Opt Martie
Original Sent Date: March 13, 2005
Hello everyone back home!
I feel like I haven't written in a while-- I guess I've been pretty busy here with all the things I create to keep myself busy....oh well.
I feel like I haven't written in a while-- I guess I've been pretty busy here with all the things I create to keep myself busy....oh well.
I'm going to take over running a camp for 120 girls next summer, called GLOW (girls leading our world) and am currently in the process of planning another camp for the kids from my center this summer (incidentally, if you all back home are willing to help financially, I will have information on the Peace Corps Website in a couple of weeks. More info to follow...). I didn't realize how in-depth grant writing is! Crazy.
On the eighth of March, we celebrated International Women's Day. Well, everyone kept talking on and on about how it was the day to celebrate women in the entire world, but from asking I found out it's only women's day in Romania, the Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia. So, maybe they should call it "Former Soviet Block Country Women's Day" but that doesn't have the same ring and it's harder to make up songs about that.
On the eighth of March, we celebrated International Women's Day. Well, everyone kept talking on and on about how it was the day to celebrate women in the entire world, but from asking I found out it's only women's day in Romania, the Ukraine, Moldova, and Russia. So, maybe they should call it "Former Soviet Block Country Women's Day" but that doesn't have the same ring and it's harder to make up songs about that.
But, I ramble. This holiday was more commercialized than Christmas. You're expected to give pretty much every woman in your life a present, but luckily for my poor Peace Corps wallet, an acceptable present was a flower, breaking the bank at 5 lei (or 40 cents). I upped the anty a bit for the host mom, and made her a scarf and a pair of mittens. She gave me a towel, one of the typical Moldovan gifts. Coming in number two on the list of Moldovan gifts would be plates, but I haven't received any as I am a spinster in this country. My host dad was original and gave me a pair of out-door type slippers. I had been wearing this apparently horrible pair of galoshes everywhere in the town, but he HATES them because "only" old women (called Babas here) are allowed to wear them as they please. My red-with-pink-embroidery-slippers are much more appropriate to the social landscape.
Oh course, we had a huge meal, consisting mostly of the meat jelly. Yeah, I think I will never ever ever like it.
Yesterday, I threw a baby shower for my program manager at the peace corps. She's Moldovan, and had never heard of a baby shower before. In Moldova, it's bad luck to give presents for a person that hasn't been born yet, but we made her stop being superstitious. Ha. We played all those stupid horrible games that everyone deep down hates at baby showers (you know, wrapping toilet paper around her belly, making up new baby names, and not being able to say baby at the risk of losing your clothes pin...) and it went over really well. Silvia (the mother to be) seems relatively amused by us and all of these ridiculous ideas.
I think (not really sure) that Thursday is St. Patrick's Day. Since I've celebrated every single St. Day know to man in this country, I wonder if there will be a big party.... keep your fingers crossed!
Oh! I told you all about my leaky eye in my last e-mail. The specialist said that it was Chronic Pink Eye. How horrible. I was forced to take 40 eye drops a day for a while, and know it's pretty close to gone. It's sometimes a little trickle, but for the most part it's calmed from the river it once was.
Oh course, we had a huge meal, consisting mostly of the meat jelly. Yeah, I think I will never ever ever like it.
Yesterday, I threw a baby shower for my program manager at the peace corps. She's Moldovan, and had never heard of a baby shower before. In Moldova, it's bad luck to give presents for a person that hasn't been born yet, but we made her stop being superstitious. Ha. We played all those stupid horrible games that everyone deep down hates at baby showers (you know, wrapping toilet paper around her belly, making up new baby names, and not being able to say baby at the risk of losing your clothes pin...) and it went over really well. Silvia (the mother to be) seems relatively amused by us and all of these ridiculous ideas.
I think (not really sure) that Thursday is St. Patrick's Day. Since I've celebrated every single St. Day know to man in this country, I wonder if there will be a big party.... keep your fingers crossed!
Oh! I told you all about my leaky eye in my last e-mail. The specialist said that it was Chronic Pink Eye. How horrible. I was forced to take 40 eye drops a day for a while, and know it's pretty close to gone. It's sometimes a little trickle, but for the most part it's calmed from the river it once was.
Hopefully, there will be no more weird illnesses in this country.
Heart,
Darcie
Heart,
Darcie
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| I have to borrow someone else's shoes to go to bathroom through the mud. |
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| Caruta ride!!! |
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