On the Edges of Christmas

Well, I will have to say that this was the most relaxed Christmas I have had in at least the last eight years! Instead of being in the middle of everything, as in organizing church events, cooking for my family and shopping for and wrapping gifts, mailing Christmas cards, etc. etc. – instead of all that, I was on the edge of all activities, helping occasionally but mostly just looking on. No stress. No fuss. A very unusual Christmas indeed! But a nice one.

The week before Christmas I was in Paicu and while there, I watched the children of the church preparing for their Christmas presentation. A woman from another village had come for the week, with her accordion, to work with the children and teach them the songs they would sing on Christmas day. I enjoyed listening to the children practice their songs – and not being responsible!
The evening before I left Paicu, I helped Tamara and Tanea to assemble treat bags for the children
– and I thought of the many times I had done the same for the children at Yorkminster Park. This year, I was not in charge – and how relaxing it was!



On Friday evening our Operation Mobilisation team – all 40 of us, including children- went out to a restaurant for dinner and had a really nice meal.

Following that we went back to the centre for a time of fellowship and gift exchange. The children sang some songs for us and gave some recitations - such beautiful kids! We had each bought a gift and put it under the tree, and then we opened them in an activity that allowed for people to trade gifts – it was a lot of fun and some hilarious moments kept us laughing. Two of the gifts were sets of boxing gloves and when Jeannine got a pair, her husband Fulco quickly took the opportunity to trade his gift for the other pair - but not before Jeanine and Snejana did some sparring! I ended up with a set of glasses, which I really needed for my new apartment.The whole evening was a really wonderful family event. And in the whole Christmas season, there hasn’t been the anxiety about getting a present for everyone and spending money to ensure nobody is forgotten. That has been relaxing.

My Romanian friend/surrogate daughter, Dana, came home with me on Friday and spent the weekend with me so neither of us had to be alone at Christmas. Saturday we spent buying groceries and baking for the potluck we would attend on Sunday.
We had a great time together, chatting and talking and laughing all day.
Then on Sunday we went to church together and then to Matthew and Helen’s place for dinner with a dozen people, mostly from the team. (Here is a picture of me and baby Filip – Rafael & Alice’s little guy - with the bath toy I gave him for Christmas. After all, I am his favourite auntie!) It was a really nice day. In the evening I spoke on the phone with my kids and my mom and sister and her family, so that was a nice ending to a stress-free, relaxed Christmas. I know there won’t be many Christmases ‘on the edge’, but this one was certainly a blessing from the Lord.

As far as Christmas in Chisinau... there are some people who celebrate on the 25th, such as the protestant churches. But around the city it is a day like any other with business as usual. I suppose it's somewhat like it was in Bethlehem, all those years ago. There is nothing to indicate that in a stable on the edge of the town, a new King was born and a new Kingdom was ushered in that would change the course of many lives, and the course of human history. Nothing that is, except some crazy shepherds who said they had a message from God brought by angels... and then some foreigners who followed a star to that distant land to find the king. I, too, am a foreigner, seeking to serve my King in a distant land. And I am so thankful that God has come to us in Jesus Christ,who is also called Emmanuel, which means, "God with us."

I wish all my readers a most blessed holiday season and a new year bright with the promises of God.

Paicu

This week I have been in Paicu, a small village in the south of Moldova, not far from Cahul. As you are driving down the highway, about 2 hours from Chisinau, you turn onto a dirt road, drive across the railway track, and there you are! It really is like a whole different world. I have met some wonderful people there and got to know some beautiful children. Everywhere you go there are animals...

In Paicu the days begin with the crowing of roosters, the cackling of hens, the gobbling of turkeys and the honking of geese. I pass the geese on the way to the outhouse and they honk in loud dismay, "Who are you?" "Why don't you feed us right now?" They said the same thing when I was enroute in the middle of the night under the brightly moonlit sky. The geese and fowl of course don't know that I and the rest of the household spent hours last night making 'popchoi', that is taking the kernels from the corn cobs so ther are now sacks of corn to feed them. They may never thank me. Of course, why should they? For to feed them and fatten them up is to our benefit more than theirs. in fact, this morning when called to eat in the 'bucaterie', upon entering that multi-purpose tiny building, I noticed that there were feathers on the floor alongside 'scrapping' cats and one of our ill-fated formerly feathered friends lay naked and headless on the counter. I watched as our hostess singed the remaining hair off the goose over the flame of the gas burner. Then I did my best NOT to see what she was doing beside me that involved a basisn, innards, blood and water as I ate my breakfast of fried pork, mamaliga and warm cow's milk. I've discovered that warmed (boiled) fresh milk in the morning is a delicious breakfast. The other day it's all we had.
There is nothing easy about life in Paicu, but it is a simple life. Need water? Take a bucket and go to the well. Need a bathroom? Go to the outhouse. Need heat? Chop some wood and build a fire. Need food? Kill a chicken, milk a cow,plant a garden. Need to go somewhere? Harness the horse to the wagon. Need money? Hmmm... that may be a little more difficult.

Pre-Christmas visit in Paicu

Dear friends,
Pictures are coming but not until after Wednesday. I am spending a week in a small village in the south of Moldova. It is like something out of Dr. Zhivago or Fiddler on the Roof. Very beautiful but very basic. The people, of course, are amazing and I can't wait to post some of the many photos I have taken and will take within the next few days. Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a most blessed adn glorious Christmas. God is good and the love He has shown in Jesus is well worth celebrating, wherever you are! Merry Christmas!

A Se Muta

Well, that’s the infinitive of the verb that means ‘to move house’. The wonderful thing about immersion language learning is that as soon as you learn a word, you do it… or as soon as you do something, you find yourself having to learn the word that communicates what it is you are doing. So this week I am learning the verb, ‘a se muta’. It’s reflexive. Eu ma mut, tu te muti, el se muta, noi ne mutem, voi va muteti, ei se mut... and if you are having trouble reading or understanding that it’s because I don’t know how to make the proper pronunciation marks for Romanian words – or it’s because you don’t know Romanian!
So why am I learning this particular verb, you may ask? I have a good reason – because in fact I am moving. This week we (Liuba and I – well, Liuba did most of the work; I just went along for the ride and the end result!) found an apartment for me and I will be moving on Saturday, Lord willing and if Lillian is available to help me. Not that I have a lot to move. There are the two suitcases I brought with me, plus a couple books I may have added and some organizing things for my desk. Other than that, all I have is my backpack with my computer...

OK – since I wrote the above, I have in fact moved. Lillian (a guy on my OM team) came to get me yesterday and he and I were able to take everything up the four flights of stairs in two trips. He, of course, carried the suitcases, and I carried the assorted other bags, boots, and book-filled basins. I now live in a section of Chisinau known as Botanica. I am on the fourth floor of a typical Chisinau apartment block, which means there are two thick doors to get into my apartment and an interesting locking system that I keep hoping will not prevent me from getting in each time I make a foray outside of the building. It also has an enclosed balcony from which I can hang my clothes to dry and in which I can hang them if the weather is inclement. There are also cupboards on each side of the balcony which can serve as pantry, which is good as there is minimal cupboard space in the tiny kitchen. Hanging clothes is a wonder to enjoy especially when you have a washing machine of your own. Until now, except for the two times Sora Lena did laundry for me, I have been doing most of my washing by hand. Now I have a machine that will do it for me – a new one that works well. Never mind that east European washers take two hours or more for their cycle. (A fact I discovered to my chagrin when I was in Czech Republic last year and went to the laundry room thinking I would be in and out of there in an hour or so – ha!!) When it’s in your own kitchen, it’s not so bad.
The apartment is mostly furnished but I will need to purchase a desk which will fit quite nicely in my bedroom. I guess I will also need a small dresser, as there is no place in the bedroom to put clothes. In the living room there is a huge piece of furniture – I don’t even know what it’s called in English
but you know what I mean; it takes up one whole wall, with cupboards, drawers, display cabinets, bookshelves and more cupboards. So it’s great – for now I can put everything away in there.Here's a couple more photos of my little kitchen and my bathroom, just so you all will know I will be clean and fed! Notice the gas stove in the kitchen... will have to practice lighting matches... and not sure how I will do with baking but it should be fun! And you will notice the hot water tank above the bathtub.. there is central hot water, but in case it isn't working or something, I am to plug in the hot water heater and in 3 hours I will have hot water. (This is assuming of course, that the electricity is on - which nobody seems to think is a problem, so hopefully it won't be!)

The one thing that is very important for me is to be able to get internet access here. So far it’s a bit of a problem as there isn’t a proper telephone outlet I can simply plug my computer into. As I write this, however, the landlord is here working on the wiring in typical do-it-yourself Moldovan fashion. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that Moldovans are very innovative people who seem to work mostly on a ‘figure-it-out-as-you-go-along’ philosophy. They can build or do just about anything, it seems, but the end result is not always in keeping with our western sense of normality. Sometimes, ok, often, you find stairways with one huge step at the top or the bottom. Or, holes in the wall, where someone had to do some plumbing after the toilet was installed, etc. etc.
The fact that you are reading this now is an indication that my landlord was successful in his attempts and I am now able to access the internet from the comfort and convenience of my own home.
And Inga!!! I have to tell you this - God is so good. Guess what is right across the street from my apartment building? A huge and beautiful park where people go for their Sunday afternoon walks like I did today. I have a wonderful place to walk right at hand - isn't that awesome?
It’s nice to have my own home after so much time on the move. And I am glad to get settled this week as next week I will be going away for my ‘village experience’ in a small, poor rural community in the south of Moldova. So don’t expect to hear from me for a bit, until I get back.
Thanks to all those who have sent parcels – they have started to arrive – one from Mom , another from my sister Bev, and from Jane and from Doris… such interesting experiences at the post office! The weather is beautiful and just today starting to get a bit nippy. There aren’t many Christmas lights in Moldova except for a couple of stores. I have also seen some chintzy decorations at the market. I hope to find something that I can now put up in my apartment to make it feel like Christmas. Just looked at my calendar and realized that today is the third Sunday in Advent – hard to believe!
I think they’ve already done the children’s Christmas play at Yorkminster Park, and my mom and son and niece had a mini-Christmas at Mom’s place yesterday. I think what I will do to invoke some sense of the season is to have a celebration – combining a Christmas and house-warming party. I’ll let you know how it goes!
. .

Moldovan Hospitality

I think it’s about time I introduce you to my host family. I have been staying with a couple who are slightly older than me, and whose children are grown up and married. Frat (Brother) Ion and Sora (Sister) Lena have been more than kind to me since I have been staying with them. Every morning when I wake up and make my way to the kitchen, Lena usually has a hot breakfast prepared. In Moldova, breakfast can be anything from soup to nuts, literally! We have had soup for breakfast, mamaliga (see previous blogspot entry), something called ‘casia’ that was some kind of grain served with ground nuts on top. Yesterday we even had chicken and bulghur. Lena is vegetarian but Ion is not, so occasionally the predominantly vegetarian diet does give way for some meat. In this case, I think I heard the sound of the poor chicken’s objections a couple of nights before I met her on my breakfast plate. And I did see the naked (plucked) creature in a basin, head disattached, the day before so I wasn’t really surprised to see it on my plate the next morning. It certainly does bring the reality of the meal home though…
In the evening when I arrive home, no matter what time it is (except on Tuesdays when we have prayer meeting till 10 pm), Lena shortly comes and calls me to come and have something to eat. Usually in the evenings it is a very light meal – soup or just tea and bread. There is always something interesting and home-grown or home-made. Lena’s father keeps bees so they always have honey in various forms. And one evening, Lena poured me a glass of pure sweet grape juice – it was soooo good! And if Ion comes in while I am eating, he smiles and says, “Pofta buna!”, which is Moldovan for ‘Bon appetit’.
Anyway, Ion and Lena have been very caring about whether my room is warm enough and often I find a big plate of crunchy apples on my desk. On my birthday Lena was so kind to me and even now she still goes out of her way to clean my boots and warm them up by the fire before I leave in the morning. Sometimes, when I wash out some clothes by hand in the evening and hang them out on the line, the next day when I arrive home I find the clothes dry and folded in my room.
At the very beginning of my time here I understood next to nothing that they said. Now, though, Lena and I can actually have simple conversations, including her scolding me for sitting up too late at night (she saw my light on in the wee hours). Ion seems to have a few enterprises on the go and has a flatbed truck and several old vehicles. He and his wife attend different churches and so on my first Sunday I went to church with him in a 1985 (?) BMW. There is a young fellow who stays at the house sometimes and seems to work for Ion. I’m not sure whether he is a relative or not. They do, however have a young niece staying with them till the spring as her mother has gone away to Israel to work. This is fairly common in Moldova – parents going to another country for employment, leaving their children in the care of grandparents or relatives. There just isn’t enough jobs in Moldova and the ones there are pay so little it is barely enough to survive. Life elsewhere seems to hold a great deal of appeal for many people.
Which is probably why Ion and Lena’s children all live in Ireland. Sometimes in the summer they bring the grandchildren to visit. Since I have been here, Ion has been practicing his English phrases because soon he is going to visit his children in Ireland. He will be gone for three months so I imagine he will know a lot more English by the time he returns. Maybe by then I’ll be able to have an extended conversation with him in Moldovan!