MoldovAnn

Spring is finally starting to peak out from the winter blahs; warm sunny days, bulbs starting to sprout from the ground, and every Moldovan spending every possible minute in the garden. The main activity seems to be pruning the grapevines. As I walk through the village, I can hear the steady “snip snip” of scissors behind nearly every garden wall. Baby animals are being born, the most exciting of which were the 14 piglets born to one pig last weekend. They are darn cute, I’ve got to admit.

The last couple of weeks have been very busy. We had the second of three Language In-Service Trainings all this week in Chisinau. It was intense, but worthwhile. And it’s always intense to be back together with our whole group. Lots to people to see and talk to, and lots to hear about. Our third Language IST will be in mid-May, when we will also be tested again for proficiency. We have the option to be tested after one year and at the close of service, as well, should a PCV have an interest or need for the ACTFL rating documentation.

This is also the time when many people are getting ready for vacations. A few PCVs left after IST for a trip to Greece. Another left for Romania. Others took the opportunity of a few days in Chisinau to finalize plans and purchase tickets for trips in April and May. Egypt is a popular destination for many PCVs, as is Turkey. I will be traveling to Kiev, Ukraine, in April.

I applied for a volunteer teacher position with an organization called American Councils, which actually is the same organization I did my study abroad through in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1992. In addition to sending Americans to study in Russia, they also send high school kids from former Soviet republics for year-long study abroad in the U.S. The program is called Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX). Each summer, there are two 4-day orientations for the high schoolers, and they hire Americans to teach cross-cultural stuff. I don’t know about the other countries, but here in Moldova they like to hire PCVs, since we’ve got a pretty good idea about the Moldovan-American differences!

So, I applied and was selected. The curriculum is pretty set, but it’s a live-in program and we’ll also be responsible for evening activities as well as daytime lessons. I’ll be paired with a “teaching assistant,” who is an alumnus of FLEX, who’s now a college student, which means there is some mentoring involved, too, of the teaching assistant. This work will be right up my alley, given my experience at The Ohio State University. I’m pretty excited about it.

There is a 4-day Training of Teachers in Kiev in April. I’ve worked it out to stay an extra 5 days with friends there, so I’ve got my first vacation planned, and I don’t have to pay for the visa ($100!!!), round-trip travel, or any lodging! My kind of vacation!! I’ve even asked if it’s possible for me to pay the difference and get a multi-entry visa instead of a one-time visa, and they said it shouldn’t be a problem. This would be really cool, as I live just 8 km from Ukraine, and would love to be able to travel to Ukraine more easily.

I’ll be back in Tvarditsa tonight, with English Club tomorrow, and then a fresh week of who knows what? More adventures, I’m sure.