Well, here it is...the long-awaited first post...from our first post!
{disclaimer: all these photos were taken on my phone, so I apologize for the poor quality!}
Rumor has it most spouses experience some level of boredom when they first arrive at post because they're new to the country, they may not speak the language, their spouses are at work, they don't have their stuff, internet, a car, friends, you name it. But not this girl, I have been super busy these last few weeks, in part owing to the fact that my best friend from High School was randomly in Moldova this month and introduced me to some fun new Moldovan friends.
I thought it would be kind of fun to start off with a little game: which one of the following activities/things did I NOT do in my first 12 days in Moldova?
All the other things are true.
1. I had been joking around with everyone back in the US that I was going to befriend the other Brazilian in town, but I was not exactly serious. Michael Ball & I went to the Dacia Chisinau vs. Sheriff Tiraspol soccer game last Saturday night and after the game was over, I made my way to the edge of the field and got in line to greet the players and called out to the Brazilian guy in Portuguese. It worked like a charm, he was shocked to hear anyone speaking Portuguese in Moldova and he talked to us for a few minutes after the game. We're pretty much best friends now and there are now officially 4 of us Brazilians in Moldova: him, the other soccer player and that guy's wife and me.
2. Definitely saw a dude wearing a crocheted see-through shirt. He was completely serious. Also, overalls and mullets are super-in here.
3.We did crazily drive over to Romania to pick up Ronald in a rented car...he survived the whole ordeal and was overjoyed to see us. He's settling into his new home now and enjoys all the same things as he did back home...long walks, eating, and sneaking up onto the couch when I'm not looking. We survived driving on crazy roads while jet-lagged so that was a plus.
4. Is anyone surprised, really? Of course I have already committed to making a bunch of cupcakes for next weekend, never mind that I don't have any of my materials yet...why wouldn't I?
5. Never happened.
6. Thanks to my crazy connections, I did find a group of guys for Michael Ball to play soccer with...including a German guy who is doing a year-long internship here in Moldova. His parents are from a crazy German Colony in Kazakhstan...why wouldn't they be, right?
7. More to come on this...just to keep all my readers hooked...mua-ha-ha!
8. True story. We thought we were just going to Church, peeked in to the service and there was a couple getting married up front. Then an usher caught us before we knew what we were doing...and we were there for good. Apparently the thing to do here {at least in protestant Churches} is to have a hybrid combined Wedding/Regular Sunday Morning Church Service.
9. Again, through crazy and obscure connections we stumbled upon a Harvest Church Plant which we are very excited about. The pastor is Romanian {and therefore easier to understand} and lives right in our neighborhood. His wife is a physician who works at a clinic for women who are the victims of domestic violence. They are awesome.
10. So it appears there are a lot more people than I thought here in Moldova who not only prefer to speak Russian, it may be their only language. At least they don't really speak Romanian and even then, the combination of the accent and the constant mixing in of Russian words into their Romanian makes them practically unintelligible to me. This includes some of the most convenient people around, like Taxi Drivers and waiters. Nothing better to make you feel like a dummie in a new place than to think you speak the language and it turns out you don't. Apparently this phenomenom varies a lot by neighborhood so I hope that is the case, and in all fairness I can understand what I need to and am understood enough to get around, it's just not very smooth.
Well, that will have to be all for now...I have a little 3 year old boy (our friend's son) sitting next to me and asking me why I'm still "working", aka, why I'm not playing with him and his trains...gotta get my priorities straight!
{disclaimer: all these photos were taken on my phone, so I apologize for the poor quality!}
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| On the plane, taxing to the gate in Chisinau! |
Rumor has it most spouses experience some level of boredom when they first arrive at post because they're new to the country, they may not speak the language, their spouses are at work, they don't have their stuff, internet, a car, friends, you name it. But not this girl, I have been super busy these last few weeks, in part owing to the fact that my best friend from High School was randomly in Moldova this month and introduced me to some fun new Moldovan friends.
I thought it would be kind of fun to start off with a little game: which one of the following activities/things did I NOT do in my first 12 days in Moldova?
- Befriend the Brazilian Soccer star from Dacia Chisinau Fotbal Club (for their Epic theme song click here).
- Witness a dude in his 30's pushing a stroller in a park with his kid and wife in all seriousness wearing a see-through crocheted half-sleeved shirt.
- Drive all the way to Bucharest, Romania and back in two days in order to pick up Ronald.
- Somehow get roped in to making a couple hundred cupcakes for next weekend.
- Get bit by a stray dog in the park near my house.
- Found a group of guys that Michael Ball can play soccer with.
- Find more jobs/volunteer opportunities than I know what to do with.
- Accidentally crash a Moldovan Wedding in progress.
- Find an awesome church plant started by Harvest Bible Chapel.
- Discovered that my Romanian hasn't come in as handy as I'd hoped.
All the other things are true.
1. I had been joking around with everyone back in the US that I was going to befriend the other Brazilian in town, but I was not exactly serious. Michael Ball & I went to the Dacia Chisinau vs. Sheriff Tiraspol soccer game last Saturday night and after the game was over, I made my way to the edge of the field and got in line to greet the players and called out to the Brazilian guy in Portuguese. It worked like a charm, he was shocked to hear anyone speaking Portuguese in Moldova and he talked to us for a few minutes after the game. We're pretty much best friends now and there are now officially 4 of us Brazilians in Moldova: him, the other soccer player and that guy's wife and me.
 |
| The park with a lake by our house... |
3.We did crazily drive over to Romania to pick up Ronald in a rented car...he survived the whole ordeal and was overjoyed to see us. He's settling into his new home now and enjoys all the same things as he did back home...long walks, eating, and sneaking up onto the couch when I'm not looking. We survived driving on crazy roads while jet-lagged so that was a plus.
 |
| Ronald before pack-out... |
 |
| Do dogs get jet-lag? |
4. Is anyone surprised, really? Of course I have already committed to making a bunch of cupcakes for next weekend, never mind that I don't have any of my materials yet...why wouldn't I?
5. Never happened.
6. Thanks to my crazy connections, I did find a group of guys for Michael Ball to play soccer with...including a German guy who is doing a year-long internship here in Moldova. His parents are from a crazy German Colony in Kazakhstan...why wouldn't they be, right?
8. True story. We thought we were just going to Church, peeked in to the service and there was a couple getting married up front. Then an usher caught us before we knew what we were doing...and we were there for good. Apparently the thing to do here {at least in protestant Churches} is to have a hybrid combined Wedding/Regular Sunday Morning Church Service.
 |
| The main Orthodox Church downtown |
9. Again, through crazy and obscure connections we stumbled upon a Harvest Church Plant which we are very excited about. The pastor is Romanian {and therefore easier to understand} and lives right in our neighborhood. His wife is a physician who works at a clinic for women who are the victims of domestic violence. They are awesome.
10. So it appears there are a lot more people than I thought here in Moldova who not only prefer to speak Russian, it may be their only language. At least they don't really speak Romanian and even then, the combination of the accent and the constant mixing in of Russian words into their Romanian makes them practically unintelligible to me. This includes some of the most convenient people around, like Taxi Drivers and waiters. Nothing better to make you feel like a dummie in a new place than to think you speak the language and it turns out you don't. Apparently this phenomenom varies a lot by neighborhood so I hope that is the case, and in all fairness I can understand what I need to and am understood enough to get around, it's just not very smooth.
Well, that will have to be all for now...I have a little 3 year old boy (our friend's son) sitting next to me and asking me why I'm still "working", aka, why I'm not playing with him and his trains...gotta get my priorities straight!
It's so great to hear about your (not-surprisingly) crazy adventures. Glad you are not bored--I can't imagine a worse fate for you! Keep the stories coming.
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