Rough times...

And now for an update about life in Moldova. Oh boy, where do I begin.

Let's just say it's been a rough couple of weeks.

A couple of weekends ago I attended the annual Wine Festival held in Chisinau, which was a lot of fun. I got to spend time with some of the close friends I've made here in Moldova and celebrate a very special, cultural event (while getting a little tipsy in the process). Wine is VERY important to Moldovans, so drinking with thousands of them in the streets of the capital was a special moment.

These past couple weeks, teaching has been a bit of a challenge. I am team-teaching here in Moldova, which is something I did not know would be happening coming into this. Many times, I feel like a substitute teacher or a student teacher, as the Moldovans have their own unique way of teaching and it has been difficult to make myself heard. I will continue to try, but up until this point, my primary assignment as an English teacher has felt like a big demotion, especially considering I already have experience in this field.

The highlights of my experience so far have been my village and the students. My village is fantastic. It is beautiful and the crisp autumn weather has really helped to improve my mood. This past weekend I went on a hike in the forest near my village and caught some great views, while reading some John Steinbeck. I told my school director about this and she then proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't do that alone anymore as I might get eaten by a wild boar.

The students are fantastic and are very eager to learn. It is difficult at times with the language barrier, but any good teacher knows that body language and confidence can overcome that. Teaching the 2nd graders and the 12th graders are my highlight every week. I get to start from the beginning with my 2nd graders, and then with my 12th grade class, we get to have serious discussions about politics and gender roles.

This experience, all in all, has been full of highs and lows. There are some days when all I want to do is go back to America, and other days when I feel like I should be here. I think that is probably typical for a Peace Corps volunteer. The differences in how I live here are drastic to how I live my life in America. Here, in Moldova, I chop firewood, hitchhike without worry and only bathe once or twice a week. And surprisingly, those are the things that are easiest to deal with.

I do have one great thing to look forward to. For Winter Break, I am going to Hungary (Budapest and Romania (Bucharest, Brasov and Sibiu) for a vacation. Should be great.

Here's to hoping the next few weeks will look a little brighter. Miss everyone back home.

No on Prop. 8

Dear California residents,

I've just received some pretty dismal news. A friend of mine just emailed me and said it looks like Proposition 8 (the propisition to ban gay marriage) is going to pass in the upcoming election. Frankly, I'm disappointed. Call me naive, but I haven't even been checking up on the progress of this proposition because I just assumed that most residents of such a great state would never allow such ridiculousness to happen. Imagine my surprise when I received this email. It is sad news for me personally and obviously very sad news for those people who have already rightly taken advantage of their recent right to get married in California.

I can only plead with you to vote in order to turn this into some good news. As I sit here living in a country where freedom is not a guaranteed right for individuals, I question if my own country is much better for not granting me the freedom to marry if I so choose. Oppression is the worst form of injustice because it fosters hate and even indifference . Please don't justify voting "Yes" on this proposition by resting on religious laurels. You insult the many religious people who recognize the modern injustice of this proposition and will vote accordingly.

I hope to one day have a family that is just as valid and fair as the one my sister has recently started. It seems unfair that this dream is not in my hands; it rests in your hands. And you can do something about it.

Do you think he'd fit in my suitcase?

So, I know it's not right to want to steal children that don't belong to you, but if I could bring one home with me from Moldova, it would be this kid. He is in my second grade English class and every time I see him he screams, "HELLO!!!!" at the top of his lungs, then proceeds to ask me, "How are you?", "How old are you?", and "Where are you from?" All phrases that I taught him to say. He is pretty ADD and has a very short attention span so I constantly have to get him to refocus. When I say his name and tell him to focus he turns around quickly and acts like he has no idea where he is, which is obviously adorable... and probably a bit true. Today, he got chalk all over his face and I had to spend 5 minutes helping him get it off. He, or course, spent the whole time giggling. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he already has parents.

New Wish List!

So many of you have asked that I post a new wish list of things that I might need here in Moldova. Thanks to all of you who have been so generous to send me packages. In case you are thinking of doing so in the future, here are some things I wouldn't mind having:

1) Computer games (corny, cheap ones are fine. I've already mastered Marble Gold, man I'm a dork)
2) Pants! Size 30x32. I've dropped close to 25 pounds here and as a result, none of my pants fit me anymore.
3) T-shirts. I am so bored of my shirts already. I only brought 4. Even used ones you want to see me wearing in pictures from Moldova are fine.
4) American candy (remember, no peanuts!)
5) Good books. I'm reading A LOT! The Peace Corps library is already looking pretty dull.
6) Magazines: National Geographic, Nat'l Geographic Adventure, Outside Go, Budget Travel...
7) NEW MUSIC! I have not heard ANY songs from the summer. I keep hearing about this "I Kissed a Girl" song, but I've still never heard it. I am SO out of the loop. Burn me some CDs, y'all!
8) DVDs. Don't go crazy, but I'll watch anything, really.
9) Underwear. Boxer briefs. :)
10) Snack food: Potato Chips, Granola Bars, Cheez-Its... withdrawal from these is why I lost all that weight.
11) Pictures: of you! All the Moldovans want to see my friends, and so do I!
12) Holiday music! The Moldovans celebrate their Christmas in January, so I will need some music to help remind me.