On Christmas Eve, I cooked dinner for Emilia's circle (to the right, Carolina, Mariana, Anamaria, Nina, and me). This dinner consisted of dishes that I know they don't typically have but none were Chinese dishes. Emilia made the decision - lasagna and fish. My lasagna recipe happens to be very good so I knew they would enjoy it. For the fish dish, I made paella but split into two types - one with just fish (because Emilia isn't too keen on other seafood) and the other with other seafood like mussels, clams, squid, shrimp. Both were very tasty and the ladies complimented me on their flavors - the saffron makes all the difference!
Tatiana, my business partner had presented me with this traditional bottle of wine featuring a figure of a Moldovan man. She indicated she was wishing in jest that I meet a good Moldovan man here!
Christmas Day was spent with the Cataragas, my first host family. The 25th is not a big holiday for Moldovans since Jan 7th is their traditional Orthodox Christmas. However, we made a point to celebrate it with them It was wonderful to see the family again after several months. Victoria has spent her first semester at university in Romania, and is loving it. Bunica Zina and Elena are the same, looking well. Stacy is the M29 PCV who I had mentored when she first arrived in Moldova, and she also had lived with the Cataragas during her training period. Stacy is a consultant for an NGO specializing in textile and fashion design businesses. We all had a grand reunion!
Of course, Bunica had prepared a sumptuous meal for us - special dish was the roasted rabbit! And wine and cognac flowed.
Some changes had occurred since I last lived with them - the dirt road outside their house which had been filled with holes and eroded ditches was totally paved over, all the way to the main road into Ciorescu's center! Wow! That was fantastic! And a new rupture route stopped right outside their house - we didn't have to walk up the slope for 1/4 of a mile anymore - progress!
After our host family visit, I went back to Chisinau to join other PCVs for a live concert at Organ Hall where a string orchestra and choral group performed an oratorio. This hall had the largest organ I'd ever seen. The performances were excellent and we had seating very close to the stage. Soloists from the operatic troupe did a tremendous job on their parts. I hope to attend more concerts at this charming little Hall in the future.
Post-concert, we all strolled through the main center where displays of holiday lights were at their peak. The light display this year was much more than last year's. It extended from the space across the federal building into Cathedral Park across the way. Western-style holiday music was prominent everywhere. One wonders where all the money comes from to invest in these resplendent displays. Of course, Chisinau is the capital city and people expect that it be decked out for foreign visitors, like most other capitals. Moldovans can be very proud of their lavish light spectacle!
New Year's Eve is a probably the biggest affair in Moldova. This is indeed the occasion for partying, such food and drink, dancing, exchanging presents, and just sheer merriment long into the wee hours of the morning. Carol, Terry, and I decided we wanted a special treat for NYE so we booked a room at Purcari Winery in southern Moldova and attended their special dinner celebration. Purcari is one of the premium wineries in the country. What a treat it was!
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| Our room |
The inn was a wooden lodge with an interesting design, ceilings all of wood and slanted every which way. There were about 40 guests in total. One large group of about 20 was from Romania; all relatives or friends of one another. They included about 8 children. A couple of other groups were local Moldovans who were not staying at the inn but staying in nearby Stefan Voda about 28 km away. Everyone was very friendly, and we of course stuck out like sore thumbs!Our dinner was the most spectacular I've had in Moldova - a first-class 9-course meal eaten over the course of 6 hours!! We had the likes of salmon tartar, caviar on toast, foie gras, sautéed whole shrimp as appetizers. For the main courses, we had grilled salmon or sea bass, and beef tenderloin medallions with zucchini. These portions were not skimpy; by the time it was midnight, we were already full! All the while, the wine was flowing - white, rose, and red for the different courses that were served. Purcari wines were some of the best I've tasted in Moldova. Meanwhile, in between the slow and steady pacing of the eating, we listened to the DJ playing mostly American pop/rock music and danced along with the other guests. We were having a great time.
As midnight approached, the staff switched on the data projector to show the television channel that was doing the countdown to the new year. First, we rang in 2015 in Moscow (this is a standard practice as many Moldovans are ethnic Russian or Ukrainian or have relatives in those locations. We hear Putin give his New Year's greetings and then we toasted with champagne (from Cricova). Another hour later, we did the same to ring in the Moldovan new year. Purcari also had some fireworks to shoot off outside the inn, so we all got into our coats and stepped outside into the frigid night. It was a small display but very nicely done. At 1:00 AM, we were served our beef entree and soon thereafter, our tiramisu dessert. We just couldn't eat the cheese platter, also on the menu - we simply were sated. Then we went to bed! We were the first ones up in the morning (about 9 AM) and came down to breakfast (also included in our special package). All in all, we spent a wonderful day and a half, and I would highly recommend this venue for not only a New Year's celebration but any other special occasion.
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| Angela |
When I returned to Balti on the 2nd, I got a surprise invitation - come sledding with the AFA staff! One thing about Moldovans, there is not much advance notice given when something special occurs. I was the last one to know. Tatiana picked me up about 1/2 hour after I arrived at my apartment, drove us to Glodeni about 18 km away into the countryside. We were in the middle of nowhere but apparently Tatiana goes to this spot often for picnics and winter recreation. Among the AFA staff and their families, there were four sleds being used as we trekked into the fields. A fire was starting up because, of course, we were going to have a BBQ!
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| Dragos, my coworker |
Hot mulled wine and cognac to stave off the cold. Barbecued pork being grilled. Foil-wrapped potatoes buried in the hot embers. Fruits and veggies for the side dishes. Cakes for dessert What more could a crowd want?!
As the sun set, we built up the fire to keep us warm, and did a bit of circle dancing as the Moldovans are known for - the hora. Finally with the moon glowing above us, we packed up everything, extinguished the fire, and went home. What a fun day that was!
My last Craciun and Anul Nou season here in Moldova - I will have fond memories of these precious times with my Moldovan friends!
