#100thingsmd

Day 81 - Time, Generosity about Lateness, and Flexibility

[Photo:  The clock in the train station in Ocnița.]

While there are many similarities in American and Moldovan culture, one of the places Peace Corps Volunteers begin to notice a difference is often around concepts of time.  Many Americans are obsessed with time.  We want to have our days, weeks, and months scheduled down to the minute and if there is something on our calendars we often prioritize that planned event over any surprise events that come up.  In Moldova, while it's clear there is a yearly calendar of events and seasons that guide peoples lives, day to day views of time are much different.

Often, in Moldova, whatever is happening right now is the most important thing to deal with.  A clear example of this is the use of cell phones.  If you are sitting at a table and working on a project with someone but your phone rings, you MUST answer your phone.  The person you are working with expects you to address the phone call because it is the most urgent thing happening in the room.  This is often uncomfortable for Americans but over two years I've grown to expect it.

This focus on the most urgent occurrence leads to a generosity around lateness.  If you are late, it's not that big of a deal.  It's understood that something probably caused you to be late and no matter what, you are here now and things can begin.  While my Moldovan friends may not be as punctual as some of my American friends, I know I can rely on them and if we gather 5, 10, or 15 minutes later than we planned, it's not a big deal.  I also know that if I'm running late, no one is going to be angry with me for my tardiness.

This generosity and focus on the latest event or information leads to a culture of flexibility.  The biggest lesson I have learned from my Moldovan partners and friends is that when something unexpected happens you can deal with it without ruining whatever you are working on.  My partners were very skilled and dealing with surprises in our projects without stress or anxiety.  Surprises were just something that is happening "now" and we deal with them and move on.  I hope I can bring this flexibility back with me and use it in the future.

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Day 42 - Bead Artwork

The first I saw of bead artwork, where beads are sewn onto lovely cloth in a variety of designs, was during Pre-Service Training, the summer of 2015. My Language & Technical Instructors Mrs. Aliona and Mrs. Nadejda were each working on a design. I immediately decided I wanted to learn to sew one as well.

Above is what I made, a piece with daisies for my mom. It involved eight colors of beads and around 90 hours of sewing. Sewing this one myself gave me an even greater appreciation for the ones I find in homes, in classrooms, in museums, and for sale at fundraisers, fairs, and in stores. Particularly popular are beaded Christian Orthodox icons.

Cross-stitch is beautifully used on national costumes and home goods. Beads are used less frequently in these ways, but create a beautiful addition to art both traditional and modern.

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Day 98 - Zdob și Zdub

Music has been one of the most important parts of my experience and exploration of Moldova and most important to that experience is the band Zdob și Zdub (pronounced zdohb she zdoob).  This song, Moldovenii sau nascut (Moldovans were born) captures sites, culture, and people that to me seem to summarize well my experience in Moldova.

This band was important in my Peace Corps service long before I applied to the Peace Corps and before I knew we would be placed in Moldova.  In 2011, I saw a video of Zdob și Zdub's performance in the Eurovison Finals with their song "So Lucky."  I was drawn in by their pointy hats and stage show with a woman riding around on a unicycle while playing a flute.  I thought, these guys look like a lot of fun... I need to find out more about Moldova.  I started looking up other songs from the band and really liked what I heard.  I learned a little about Moldova and became curious about this part of the world.

Skip ahead to 2013.  It was time to submit our applications to Peace Corps.  At the time we told Peace Corps to send us anywhere in the world they found a good match.  On the day we transmitted the application I pulled up the video for "So Lucky" and said, "wouldn't it be fun if we were sent to Moldova." After a long application process in the summer of 2014 we received the news.  We were invited to come to Moldova!

In the months leading up to arriving in Moldova we began to explore the country through the music made by Moldovan artists.  We started posting "Moldovan Music Monday" on our tumblr and shared songs by artists we'd found.  Throughout that process one band continued to come up... Zdob și Zdub.

I loved their style and enjoyed their music.  Before arriving in Moldova I can say I  mastered the phrase for Good Morning, Buna Dimineața, by listening over and over to the Zdob și Zdub song by the same name.  I may have struggled to say everything else but I could say Buna Dimineața on the day I arrived in country.

As my comprehension of Romanian improved, I began to appreciate songs that were more popular in Moldova.  The song DJ Vasile is both simple and very poetic.  The verse uses spinning records as a metaphor for grinding grain for bread.  You will hear repeated in the verse the phrase "o sa fi pâine", it will be bread.  Bread is important part of Moldovan meals and I've learned through cultural lessons that in the past to say you had a "bread spirit" meant that you were good.  I like to think they are adding this extra layer of metaphor to the song by saying DJ Vasile's work will be bread.

I have been so lucky to see them in concert several times.  They always are a crowd favorite and really know how to entertain an audience.  One of my favorite moments of their concerts is when they play this next song toward the end of their shows.  Videli Noch is one of their few songs in Russian and is a cover of an 80s Russian new wave band.  This song's catchy four chord chorus and verse is popular and it's hard to not try to sing along, even if you have no idea what Russian words you are saying.  At the concerts you can count on nearly everyone singing the verse and chorus during the break in the middle of the song.

Day 96: Favorite Phrases

In any language, I think it’s fun to not take everything too seriously and the find delight where we can. One of my favorite things to hear is words or phrases in other languages that people “just like, just because” - no deep or profound reason is needed, it simply needs to be something we find a little burst of joy in.

My first year in country, I filmed my peers sharing some of theirs. I’ve continued asking, though I sadly haven’t filmed in a while.

For the record, another one of mine besides the word for quotation marks is describing where one lives as a casă pe pământ, a house on the ground. No real thoughtful reason, I just really like it when I hear this. One of Chris’ is the word for screwdriver: șurubelniță. He says it sounds so gentle and soft for such a mundane, useful object.

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Day 94: Poetry

One day, I was trying hard to explain how a computer lab is not only useful for computer classes, that it can be used in all classes and provides a wealth of benefits that the teachers - having not had or used one before - could understandably currently not imagine. I hit upon a sincere parallel that involved something often considered ubiquitous in Moldova: Poetry.

I have a degree in literature. In fact, my concentrations while studying for my BA in English literature were linguistics and poetry. And, yet, I could not imagine the usefulness nor benefits of poetry in a variety of subjects because I hadn’t yet experienced it. By describing that, my conversation partner seemed shocked that something so commonplace, so useful in every way, was not regularly employed by every teacher to help their students learn.

Poems are learned in both our cultures at an early age (think: nursery rhymes). But, after kindergarten, I rarely heard them in daily life. I knew about beat poets, I knew about poetry slams, I appreciate rap. But I didn’t experience poetry in subjects like science or civics or Health Education. I didn’t hear them recited regularly and only occasionally saw poets lauded publicly. I remember a whole classroom of literature students groaning at the thought of having to memorize one poem of our choice as an assignment.

Yes, poetry was around, but not as profoundly ingrained into my daily life as I’ve experienced it here.

I’ve been at many a celebratory meal where adults broke into poems. I felt most welcomed and seen the times I recited one myself. I’ve come to have a new appreciation of poetry as a communication tool and a place of self-expression, as a means of understanding culture and striving to change it. I am grateful for that education, for being introduced to a new tool as a person and an educator.

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Day 93 - Hram (Village Day)

[Video: Traditional dancing in front of a backdrop noting Criuleni's founding in 1607 - Hram 2016]

Each year on September 19th, Criuleni celebrates Hram.  This holiday is often translated as Village Day and is an annual celebration of the city or village.

Each city and village has a different date for Hram based on the town's patron saint.  Criuleni is dedicated to the Archangel Michael so our Hram is celebrated on the saint's day for Michael on the Orthdox Calendar, which is for us September 19.

Hram is a fun celebration.  Many devout Orthodox Christians begin the day with a service at the local church.  Then, throughout the day, there is usually singing and traditional dancing, concerts, speaches and other forms of entertainment.  Hram is also an excuse for people who have moved away to return to celebrate with friends and families.  Each house typically covers their table with more food than could possibly be eaten and as friends and relatives drop by they continue to replace the food as it's eaten by guests.  At Hram you can count on seeing friends out and about celebrating their town.  In Criuleni the day usually ends with a fireworks show in the central square.

Though we wont be in Criuleni for Hram this year we wish Criuleni "La Mulți Ani" (many years) as they celebrate 410 years since the founding of the town.

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Day 92: Grigore Vieru

Grigore Vieru is a Moldovan poet who lived 1935-2009. He’s incredibly well-known for his poems and books for children, but his more adult writing played a role in Moldovan independence and re-establishing national identity.

To be honest, I’ve only studied a few of his poems in detail. But, I recognize his influence all over. I delighted in him being one of the national figures I first recognized (including finding his grave, shown above, early in my service). I enjoyed hearing many of his poems, including attending Grigore Vieru Day recitals on his day, February 14th.

One of his poems, În limba ta (In Your Language), built an early emotional bridge between a now-friend and me, since she introduced me to it early as a means of building understanding between us. It is still an important poem to me, one which I nervously but proudly shared for this year’s Mother Language Day.

Mr. Vieru is a figure I’ll remember and cherish from Moldova. Sadly, I arrived a few years too late to meet him in life. But, I see how his legacy will live on for decades if not centuries in his beloved homeland.

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Day 91 - The Stadium in Criuleni

[Photo:  August 19, 2015 - The Criuleni Women's team defeat a team from Russia at the local stadium.]

For our first 3 months in Criuleni we were fortunate to live just a 2 minute walk from the district stadium.  We'd often walk over to the stadium to see local events or just to exercise by running around the track.

There were often soccer matches at the stadium.  The local women's team was very skilled and we saw them beat or tie teams from around Europe and Russia.  But the stadium isn't just for "fotbal".  Our first autumn the district held their "Golden Autumn" celebration in the stadium where villages from around the district created harvest displays and performed songs and skits.  Last year, the district hosted an international folk music and dancing festival and the featured stage was set up in the center of the stadium so large crowds could come and enjoy the performances.  

The stadium was also a great place to escape a sudden rain storm or hide from the sun on a hot day.  I've had tutoring lessons here, talked with local youth, or just had a drink and snack with friends we encountered along the way.  

This stadium is truly a wonderful asset for our town and district.  We're glad we spent many happy moments at the stadium.

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