Putting Moldova on the Map : Fish Heads and Sun Baths

As I mentioned yesterday was one of the best days yet in Chisinau, spent with good food and better company. We finished out the day by going to the first event held my the program, FLEX, that we volunteered at. FLEX provides kids from all over world to study abroad in the U.S. to improve their weak English skills. Some of these kids have disabilities, some blind, in wheelchairs, or permanently using crutches. We really weren’t given much information when we agreed to help as English speaking American mentors, but I was immediately glad I had helped after last nights events.

Last night was a welcome party for the kids, who have to stay at this school for thirty five days before heading over to the states. When we arrived, the program coordinator was setting the ground rules as well as sharing information about Moldova (most kids in the program aren’t from here, I only met two. The countries ranged from Kirgizstan, Iran, Jordan…the list of obscure countries goes on) I had been assigned to Mentor marina, a very confident and sweet sixteen year old from Georgia. She is actually going to a school in Pennsylvania, a really small one with only 50 per grade (Sounds just like Jenkintown!). She, as well as all the kids I talked to, spoke English moderately well, but had some trouble understanding my English. That was okay though because the majority of the event was about dancing, which Marina was really good at. We taught them American dances like the Electric slide and Moldovan dances like the hora, and they even played the most intense round of musical chairs I had ever seen… It actually came down to Marina vs. Mikayla’s mentee and one chair, when the music stopped, Mikayla’s mentee pulled out the chair before Marina could sit down. It was absolutely hilarious; the whole room was cracking up.

The kids were really great though, I was so touched by how genuinely excited and appreciative they were. They were all so eager to participate- something you do not see in the usual American teenager. I love how they all joined in the dancing and would cheer each other on. I really hope that they have good experiences, even though some are being sent to random states (Ohio? Really you're sending them to Ohio?) Some of them are going to Florida, California, and New York, which will be better locations. Though it sounds like they all will make the most of the experience, a mentor who went to Alaska last year said he really loved it, especially because it was unique.

Mikayla and I also were able to talk to some of the other mentors. One of them, Matt, had been living in Chisinau for three years! He’s from New Jersey and had first come as a Peace Corp volunteer, but fell in love with the place and is here in search of a job. He even got a tattoo of Moldova as well as a his favorite bar on his leg (now that’s commitment.) Matt is also friends with Thomas (He called him Tomás) from work! Small world am I right?! Or maybe just small Moldova, according to the world population review, there are 3,433,407 in the country with a net decrease of 1 person every 5 minutes (bye Felicia).

We also spoke with two girls who had graduated from the FLEX program last year. They were in California and Indiana and told us that their American host families were very clueless. They had to answer questions like, "Does Moldova have electricity?", "Do you live in houses?", "Do you know how to use phone". Leave it to the Americans to make complete fools out of themselves. Hopefully we were able to give them a better impression.

After the the welcome party, Inga picture us up so we could spend all of Sunday in Ialoveni. Waking up to roosters makes me smile.. it's just funny, I'm like "how the hell did I end up here, I could be anywhere in the world and I'm lucky enough to be here". Ialoveni is great, Inga and I made omlets (yum) with tomato, onion, and mushroom.
We then cleaned up and got ready for Mamachica's sister and her husband as well as Tante Luba to come over for a early lunch/dinner (we ate breakfast around 12). I helped Inga prepare fish, which was super exciting because these herring were as real as it gets. I got to split the thing in two, shop its head off, and rip all it's guts out. Pretty exciting stuff if you ask me.
Lunch/Dinner was so great, the food was spectacular as usual. Mikayla had even brought this special syracuse barbecue sauce that all the Moldovans really liked. Because today was the seventh anniversary of Papachica's father's death, we lit candles and stuck them in bread, which is a Moldovan tradition to commemorate the dead. On days celebrating the deceased, Inga told us there is no "cheers" or "noroke" before the meal begins.

All the food and wine, put us into a food coma, so Mikayla, Inga, and I retreated to sun bath in the grass beside the house. Everyone here comments on how tan I am, but this is the palest I think I've been any summer of my life. It was definitely nice to try to make up some ground today.

Today was another great day in Moldova, I love that I am able to see life in the Moldovan countryside as well as in a Chisinau flat. Everything is so laid back in the countryside, no worries about getting places on time or getting lost. It is definitely the perfect way to begin our final stretch of two weeks in Moldova.

Also side note... you know that T.I. and Rihanna song from like 2008, Live Your Life? You would totally recognize the first ten seconds with the "Miaya here, miya ho, miya hu, miya ha ha" Well guess what... THEY FLIPPING STOLE THAT PART FROM MOLDOVA. So, all of you (haters) who at one point of your life may have possibly enjoyed/sang along to that super catching intro, you were also lucky enough to enjoy a little piece of Moldova. You're welcome for this new musical knowledge. If you want to listen to the real thing, it actually from the Moldovan band Ozone's song "Dragoste din tei" Small world right?

The school where the welcome party took place. It reminded us a lot of a mall.

I think there are 26 kids total in the program. They are receiving the no-cellphones-in-class talk from the Marina who runs the program.

The roof of the school.. very mall like. Also extremely hot.. the place felt like a greenhouse.

What schools look like in Chisinau. This one is a high school that specializes in science. It has a dormitory for the really smart kids who get in but come from villages outside Chisinau.