So today my happy thing was taking a walk to get some really fabulous ice-cream. I've learned to become very content doing things on my own, and focus on the peace rather than lonely sense of going on walks or eating a quiet meal. This was a really big adjustment for me in the sense that I am constantly surrounded by people at home (being one of eight) and usually with people I know at school (between my engineering classmates and rowing teammates).
So I then I sat in the park with my really fabulous ice-cream, easily some of the best I've ever had, and I watched the young parents guide their small children teeter on their rickety bikes, teens gossiping on sturdy green park benches, older men smoking while playing a game on a human sized chess board, and cheerful kids run and rollerblade, scaring pigeons into a frantic flight.
And as I sat on a sun warmed stone wall taking this all in, I felt, for the first time in awhile, that everything was going to be a-okay.
Though I've hit quite a few bumps in the road here already, I realized today that when it is all said and done I am still okay, I am still able to sit in a park and eat my ice-cream in this seemingly bizarre corner of the world that they call Chisinau. Things might not be ideal, but they're all alright.
Things are getting much better at work, as now I have been given some small tasks, and I've also undertaken editing the English portion of the organization's website (there were quite a few errors).
I am also learning better how to coexist with Francesca, who I've come to learned is a tad of a control freak as well as a germaphobe... a deadly combination when living in such a developing country as Moldova. She's really convinced we will all get sick and die if we don't take our shoes off in the house. So naturally, I oblige. . . not trying to die in Moldova.
Other things:
You know how at restaurants, glasses of water are free? Yeah that's not a thing here. But then again everything is dirt cheep.
Also there's literally no trashcans in this house. Like there's this one really small one and that's all I could find... very strange.
Also their showers are weird... There's no curtain and you have to hold the shower head or water will go everywhere! I meant to mention this day one, because well.. I got water everywhere.
Also Moldovans wear a lot of shirts with English writing on them ---usually some pretty vulgar statements-- and wear as American flags shirts, but the majority of them can't speak English. I find this phenomenon rather odd.
One last thought:
So I was also thinking today in the park what my family would think of Moldova... here's what I came up with:
Dad... Bertdog, you would totally did the highly accessible beer. You can get it anywhere, on the streets, supermarkets, parks. You would be all about the beer. You also would love the language barrier since you're not big on people, and generally think most are idiots. So Moldova might suit you well.
Mom...Meggles, you would be all about the tomatoes and cucumbers and strawberries and cherries. You'd also probably like all the parks that you could run in, and you'd probably hope that all the little boys would get eaten by the street dogs.
Evan... Uh you'd hate it here, no one smiles! You'd probably be a social outcast because you're too damn friendly. Also lack of the Catholic church would have you at a theological loss for words.
Pax... Let's be serious, you'd be 100% about the drinking age and these stick thin model women.
Elizabeth... you would hate all these stick thin model women dressing like skanks. You would not be about it at all. But, with you're very serious attitude and extremely consistent lack of smiling you'd fit right in!
Danny... You would be thrilled to find that college is only three years. Though you wouldn't be thrilled to learn both Romanian, Russian, and English in school... (Just curious, but did you pass your Spanish final??)
Henry... You would be hysterical, constantly living in fear of being mauled by a pack of street dogs (when these dogs literally couldn't give to shits). If you know Henry, then you'd know he is very much afraid of dogs.
Will... you'd run away with the gypsy children, you've always been very sneaky.
and Jack... Jack I'm pretty sure you'd be constant almost anywhere as long as you were well fed and had someone to jabber too.
Miss you all dearly and thinking of you all often. xoxo
I meant to take a picture of my ice-cream before I ate it... oops
Walking into cathedral park in the evening. To the left is where the end of day festivities took place as the sun set.
I will try to get a better picture, but some of the "trolly-buses" here are so antiquated... a co-worker told me some were from the 60's. They look ancient and it's honestly impressive that they still run.
I live in one of the most pricey apartments in the center of Chisinau. This home is less than two blocks from my house. It's amazing that small run down home's like this are littered everywhere across this capitol city. The beauty of Chisinau's newer buildings is definitely overshadowed by the crumbing of it's ancient and outdated infrastructure.
Moldova, for me, has become looking for the little things. Within the cracks and break, there is something fascinating here. I personally am drawn to the gates of the city, some elegantly decorated others harshly beautiful.
I resemble that...
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