VioletWallflower's Xanga

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Sat, 03 May 2008 05:07:01 GMT

SURPRISE VACATION OF FUN AND SLEEPLESSNESS

Six days before 10 days ago I got a phone call from Matt. It went something like this.
Matt: "Anna. Anna. Anna. Anna. Sit down. Wait, no don't sit down. Listen. Anna. I know you can't technically leave the country because you're leaving Moldova soon and it's too late to turn in a vacation request even if you could leave. Anna. Listen. If you already had permission from your boss, your director, and your boss's boss. Anna. If everything were planned out and all you had to do was get on a bus. Listen. Would you be willing to travel to Romania, Hungary, and Austria. Anna. Also, I have to know today."
Anna: "Yes."

So at 8 pm ten days ago I found myself standing in front of a tour bus swarming with Moldovan youth with Matt and Geoff. My mission. Keep 7 seniors from doing anything permanent while they competed in the European Festival of Odyssey of the Mind (English critical thinking competition).

Day 1 and 2
Get on the bus and start driving toward Kecskemet, Hungary.
2am: Stop raucous singing
2:30am: Bus begins to shudder like a possessed magic fingers bed alternating with a feeling similar to running over a railroad tie in a tour bus loaded full with high school students and sleepy peace corps volunteers. Result- drop speed to 25 and keep plodding.
9 am: Railroad tie issue breaks a window in the middle of the bus. *insert screaming high school students here* Driver keeps driving with foot long shards of glass hanging precariously over the people I've sworn to protect. Decision- Make Matt go fix it.
11am-11:30pm- Sit on the mechanic/junk yard side of a small Romanian border town while our bus gets fixed and the driver takes a mandatory break. Frisbee played, books read, cards played.

MORE TO COME.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:05:30 GMT

Hey.... this was a fun day.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 13:16:46 GMT

Here's some quotes from my four hour hike along the Nistru. The pictures are in my photo album but they're not very clearly marked. This should help you imagine the randomness and hilarity that insued when I went hiking with two strangers (now friends) and Matt.

I thought it was a stone! It was poo.
-Matt, navigating the marsh

I'm not good with long boring historical biographal books called Ghandi.
I think.
-Anna, sharing a clearly life-changing account of the civil-rights leader

FwooooooSH!
-Anna, proving that sound effects make everything awesomer

I'm convinced that looked less dorky when I was doing it.
-Anna, commenting on Matt's bouncing on ice to test its strength

You'd think I woulda noticed a pink church on the way in...
-Anna, attempting to situate herself among unknown landmarks

Yuriy needs to be a little more communicative.
-Anna on Yuriy after he ran down a hill and across a field in a display
of his leadership prowess

Worst. Summer house. Ever.
-Matt, describing pile of sticks in the Nistru

Ima call you Mountain Goat Matt. Until you fall.
-Anna with words of encouragement for Matt as he climbed a trail

That guy on the scooter must be awful cold. His eyes are probably
frozen. He has eye-cicles!
-Anna making Matt's brain hurt (in my defense this was on the way home- I was exhausted and giddy because I survived)

This is your fault, you know. You broke me.
-Anna's response to Matt's wtf-expression after talking to her cheese

"Why is he blinking?"
"Maybe he has something in his eye!"
-Mirabela helping Yuriy figure out why the car ahead of us had his
blinkers on

(Ukranian accent) You only fucked up once, you are a good navigator
-Yuriy demonstrating the motivational skills that landed him the
Regional Director's position at Nestle

Doamna, puteti sa-mi spuneti in ce directie e norte? (Ma'am could you tell me what direction is north?)
-Anna mere moments before being crushed by the mighty boot of righteousness

The little bridge that couldn't
-Anna on a bridge "across" the Nistru that spanned all of 4 feet

"My eyeball!"
"Do I know first aid for the eyeball? I don't think I do..."
-Matt's inner-dialog in response to a horrifying call from Anna

You gave me a live animal!!!
-Anna, clearly ecstatic (read "indignant") upon receiving a snail-shell from Matt

Friday, January 25, 2008

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:10:19 GMT

Long time no type.

Came back from America and started shaking things up around the ole village. Dumped one and a half classes because they weren't responding well to my teaching (yes, after a year and a half- I'm patient). Been making special effort to hang out with the host family lately (still not sure how much they like it... but hey, I pay them well to be nice to me.) Currently I am medicated for a little bronchitis which is freaking out all of my students when I get huge coughing fits in front of the class. Yesterday I busted out the inhaler and now they all think I'm a drug addict. We desperately need a health class in my school. Currently Matt is running around the office taking pictures with my new (and yet to be named) camera. Also announcing Chris' bought a new car. I am going to name it something girly and aweful so if you have any suggestions let me know. Life is still good. I promise.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:02:02 GMT

America is cool. Living in a different country has sharpened my sense of what it means to be an American. We all define ourselves in certain ways/stereotypes, but most people still states side would probably not stick "American" in the their top 5. Living in Moldova it's been promoted it to my top 3, if it's not the first thing I end up telling someone about myself. We are living in a time when admitting this might earn me the scorn of certain people. Being patriotic right now seems to be a little unPC. My nationality is something I cling to fiercely across the pond. I am proud of what my country has made of itself. We screw up just as much as everybody. Obviously. But my brother and I have every opportunity. No door is closed to me. My life is mine to direct and uplift or screw up as I please. That sort of freedom and liberating power is not a guarantee for everyone. I think we forget that. Being home this Christmas I think I am appreciating what my ridiculously lucky American-birth has entitled me to. I can truly understand the Mandela quote about our personal power- Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our greatest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

Well, enough of that corniness.

Things I like about America- store greeters, Champagne Wednesdays, chili, clothes that come in every size, Taco Bueno, Sci-Fi channel, walking my dogs.

Things I don't like about America- money that is all the same color, not having a driver's license, yeah- that's it.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:02:50 GMT

Right. So today I got voted the sexiest chick in the rutiera. That particular prize means my seat is upgraded. I get to sit as close as humanly possible to the driver and do little errands for him like passing out tickets, staring down police officers, and closing the door properly. Some driver helpers get to answer the cell phone too but this particular driver knows I don't speak very well (our communication is regulated to pointing fingers and head nods) so I didn't get that particular privilege.

Last weekend I had my first sleep walking experience. Although really a more appropriate term would be sleep-molesting. The only thing I can account for is that I was having a dream that I needed to fluff a sleeping bag and as I was doing so I realized that there was an animal moving inside it. So I shook harder before realizing that whatever was in the sleeping bag was talking at me. It finally registered I was trying to shake Annie (sleeping in the cot next to me) out of her sleeping bag. A few groggy apologies later I scooted my bed about four feet from hers to discurage a recurrance. When I woke up in the morning I was congratulating myself on having dreamed the whole situation, because, let's be honest, that's awkward; until I realized my bed was, in fact, halfway across the room from Annie's cot. So listen to your Auntie Anna kids and stay away from Bloody Mary's and Ukrainian beer.

Also, my kitten Tiger has taken to launching herself at my face a la Kato (ten points if you get the reference). Great way to start the morning.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 14:28:29 GMT

Thanksgiving has come and gone. The traditional holiday plans of a huge all-volunteer conference and dinner were canceled. Showing a little American can-do spirit we managed to put together a small dinner about an hour west of my village. The event was held by a Mr. Matt and the kitchen crew was ordered around by a Mr. Ian. He dolled out advice on pie crusts, lemon pie, and how to appropriately dress a turkey (mini-skirts are in this season). He did a great job organizing for the 20ish people that showed. The Moldovans were very impressed by our masa (that's a feast in Romanian) and helped by supplying ungodly amounts of alcohol. They were a little confused by the idea of cranberries (don't exist here), luckily after the mandatory shot of vodka my tongue was sufficiently loosened to be able to explain it. Between that, the lemon pie and cranberry sauce I ate and drank myself into a massive headache. Everyone took really good care of me and after a few hours I was as good as new.

PS-- I AM COMING HOME IN 22 DAYS!!!!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:11:02 GMT

Bucharest.... The Minneapolis of Europe. Really neat houses but kind of cold weather. I set myself a challenge to see if I could go the whole trip without having a serious conversation with anyone. A sort of vacation of Anna Time. With the exception of one British lawyer I succeeded. I also got hit by a car while going to the wrong testing site. Really someone just sort of sideswiped my backpack. Still counts though. The GRE wasn't all that great. I could have done better I think. It's why I prefaced that face with the car-hit story so you'd feel bad for me.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 06:31:03 GMT

I remembered this today....

Two weeks ago while Chris and I were waiting for my rutiera (think 12 seater van) I noticed an elderly chap behind the wheel that was decidely not one of the two drivers that I know. Fortunately one of said drivers was standing next to the rutiera so I figured this guy was just sitting in one of the two passenger seats up front (generally reserved for friends of the driver and really hot girls). As Chris and I chat away the few minutes while waiting for 430pm to arrive this guy starts yelling at the driver with drunken urgency. Suddenly he pops the emergency brake and as the rutiera starts to roll backward he yells, "Eu mă duc!" (pronounced Yo Muh Duke! and translated "I'm leaving!") My favorite part is when the driver just looks at the guy, takes a drag off his cigarette, shakes his head "no" twice and returns to his previous conversation without once seeing if the Rutiera Hijacker had actually stopped rolling or not. Sometimes I love this country.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 05:30:12 GMT

Moldova update....

Well I'm adjusting to life fara Chris (that means without). He's currently touring the East coast visiting friends before settling down to find a job and start making the cash. He's doing a great job of keeping in touch and reminding me he loves me to keep my spirits up.

Yesterday I survived Halloween at site. After a week of not knowing if it's on or off we started only an hour and fifteen lates. We had an angel/devil rendition of Avril Lavigne's "Grilfriend" as well as my skinniest tenth grader in drag. Bobbing for apples was a hit but the spook house lacked umph (I'd like to point out I was not consulted this year). During the dance I only had to stiff arm one drunk twelth grader when he wanted a hug. It only took me about an hour to find the perfect place to hide from students wanting to dance with me while still being able to keep an eye on the more rowdy ones. You should check out the pictures.