Here I am, a little over a week after settling in to my permanent site in the north west of Moldova. I have done more than my fair share of relaxing in the past week and am guaranteed even more downtime before school begins next Monday. I made it through an intense episode of my body evacuating itself in more ways than one (TMI?), which got me very well acquainted with my bathroom floor and made me more grateful than I can express for an indoor toilet. I've walked my neighborhood, enjoyed a few sunsets from my favorite spot in the village which is about 150 feet from my front door, met many neighbors, and given our dog (who is expecting puppies!!) so many well-deserved scritchies.
There are so many little things that happen in my day to day life here in northwest Moldova. Some of my anecdotes are only funny or charming to my fellow volunteers (and thankfully, my parents and RPCV brothers), like the in-depth story of my sickness last week or when I accidentally killed a spider that was unknowingly crawling on my sternum one morning or how I'm wondering where the mouse that lives in my wall has gone since I haven't heard her working the past couple of days.
Other little things are probably more universally appreciated; like how my favorite part of each evening is right around sunset when my bunica (grandmother) goes to fetch the ducks from their day enclosure to bring them home to sleep and they come waddling and quacking down the gravel road in front of our home and I can't stop smiling. Or how yesterday, when I went on my walk, I, by chance, timed it perfectly to see all the cows being walked home from pasture. Or especially, how my host father makes sure that I take pictures of things to send to my parents to show them what I'm up to and tell them that I'm never wanting for food. My host father also really likes to ask questions, which I welcome. Most of them are "Do you have this in America?" and comparing the cost of fruits and vegetables in the states to Moldova. He also enjoys asking how to say specific things in English in addition to displaying his knowledge of some English words and phrases. This is usually accompanied by a playful roll of the eyes from my host sister, who knows quite a lot of English, a laugh from my host mother, and chiming in from my host brother.
Each day includes short conversations ranging from, "how did you sleep?" and "do you miss your parents?" to "the glaciers are melting and the US will be underwater, but Moldova will be safe. Tell your parents to come move here quickly!". My bunica will sit with me and chat when she isn't working in the summer kitchen or in the garden (which she is almost constantly) and likes to hear that I've rested or eaten. In the past week I've gone with my family to a birthday party down the road, joined my mother at the funeral of someone she knew all of her life, tagged along to a neighbor's house for a late night cappuccino and ice cream (Moldovans are experts at hosting unexpected guests), trekked through the woods behind our house to visit my host mother's mother and grandmother, gone mushroom hunting with my host parents and grandmother, and had a picnic/bbq with my host family. I feel grateful to be included in my host family's daily lives and am feeling more and more at home in my village each day.
Last Saturday night (or Sunday morning), around 12:30am my time, I was able to video-chat in to my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary celebration at their church in St. Louis. I set myself up in the little entry room on the side of my home- putting me a few rooms away from anyone else just to be safe and extra quiet. I was able to watch/listen to the whole celebration service, which felt like a real blessing and privilege. What's funny about this, though, is that around 1:30am, the kitchen light turned on and I heard some rustling about. At first I was worried that I had woken someone up but it turned out to be my host brother and host father, raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack. They were surprised to find me up but after I explained what I was doing, they smiled and closed the door. Afterwards, they checked on me a few times, offering me watermelon and dry cereal to eat. I had to mute my end of the video chat and probably had my mom worried on the other end that I was being a nuisance, but it was a hilarious reminder that midnight snacking is a cross-cultural phenomenon (especially since I had already helped myself to some dry cereal about an hour before).
^A few snaps my mom sent me before the celebration started!
That's all I have to report for now! I'm trying to soak up these days with little to no schedule or agenda but... I'm not the best at relaxing for days on end. I thrive on being busy and having tasks to complete, but I'm making a point to take it easy and enjoy it. I'm certain I'll look back on these couple weeks and scold myself if I don't take full advantage.
Pa (bye) for now!
P.S. I think I've fixed the problem where subscribers weren't getting emails when a new post is uploaded! If I haven't, let me know.
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