I went caroling with the youth of the village and those returning for their Christmas vacation from University or high schools/professional schools in other locations. When I returned I had this discussion with my host mom:
Host mom: How was caroling?
Me: It was good, I enjoyed it. I was able to meet a lot of people and learn a few songs.
Host mom: Good…. But, I have to ask you a question; didn’t you like any of the girls? Aren’t they beautiful?
Me: Well, yes they are beautiful but they are too young (most of the girls there were less than 18 years old, a high percentage of those older were married).
Host mom: O, you want someone who is smart/educated?
Me: Yes. [Thinking to myself: And who can speak English]
Host mom: Ah… We’ll have to find you one. Hum…. There is one girl I know in the village over… When I use to ask my son these questions he would just reply, “O, mamma” and not say anything else.
Monday, January 31, 2011
82. Why haven't you found a girl?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
81. Music Listened to in Moldova
One thing that brings many people together is Music. I have been to two concerts at a bar in Chisinau that have been a lot of fun. I really enjoy concerts, hearing a good beat or hearing some lyrics I relate too. Here is a small selection of music/styles many Moldavians like to listen too. There are lots of other good songs out there and styles that I have missed, but here are a few I enjoy:
Most known Moldavian song in American:
O-Zone – “Dragostea Din Tei” (better known as: Numa Numa song):
Rap (2 popular Romanian artists):
Puya – American Dream:
Connect-R – Burning Love:
Eurovision (Showcases and chooses the best singers/bands from Europe):
Nelly Ciobaanu – Hora Din Moldova:
SunStroke Project and Olia Tira – Run Away:
Rock/Pop songs (Moldavian Bands):
Zdob si Zdub – Buna Dimineata (Translation: Goodmorning):
Pavel Stratan - Eu Beu (Translation: I drink):
Popular song when I came to Moldova:
Yolanda Be Cool Vrs DCup - We No Speak Americano (Austrian band):
Popular Music (I would call it traditional music):
There is a decent amount of music in Romanian, but if artists want to make money and hopefully sell in other (larger) markets they sing in English or Russian. When it comes to the youth they listen to a lot of Russian and English music. The most popular style of music in Moldova is folk, techno, electric and house type styles of music. Leia Mais…
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
80. What is ‘American’ Music?
My host dad and I have had a discussion about music. He says that it is easy to see what popular Moldavian music (what I would call traditional/folk) is. You can see people in traditional costumes singing on TV almost daily and at festivals.
He asked what American traditional music is. I did not have a good answer for him. The music America listens to a fairly diverse range of music. I would say the most “American” or cultural/unique music would be country, folk, or bluegrass music.
It is interesting to hear some of the “traditional” songs of Moldova. It is cool because young and old people know the songs; I believe they learned them in school. Are there any songs in the USA than the majority of the population knows? Maybe songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy or Amazing Grace? If so, would that be a traditional American song?
Monday, January 17, 2011
79. Planning Youth Events
It was cool to hear some of the ideas and thoughts the planning committee had for this cultural tour. But one thing that was interesting/different was the fact that they have to deal with/address alcohol and how it will be treated/used during this trip. I did not even think it would be an issue because the students are 14 to 18 years old but in Moldova alcohol is treated differently that I am use to. Moldavians are brought up around alcohol and it is not uncommon for the whole family to have a glass of wine with every dinner. In Moldova, I believe technically, you have to be 18 to purchase alcohol but I do not believe it is always enforced plus many families make their own wine, so it would be easy to or possibly suggested by the parents that the students take some wine on the trip.
In the US, students do bring alcohol to events and such, but I think it is much less of an issue because alcohol is less accessible in the USA than it is in Moldova. So, while helping them to plan this event, I had to change my mindset like I was planning an event for college students, rather than high school students. Leia Mais…
Friday, January 14, 2011
78. Cultural Mistake
During our training the Peace Corps spends some time trying to teach us things that Americans would naturally do that would be considered rude in Moldova. While I tried to pay attention, I am sure I have made a few mistakes and have done some thing(s) considered culturally insensitive. But this story is not about me.
My host father was telling me how it is common to bring with you some wine when you visit people in other countries since most Moldavians make wine at home. Many go to Romania or Russia with wine they made to share with friends and family or even sell.
My host father had a friend that went to Lithuania with some wine to visit friends. In Moldova it is common to fill everyone’s glass with wine, make a toast and then drink the whole glass of wine in one gulp (the glasses are smaller than normal wine glasses, usually). So this man did just that and everyone looked at him and called him a Russian. Apparently in Lithuania people sip their wine and “pick it up and set it down” on the table a few times before finishing it (as my host father said, here you don’t set the glass down until you've finish it).
Leia Mais…
My host father had a friend that went to Lithuania with some wine to visit friends. In Moldova it is common to fill everyone’s glass with wine, make a toast and then drink the whole glass of wine in one gulp (the glasses are smaller than normal wine glasses, usually). So this man did just that and everyone looked at him and called him a Russian. Apparently in Lithuania people sip their wine and “pick it up and set it down” on the table a few times before finishing it (as my host father said, here you don’t set the glass down until you've finish it).
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
77. Friends or Girlfriends?
This conversation happened the first meal after coming back from a long weekend away from my village:
Host mom: Did you find a girlfriend?
Me: Haha, no…..
Host dad: *Interrupting* No, he has girlfriends [spreads arms wide] as Black Sea (he said ‘as Black Sea’ in English).
Me: Did you say my girlfriend was as big as the Black Sea or that I have many girlfriends?
Host dad: Haha, that you have many girlfriends.
My host dad jokes about this possibly because I have a hard time saying the word friends [in male plural form] which is, “prieteni” rather than girlfriends [in female plural form] which is, “prietene”. So I will come back from Chisinau and said, “A few of my girlfriends and I went to the outdoor art market.” When I really just wanted to say, “A few of my friends and I went to the outdoor art market.”
My host family has not tried to get me to date anyone, so maybe they really do think I have lots of girlfriends, haha, I fooled them.
Leia Mais…
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
75. Vin de Casă (House Wine)
Making wine is very common in Moldova. I do not know about all of Moldova, but in my village the majority of people have at least a few grape vines. After working at the Ohio Department of Agriculture (http://www.agri.ohio.gov/) and seeing how the department helps wine producers in Ohio and markets Ohio wines I became very interested in wine (http://www.tasteohiowines.com/). While Ohio is not necessarily the first state you think of when it comes to wine production, you might be surprised at how many wineries there are in Ohio and the high quality iced and other styles of wine made.
My parents currently live on a little plot of land that has a spring at the bottom of a little valley. I have dreams of making a little winery, bed-and-breakfast and/or having my own vinery on this land. We will see, after these two years in Moldova, I should have a pretty good idea about how to make house wine.
In the fall my host family prunes the grape vines and turns the soil over by hand with spades. Then the plants are pretty much left to grow on their own throughout the spring and summer. My host family has white and red grapes. My observation is that making red wine is more popular in Moldova. My host family only made red wine (both red and white grapes were combined together).
Before we even picked the grapes, I helped my host father bring up the empty wine barrel from the basement and he opened it up to clean it. He left the crystallized wine in the barrel for the taste but cleaned everything else that was in there. The last thing that was done was to pour hot water with walnut leaves boiled in it for taste and also to help find any leaks.
It depends on the year, but in 2010 they harvested the grapes in September by hand. The grapes are crushed by a hand-cranked machine which drops the grapes and stems into a large oak barrel. The barrels are usually covered to try to keep the yellow jackets and other sweet-toothed insects out. They sit in the barrels for a couple of weeks to ferment, you can here/see them bubble.
During the fermentation period we drink a lot of musk which is pretty much grade juice. It is just the juices of the grapes and it does not have the taste of stems or grape skins. It is very good and it taste like non-alcohol sparkling grape juice that as my host father says “Hits the tongue not the head”.
After the wine had been fermenting long enough and the barrel was ready we started to press the wine. It was a couple day processes to make sure we got everything out of the grapes. We put the wine barrel in the basement and brought buckets of the pressed wine into the basement to pour in the barrel. We kept the door open to the basement for a while to make sure any CO2 created by the fermentation process would leave the basement.
It will take a while for the wine to fully develop, it taste much different than the wine made last year. Leia Mais…
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