The following are strictly personal views/observations and in no way reflect the views of the Peace Corp nor the federal government of the United States.
Random Thoughts from Moldova – Part 4
- The best acquisition made through monetary exchange in Moldova thus far, a bucket with a lid for nighttime and cold weather urination.
- 10 Best Things Packed to Bring to Peace Corps Moldova
10) Travel mug
9) Yak Traks and Snow/Mud boots
8) Sleeping bag
7) Rechargeable batteries
6) Bathrobe
5) Tide stain removing pen
4) Flashlight that straps to your head
3) Long underwear
2) Movies and TV shows on DVD
1) Computer
- According to most Moldovan women, the best exercise for maintaining one’s figure is to hula-hoop. Thus, many Moldavian girls (ages 15-30) hula-hoop every day for 10 minutes after meals. The philosophy is that if you hula-hoop for thirty minutes (not necessarily consecutive) every day you will loose about 6 kilos/10 pounds in a month.
- I don’t take taxis often; but, I was always under the impression that when you got into a taxi and told the taxi driver your destination, the taxi driver would respond with “okay” and not “I have no idea where that is but I can drive around aimlessly in the vain hope of finding it.” I understand that it is improbable for taxi drivers to know the location of every street is in an entire city; but, it seems that in Chisinau every time I take a taxi they have no idea where anything in the city is located. The result is always me trying to give directions (assuming I know the location) in Romanian and continuously getting trapped by a one way street. I have yet to have had a Moldovan taxi ride that didn’t result in me saying, “this is close enough, just stop here and let me out” and traveling the rest of the way to my destination on foot.
- Today, I killed a chicken. A rooster to be more exact. The rooster was held prostrate while I cut off its head. Initially, the plan was that I would hold its legs down with my foot while stretching and holding its neck with my left hand and simultaneously cutting the head off with the knife in my right hand. However, it was felt among the Moldovan representatives that I was not capable of holding and killing the rooster all by myself, which I must agree was probably accurate. I feel like I have passed a Moldovan right of passage test. Post kill my feelings were mixed, somewhere between vomiting and drinking a celebratory beer.
- This has been an unseasonably warm winter in Moldova, and we just recently got the first big snow of the winter. Which, when compared with quantities of snow from previous years, this is a small snow fall. In one night it snowed about 5 inches. I know in Asheville, NC, where there are snowplows, slat and a plethora of four wheel drive vehicles, 5 inches of snow almost shuts down the entire city. Here without any snow combating equipment, 5 inches didn’t faze anyone. Everyone went about their day as usual. It resembled the march of the penguins in the morning, with all the children and adults walking in the path that had been previously made in the snow. Since most of the vehicles here are front wheel drive there are several techniques for contending with slick roads. The method most preferred is to travel in reverse. Once the tires started spinning and forward motion halted the car is simply turns around and proceeds to its destination backwards.
Random Thoughts from Moldova – Part 4
- The best acquisition made through monetary exchange in Moldova thus far, a bucket with a lid for nighttime and cold weather urination.
- 10 Best Things Packed to Bring to Peace Corps Moldova
10) Travel mug
9) Yak Traks and Snow/Mud boots
8) Sleeping bag
7) Rechargeable batteries
6) Bathrobe
5) Tide stain removing pen
4) Flashlight that straps to your head
3) Long underwear
2) Movies and TV shows on DVD
1) Computer
- According to most Moldovan women, the best exercise for maintaining one’s figure is to hula-hoop. Thus, many Moldavian girls (ages 15-30) hula-hoop every day for 10 minutes after meals. The philosophy is that if you hula-hoop for thirty minutes (not necessarily consecutive) every day you will loose about 6 kilos/10 pounds in a month.
- I don’t take taxis often; but, I was always under the impression that when you got into a taxi and told the taxi driver your destination, the taxi driver would respond with “okay” and not “I have no idea where that is but I can drive around aimlessly in the vain hope of finding it.” I understand that it is improbable for taxi drivers to know the location of every street is in an entire city; but, it seems that in Chisinau every time I take a taxi they have no idea where anything in the city is located. The result is always me trying to give directions (assuming I know the location) in Romanian and continuously getting trapped by a one way street. I have yet to have had a Moldovan taxi ride that didn’t result in me saying, “this is close enough, just stop here and let me out” and traveling the rest of the way to my destination on foot.
- Today, I killed a chicken. A rooster to be more exact. The rooster was held prostrate while I cut off its head. Initially, the plan was that I would hold its legs down with my foot while stretching and holding its neck with my left hand and simultaneously cutting the head off with the knife in my right hand. However, it was felt among the Moldovan representatives that I was not capable of holding and killing the rooster all by myself, which I must agree was probably accurate. I feel like I have passed a Moldovan right of passage test. Post kill my feelings were mixed, somewhere between vomiting and drinking a celebratory beer.
- This has been an unseasonably warm winter in Moldova, and we just recently got the first big snow of the winter. Which, when compared with quantities of snow from previous years, this is a small snow fall. In one night it snowed about 5 inches. I know in Asheville, NC, where there are snowplows, slat and a plethora of four wheel drive vehicles, 5 inches of snow almost shuts down the entire city. Here without any snow combating equipment, 5 inches didn’t faze anyone. Everyone went about their day as usual. It resembled the march of the penguins in the morning, with all the children and adults walking in the path that had been previously made in the snow. Since most of the vehicles here are front wheel drive there are several techniques for contending with slick roads. The method most preferred is to travel in reverse. Once the tires started spinning and forward motion halted the car is simply turns around and proceeds to its destination backwards.
posted by Klharmon | 6:36 AM
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