Summer and Traditions

After our summer camp I invited a fellow PC volunteer who had a dance studio in Harlem to come and teach our health club how to do a flash mob dance. Many children here have never seen an African American. New experience for them to learn a flash mob dance and have an African American teacher.  We had fun learning and have practiced the routine 2X week all summer to do a dance for some festivals we have here.  But only a few girls showed up after the 1st practice and they are not well synchronized so we did not perform yet

Life in summer for the 90 degree days  is spent at the Nistu with friends. You can see how low the river border is, the water is dirty but cooling....

 The bounty of summer ripening on the vine.

 A short trip to Croatia in the last hot (90-100) week of summer when everyone else in W Europe was there too. Beautiful but not as relaxing as we hoped. Katie and friends from Montana came and we enjoy time together in this beautiful part of the world on the Adriatic Sea

After vacation we came back to Peace Corps our mid service conferance held at a really nice hotel. Yes, We have made it 1/2 way!  Here is a picture of our still strong gang of health educator. We have only lost one person who went home to get married.

Speaking of Marriage!  We were invited to a traditional Moldovan Wedding.  In Uganda I went to many weddings, this was my first here. We did not go to a church but rather a reception that you pay $50 each to attend. That is your gift unless you are related.... It starts when a bus brings the guests and the bar is open at 7 with presentation of bride and groom & first toast of welcome. Then you eat fruit, listen to music and mingle.

 At 8:30PM you go eat and this is just the first course.  There are 3 more to come with different traditions enacted between courses. And fresh wine, cognac, and rique (sweet stronger wine) when a bottle is empty.  The wedding goes on until the bus that brought visitors leaves at 4AM. That is why so much food and alcohol, music, dancing, gift opening, traditional dancing, more food...

10PM These are the family members I know best. It is the grooms brother. His wife Liliana is my Romanian teacher and they are wonderful and inviting people. We appreciate having them to talk to and are invited to family events at Constantine's home when they are there. Like picking strawberries, preserving tomatoes, picking grapes, celebrating birthdays or just having a conversation. It has made our time here much nicer and more interesting in learning about the Moldovan way of life.

 1 AM This was part of the beautiful traditions that was shared at the wedding. A colac (round loaf of decorated bread) was presented to the bride. Together the bride and groom eat from the colac first, then they take the bread and share it with all the guests each of us taking a piece. The symbolism to me was beautiful of sharing bread, sharing joy and sharing life with the new couple.

I had to take this picture.  It is now 2AM the bride is going around greeting guests again and this woman in the back ground is scrubbing the floor all around the tables as people are out dancing.  It felt like she had to work to do, and I am doing it so I can go home....

 3AM This is the couples NASH sort of GodParents. They offer a toast later in the evening/morning. They are an older couple that are invited to watch over, interfere, and help the new couple.  They opened the gifts and dressed the couple in all the gifts so  tomorrow as they start life. Where the husband goes to work and the woman works at home...

Finally 3:30AM cake is cut and served. Thin layers of cake with sweet cream between layers and all over the top....
After the cake the ladies take plastic bags out of there purses and load up what ever is left on the table to take home. I remember my sister telling of people coming to the *all you can eat barbecue* where she worked  and hauling food off in bags so I thought this was kinda cheap.   I took a small bag to be polite.  The next day I remembered that everyone pays for the reception so you have really paid for the food and you should clear the plates left.  If I go to another wedding, which I doubt... I will take my baggies too...
Now the bus comes and everyone leaves happy, stuffed, a bit drunk, and joyfully tired.

The day before school starts and of the 10 teachers we have to teach class 1-9 in our school, here are 5 of the 6 that will teach now. 4 teachers are working in W Europe until Oct-Nov.
We are celebrating my partner teachers birthday with cake and champagne at 10AM...
Moldovan tradition

Below is 1st Bell Ceremony, speech's , each class is introduced, and the new 1st graders do a program. Then this springs outgoing class of 9th graders carry 2 of the kids around and they ring the bell that says class is now in session. Beautiful Tradition!

35 Anniversary's 36 years

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!

What We learned this year...

 What have I been doing all year?  I teach grades 3-8 health education in a public school that is governed by a Department of Education and the Orthodox church has a major input into the curriculum for health. Mainly about the reproductive health and self esteem. So after 32 weeks of classes with no book for reference and teaching in Romanian I did not want to do a test.  The kids treat test like worksheet and the teachers give them answers too, so it really doesn't test their knowledge. I talked my partners into the idea of the kids doing a learning session for their parents and the community. We grouped the kids so each team had some of the less involved students with the achievers.  Everyone had to participate in a game to question the public's knowledge, information on the subject and a demonstration on how it affects lives. The achievers took to it immediately but when they had to present to my partner and I, I rearranged the participants and had the achievers bring the less active up to speed so all participated equally.  It worked pretty well except for the 2 boys that held the poster in one of the groups, they didn't talk... See photo below.

Dental care because they really don't know.

 We had few parents come but I had called some of the community members I knew and a retired teacher and they came. Small crowd and it did not happen like I anticipated... I thought each group would take 10 minutes... The parent plays the game the answers would be the information and the demonstration would last 3 minutes max.  NO, Moldovan children are taught how to preform from 1st grade and they love the venue to do this. The 6,7,8 grade lasted for 2 hours and 1/2 and the 4&5 grade for 2 hour. They did a good job and were very proud and I was happy that I didn't have to grade papers and try and figure out what the kids had written for answers.... I think back to my 7&8 grades and remember having to write "I WILL NOT TALK" 1000 times more then once... and it was in my science class.  Did I learn anything that year? Actually I did and I remember the names of clouds, how to tell the weather, continental plates and more if I really thought about it longer. So I am going with the thought that the kids are learning even if I can not really quantify results at present.

Tom answering questions about smoking

 Being a teacher is hard. If I have  not prepared with new material and information the kids are disruptive and throwing stuff around the class while yelling at each other.... Some days are not fun.  My partners have big voices and get them all back on track and it can be enjoyable... The language is going slow.  I can tell what they are saying most of the time (when they speak Romanian, but the village is heavily influenced by Russian and the words are often a mix of the languages) but I don't have all the words to respond... Little by little  it comes.
and then it goes.... We have 2 days of class left and then vacation.  We will do a summer school in June and I will post more pictures of that. These are the kids we are involved with and see as the future for Moldova! Please continue to pray for them and us as we go forward.  Love from Moldova,.

POLLUTION

SMOKING

MICROBES

Paștele Blajinilor (Memorial Easter)

In the Moldovan Orthodox Church they celebrate Easter for the dead.  Everyone from the village that has a loved one in the cemetery.  They clean the cemetery a week or 2 before and then either Sunday or Monday (depends on where you live) after Easter you take baskets of food, house wine, sweets, fruit with about 2 cups.


 At the cemetery they set up bowls with a few snacks in, a towel, candle and red egg. They have a few of these that they give away. They set up food on the table cloth on the grave or the table that they have next to the grave.  They talk to everyone around the cemetery and wait for the priest to come around and give a blessing over the grave and then they give away the bowls of food to friends, then people come over and share the food and wine at your table.  Below are some of the pictures from today. It was a beautiful day and so nice to see the whole village come together to remember those who have gone before them.

A view from the top of the hill that the cemetery is on that overlooks to the Ukraine. 

You can see the tablecloth with the food on. The blessing cost $ too...

 Our host family at the grave of Bunica's husband who was 49 when he had a heart attack while making delivery to the Ukraine.  Her sister died 3 days later of heart attack also. 

 Gifts given from strangers. The poor people (gypsies) from Ukraine came over and collected food from many people in the cemetery .                                                                                                  What it looked like shortly after the blessings were done.            

The gifts given to us. A beautiful tradition which we were happy to be included in. 

 Love from Moldova, Marcy and Tom

Kiev, Ukraine

 The arch of the Soviets to show the friendship they share.  It was built before the Soviets took Odessa or started the war on Ukraine border...

We booked a private tour of Kiev on our way home for our 6 hour layover. A young man and his father ( the driver) met us and below you will see what we saw.

 First Micheal the archangel that watches over the people of Ukraine. 

 The original founders of Ukraine. 3 brothers and a little sister from Scandinavia

 Now it gets confusing because we saw so much in such a short amount to time I could not keep everything straight.  Because of this and our short time there we plan to make another trip to the N of us and see more of the country and people. . Ukraine unlike Poland (Catholic) but like Moldova is orthodox with a church or monastery on every bloc. Many were reclaimed after the Soviets left. The Soviets often used the houses of worship as storage buildings.

 Easter markets were going on in the squares of the churches. They had large wooden eggs they gave to artists to paint and the squares were full of them.

Some of the good things that were offered at the Easter markets. Below you have another tradition of painted eggs. You must touch 10 of them as you walk down the row to have good luck! 

One of the churches with the Easter market. Below some of the food we ate.  Very good! There is more to come but it is time for a walk.  Love from Ukraine.  Mard