Morose in Moldova

Ok – well, maybe not really morose, just kind of disappointed. Perhaps more than disappointed. I was supposed to go to my host family today but for reasons unknown to me it didn’t work out and I may have to stay here at the OM Centre for a few more days. That wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the plumbing problems. And the fact that a whole group of students for the training program are arriving tomorrow. That meant that I had to move out of my cozy bottom bunk in a room with 8 other people into the basement room and a mattress on the floor. But that really isn’t so bad as my snoring was keeping people awake anyway. Can you believe I actually confessed that in a public place – that I snore?! Well, I do… and if your illusions of me as a picture- perfect missionary have been shattered… who am I kidding – not one of you thought of me that way, or is surprised that I snore, are you? My snoring is legendary. J
Ah, the life of a missionary! I have to say that one of the difficult things we are dealing with has to do with schedules, times, expectations and communication. We North Americans expect things to function according to the schedule. When they don’t we get upset because other plans need to be rearranged or simply because we expected something to happen at the designated time and it didn’t. Eastern Europeans don’t seem to work that way. We found that when we were in Poland and it’s true here. Schedules and plans change and one is expected to ‘go with the flow’ or to figure out what has changed. For example, last night I was in the Centre (which is also where the guys and families stay) and they were serving the light evening meal. So, I was in the building and I joined them for the meal. Then I discovered that the girls were in the other house and had prepared an evening meal and sent someone to see if I wanted to eat. (Technically, that’s where I should have eaten.) So, tonight – not wanting to repeat the faut-pas – I was in the girls’ house at the approximate time people eat but there was nobody else there and nobody was preparing food…. So eventually I went back to the other building and there was everyone sitting at table… Who knew? This is not untypical – things just happen and it seems you are supposed to figure out what is happening and when, and if you don’t know you have to ask . But first you have to find the right person to ask – that is, the person who is responsible and who hopefully knows enough English to communicate it clearly.
And that brings us to language learning. I am. A bit. A very small bit at a time. In the mornings I am assigned to spend time with ‘Sora (sister) Maria’, our cook, as she is preparing the dinner (which is the noon meal) in the kitchen. She doesn’t speak English so if I ever want to converse with this most wonderful woman, I am going to have to learn Romanian. This morning I learned how to say ‘ appa fierte’, which means boiling water, and I also learned the words for ‘wooden spoon’, ‘sink’, ‘pot’, and ‘meatballs’. (She was making meatball soup.) But when she spoke to me in sentences I was totally lost. So for now I think our time will largely consist of vocabulary building and practicing a few short sentences.
Fortunately, in the afternoons I am assigned to spend 2 hours each day with my language teacher, Oxana, who is a lovely young woman who speaks English very well and knows how to teach a language. So we are working through the text book and doing lots of additional stuff as we go along. I’ve written down all kinds of things that I wanted to know and she has answered questions that arose from my time with Sora Maria. I know this is going to be really great and in a few weeks I will be amazed at how much I have learned. But right now it is frustrating when I want to converse with someone and I have written down the words I want to say but can I remember them without my notebook? No way! Sigh…. I have a great new appreciation for the many, many people who have come to Toronto not knowing the language and have mastered it so amazingly well. If you have contact with any of them, please remember to speak slowly and to include them in conversation as much as you can. You have no idea how exciting it is when someone is jabbering on with words that are totally meaningless to you and then suddenly you recognize a word! Wow! Then you know you are on the right path. Next week they will be jabbering and I will recognize two words! Please pray for me.
By the way, Carol, thanks for reading my blog and commenting but I still am not sure if it is Carol R or Carol B! So let me know, ok? I love you both!
Anyway, I would have to say that today has been the first of one of those ‘culture shock’ days we were assured we would have. And up until this very moment I was allowing myself to indulge in a bit of a pity party. But when I consider the agony of all those people affected by the earthquake in Asia; and the concern of my team leader, Rafael, for his baby son who needs to have some kind of operation for his kidney; and the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of Liuba and Janosh who are leading the training program that begins tomorrow, I realize that I should redirect my pity into prayer for others who have far greater problems than I do. Not that I won’t have a good cry at some private moment – probably in the shower( if it’s working.)
Sorry I can’t post any pictures – the internet connection seems to object to that practice so I might wait a bit. And just so you know, I have burned a CD with all my photos thus far and I gave it to Sarah to take home with her. She will be delivering it to my son Ben so if you are interested in way more pictures of my travels, get in touch with Ben to borrow the CD. I think Sarah is heading home on the 20th and I am guessing that Jane Johnson will be the first to contact Ben about the CD, so you may want to contact her rather than trying to find Ben. Sarah lives in Unionville, very close to Kathleen Wilson and her family so I am hoping those two will connect as they will really hit it off. Did you hear that, Kathleen?
That’s all for now. Sorry for so many words and no photos. I look forward to hearing from any of you that would like to write. My current address – in case you forgot – and where I can receive snail mail – is c/o Operation Mobilisation, Casuta Postala 2366, 2012 Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.