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 5

- Worst Things Packed to Bring to Peace Corps Moldova
8) Flip flops (fall apart in about one week on the rough terrain)
7) Hair Conditioner (when showering on a bi-monthly basis, conditioner is
unnecessary)
6) Dryer sheets (dryers don’t exist here)
5) Iron (I never iron anything)
4) Shorts
3) Lotion (when showering on a bi-monthly basis, dry skin is not an issue)
2) Makeup
1) High heeled shoes (tough to operate in the mud)

- In America when we first meet someone or notice someone on the street we look at their face. In Moldova when locals meet someone or notice someone on the street the first thing they look at is their shoes. This shows the priority and importance placed on shoes in Moldova.

- Things I Miss Most
8) Spicy food
7) People being nice to me on a regular basis
6) Rectangular fiber filled pillows (here there are only square down filled pillows)
5) Movie theaters that show movies in English and American television shows
that haven’t been dubbed into Russian (somehow the Wayans brothers lose the
small amount of entertainment value they have when dubbed into a foreign
language)
4) Shower curtain
3) Private transportation
2) Avocadoes
1) Indoor toilet (they exist here but in small numbers)

- In Moldova everyone plays Russian pool and Russian cards. Russian pool and Russian cards are not the same as American pool and American cards. Russian pool involves nine balls; however, the game played with the nine balls is not the same as the game nine ball as we know it in America. Also in Russian pool all the balls are solid and white. I personally could not deduce the objective of Russian pool. Similarly, Russian card decks involve fewer cards than American cards and yet again, I could not deduce how Russian card games are played. I’m not sure if the Russians have simplified or complicated these games with the reduction in balls and cards.

- I have noticed that the majority of people in Moldova like to speak at all times at the top decibel attainable by a human voice. It is very difficult as a foreigner to distinguish solely by intonation if they are giving you a friendly greeting or saying something slanderous about your mother. I often think that my host family is having a tremendous verbal tussle when in actuality they are just discussing the weather.

- I have found there are a few advantages to living in a country where you do not speak the language fluently. One advantage is that when someone is speaking at length about some subject you find monotonous you can easily remove yourself from the conversation by telling them in a thick accent that you don’t really understand what they are saying. The other advantage is that when someone makes a request for you to do something you don’t want to do you can give a totally inapt response and they, without getting offended, desist in their request. I have found that among the most effective inappropriate responses are: “No thanks I am going to eat a hot dog at the bus station,” “I am not sure where the closest toilet is,” and “I like pickles.”