primul zile in chişinău

Yesterday was my first day at my new site, and the day I got sworn in. The day before all of us arrived in the city, got in our hotel rooms and immediately set out to do some of the things we had not been able to do in a long while.

Play on the internet.

Sleep.

Go to a restaurant.

Drink.

Without giving too much away, I'll admit that the last part caused a little bit of trouble. As I think I've mentioned, I was living at the Hub Site village, which meant that me and the rest of my five site mates were kind of segregated from the rest of our group. As such, I'm not quite as sure that we (well definitely not me) developed this intense bond with my fellow M22'ers that we've kept hearing about. I've developed this with a few of my site mates, but not so much with the rest of the folk - not that I don't really like everyone (because I so do). But half of them are in a different program (Agriculture and Business Development) and so not only have I not hung out with them, I haven't been learning with them, and the other half of my program are neighbors with everybody else, meaning that they all party with each other all the time.

What does this mean?

Well to emphasize, they have been partying this whole time. Me, not so much. So getting to Chişinău, meeting up with everybody and, what's becoming really important to me, some of the M18's, 19's, and 21's, I got a little excitable.

But I get ahead of myself.

I spent three hours at the Peace Corps offices on the internet, and do you know it took me over an hour to even remember to check the news? And then when I tried to write emails, I couldn't really do it? I have also, I'm ashamed to say, severally neglected this blog, something that I'm keenly aware of. But I honestly think that Moldova has broken me of my computer habit. Or, let me rephrase - broken me of my communication habit, because I still watch tv and/or listen to a shocking amount of things on my good notebook. Literally, I just kind of stared at the screen for quite a while - it was a little scary.

I have many people to write back, and, if I truly think about it, many things to write about. The birth and death of my family's baby turkeys. The Easter of the Dead, conveniently placed this year on Cinco de Mayo. There's the tradition of spitting on pretty things so that they don't get jinxed by admiration. There's the flinging of basil in the face, and the shock on people's faces when I say I want to use basil in food.

Later. Back to primul zile in Chişinău.

I roomed with Sarah and Eden, two girls who I've become pretty close to. That night, we went to this place called Robin's Pub which, incidentally, was the same place we went to take our language professors out to lunch as a thank you. The extravagences began there. A bottle of wine between two people. A glass or two after that when the bottle was done.

I was really excited because my mentor, Becca was there, and I've become very close to her. When she leaves in November I will become very upset. She was able to introduce me to a bunch of Moldovans living in Chişinău that were very nice, and seemed genuinally happy to have another PCV living in the city. I have exchanged numbers.

I had made plans ages ago to celebrate swearing in with some whiskey with some folk, which I did, and enjoyed. Then I went to another bar with some folks and drank a very tall glass of beer and argued with someone about three way interesections in Chicago. A fost no frumous. (it was not pretty).

I've spent the past two months having practically nothing to drink - ever. Maybe a glass of wine on holidays (and by glass, I mean shot glass). Sometimes, we would do a few rounds of wine shots. Aşa, this night, coupled with the fact that I smoked cigarettes for the first time in like, two months, was a pretty big night for me.

Sadly, going home at 12:30am did not alleviate the hangover the next day. I will not go into details, and I wasn't a bad as some, but yes, I was hung over at the Ambassador of America's house, where the Speaker of Parliament, President of Gaugauzia, two members of Parliament and multiple members of the Foreign service were in attendance.

At least I looked pretty. My host uncle from Peresecina was there and he said I was fuarte frumouasa - very beautiful. I will take him at his word.

I have brought shame on my house. Luckily, I think it was an unobservable hangover, and without naming accomplices or implicating others, I will again state that I was in no way the worst for wear.

Still, this incident did remind me of the dangers of living in a city such as this. my dance card will be full, so to speak, and the chances for me to get myself in dangerous situations will be abundant.

As per say, in the three weeks when the next group of volunteers come: TEFL and Health volunteers. The last new bunch for over a year. Le Sigh.