelled oddly appetizing!

The view of the river is a beautiful one, wiht a calm aura to it -so unlike the beaches of Cape Cod. IT is much quieter and more personal without hte wind and crashing waves overpowering everything eles. Moreover, it was a great temperature. ON a Cape beach  am always the slightest bit cold because of the wind and ocean spray, but at Vadu lui Voda it was perfection! I even went in the water (Nicole, be proud of me!) and eventually worked up the movation to just dive in. As soon as i did the water was so refreshing and i swam up and down the beahc. One way was much harder than the other because of the current!

Angee nad i met a few EVS volunteers there like Matt, Anne and Andrea from Germany, Sofi from Spain, and Rudi from Sweden. I especially enjoyed talking with Rudi, as he is half Swedish, half Malyasian, but was born and raised in Sweden. While he looks Asian, he fully identifies himself as Swedish and frequently experiences frustration upon being asked his "real" ethnicity, much like myself. Our conversation allowed me to view my unique cultural position in a different light.

Overall, it was a great day! We are returning to Vadu lui Voda this Sunday!