Where is Moldova, anyway?

How do you deal with a bad day in America? With bad news? With a stressful decision? Simple—cry in the shower! Not because you are sad or depressed… just because you need the release. It’s a tried and true method of making the bad day better, getting out your frustration, and you know… washing the bad day away.

But in Moldova, as we volunteers half-kid about all the time, you cannot cry in the shower. Even when that is all you want to do. There are many reasons you might not be able to do this. Maybe because you have no shower. Maybe because you have a shower, but no water. Maybe because today is not shower day. Maybe because it is too cold to shower. The reasons are endless.

It’s not the same crying under a stream of freezing cold water while alternating jumping in and out of the water, nor is it the same crying while you take a bucket bath (something about the lack of the rushing water doesn’t give much satisfaction). Thus is the day I am having today. I want to cry in my shower but that is just not an option. And I want to explain what I am feeling, but I can’t. So instead, I wrote in my journal and now on my blog. It’s not the same, but I guess I gotta adapt, right? (don’t worry, I’m well aware—as you should be too—that bad days happen in Moldova as well as in America, and there are ups and downs, bad news and good news no matter where you live!)

So people, my advice to you, is enjoy your showers. Crying in them, and even singing in them (no, bucket bathing does not cover not one decibel of bad singing that should be allowed during bathing time).

Other things you should enjoy (that we do not have here in Moldova) are: wheat bread, balsamic vinegar, superbowl Sunday (we have superbowl Monday morning—that is, if you can find a tv with a satilite), groundhog’s day (no one told me if Phil saw his shadow.. what is it going to be, winter, spring, TELL ME!), and drinking water with ice.

In general, life here is good. We may not have adequate heating, but we do have street fires to burn trash (bringing back memories of the olden days for anyone willing to take a sniff!). Winter is finally starting (as in, there is some snow on the ground—but I can still see the dirt beneath it—you know this is not sufiencient enough for me!) It snowed just in time for my birthday, which was the greatest present ever.

Thanks again for all the warm birthday wishes from home. It will make you happy to know that I made some apple crisp and celebrated my birthday Moldovan style—with a big meal with friends and family, and lots and lots of sitting at the table and eating!

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 04, 2007 at 12:36 PM.