NOVEMBER

I’m living in a different culture and building strong connections and friendships with people I’ve really only just met. I call Moldova home, because it is for now. I have a host family that treats me like their own family, and friends that I feel like I’ve known for far longer than I actually have. November was indeed a month of thanksgiving. Winter months here are dreary in a similar way to winter months at home, but I’ve had to find new sources of entertainment to accommodate the winter blues. My biggest grievances in leaving home for a two year Peace Corps commitment in Moldova were, fearing the winter cold, missing out on memories with friends and family, and missing local sources of entertainment.

Mom and Dad gifted me the biggest, warmest down coat I could find. I also packed all the other down pieces I had collected over the years. I’ve been living in down since the beginning of September. Sleeping bag, vest, sweater, coat. Mmmm, love me some feathers. They don’t turn the heat on until the temperature is near freezing for 10 consecutive days or until mid November, whichever comes first. So sometimes it was actually colder inside buildings than it was outside depending on where the sun was shining. I learned to bring big scarves to wrap myself in, or always carried my packable down sweater to beat the cold. Gloves felt appropriate inside as well. My favorite part about the change in weather was walking into a soba (a wood stove with piping spread throughout the entire house) heated home. The smell of wood burning stoves is comforting and cozy to me.

Bunica (Grandma) moved into the house at the beginning of October from the North of Moldova. It’s too expensive to live on her own in the winter months as the heating bill spikes with the severe cold. Pensioners (retirees) also don’t get enough money from the state to live on, so they often rely on family to make ends meet. It’s a family functioning society here, and it’s been a blessing to be a part of it. Part of Bunica’s daily contributions to the house is making the fire to the house. She is tiny, and walks with a limp due to a bad hip. But she is a tough old bird with a bright smile and a fun sense of humor. She never asks for my help (unless something is out of reach- I’ve always been good for that), and even when I insist on helping, she won’t let me do it on my own. She will reluctantly let me carry the firewood, but she always goes outside with me to fetch it and is right there with me to start the fire in the soba. Despite the pain in her hip and her being easily exhausted, she works so hard and seems to really enjoy it.

So needless to say, my fears of the cold have been calmed and I stay quite cozy. Though that’s not to say I don’t often dream of tropical beaches and hot sand.

I’m blessed to have access to people at home via Skype and Viber, and have diligently kept up extensive Skype dates with Mom and Dad on Sunday evenings just about every week I have been here. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I’ve really enjoyed being able to share in international experiences with both of them as I’ve embarked on this adventure. When they were my age, they were experiencing a similar change in lifestyle… only in tropical places with hot sandy beaches… Ariel and I can text and call each other at will using Viber, and while I miss our coffee-doodle-dates and sharing the guest room at Mom and Dad’s, it feels nice to stay close as best we can. I’m grateful for all the words of encouragement, stories shared, and memories expressed from friends via every other social network available as well. Life is life no matter where you are, but it feels good to have my roots in Idaho.

I’m also grateful for the location of my village being close to the capital city. I’ve been able to make connections with organizations that have helped fulfill my desire to gain business and organizational skills. I have also been able to experience more of the culture via working with them. I’ve found favorite thrift shops, second hand stores, and odds and ends markets to dig through. I’ve been able to attend local festivities, plays, concerts, and art exhibitions, and have even been able to enjoy yoga and rock climbing. A friend I met here likes to call Moldova a “playground for all your ambitions” where you can test your ideas and discover what it is you really want to do. While I miss my mountains and outdoor backyard, and sometimes grieve the Latin American placement I missed, I’m still able to find my place here.

The end of November brought with it the beginning of the holidays. I taught on Thanksgiving day and shared the history of the tradition with all my classes. They loved it, I loved it, and it was a happy day. I Skyped with everyone that was at Aunt Nancy’s house that afternoon and was happy to see that everything was as it should be. The Macy’s Day Parade felt as close to me on my computer as it did from my couch in Idaho, so that was fun as well. Saturday after Thanksgiving another volunteer, Emma Werner, came over and we made big American thanksgiving for ourselves and my family. It tasted like home. Roasted turkey, homemade stuffing, canned corn, fresh green salad. Yummmm. The family was really impressed, and yes, we still had leftovers.