Strawberry season comes early here, last part of May first part of June. This lovely woman, Tamara and her husband Constantine have a very large strawberry patch that they allowed us to help pick and eat... Tamara showed me how to preserve, in the Moldovan way, the strawberries. We had 10 quarts of compot (strawberry flavored sugar water) and 10 pints of dulceotsa (runny jam). these 20 jars contained 3lbs of sugar total... So in the winter when we need *eneria* we open one of them and eat with our white bread... It was fun learning with Tamara, I did not understand all her words but I could watch and get the idea that I could be diabetic real easy here....
A friend from PC Uganda (LaToya) sent us a care package and it arrived the week of our anniversary. My treat for the day was fresh chocolate covered strawberries, Toms was a cup of Starbucks. We got news, on our anniversary, that a couple that we had met and tutored in English, had a small casa we could move into in July... What a great gift God... It has a kitchen, bathroom, and heat all in one small space and we are grateful.
Toms birthday was celebrated with our family gazda and a store bought cake and singing. He got the mandatory 2 new shirts and many wishes for continued *mulți ani* (more years). The following week I did a camp here in the village. PC brings together alot of talent to the country that often gets overlooked because it is not talent that is known about. I am a good connector and I made some phone calls, promised to feed people if they would come help. For 3 days we had classes on sports, physical fitness, computer, ecology, and leadership. I organized, set up, took down, locked up and got the snacks all without having to say too much in Romanian, (which I do not know well). My friends are younger and can talk really well so here are pics of what the camp looked like. OH YEA! A big shout out THANK YOU to a church member Shirley Goering! She gave us some $ to spend as needed. We bought balls that were not falling apart and could not hold air anymore. 2 for basketball, 2 for soccer and 1 for volleyball. The kids appreciated the use of equipment that bounced. Me too: Now they want to *borrow* them. I have a few more classes to give b4 I turn them over to the school...
The group was small because there was another camp at the same time outside the village that the best and brightest were at. No one told me about it until the week b4 our camp, when I asked why kids were not signing up. So, this small group got the extra attention of my great friends that came and helped out! And a good time was had by all.
The library had a class each week in June that they asked for help with. Our first one was on good manners. Tom and I demonstrated and the librarian narrated... We both also do English classes at the library. Tom always in the library, but me only when we can open the windows. There is a held belief here the *current* or the wind from the open window through an open door brings sickness. So we keep windows firmly shut! everywhere... The librarian and I butt heads on this so I teach over in the school where I keep everything that will open, open. It was 100 degrees last week.
My sister, Gigis birthday card. She always wanted a horse, until she got one, when she was a kid, so I sent her a horse and if you look real close there is a family up on the hill having a picnic on the river. This is as close as I could get for a card for her with all the things I hoped she could enjoy for her day and last year in the 50s! Because it has been hot the river is low.
For my farmer friends. This is a seed planter, I do not know if it is Bulgarian or Ukrainian or Romanian or Russian, but I think the blue tractors are Bulgarian... The fields are now beautiful amber and yellow with the wheat ripening next to the sunflowers flowering... OH MOLDOVA
Love and Happy Independence to all of you.
This country would love to have a small bit of what we take for granted...Thank you Jesus we can!
Strawberry season comes early here, last part of May first part of June. This lovely woman, Tamara and her husband Constantine have a very large strawberry patch that they allowed us to help pick and eat... Tamara showed me how to preserve, in the Moldovan way, the strawberries. We had 10 quarts of compot (strawberry flavored sugar water) and 10 pints of dulceotsa (runny jam). these 20 jars contained 3lbs of sugar total... So in the winter when we need *eneria* we open one of them and eat with our white bread... It was fun learning with Tamara, I did not understand all her words but I could watch and get the idea that I could be diabetic real easy here....
