Reflections On The Last Few Months

Well it's hard to believe but the school year is coming to an end here in Moldova. Our last day of school will be the 31st and the 12th grade students will then have their final exams the first few weeks of June. Before I delve into my thoughts about the end of my first year in the Peace Corps, I want to share a bit about my travels in Romania. I was able to visit this beautiful country during Easter break. This was a ground breaking trip for me because this was the first ever trip that I planned and booked, and for a nervous control freak such as myself it was a huge personal accomplishment. Luckily, everything went pretty much as planned. We traveled to Brasov,Bran, and Sighisoara (the latter two are famous for having connections to Dracula)and were able to see some amazing castles and Gothic churches and architecture.The picture directly above is a famous Lutheran church called The Black Church, due to a huge fire that damaged the entire church. It was interesting to notice some of the similarities between Romania and Moldova since Moldova at one point was part of Romania. However, it became very clear from the beginning that Romania is financialy more stable than my host country partially due to the revenue from touristy spots like Bran and Brasov. But without getting into the political, in short it was a lovely trip. Since we visited in the off season as far as tourist season goes, my boyfriend and I were able to eat in restaurants, tour museums and castles practically by ourselves. I'm hoping to take my parents to Romania this summer. Since I already know the language and its extremely close to Moldova (the only real hardship is taking a 10 hour bus ride up a windy path) it seems like the perfect spot to meet up with my parents before we set off for Moldova. Also in August (which is the hart of tourist season) Brasov and Bran are suppose to host beer festivals and Renaissance-like days which should be interesting to see.
So now that everyone is booking their trips to Romania :) I also want to share a little about the Easter holiday here in Moldova. Easter as it turns out, is the biggest religious holiday here in Moldova. I got the amazing opportunity to visit an Orthodox church both on Good Friday and on Easter. I was very nervous to attend the services because while I've tried to explain my host family and those I work with that I am Christain, it's hard to explain that I am not Orthodox and that our customs and traditions are different. So my nervousness stemmed from not knowing whether I'd be expected to know the traditions and rules of the church since I had labeled myself a Christian. But like I've been finding out here in Moldova and in the Peace Corps in general, people are extremely appreciative in whatever interest you show in their culture and I found myself being passed on from one old lady to the next in my church, guiding me through the service and showing me what to do. Luckily, my students were also at the services and took me in, asking me all sorts of questions like "is this how your church is back home?" and "do you like our customs?" While it was overwhelming at times (the Easter service lasts from 11 pm until 7am!) it was an experience I will never forget. The service had many different parts to it. Firstly, the whole community brought with them to the church food that would be their Easter meal. All the members layed their meals on the alter and around the church (picture below).This is done so that at the end of the service, the priest could bless their food with holy water. Then at the beginning of the Easter service around 12 pm, the whole congregation went outside and circled the church three times by candle light. Many of the men from the village carried banners depicting different saints and the choir repeated the verse "Chris has risen". The procession was lead by the priest and several other men who were holding an empty coffin that was covered with a black cloth (symbolizing the death of Jesus). Then the service continued inside with a slue of prayers and chanting lead by the priest and the choir which sang all night long. Then around 5 am in the morning, the priest began to bless all the food and the congregation. After being up all night I have to say being sprayed with water was one way to wake up! As we prepared to walk home from the service, I saw that the rest of the community (hundreds of people) had gathered and lined up outside of the church waiting for the priest to bless their Easter meal. The roads were lined with people and their baskets of eggs, bread and meats. It was a sight to see. My host mom and I decided to go straight back to our house to eat our meal and sleep for the rest of the day. Others, however, went straight from the church to the cemetery to pay respects to their relatives. In fact in Moldova, there are two types of Easter celebrations. There is the Easter celebration where the Orthodox church recognizes the death of Jesus and then a week later is Paştele Blajinilor which means "Memorial Easter, and this is where the community goes and visits the graves of their relatives. Many bring flowers (must be an even number), food and wine. Families actually have a meal right at the grave site in order to remember and pay respect to those family members. Unfortunately, I was in Romania at that time so I wasn't able to witness this particular celebration. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it next year.
Well I think I have caught everyone up on the latest huge events here in Moldova. The next exciting events that will be occurring will be our village's "Haram" which is basically the Day of the Village. Also as I said, the end of school is approaching along with the arrival of the new volunteers here in Moldova! Seeing them arrive here will certainly bring back memories of my first months in country. And finally, I have finished writing a grant proposal for my school and am hoping to hear news of possible funding in the next months or so. Thanks again to everyone who has sent packages and well-wishes back from the states. I'm expecially thinking of Bonnie and Pastor Clark as well as my mom and dad, and my grandparents back in Illinois. Thinking of you always!

And one last "treat" for all those carnivore lovers. Here is an excellent picture of my Easter dinner - frozen and all! Bon Appetit!