Discotechs and birthday parties

Buenos dias! An unusual warm front has swept through Moldova and I actually saw the sun for the first time in about a month. It has definitely helped my spirits. This winter should be very interesting; I’ve started to stockpile vitamins to combat the Seasonal Affective Disorder that is a problem in Moldova and for Peace Corps Moldova volunteers. I was trying to get information from my partner about the amount of sunlight in the winter, because it is quite relevant for my solar panel greenhouse project and for my general curiosity, and he simply replied “Nehlu, don’t worry. Spring will be here in April and you will have all the sun you want.” Not exactly the answer I was looking for.

Today is my host mother’s birthday and the women are busy in the kitchen preparing a feast for a party that starts in two hours. I wanted to help, but instead I was seated at the table and assumed the role of taste tester. No problem on this end, it felt like Thanksgiving back home, yet sadly no turkey. What amazed me most is that the ladies prepared enough food to feed all of Russia and then some, and they did it all with no running water. Next time you are trying to host a party try preparing everything with no running water, two knives (very dull and not serrated), two pots, one pan, and an annoying foreigner in your kitchen butchering your language. Bine ați venit la Moldova.

To tell you the truth, I would really like to be curled up in my bed taking a nap right now instead of prepping myself for a long day at the masa. Last night I was somehow talked into going out to a discotech in a small village next to mine called Verejeni. Dancing until four in the morning with Moldovans to Michael Jackson techno remixes in a lazered out, fogged up, discotech that looked like a cave is one experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. The celebrity status that we enjoy here when we’re out and about is quite fun. It’s going to be weird going out in America and not having the owners of the place invite me to their table and spoil me with attention and anything else I want. After last night’s debauchery, I rolled out of bed (all Moldovan furniture turn into beds-it’s amazing) at 8:30 and hitchhiked back to my village just in time to buy the last bouquet of flowers in the market for my mama gazda.

The pictures below are from the village I was in. It was the first time I visited there, and was very impressed. The village is set 2 kilometers off the main road and it’s a beautiful walk through the valley past horses and goats, over a bridge, and up a hill to the village. My desire to move to a smaller village continues, and this one made a very good impression on me. I was able to talk with a man that works at the mayor’s office that wants to undertake a major project with my organization to help define the property rights in the area. It is a big project, and it plays a critical role if development is to occur. After the large, Soviet collective farms, called kolhozes, were dismantled the land was given to each member of the village and/or kolhoz. The system was a bit chaotic and there is still a huge problem with unclear title and property rights. If you think about the difference between developed and developing countries, I bet that you will find that developed countries all share the characteristic that property rights are defined and there isn’t this wild-west mentality over who owns the land. I would love to help with the implementation of this project and it would significantly increase future possibilities for the region, the producers, and the citizens. With the state of the economy, the country is in desperate need of foreign investments, but what firm would want to invest in a place where the title of ownership is unclear and can be retracted on a whim?





The rest of this week has been relatively quiet. I’ve spent most of my time researching irrigation, green energy, rabbit farms, and greenhouses while trying my hand at day trading on the stock market (to an extent). It’s amazing the amount of free time I have on my hands when the only schedule I have revolves around meals. I have gotten myself into the bad habit of watching television series that I downloaded onto my external hard drive. The series Deadwood so far has consumed my nights for the past week and a half. I’m trying to get back into reading more, but the book I’m currently reading about the history of a Russian village is a tad dry (yet interesting), and I can only take about 30 minutes before I have to put it down. I’m determined not to abandon it, but at this rate the fate of the book doesn’t look too bright.

Since it’s cold now I’ve started going to the gym more instead of running. The gym is pretty sparse, but it has the basics and I’m happy. The owner of it is Domnul Volva, a tank of a man that insists I start Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bodybuilding routine from the 1980’s. This past Friday he was quite boisterous about it, and kept shoving the old magazine (written entirely in Russian) at me, and insisted that I follow it. I respect the fact that he is thirty years my senior, but there is no way I’m doing fifty squats in a Smith machine and ruin my back. When in doubt I usually give people the “N-am inteles”-I don’t understand, and do what I want. He caught on pretty quick, and flipped out and yelled at me in Russian to do what I want, just don’t expect any help from him again (this is the edited, clean version). I was okay with that, although in no way was it my intention to make him loose his temper, and I turned my iPod on and proceeded to have a great workout Upon leaving, we reconciled and both apologized, a rare occurrence between Moldovan men, and am glad that I didn’t loose one of the few friends I have in my village.

My exhaustion and hunger have reached monumental heights, and it has taken me two hours to write this entry. I wish the party wasn’t going to take place in my room, I really need to rest my eyes for a minute. I realize I do a bad job of taking pictures here, and I promise I will work on that. Here are a few to keep you entertained:

A Moldova taekwondo club

Another volunteer's house

My gym

Outside of my gym

Random pack of turkeys that roam outside of my apartment

My host mothers birthday party.

* I found that you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. It helps for the landscape shots.