Old Europe with Some Old People

Hey, Faithful Readership!

I got super busy heading into June because I was preparing for my parents’ visit to Moldova and our subsequent departure to check out Western Europe a little bit. This, compounded with the fact that my internet in my new house is slow and I’m not able to update the blog except in large waves every 2-3 weeks (when I get into Chisinau and use the internet there), means that I’ve been pretty quiet on the blogging front in the last several weeks. I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still here but will be traveling until June 17th, at which point I’ll be trying to catch up on blogging and filling everyone in with pictures from the trip. Also, when I get back, the new volunteers (we get a new batch of 50-70 every summer) will be fresh off the plane, lost and confused, and (hopefully) will be providing plenty of comic relief for my summer of organizing trainings and recreational events for them as they get used to Moldova and learn the ropes.

One thing that I did want to mention now, while it’s fresh, is that having my parents come see Moldova was an interesting experience and the most interesting part of it for me is realizing that I am having feelings that all PCVs have at some point, though normally when they get home, that no one can really understand what it’s like to live and work in Moldova unless you do it for a long time. My parents certainly saw the houses and met the people and navigated the outhouse and all that, which I thought would make me feel that they could finally understand what it’s like there. But, I was surprised to discover, as we traveled onward and I listened to my parents talk to other Europeans about Moldova, that while everything they are saying about it is true, their understanding is still surface level (sorry, Ma) and (I don’t think they’d be offended to learn) that while they understand Moldova better now, they still do not see it the way that I and the PCVs who live here see it. I can’t really explain the difference – it’s something that comes from living there and having it be your life, as opposed to visiting and getting the full immersion for 3 days.

The other thing that has been surprising to me is that I become very defensive of Moldova whenever I think that anyone who doesn’t live there is suggesting that they are a mess or a pit. Which is funny because I go around complaining all the time that Moldova is frustrating or underdeveloped or has nothing to offer the tourist industry. But as soon as someone else does it I’m spouting things like, “Well that’s very narrow-minded, I mean they are a very complex country and they should be appreciated as such.” I suppose that’s just how it goes, but I am discovering that being away from Moldova for this long, especially without other PCVs who understand what it’s like there, I begin to feel very fond of it, despite how many times I have been poisoned, attacked by bugs, or horribly inconvenienced while living there. But it’s a nice feeling to realize that the place where I live has worked it’s way into my heart to that extent.

Noapte Buna!