Week 2 Day 1
Today was a pretty uneventful day.
I had to dress a bit more nicely than usual, since we were going to visit the American Resource Center (technically part of the U.S. Embassy) after class.
Classes for the day went pretty normally, mostly learning conjugations and vocabulary, and it was cooler than last week, which was really nice since the classrooms don’t have fans or air-conditioning.
After class, we had lunch in the courtyard, which had been ordered from Andy’s Pizza (apparently it is a local favorite), which was actually pretty good. This was mainly since we didn’t have much time before we had to be at the A.R.C., so we couldn’t go to a restaurant.
Once we got into the A.R.C., we had to go to security (which proved more difficult than it should have been, since there wasn’t enough space for everyone to put their bag in a locker, so we had to go through the contents). After that was out of the way, we sat down in a large room that had shelves with board games, books, and movies in English. There were also several local volunteers around our age, setting things up for events and doing other such things.
First, a Public Affairs officer talked to us broadly about how the Embassy (and State Department) worked, and gave us some time to ask questions. Then, there was someone in charge of security who gave us a short briefing on crime in Moldova, and how to stay safe amidst the ongoing protests. This should not be a problem, as they told us that none of the recent protests have ever turned violent (apparently the most frequent crime in Chisinau is domestic abuse...yikes). We also got a short medical briefing after that, and the someone from the A.R.C. talked to us about volunteer opportunities (there is a service requirement of 15 hours for the summer program), and invited us to a picnic they are hosting this Friday.
I was just really happy to see a lot of pride flags around the A.R.C. Moldova is a very religious country (mostly Eastern Orthodox) and not very progressive in terms of accepting different sexualities and gender orientations. In fact, there was a whole chapter in the “participant handbook” that we received about LGBTQ+ relations that told us to make an effort not to be identified as such, and to avoid the subject whenever possible. Although I know that all of that information was meant for our own benefit, it still made me sad to read it. One of the girls on the alumni panel that we had at pre-departure orientation in D.C. also told us that “you have to remember that just because some of your host families might say horrible things, does not mean that they are horrible people”, and while she did not confirm that she was talking about LGBTQ+ related issues, that is what I assumed.
After our visit was over, a few of us walked from the A.R.C. to a Tucano on Pushkin street, where we got some refreshments and did a bit of our homework. It was nice to have some time to relax in the afternoon before heading home, and getting to spend time getting to know the others better.
After about an hour there, we decided it was time to head home. Georgia left us to catch her bus (going in the opposite direction from us), and Sara and Elizabeth and I walked down to the water tower (also where the A.R.C. is) to catch our bus home. At the bus stop, we ran into Mattie (also a girl in our group) and кателин (one of the local volunteers at the A.R.C.), and it turns out we were all waiting for the same bus.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that even though Chisinau is not a small city, I run into fellow NSLI-Yers pretty frequently. For example, while we were at Tucano, another group of three or four from our program walked into the same one, and we passed Blakely (also from NSLI-Y) on our way to the bus stop. It’s kind of comforting to feel like there’s always other people nearby if we ever need help.
Once I got home, I got my homework done, ate dinner, and read a little bit before bed. I was finally able to get to sleep at a decent time!
I had to dress a bit more nicely than usual, since we were going to visit the American Resource Center (technically part of the U.S. Embassy) after class.
Classes for the day went pretty normally, mostly learning conjugations and vocabulary, and it was cooler than last week, which was really nice since the classrooms don’t have fans or air-conditioning.
The view from our classroom window.
After class, we had lunch in the courtyard, which had been ordered from Andy’s Pizza (apparently it is a local favorite), which was actually pretty good. This was mainly since we didn’t have much time before we had to be at the A.R.C., so we couldn’t go to a restaurant.
Once we got into the A.R.C., we had to go to security (which proved more difficult than it should have been, since there wasn’t enough space for everyone to put their bag in a locker, so we had to go through the contents). After that was out of the way, we sat down in a large room that had shelves with board games, books, and movies in English. There were also several local volunteers around our age, setting things up for events and doing other such things.
First, a Public Affairs officer talked to us broadly about how the Embassy (and State Department) worked, and gave us some time to ask questions. Then, there was someone in charge of security who gave us a short briefing on crime in Moldova, and how to stay safe amidst the ongoing protests. This should not be a problem, as they told us that none of the recent protests have ever turned violent (apparently the most frequent crime in Chisinau is domestic abuse...yikes). We also got a short medical briefing after that, and the someone from the A.R.C. talked to us about volunteer opportunities (there is a service requirement of 15 hours for the summer program), and invited us to a picnic they are hosting this Friday.
I was just really happy to see a lot of pride flags around the A.R.C. Moldova is a very religious country (mostly Eastern Orthodox) and not very progressive in terms of accepting different sexualities and gender orientations. In fact, there was a whole chapter in the “participant handbook” that we received about LGBTQ+ relations that told us to make an effort not to be identified as such, and to avoid the subject whenever possible. Although I know that all of that information was meant for our own benefit, it still made me sad to read it. One of the girls on the alumni panel that we had at pre-departure orientation in D.C. also told us that “you have to remember that just because some of your host families might say horrible things, does not mean that they are horrible people”, and while she did not confirm that she was talking about LGBTQ+ related issues, that is what I assumed.
After our visit was over, a few of us walked from the A.R.C. to a Tucano on Pushkin street, where we got some refreshments and did a bit of our homework. It was nice to have some time to relax in the afternoon before heading home, and getting to spend time getting to know the others better.
My berry cheesecake from Tucano.
After about an hour there, we decided it was time to head home. Georgia left us to catch her bus (going in the opposite direction from us), and Sara and Elizabeth and I walked down to the water tower (also where the A.R.C. is) to catch our bus home. At the bus stop, we ran into Mattie (also a girl in our group) and кателин (one of the local volunteers at the A.R.C.), and it turns out we were all waiting for the same bus.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that even though Chisinau is not a small city, I run into fellow NSLI-Yers pretty frequently. For example, while we were at Tucano, another group of three or four from our program walked into the same one, and we passed Blakely (also from NSLI-Y) on our way to the bus stop. It’s kind of comforting to feel like there’s always other people nearby if we ever need help.
Once I got home, I got my homework done, ate dinner, and read a little bit before bed. I was finally able to get to sleep at a decent time!
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