Buna ziua! I'm going to have Romanian down solid by the time I'm back in the States. A big thank you to the American Councils program to placing me in a home stay with a non-English speaking Moldovan! In all seriousness, Francesca, my home stay mom, has a very basic understanding of English, so this past twenty four hours has been beyond hilarious. We both can't help but laugh at the hilarity of this situation as week each admit defeat and ramble in our own native tongues. Along with the Romanian language, I have learned patience and the power of hand gestures. Honestly they really should have sent a film crew in, Francesca and I look absolutely ridiculous waving our hands and babbling in hopes that one of the two has a language break through. It took me four years of classes to learn basic Spanish, but it will probably take me about a week to have Romanian down solid.
Today in a nutshell (I'll try to keep it brief)
1. Bread with chocolate is a common breakfast meal... as is this strange potato soup thing calls Bors.
2. The women here dress to impress. Honestly their ability to navigate the cracked cobblestone sidewalks in their outrageous heels was quite a feat.
3. When Moldovans take pictures, they literally never smile. Today at the park I saw countless families, couples, and teens stare straight faced while taking a picture.. it was quite bizarre.
4. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. I've learned to cross cautiously and quickly.
5. Moldova isn't touristy. I sort of knew that going into this, but It isn't hard to see past the well dressed people and fancy cars that the infrastructure of the country is falling apart and it's really quite poor.
Regardless, I am really happy to be here in Moldova and try out life as a foreigner.
The view from my homestay apartment. I could probably throw a stone and hit the American Embassy if I tried.
Arch at the very front of Central Park
Central park fountain and prime people watching location
The shady streets of Chisinau. The city is quite small, but very green.
American Councils building where I do weekly check ins.
