A Chosen One

I write now from the home of my host family in a village called Ivansha, about twenty five miles north of Chisinau and about five miles south of the city Orhei, where I will have "hub" training for the next few months (more on that later). Needless to say, it’s been an interesting few days since you last heard from me.
Before our group left Philadelphia, we had to pick four Official Leaders who would be responsible for everyone getting from JFK to Istanbul to Chisinau without a hitch. Naturally, I volunteered, because I thought that if I hadn’t I would just have ended up getting frustrated with whoever was in charge, thinking that I could have done a better job. Three others made the same decision. Overall it was a good choice, with a few exceptions, like the soon-to-be mentioned drama at the Istanbul airport and the fact that some people have ‘have traveled alone often with no trouble" (like me) yet were not unwilling to step-up and be a leader, and they were frustrated by the fact that were traveling in a group and by the fact that different rules apply to group travel (unlike me).

As I alluded to, we had no real problems until we arrived in Istanbul. The Peace Corps (PC) arraigned for us to have ‘day rooms’ in a hotel connected to the airport so that for our six hour layover we would be able to sleep, shower, and relax before flying to our final destination without ever leaving the confines of the airport (standard PC policy for any layover more than six hours). However, we were all confused about how to deal with Passport Control at the airport, because while it seemed to us that we needed a transit visa - even though we weren’t leaving the airport or even through security - to leave, we all were without. In fact, we (combinations of the four group leaders) even talked to four or five people in the airport, all of whom said that we needed a transit visa but that one could easily be had by simply paying twenty dollars at the official visa window there (most of us didn’t have twenty dollars). We even attempted to call the Peace Corps: Moldova staff to talk to someone but we couldn’t figure out the phone. (And in the midst off this confusion for us leaders, a group member informed us that he had forgotten his ticket for our Istanbul to Chisinau flight on the previous plane and that plane on which he lost it was now inaccessible and that he could see the trash being taken off it - fun). Finally though, out of dumb luck, we learned that we simply needed to check in for our final flight, show the boarding passes to a guard at a special gate, and that after that we would be allowed to exit to the hotel without a problem (and after thirty minutes of alternating confusingly between Turkish Air and Delta desks, trying to explain the problem and figure out who could fix it, the group member found his lost ticket after all). It seems to me that the people we talked to about the visa issue simply wanted some money, and this is evidenced by the fact that one group member even paid for and received a visa but was refunded - without question - when we learned that it was unnecessary. That type of refund never happens unless the something funny is going on. It was also odd because the PC gave money to cover any potential expense - and any real - expense, like hotel rooms, that we might incur, and yet we never had a mention of these visas.

We all checked into and out or hour hotel rooms (paid for by the PC) without an issue and had equally little trouble on our one hour flight from Turkey to Moldova. At the airport we were instantly greeted by PC staff after customs, and even after leaving baggage claim into the terminal we were greeted by about twenty PC volunteers who are here now, having served for a year already (They were Us last year): they were holding signs of welcome. We also were met by some Moldovan television channel - only one on us (sadly, not me) was unfortunate enough to get cornered into having to give an interview. Together, the volunteers old and new as well as the staff all boarded busses and headed to the hotel, where we were met by thirty or so other volunteers and staff members who gave us rookies a round of applause when we exited the busses. After that followed a brief meeting in which I learned that I get to study Russian (more on that in a sec) as well as some other information, and only then did we finally get a chance to rest - some of the new people went out with some veterans to ask questions and get some information from people who do now what we will do soon.
The following day, June 8, we had mostly meetings. The morning meetings were composed of safety and health issues, potential problems and their solutions: included was a talk by the Head of Security for the United States Department of State in Moldova - the chief security officer fo the US Embassy here. He just told us to basically be smart and report instantly anything that happens to us, either big or small, while also telling us that Moldova was as safe of a place as anywhere in the world that the PC has volunteers. Then we had a talk from a nurse, who told us to follow basic health rules for now (distill all water, take good care of yourself because little things can escalate quickly in a place like this, info like that) and also told us about our medical kids that we received later in the day (The lesson here: if you read this and worry about my safety or health, stop. It’s really a non-issue now, as we are all in great hands because the PC realizes that an unsafe or unhealthy volunteer are worthless to the organization). The day ended with an afternoon of language sessions - just basic conversational stuff to use with our families. The good news is that for me it’s all review, while the bad news is that about 70% of my knowledge of the language has already been taught to us. There goes my ‘advantage’ over the others.

The next morning began with a walk through Chisinau to a school, where we started with an introduction to the Cross-Cultural Training that we will undergo, followed by more language review, followed by an presentation on what to expect from our host families throughout our stay as well as what our families were likely to expect of us. We halted about 12:45 and on our way home some of us stopped to buy flowers as a gift: 50 lei (the Moldovan currency:13:20 lei to 1.00 dollar). Our total was about 4.00 dollars for five long-stemmed roses in a bouquet.

Finally, yesterday (Friday the 9th) early evening, we all met with our host families - there was a large ‘meet and greet’ in the airport with all the volunteers and all their families. Only my host mother was present at the hotel to meet me, and after a brief introduction on how and why to use our PC-sponsored water distillers and purifiers, I drove up to Ivansha with my host mother as well as another volunteer who is living in the same village along with her host mother. Actually, that is where I write from now - it’s totally beautiful. I have my own (large) room, there’s indoor plumbing, and they have chickens, a dog, a goat, maybe a cow (not sure yet - don’t ask me how that’s possible), as well as several apple trees and even a few cherry trees, one of which I’ve already climbed into and tasted the fruits of: they also smoke their own homemade sausage in a homemade smoker - basically a fire pit with a small tube connected to a large smoker. Simple but effective. The family is very kind - there is a mother and father as well as a brother (Leonid is the brother, I forget the names of the parents). The brother is twenty-two also, with a birthday of September 15 (just like my brother in Iowa), and he speaks English fairly well. While it is nice for now, I get the feeling that he is excited for me to learn Russian and for the day that he doesn’t have to translate anything for me. When I arrived here I was sort of expecting a big party of celebration - instead, I just ate alone in the kitchen food prepared by my mom. The host father was not even here yet. However, later I learned that the big party, with family and friends from the village, will be tonight - I’m looking forward to it. I also learned that the other two volunteers in my village had rather tepid greetings too, for the primary reason that all of our host families were warned by my teacher that we were all very tired and to not expect too much from us.

Random Thoughs:
1)I WAS CHOSEN FOR RUSSIAN!. I’m pumped, to say the least. Of the group there are fifteen of us who are in the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program, and only three of us learn Russian - it was a highly competitive process and I’m blessed to have been chosen, really. The other two are very bright people: Aaron, who is fluent in Spanish and who taught it at the University of New Hampshire, and Elizabeth, who is fluent in Japanese, adequate in Turkish as well as Arabic, and who retains new Russian words at an amazing rate. From what I understand (and have seen in my first few days), it’s a huge advantage here to know Russian, as with this language I can talk to anyone at anytime, where with only Romanian it can often get frustrating, especially in place like government centers, where people can understand and speak Romanian but simply refuse to for political/social reasons - that’s all information from people who have been here for a year or so. The training for it is very intense - actually, all my training for the next ten weeks will be intense (literally, every hour from 8:00AM to 6:00PM, Monday through Friday and some Saturdays, from now to August 17, is mapped out for all volunteers). I will study Russian mostly every day with my instructor and the other two in a small classroom and with my host family when I get home, a very intimate study style which should allow me to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, the Peace Corps model of language training is recognized many government agencies throughout the world as being an ideal way to teach and learn any language. Also, as a Russian speaker, to pass my language test on August 16 I need to score a minimum of Intermediate-Low (my instructor is so good that she has never had anyone not pass), while Romanian speakers need to get a minimum of Intermediate-High: the Peace Corps realizes that Russian is that much harder to learn. So far, studies are going well. Every day we get a little homework to complete for the next day - so far, it has taken only a half hour or so. But when I get home and finish homework, I copy down every language structure chart in the textbook to my notebook and try to memorize it, and also write in my notebook every word throughout the day that I’ve had to look up in the dictionary, forcing myself to remember them by the end of the day. With time, the amount that I have to look up should be reduce at a rapid pace.

2) What is interesting here is that those who speak primarily Russian can be considered as the "have’s" while those who speak Romanian are often the "have not’s." In every bar, every restaurant, any place that all indicates money or prestige, I only hear Russian spoken. People also interchange without problem, even within the same family: my host brother speaks Romanian to his mother but Russian to his father. Odd, but not in a bad way - just interesting.

3) I’ve had the chance to meet Brad and Anna, both of whom are great. However, it is a bit odd to read someone’s blog and know many things about them without ever having met them. They would begin to tell me stories or facts and I would have to temper my gut instinct to stop them because I’ve already read everything they say. Believe me, it feels odd.

4) People are often quick to comment that for PC service, volunteers ‘don’t get paid anything.’ However, it doesn’t take long to realize that the financial commitment made to us goes far beyond anything concrete but is still substantial. As some of us were discussing one morning, look no farther than language training as an example. Middlebury College, for one, has what is regarded as a top summer language program, with the participant being fully immersed (albeit, in Vermont) and with most becoming proficient in their language of study, no matter what knowledge was held before entrance. Students there pay as much as 6,000 - 8,000 dollars for the six week program. Our program is far more substantial, far more thorough, far longer, we are actually living in a foreign nation and living in the language, and our instructors (with a ratio of four students to one instructor) are top notch. Total cost? Nothing. So to say that we don’t get paid much really is a misnomer.

5) My host family actually has internet access through their home. For Moldovan’s it’s expensive, about 45 cents an hour, although it’s cheap for volunteers. To give you an idea of money here, my host brother told me today that the average wage here is 100 dollars a month - my host mother makes 150 dollars a month teaching cooking. As a PC volunteer, I make 200 dollars a month, which actually puts me in the ‘upper-middle’ class. Indeed, some volunteers here are actually able to save as much as 100 dollars a month to use once they get back to the States.

6) An explanation on how training works. The entire group of us who came to Moldova (M18) are now split up into six different groups throughout the next ten weeks of training - the group you are assigned to is who you study language with, and each group is assigned to a small village within five miles of Orhei, the regional capital (for me, it is just the Russian speakers who are together - three of us in the village). All groups have language training with our instructors in school buildings within the villages we are assigned to (I hope that makes sense) - even the instructors live with a host family throughout our ten weeks of training. However, twice a week all M18 members travel to the Orhei, to a "hub site" there, for Cross-Cultural training and to receive more shots (rabies vaccines - don’t worry, they made sure we were all caught up on other shots. I only needed Hepatitis B while others needed as many as three more, although the blood drawn from each of us will determine what immunities we all have/need. Told you our health was of primary concern . . .). From what I understand, we are very luck to have Orhei as our center - it’s one of the few tourist ‘hot spots’ in the country because of it’s beauty. It’s in a bit of a valley, surrounded by rolling hills - the view on the drive in is really breath-taking. If I’m so lucky as to have any of you as visitors, I will do my best to show the place to you. And also, if you are so inclined to look, Orhei should be found on a map of Moldova, just north of Chisinau.

It’s been about a week since my last post - that number should be typical, although it may go up or down depending on where I’m place for permanent assignment - I’m only in Ivansha and Orhei through training, after which I move on to another location.

I hope all is well in the States - things are glowing here in Moldova. In a way it’s surreal to be here because this is a place I’ve thought of so much for the last six months. Sometimes, it
s as though I can’t believe I’m here, although from what I’ve heard from other’s, in twenty-six months I will remark that I can’t believe that I’m already gone . . . .