Reasons to Celebrate

This is one of the better (and strangest) reasons to celebrate I've heard of. In Moldova today, we are celebrating Limba Noastra, or Language Day. What exactly are we celebrating? Well, under Russian and USSR rule, the Cyrillic alphabet was used in Moldova. So today we celebrate the fact that in Moldova now people can speak Romanian and use the Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic one! So now I know why there is a 31 August 1989 Street in Chisinau!

By the way, the topic of language is so important in Moldova that the national anthem is about Limba Noastra. The lyrics (see the translation) are pretty moving. If you want to be moved some more, click the links at the right to read the other anthems Moldova has had to get a sense of the history of the country.

By the way again, this is the second holiday this week - on Monday it was Moldovan Independence Day. I hear from people who have lives - I mean, who don't have a baby - that the celebrations were quite festive, with traditional dancing and good food and great fireworks. It was Moldova's Sweet Sixteen this year. I haven't seen 27 August Street in Chisinau, come to think of it...

Serious Musings On Moldova

My mind can’t get around the differences between the Moldova of 2005 and the Moldova of 2007. We’ve come to the country as they experience their worst drought in years. Our economist friend tells us that $1 billion of the GDP has been dried up (literally) as a result of the heat and lack of rain. That is $1 billion in a country whose GDP is only $3 billion. In August 2005, the sunflower fields were bright and shining, beautiful. Now, the fields are withered almost beyond recognition. The cornfields are similar, instead of green and thick with ears of corn, the stalks are brown and dry.

There is a renewed interest in preserving the power of Orthodox religion. From the people I speak to, in 2005 there was hope the communists would be ousted in 2009. Now, there is little hope they won’t be re-elected, thanks to a smart series of moves to win over this largely Orthodox nation. In addition to a law that will likely be passed that outlaws non-Orthodox religious gatherings of 100 people or less, the state is courting the Orthodox church in practical ways. On Saturday we visited two churches, including one monastery, and both were being renovated. For villages without any means of employment, a state-run renovation of the village church means a chance to earn money, a nicer church in which to worship, and maybe even more tourism. Of course, the fact that the state mandated the renovation will be remembered come election time.

Politics seem to be on people’s minds much more than two years ago for other reasons, too. The Russian influence is growing more important, for practical reasons like needing affordable natural gas to heat homes as well has other, less-altruistic reasons, I’m sure. Romania recently joined the EU, and that has impacted this Romanian-speaking country. Moldovans can no longer travel into Romania freely. They are required to have a visa to enter Romania, and with only one embassy (as well as Eastern European bureaucracy one just needs to experience to understand), the time it takes to obtain a visa makes it impractical to visit. The Ukraine is still open to Moldovans, but I’m hearing very often how Moldovans feel trapped now that Romania is closed to them.

Finally, the voice of the youth is more visible to me this year. I have spoken to several teenagers, many of whom have grown up without a parent in the home because that parent had to leave Moldova to find work. One 19-year old told me yesterday, “I don’t want to leave Moldova. My mother had to leave, so I have only seen her for a total of 1 year over the last 7 years. I want to find a way I can stay here.” With 1 in 4 Moldovans working abroad today, one can imagine how many children were raised by older siblings, grandparents, or in single-parent homes. As these youth enter adulthood, it will be interesting to see how they right the wrongs they perceive were done to them.

Beyond Our Walls

This time around, Moldova to me is taking care of a baby, a rickety elevator, a huge grocery store, hot hot temps, cheap restaurant food, taxis, and 1 room of air conditioning. In 2005, it was so different - minibus rides, visits to clients, playing with Nelia, cooking with hoof meat, and trips to the market. Taking care of the little girl has changed what I experience of Moldova in a big way. But that's OK - I'm glad for the experience in 2005, and I'm glad for the experience this year.

Beyond the space of our apartment, I know Moldovan life is bustling, just as it always is. People are always around, going home or shopping or to work. There isn't much comparison between village life in The Netherlands and city life in Moldova. In The Netherlands, our life is dictated by rigid schedules, like the hours stores are open and what day the market comes to the town center. In Moldova, stores are open early in the morning to late at night and the markets are open every day of the week. Instead of the bakery shelves being empty at 5 p.m., like they are in Holland, the shelves here are being restocked at that time. We had dinner delivered last night, from a place that delivers non-stop. I wish we had that option during the 4 a.m. feedings with newborn baby.

So I'm spending a lot of time in our apartment, but my life within these walls is very nice. Since the prices here are relatively low, I don't cook here when I don't want to, and we can afford to have a babysitter come everyday. While I've been here, I have been able to participate in Romanian class, work, and sleep! Amazing!

When we learned how to say, "Do you miss home?" in class yesterday, I had to think twice about how to answer.

From an Email I Just Wrote

Thought it was an appropriate update on life in Moldova.

Hot here in Moldova, and the people below us don't like the dripping from our AC unit. (Nothing like Russian-speakers knocking on our door, motioning about dripping water driving them crazy.) The baby is doing really well. Our Romanian language lessons are going well, although I caused a hubbub at McDonald's when I didn't say "inghetata" correctly, and they had to call in a manager to take my order for "ice cream". 7 minutes and 12 lei later I walked out the door with a chocolate sundae instead of the vanilla cone that I really wanted. Otherwise, we are making progress, albeit slowly. Pray for open doors and appointments with the right people and organizations. Somehow we need these next 2 weeks to last about 2 months...

It's Official

I'm certifiably crazy. For attempting to come to Moldova with an almost 10-month old in the first place, I must be nuts. And I'm gettier nuttier the longer I'm here. My dad says it's inherited. So that's my excuse?

I Was Supposed to Be Sleeping By Now

Dan and I have a long, fascinating history of pulling all-nighters the night before a trip. Even before we started traveling abroad a lot, we would be packing into the wee hours of the morning. We leave for Moldova (for any new readers out there, check out my posts from June – August 2005) tomorrow…ummm today…and I was determined it wasn’t going to happen this time. I even counted out 23 vitamins and bagged them in a ziploc last week so I would have one less thing to do today! And then…life happened. We actually made very good progress today. The little girl was excellent, especially when she went walking with our neighbor and her two granddaughters. But then, just as I was turning off my computer, I checked my email. Silly me. The people I work with who live in the U.S. were trying to clear their plates before they left for the weekend, I believe. Normally the 7-hour time difference works in my favor. Not tonight. Now, 2½ hours later, I’m back to that point of shutting down.

Moral of the story: don’t check email when you really need to go to bed. Even if you are going to Moldova and don’t know when you’ll have internet access again. Even if.

Sounds of Summer

Heard from our garden:
Children playing
Tractors rumbling
Neighbors murmuring
Glasses clinking
Sheep baaing
Cows mooing
Plums falling
Birds chirping
Distant thundering
Motorcycles speeding
Horses clomping
Bicyclers laughing
Baby babbling