Holiday cameraderie and fun

The holidays have come and gone here in Moldova and I'm quickly sharing some photos of joyous times with my friends during Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Jan 2.  A brief run-through:


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!

      

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.

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!


                                                                                                         

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!

"Seeing" potential

Dec 15th was the grand opening of our new social enterprise employing several very capable beneficiaries with vision impairments who were trained in massage therapies.  "San Tao Centrul de Terapie Manuală" is the result of a project funded by the East European Fund, organized and led by my business partner Asociatia Femeilor de Afaceri.  It was achieved through the hard work of our beneficiaries with significant contributions by numerous NGOs and municipal agencies in the northern region of Moldova.  Now it's in business!  Of course, we have a Facebook page - San Tao. 

Our director Tatiana provided an introduction to the project, explained the selection of the beneficiaries who participated, and thanked the community partners who helped to realize the project goals.

Our graduates of the pilot group included five vision-impaired students. These beneficiaries possess varying degrees of visual impairment.  However, they are able to function in society and were eager to learn a trade in order to be able to live more independently.  Indeed, they wanted to contribute financially to their family's well-being.  This AFA program gave them that opportunity.  We at AFA couldn't be more proud of their determination and hard work!


The group portrait below includes Vlad, Victoria, Andrei, Olga, Alina, Vadim, and three community leaders from the Balti municipality who collaborated with AFA on the project.

Andrei performing Thai massage

Andrei and Vlad in the photos are demonstrating their massage skills on a couple of willing clients as onlookers observe. Thai massage requires the patient to lie on the floor while the therapist works the entire body, periodically lifting, turning, twisting, and flexing different body parts. This technique loosens and stretches the muscles along specific meridians of the body. Circulation is enhanced thus increasing energy flow.

Vlad is giving a customer a chair massage.  This type of massage is one that is popular because it can be given onsite at a work location.  The unique types of massages offered are Thai massage which is one that requires two-hours of manipulation.  It is very physical in that the therapist has to be strong, lifting the patient around, turning the body in various directions, and twisting the torso.  Free massages were offered to all of the guests who came to the grand opening.  Needless to say, the therapists were very busy!

Olga to the right is telling the audience a little about her background.  She expresses gratitude for the chance to learn a serious vocation, and show the public what she's capable of despite her vision limitations.

Other massage services offered by San Tao include foot reflexology, anti-cellulite procedures, four-handed massage (two therapists working on a client simultaneously), and facial massages.  Business will take time to grow but all those associated with the project are very optimistic that the Center will be a going concern within the next year.  The space where San Tao is located is being subsidized through contributions from the municipal agencies who are partnering with AFA.

Laying out the goodies

As with any launch of a program, business, or organization in Moldova, there is a masa (a big feast).  The place was brimming with food (placinta, cookies, candies, fruits, cakes) along with several varieties of tea and coffee.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get refreshments that were particularly "Asian" (I was not prepared to attempt making dim sum or sushi!).

The above description of the project states the facts but here's my personal reflection on it.  This project resonated with me personally because in years past, I had had massage training myself and been certified as a massage therapist in CA.  While I never went into the actual practice of massage therapy, I certainly learned a great deal about its practice, techniques, benefits, what not to do, etc.  Thus, I was pleased to be able to offer concrete ideas, suggestions, and guidance to the therapists and on the establishment of the Center.  I've also been the recipient of massages from several blind people, and Thai massages in Thailand.  Indeed, I thought I was the perfect consultant for this very project!

The translation for the sign to the left:
This project is open within the project "Social / vocational integration of persons with vision disabilities from the municipality Balti and the northern region of Moldova", implemented by the Association of Business Women of municipality Balti, with support of the East European Foundation, from resources provided by the Swedish Government via the Swedish Agency for International Development and Cooperation (SIDA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

It was a real privilege to help these vision-impaired people who I fully believe will shine in their new vocations, and will be better integrated into Moldovan society.  

 

Funding for Crafts Workshop

Here’s an update on the funding request that I had put forward in my September 25th blog  ….  We got full funding!!!  Thank you to all who were kind and generous in their contributions to this unique project.  You are my best supporters and what I achieve here in Moldova is spurred by not only your financial support, but just as much by your moral and emotional support.  You have no idea!

Some of our beneficiaries outside the Singerei residential
center for disabled people which will house one workshop

Part of their training includes
entrepreneurship education should
they want to start their own business

The project’s purpose is to develop vocational skills in people with special needs, and launch them in their new craft work by employing them in a special workshop.  The grant will fund custom equipment and supplies specific for their crafts.  The beneficiaries will be able to hone their skills and their products will be sold in the local markets earning them some independent income.  The ultimate goal is to sustain this process with a continued flow of people with disabilities who will acquire marketable vocational skills and secure employment in similar workshops and/or establish their own small businesses within their villages.  This pilot project is well on its way towards achieving the first graduating class of ABLED students!  The crafts workshop is expected to open around January/February time frame.

Working in groups to develop business ideas while
also training them to work together in teams

As part of the training, each beneficiary is given an aptitude test to determine where his/her skills, talents, and interests lie.  Then the counselor can assist them to select the appropriate vocations that would build on their strengths, and suit their abilities and interests.  Altogether during this pilot project, we've had 60 people with disabilities go through the program at two different Centers, one in Singerei (Dezdna pictured here) and one in Balti.  For the craft workshops, we expect about 18 of those will proceed with apprenticeships there.

Forum of leaders from the community
coalescing to forge the project plan

Early on, our project had buy-in from a number of stakeholders with a vested interest in a successful outcome from this initiative.  They ranged from city halls of various affected towns, municipal agencies, local employment development agencies, other NGOs associated with social services for the disabled, and even local employers.  They all recognize that it is to the benefit of society at large to be able to afford a means of livelihood for people with disabilities so they can add to economic growth in their communities.

I will periodically post on this blog information on our progress over the next several months.  Thanks again for all you do to help me be a more effective volunteer here in Moldova!  It's impossible for me to do this work without you!

Barbara
2 December 2014

                                             

Funding a crafts workshop for people with special needs

Buna ziua din Moldova!!  This blog posting is focused on raising money to help people with special needs gain employment in order for them to support themselves and their families.  

People with special needs are just like other human beings.  Some have a disability that is visible to others – such as blindness, confinement to a wheelchair, deafness, etc.  You might feel sorry for them, but they are the lucky ones.  Many other handicapped people have much more severe conditions and require constant care and attention.  The lucky ones, however, have one thing that is not disabled …. they have their brains! 

          

Their brains are normal and healthy, fully capable of learning and applying new-found knowledge.  With some additional tools and techniques, they can demonstrate a full range of aptitudes and talents.  Unfortunately, they have had to overcome various obstacles that get in the way of their progress – from outright prejudice to shameful neglect.  The good news is Moldova has passed legislation that supports and protects the rights of disabled people.  (The term "disabled" is the standard term used in Moldova and in its documentation.)

     

My partner organization has launched a project to train people with special needs in entrepreneurship, vocational training, and life skills.  One of our key goals is to equip crafts studios/workshops where disabled people can acquire/hone their creative talents to produce arts and crafts for sale.  These facilities offer them a dedicated place to practice their skills, create quality products, and sell them in the marketplace.  To that end, we've set up a project site on Peace Corps' website to solicit contributions from families, friends, and other interested parties. The Soros Foundation is supplying the majority of the project funding, but we're just shy about $3,500 to ensure full provisions for our workshop.  

Working on crafts at a center for disabled

 All donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent of the federal and local laws.  The full description of the project and details on how to make a donation can be found on this link:

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=14-261-006

Traditional institutions for people with special needs do not capitalize on their strengths nor do they nurture their capabilities. This project strives to change that paradigm.  I'm a firm believer that disabled people, while they may need a helping hand, also need an enabling hand because they do have abilities beyond their apparent disabilities.  They just want to make a decent living and live independently if they can.  We're helping them to realize those goals.

If this project speaks to you and you can help out, please click on the link above and make a donation in any amount.  I'd be very grateful!!  If you've already made a donation, thank you so much!  Mulţumesc!

Barbara Jue

Peace Corps Volunteer

Small Enterprise Development

Republic of Moldova

Nunta din Moldova

Buna ziua din Balti!!  Yes, it's been a long dry spell since my last blog!  But this posting deserves its own space.  I had the privilege of being invited to a Moldovan wedding celebration on July 26.  And what a celebration it was!

Our very own Adil, a fellow PCV from the business development sector, met and fell in love with Cristina, a beautiful Moldovan woman in his work site Falesti.  She works in a nearby department and speaks some English so they hit it off - lucky Adil!

The actual marriage was on the previous Thursday usually attended by close family and friends held in the orthodox church.  The big party for the masses took place on Saturday starting at 7 PM and was designated to last until 3:00 AM, and that was for the first phase of the celebration.  This is a common practice; it's not surprising if guests stay for 1-2 days partying!

As in many cultures, Moldovan weddings are packed with traditions and rituals.  Contemporary western customs are also included, like the removal of the bride's garter and tossing it to a handful of bachelors.  A Moldovan wedding is one of the most expensive investments for a family - couples can save for this one event for years.  Sometimes they even borrow money from banks to cover the costs of the gala affair.  Wedding gown shops, wedding halls, banquet restaurants, and photographers conduct lucrative businesses all focused on that one life-altering event - the wedding.

Greeting guests with wine and colaci

Fortunately, another tradition for the newlyweds is presenting them with monetary gifts.  Cash seems to be the most acceptable gift form, collected through a table-by-table visitation process.  The couple is accompanied by their năşi, a married couple who serves as spiritual counselors for the husband and wife during their marriage, similar to godparents.  Adil and Cristina's năşi were her sister and brother-in-law.  They visit with all the guests, who toast the couple's good fortune.  The guests in turn offer money along with their blessings, oftentimes declaring the amount of money and visibly depositing it into a collection bowl.  We provided monetary gifts, of course, but contained within cards as the American practice is more discreet (and perhaps less embarrassing).  

Collecting gifts of money

Singer of Romanian songs

Colorful dancers

Group dancing is a big custom at these events, and went on before food was served, during, and after.  A dance/song troupe of Moldovans performed folk-type songs as well as more popular fare (the latter on a playlist)  They entertained throughout the entire time (8 hours) without much of a break.  They were fabulous!  Singing Romanian/Moldovan songs and dancing folk dances separately and with the guests - they tirelessly kept the guests participating in activity after activity.  The locals all enjoy dancing the "hora", circle dances where specific dance steps didn't need to be followed just as long as you could keep up with the circle.  And you didn't need a partner!  Everyone was having fun but the ulterior motive for the energetic dancing??  I claim it's because the guests have to keep eating the mountains of food brought to the tables.  Round 1 of eating, round 1 of dancing - round 2 of eating, round 2 of dancing, and so on.  It was an effective strategy!

Now let's talk about the food --- there must have been at least 20 separate courses (meaning dishes).  In other words, food was in huge abundance, also traditional in a wedding feast.  It's not a fit feast unless piles of food are left on the table!  What sorts of dishes were served?  There were some familiar dishes that are found at every masa (party) like racitori, sarmale, and pan-fried battered chicken.  However, we did have some other dishes that were new to me - smoked salmon, shrimp(!), sauteed mushrooms wrapped in a pasta noodle sac, little colored jello squares in yogurt, to name a few.  Everything was delicious - this restaurant was top-notch!  Drinks were also ample - champagne, red and white wine, cognac from Tiraspol (Transnistria), sodas and mineral water.  Not only do the host families toast the happy couple and the invited guests (meaning those toasted are expected to drink), but the guests also go around to other tables and toast one another.  Normally cognac is drunk in one gulp from a shot glass (wine sometimes too from a wine glass), and then the glass is refilled right away.

Heading skyward

Getting ready to launch

A beautiful modern custom is to send small hot air lanterns floating into the sky.  Altogether four such lanterns were staged, two red and two white heart-shaped.  Floating into the night sky, they were wondrous to behold!

Leah, Adil, Cristina, Paden

Carl and Beni

Nasi and their children, maid of honor along with us

    

The Americans with Cristina

Us lucky guests from Peace Corps included Max, Kate, Carl, Beni, Paden, Leah, Arun, and Sydney, plus me.   Janet, our country director was also included, and Tim from USAID.  Paden was the best man and Beni was the photographer but she took a break now and then.  

  

Peace Corps gals with Cristina

Cristina wins!

 Colaci is a circular braided bread loaf which is offered at many Moldovan celebrations and at religious services.  Guests are offered chunks of this bread and wine when they first enter the reception and throughout the banquet.  Colaci is given to the couple and they each take one end and try to tear it into two parts.  Whoever gets the larger part, connotes the dominant one in the partnership, or so the tale goes.







Another wonderful custom acknowledges that the couple is starting their own household.  Towards the end of the party, Adil and Cristina sat on a chair and her relatives and close friends bestowed various gifts by opening them up and draping them on the happy couple.  These included towels, linens, blankets, and other domestic wares which surrounded them.  Both of them were showing signs of fatigue by this time - can't blame them at all!  My own feet were killing me!


We finally took our departure around 3:00 AM, summoning a taxi to drive us back to Balti where we arrived home at 4.  What an absolutely splendid time was had by all!  The host families and the guests had welcomed us with open arms, shared their bounty, danced and laughed with us, and we felt truly at home.


Next I hope to go to a baby christening ....

Love to all my family and friends....  Barbara

Memorial Easter (Pastele Blajinilor)

A week after the regular Easter holidays, Moldovans celebrate the Easter for the Dead, a commemoration of the lives of their deceased loved ones.  Families gather at the cemetery where a party atmosphere prevails as food, wine, and small gifts are spread out on the grave sites and on tables alongside.  While there is some solemnity especially for recently deceased relatives, all in all, family members drink their home brewed beverages and eat their traditional party food, all the while sharing stories/memories of their departed relatives.  It's all very colorful and pleasurable, not at all maudlin.  I'm reminded of the Chinese custom to visit their families' grave sites as well - Ching Ming which occurs in the third lunar month.  I noted a lot of similarities between the two cultures in terms of this particular observance.

We visited the cemetery on April 27, the one where Emilia's late husband is buried and some of his other relatives.  His son picked us up and helped us cart several bags of food, gift bags for the relatives, and other commemorative tokens for the grave sites.   Arriving at the cemetery we met lines of cars trying to enter the parking area, and throngs of people, walking in procession into the cemetery, laden with flowers and food baskets, making their way to their loved ones' grave sites.  Each family plot has fencing around it which makes the space more private for these gatherings but you can still socialize with the neighbors over in the next plots.

Grave of Emilia's late husband Vladimir

Each family in the clan brings food and we were all snacking on dishes brought by others.  It's also customary to share your food and drink with whoever comes by (strangers even) as you are honoring the deceased of that family.  It is considered impolite to refuse to drink with the family, so you learn to pace yourself when drinking alcoholic beverages, of which there is much.  The belief is that sharing the food with others is also spiritually feeding the deceased, hence the more food there is, the more bounty for their souls.

Besides the usual flowers laid over the grave site, bags of sweets (bomboane), a round bread loaf, placinta, and other foods are also placed there, along with a serving of wine and water.  Bags containing small gifts such as towels, handkerchiefs, and children's toys are also set down, which will be distributed to the appropriate guests and family members at the end.  Candles are inserted into the offerings and lit (until the breeze blew them out).

Dina lighting candles

Emilia poses with her stepson Vlad (left), cousin of her stephchildren Elena, stepdaughter Dina with Vlad's daughter Alina standing in front of her.  Emilia's sister-in-law Aurica and Aurica's son Vladimir as well as Dina's husband Maxim were also in attendance among others.

Tables overflowing with food

                            

Priest Nicolae blessing offerings to deceased

Priests make the rounds of the cemetery to offer blessings for the offerings being laid out for the deceased.  The Balti cemetery is the largest in the city and several priests are dispatched to ensure sufficient coverage.  Priest Nicolae was in our section, appearing around 11:30 to provide blessings to those families who wanted them.  He chanted some verses at each gravesite, swung the censer over the tombs, and recited prayers for the dead.  Emilia flagged him down and he performed those rites for the dearly departed in their family plot.  I took some video, which you can check out here:
http://vimeo.com/94226273?email_id=Y2xpcF90cmFuc2NvZGVkfDZiYzZjNGZjMmM4NGI3OTdkN2UxOTdkODk5OTA3MGQxODA5fDI3NzM3MDI0fDEzOTk0MDUyNDN8NzcwMQ%3D%3D&utm_campaign=7701&utm_medium=clip-transcode_complete-finished-20120100&utm_source=email

That closes out the Easter holidays in Moldova for this year.  During May, offices closed on May 1 (Socialists' Labor Day) and many will be closed on May 9, Victory Day when the Nazis surrendered to Russia after WWII.

June brings the new crop of Peace Corps volunteers to Moldova, and as I'm a mentor to two of the newbies, I'm sure I'll have some interesting things to report.  It's difficult to believe that I've been in-country for almost a year, experienced all the seasons!  I empathize with the new group coming in, who are asking exactly the same kinds of questions that I and my fellow M28s asked.  Summer will be fun!

Poftim!
Barbara