216. Bread

To be a true Moldovan when eating, you need to have your chosen eating utensil in one hand and a piece of bread in the other hand.

Leia Mais…

215. Funeral

I went to my first funeral in Moldova this spring.  It was a funeral for the mother-in-law of my host family’s goddaughter.  I did not attend the church service, but I heard that they pray and sing there for about an hour.

By the time my host father and I got to the church the precession was on its way to the cemetery.  This was an Orthodox ceremony so there were a few men carrying crosses leading the precession, then priest and the choir, then the deceased on the bed of a truck (sometimes there is no truck and the pallbearers carry the casket all the way to the cemetery), and then family and friends followed that.  About every two blocks the precession would stop and a song/prayer would be sung.

When we arrived at the cemetery we all stopped right in the entrance and the casket was placed in the center of the circle and some more prayers and songs were sung.  Then the group moved to the gravesite.  More songs sang, prayers said, scriptures read and a few words were said about the woman that died.  The family and anyone that wanted too would then lean over the deceased and kiss the icon of Jesus and then the woman’s hand or head while saying their goodbyes.  Flowers and incent ashes were thrown into the grave.

Then the pallbearers nailed the lid of the casket on with four nails and lowered it into the grave.  The priest with a shovel made a cross pattern around the grave and threw three shovels of soil into the grave in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  We then headed to the school for a meal (because the church does not have the space for a meal) and the pallbearers came later after they had finished filling the grave.

I did not take any photos of this event because I wanted to be respectful.  It was very interesting event to see.  One thing that struck me was how close/intimate the preparation and the ceremony was.  In America generally when a loved one dies we pay a company to get the deceased ready for burial, change the cloths, dig the hole, and assist the family.  But in a village in Moldova, those options are not available and few would be willing to pay money for those services.

Leia Mais…

214. Does it work?

When buying electronics in Moldova, even at a store that is professional and well known across the country, they will open the box for you and test the product.  This is mostly done because returning things is impossible or difficult in Moldova.

When I bought a toaster I thought it was kind of annoying.  It was a new toaster, I was in a rush, and they had to open it up the package and make sure it heated up/pasted my inspection.

The other day I bought a ear buds/mic for my iPod, I read that not all worked, so I was very happy when I went to the store and we tested a few models.  The first pair played music by my iPod didn't recognize the mic, but the second pair worked.

So, even thought I thought it was strange, it actually worked very well and was helpful.

Leia Mais…

213. Pastor

My host family told me yesterday that I would be a good pastor/priest.  Well, I guess I got that going for me in the future.

Leia Mais…

212. Strange word in dictionary

Have you ever used "toad-in-the-hole" in a sentence?  It was in my English-Romanian dictionary.  The definition translated into English means sausage baked in dough.  So, maybe in America we would say "pig in a blanket"?

I guess it must be a British thing:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toad_in_the_hole.

Leia Mais…

211. Foods Americans miss

CNN Go (CNN International) wrote an article called 10 Foods American Miss Most While Abroad.  This list is:

Mexican food:  Very true, I've had Mexican food twice (Romania and Moldova) and it wasn't too good.  But I would love to have a nice taco, even fast food Mexican food sounds awesome to me.

Cinnamon toast crunch (or other American cereal):  In Moldova there is only a few types of cereals are available, they are also expensive.

Chili fries:  I don't know if I miss these.... wait now I do.

Root beer:  I love root beer and it isn't in Moldova.

Proper hamburger:  McDonald's is good, but there aren't any thick juicy restaurant variety hamburgers here.

Bagels:  No bagels in Moldova, I think I had a bagel for breakfast every other day before I left.

Pizza:  There are lots of different pizza companies in the larger cities in Moldova, but they aren't too good.  They aren't bad, but they try some toppings that we aren't use too, corn, and the sauce isn't quite enough and the cheese is too expensive to put enough on the pizza.

Popcorn:  In Moldova we have popcorn, they sell popcorn on the streets in larger cities, and they even sell microwavable popcorn.

Ice:  I do miss having an ice cold coke with ice in it.

Ketchup packets that you don't have to pay for:  Paying for condiments is pretty annoying.

A few other things that could have been included on the list is:  Free refills, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, and a few other things.  But overall I have enjoyed the food in Moldova and I hope to prepare some dishes for my friends and family.

Leia Mais…

210. Visiting a friend

I visited a fellow Peace Corps volunteer on his birthday a month ago.  He is a Community and Organizational Development volunteer and works primarily with the mayor of his small village of around 1,000 people.  We had a fun time celebrating his birthday which had both Moldovan and American influence.  The day after the celebration we took a walk and saw some of the activities he’s involved in and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Library

Computer center at the school, one of the Peace Corps volunteer's projects

Very old tree near the village

Old water fountain in an area where everyone goes for picnics

Beautiful area around the village

"House of Culture" where cultural events, disco tech and other events are held

Leia Mais…

209. Memorial Easter

In Moldova the Sunday or Monday after Orthodox Easter (Orthodox Easter was a week after our Easter) Orthodox Christians celebrate Memorial Easter.  This is a celebration to honor and remember those that have died. 

This holiday was very interesting for me.  I am use to American cemeteries in which the only events that take place in are funerals and maybe a Memorial Day event.  On Memorial Easter the cemetery is very lively, it is filled with people eating and drinking and remembering loved ones.

I showed up late, but from what I understand in the morning people place a cloth on the grave and then place special bread, a colored egg (red), some candy, and a slender church candle.  This is later given to other people and saying, “for the soul of…”.  This is sort of a sacrifice/tradition in the belief that the person’s soul has all he or she needs in the afterlife.

Beside most of the graves are small tables and chairs where the food is placed that will be eaten by the family members of the deceased.  The priest then comes through burning incents and praying/singing.  He makes a cross by pouring wine on the graves while saying a blessing.  The families usually give some money and one of the bread arrangements that was on the grave to the priest/church.

After those festivities people continue to eat and drink and socialize.  There were tons of people.  Eventually around lunch time the celebration moves home.  I arrived at around 1pm and there were still a lot of people in the cemetery, but most had already left.  I ate a little food and drank some wine with friends.  We then went home and some family members and the god couple of my host family (in Moldova every newlywed couple selects a slightly older couple to be their godparents and to support the new marriage). 

Leia Mais…