Biesti

In partnership with Moldova Christian Aid, I will be working on a community development project in the village of Biesti. My emphasis will be on the social development side. I am so pumped about this work, it is totally community practice in a nutshell. Joy will also be doing some work to raise awareness and knowledge of and in the disabled population of Biesti. Currently, they have no idea how many persons with disabilities are living in this community. Joy wants to find out so that these people can obtain the services they need. We are not totally sure where this will take us, but trust that we will learn and grow so much. I want to share some of the facts that we DO know about Biesti:

- 25% of the children are social orphans - many parents migrate out of Moldova to find work
- 1% of the population has access to centralized water, the remaining 99% rely on 2 functioning wells
- 0% of the homes in Biesti are connected to gas
- High rates of unemployment, alcoholism, morbidity
- High dropout rates in school, especially post-9th grade

These are merely a few of the shocking issues that the people of this community face. MCA is already working to promote the economy (with special attention to the farming population) and they are working with a number of experts to secure a water supply and sanitation system for this community. There is great enthusiasm and participation from the local authorities and the 3 NGO's that are active in the community. As far as social development goes, we are full of ideas. Hopefully with the resources we have access to, a purposeful and sustainable plan will be developed in the next month.

Pictures to come...

A Quarter of a Century!!!

On January 19, 2009 Leah Francis Smith turned 25!!!! Joy and I woke up and made her breakfast, the ladies at the CERI office brought cake and told Leah their wishes for her in the next year, and after a long day of internship, we went to celebrate at El Paso. It is a Mexican food place here in Chisinau!! Not exactly the Tex-Mex that we are used to, but it did the job! We had a great time celebrating with Leah. Leah looked so cute in her PARTY HAT and Jon even went to dinner with us. Good times. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEAH, we looove you!

Pictures...here and there

Dr. Jon Meyer...he is our field supervisor. He is a great man. We give him a tough time for being a scatter-brained, absent-minded PhD. I have a feeling he likes us being here :)

Leah and Eli - Eli LOOOOVES music.


Hot new boots!!!

We love eachother!!!

The Turlacs

This is Oleg, Natasha, and Roma. They are such a precious family and we are so blessed to have them here!

Post Communist Culture

It will be impossible to discuss everything that is going through my mind on this subject. It is absolutely fascinating. We knew coming into this country would be a culture shock. Understanding that the Iron Curtain fell a relatively short time ago and that most people that we would interact with were alive and affected by the Soviet Union and Moldova's civil war, we knew the mindset would be different. But as much as I thought "I knew," I know nothing. I learn so much every single day and with every single conversation. Some people do act and dress in ways that help them blend in. While living in communist society, it is unacceptable to stand out. Individuality was looked down upon. People often do not talk very much throughout meals, this came from not knowing whether or not you would get a next meal and from the fear that if you did not eat the food you had in front of you quickly, someone else would come eat it for you. Lines, personal space, etc. do not exist. Its like everyone is in survival mode at times.

However, there is also this tendency for people to want to give you everything they possibly can. Eli, one of our young friends, literally gave Joy his camera so that she could use it for a couple of weeks. Oleg and Natasha would give us the shirts off their backs if they asked. We have spent 2 evenings with them and already they have given us meals, desserts, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, free haircuts (Natasha is a hair stylist,) and paid for our taxi rides twice. Everytime we ask them for advice on where to buy things, they try to buy it for us or give us what they already have. They are the sweetest people and we appreciate their genuine concern for us so much. We also feel very lucky to have Oleg because we can ask him anything. He laughs at us and our ignorance a lot, but he also helps to make sense of the many things that we do not understand.

One thing that I consitently recognize, but still have not been able to grasp or understand is the separatism between Russian and Romanian. Most people are either fluent in both languages or are at least conversational. However, there are many preconceptions or attitudes related to the language the you predominately speak. There is the obvious fear or discontent associated with Russia, this leads to a certain attitude towards people who attend Russian speaking schools or choose to speak Russian more often. However, I have heard so many different opinions. Romanian speaking individuals have certain ideas that are consistent; however, many people have their own individual perception of this relationship. The same is true with Russian speaking individuals. We have heard that there is quite a bit a segragation, as far as where certain people groups live in the city. It is so interesting to live in a city where this exists. My mind is boggled and all I want to do is learn more about this relationship and achieve some level of understanding.

MALLdova

Who knew thata FOUR story shopping mall would open in Chisinau before three lonely American girls arrived?? Providential? I would be willing to argue that point.

So we had the impression that conservative, dark attire that did not make a statement was the way to dress in Moldova. We packed accordingly with lots of pants, skirts, and sweaters. No heels, very little jewelry. Little did we know that not only are there a ton of beautiful women, they dress well. ALL THE TIME. Fashion before function seems to be the mantra of most women in this city. Boots, boots, boots. Great boots. With high heels. Of every color. Great boots. We needed some. So we spent the first two Saturdays in Chisinau upping the ante that is our wardrobe.

We also all have new hair. I have bangs, I cut them myself. Joy's hair is short now, Leah's is shorter than before and she has side bangs. The first morning that I came upstairs with my new hair, boots and skinny jeans, our supervisor Connie and her friend Olga said with suprise, "You look good Megan!!" Wow. Who knew?

Don't worry though...we are experiencing simplicity in other ways. Like...food. We are not exactly used to the cuisine that is Moldovan food. I am not sure that this adjustment will ever happen. Lets just say, as soon as I get off the plane we are heading straight to a steak house. I forgot what it tastes like already. Also, walking. We walk a lot. We use public transportation a lot. Its a good experience, but I never realized how many personal space issues I had. My biggest issue is that I really really enjoy having my personal space and I lose that a lot here. A lot. I can handle it though, how many times have I said that in this blog? We can handle it. We can, we are a force. More to come soon!

Finding community on the other side of the world

The first week in Chisinau was a bit lonely for us. Knowing that this was not a vacation and we would be catching a flight home in a couple of weeks definitley encouraged this loneliness. I can say that if I had not had Joy and Leah to interact with in a country where English is not widely spoken and I had little to no clue how to get around, I would have gone absolutely crazy. Whoever made the decision that at least 2 of us had to go was brilliant.

Things started to turn around this weekend. Jon, our supervisor, arrived on Friday night. Saturday, we went shopping at MALLdova. This is a 4 story mall with lots of restaurants and a bowling alley. Its sooooooooo nice. Shopping was familiar, it helped me feel at home. Ha. But it was Sunday that truly made us realize that we would be able to find community here so far from home. Jon invited us to join him at church on Sunday night. Dorrell is a pastor who used to work for CERI and is in the process of starting a church that is held in a library on Sunday nights. He started this in hopes that he would give the children at the orphanages a place to find community and hope. Everyone was so kind and welcoming from the moment we walked in. The entire church body at this point consists of about 20 people. I love this. Rather than corporate worship, it is intimate community. With a keyboard and a guitar, Jon and Dorrell led worship. Lots of familiar tunes, but every word was Romanian. Trying to sing along was pretty entertaining. This may be a great way to pick up the language though. If you can't speak it, sing it?? Hmm, maybe not so much. The best part was seeing some of the children that we had met during the week at the orphanage. Not only did they remember us, they greeted us with hugs. When we got our cameras out after the service, they proceeded to take a TON of pictures of us. It was such a fun and relaxing time. I now look forward to Sunday nights.

Update on gas crisis...

From the Moldova Bureau of Statistics..."On Monday Russia and Ukraine signed a deal on the deployment of a EU-brokered gas monitoring mission which was to enable the resumption of Russian gas supplies. Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine last week amidst a row with Kiev over unpaid bills and transit prices."

While there are so many people who have suffered as a result of this crisis, we have been quite lucky. The IMB team house (where we are currently staying) did not miss one single day of heat or hot water. Our friend Oleg, who also lives in Chisinau, lost his gas supply early on and, clearly, was greatly uncomfortable. With temperatures reaching as low as around 12 degrees, no heat or hot water is disastrous. I am just happy to know that this crisis is coming to an end and that people will once again be more able to meet their basic needs.

Being so close to such a struggle was definitely an intense reality. I have never had to worry about whether or not I would have a warm house to go home to at the end of the day. Can you imagine not being able to secure this luxury at all? When we delivered food one week ago to families, the two homes that I went into did not have heating in any form aside from a small stove that they also use for cooking their meals. I wonder what they thought about the world going crazy over the fact that people had their access to natural gas taken away when they never had it in the first place?

Russian & Ukraine conflict...yikes

The conflict over gas between Russia and Ukraine will most likely start affecting us (our hot water, heat, ability to cook, etc) as soon as tomorrow. We are not completely clear on to what extent and for how long we will be affected. If you have more information, let us know or just want to say a prayer for us...please do. We are crossing our fingers and enjoying what could be our last warm night and hot shower for awhile. Much love.

Working with the CERI team

So the Orthodox Christmas is one January 7th!! We got to celebrate the holidays twice this year. What a treat?! We were also excited to find out that there was a CERI mission team staying at the Team House when we got here. We have been able to tag along on some of their escapades and have amazing experiences. We helped wrap presents to take to the children at the orphanage on Christmas. Clothes, toothbrushes, pens, etc. The team also let us go along with them to take food to families in poverty in the village of Calarasi. It was so touching to see the hospitality and joy of these families and their willingness to let us in their lives. My favorite opportunity was spending time at the orphanage. Getting to know the children was so much fun and such a great reminder of why we are here. I just hope we can make half as much of an impression on Moldova as it has already made on us.

Questionable train rides and loads of laughs...

So we traveled for about 36 hours to get from Budapest to Chisinau, Moldova. Yes, this is as long and miserable as it sounds. Yes, we were exhaaaauuuusssssted. Did you know that trains in Eastern Europe are super creepy? Well they are. The particular train that we took looked like the perfect setting for a horror movie. The lights that the actually train had were flickering on and off. There was an interesting box that we assume was for luggage, but looked like a great place to store bodies. All that said, I was more than out of my comfort zone. But our delirium from sitting in freezing cold Bucharest for 5 hours made everything hilarious to us. Especially when they had to change the wheels on the train. I have never been in an earthquake, but we are certain that a train being picked up and down and up and down and up and down feels similar. I think you all probably get the point. I wish I could pass on the reality of this situation, but I do not think it is possible. However, with all odds against us, we made it to Chisinau safe and sound. We would totally do it all over again too. Good times.

I love me some Budapest!!

Can I just say that I love Budapest?! Our day spent roaming the massive city of Budapest was by far my favorite day of our little adventure. We stayed in a hostel that was central to both sides of the city. Who knew that Buda was on one side of the river and Pest was on the other? Leah and I did not. Joy apparently did a little reading before we landed in a foreign city, smart Joy J We got up pretty early and searched for a few necessities. Breakfast (with a Coca Cola Light,) a blow-dryer, and an adaptor for the European plugs (this one was for me, and if I had not left the one that we already spent a couple of hours searching for in Vienna in…Vienna, we would not have had to complete a second treasure hunt.) Luckily, we found everything we needed with little trouble. Hungarian people seem to be fonder of us “silly Americans” than the people we ran into in Vienna. We then headed to the City Park. It was the first time we were in nature rather than a big dirty city in about a week. It was so refreshing. The pictures of the pond with the steam and the hundreds of birds do not even compare to how breathtaking this site was in person. Especially with the certain affinity for birds that Joy and I share. There was also a huge skating rink that we had planned on using, but it was crazy busy. So we headed on to the baths that Hungary is so famous for. I put some pictures of the bath we chose. It was great. The water was so warm and the atmosphere was enjoyable in so many ways. Just picture about 100 European men in their delightfully snug Speedos. Ha…we got some good laughs in. After sitting in the sauna for a whole 5 minutes and running across the frozen ground we got dressed and headed back out. The rest of the night went really well until we boarded our 32.5 hour train to Chisinau, Moldova. Though we seriously dreaded the ride, we are ready to be settled in what we will call home for the next 90 days.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

This is one of the most beautiful cathedrals that I have ever seen in person. We were drawn to it the night of New Year’s Eve and Joy wanted to go to pay it a visit as soon as we set out on New Year’s Day. The enormous size and detailed, gothic design of St. Stephen’s left us awestruck. Inside was just as beautiful. Knowing that so many moments that were held way before our existence occurred in this building left us with an eerie yet peaceful feeling. Joy was particularly touched by our time here. Leah and I sat off to the side and gave Joy time to soak in everything that this moment was to her. As we left, Joy lit a candle to memorialize her experience at St. Stephens. It was such a neat and intimate way for us to start 2009 together.

Roaming the streets of Vienna...

Happy New Year!!!

Lets just say that New Year's Eve in Vienna is...AMAZING! We did not hear English spoken one time the entire night, but no doubt that 90% of the music played was in fact American circa 1980-1995. We did get to hear a few waltz pieces similar to those we heard at the beautiful Imperial Orchestra we went to to start our evening off in true Austrian fashion. Then we went to an interesting dinner at a restaurant where Americans were not loved. We received tragic service and then understood why when I went to the WC (restroom) and read the rant on Americans that was hanging on the wall. Lovely bathroom reading to be sure! It was quite humbling to be the target of discrimination. That does not happen very often to blessed, white women. I think we all need a moment to recognize how much inequality hinders everyday activities. Food for thought.

The rest of the night was fantastic, we joined the other thousands of people in the streets of downtown Vienna drinking hot punch and bubbly and enjoying the fireworks. It was a seemingly lawless night though, everyone was drinking and walking in the streets while cars and buses managed to push there way through the crowds. I also had a least 3 firecrackers go off underneath my feet. Fireworks (I mean huge fireworks) were set off at every intersection, by whoever wanted to join in really. It was very different than anything we had ever experienced, but it was loads of fun. We met lots of people from all around the world. Such great memories. We laughed and danced all night long. It was a beautiful way to start off a year that we be full of memories and crossroads.