What Up, Yo?
Well, I'm back from my weekend trip to the capital city of Chisinau where I was a judge in the Odyssey of the Mind competition. For those of you who have never heard of this, which is probably most of you, it is a competition for youth, where various teams of children use creative approaches to solve a variety of problems or scenarios presented to them. They incorporate drama, music, dance, and art into the presentation, and it was very entertaining. We as judges were supposed to be fun and a little crazy, and the crazy part wasn't much of a stretch for me. In this picture, Adam, a fellow volunteer, and myself, pose with our crazy hats, and best gangster wanna be looks.
I had a lot of fun, but it was also quite the series of mishaps, that only I could have had. I'll try to summarize as going into detail would just take too long.
As a bit of background to the adventures that were to come, my Moldovan counterpart had asked me to do her a favor, since I was going to be in the capital city. My mission, should I choose to accept it, was to purchase a specific ink toner for my NGO's printer/fax/scanner. Not only did my NGO give me the address to this place, and 200 lei (the equivalent of about 20 US dollars, but a LOT here) to purchase the toner, but they also called the store in advance to ensure that they had the toner and would be expecting me. How much more simple could it be, right?
OK. So, I got into
Chisinau in the late morning with a fellow Peace Corps volunteer (actually, Adam, the guy in the picture). He agreed to go with me to find this computer store, since I am known for my lack of directional sense, and sometimes for my lack of just plain common sense. HA!
Well, I figured it was going to be a piece of cake when we found the correct street after only twenty minutes or so, of walking. The problem? Turns out we were walking the wrong direction on the street. We didn't realize this, of course, until we had walked the majority of the street in the the wrong direction. So, turning around and actually making it to the store, took twice as long. We probably walked for three or four miles.
Finally, we found the store. It was a big computer store, and I fumbled through explaining to them that I was there to buy the new toner. I took the old one out of the bag that it was wrapped in and handed it to the clerk. My counterpart and I had taped it really good because it had been leaking a bit of ink. Well, by the time, the clerk had unwrapped all the tape, it was obvious that the entire aparatus, toner and cartridge holder were covered in leaked ink. The clerk explained to me that I was going to need to buy an entire new cartridge which was over twice as much as the toner itself. Of course, I only had the money from my NGO, and my bank account from Peace Corps was not be updated for the month, until two or three days from then.
So, I called my counterpart, and asked her if she wanted me to buy the 535 lei cartridge and toner, or not. After talking on the phone, to the clerk herself, my partner asked me if I would mind buying the apparatus, and being reimbursed at a later date. So, I took some money out of the bank, and borrowed a bit more from Adam, and went through the process of buying the toner. It took forever, because for some reason, you have to complete an enormous amount of paperwork to make the purchase. Adam compared it to taking out a mortgage on your home, and he wasn't too far off. They were asking crazy quesitons like, "What is the phone number of your NGO's bank?" Considering that I don't even know the phone number of my own house here, I was in trouble! Many phone calles, and much confusion later, I finally had the toner, and the receipt. Whew! What a hassle!
Then, Adam and I stopped by the shoe repair shop to drop off the pair of winter boots I had bought here and that were falling apart for the second time after only a month or so of having them repaired before. The repairman said they would be ready two days from then, which was the day I was leaving. I figured I could stop by before I left and pick them up.
Then, we ran a few more errands and headed back to the Peace Corps office to meet up with other volunteers and hang out. In the evening, we headed out to dinner, and then to the cheapest hotel we knew of, to reserve several rooms. Turns out, when we got to the hotel, that they were reluctant to give us rooms, as there was a large group coming in the next day that had reserved rooms, and we would need to be checked out by nine the next morning. Which meant that we would have to find a different place to stay the following evening. We assured the clerk that we would be out in time, and she grudgingly gave us rooms for the evening.
The next morning, we were up and dressed in time to leave. I cleaned my boots with one of the room towels, as my boots were muddy, and clean shoes are a must in Moldova. Granted, the little towel got muddy, but it was nothing some bleach wouldn't take care of. However, when we were getting ready to head downstairs to check out, the maid took a look in our room, and found the towel I had used. She was very angry with me, and told me that I was not allowed to leave until I either paid for the towel or washed it (I assumed that was her job, but here in Moldova, the customer is NOT always right!) There was no way I was going to pay for a little mud, so I told her to give me some soap, and then I headed into the shared hall bathroom to scrub the towel in the sink.
I was running late for my Odyssey of the Mind competition, and wasn't sure I would have time to make it there if I spent too much time scrubbing. So, after scrubbing it mostly clean, for good measure, I took the offered towel of a volunteer who was staying in another room on that floor, wet it, and handed it to the lady. The other volunteer took my towel, and hid it under his bed. That threw her off my trail long enough for me to get downstairs.
As I was exiting the hotel, the security guard called me back inside, and I was sure the cleaning lady had figured out that I had swapped towels on her. Instead, the lady at the front desk began to rudely demand my room key. I explained to her that I had left it upstairs with the cleaning lady, and she yelled at me that it was my job to bring that key downstairs, not the cleaning lady's. At this point, I'm getting impatient, cause I'm not sure I'm going to make it to OM on time. So, I ask her is she really wants me to go all the way upstairs for a key that will surely be brought down shortly by the cleaning lady anyway. She says rudely, "No. Just go!" So, off I go to catch a bus to the center of town. Once on the bus, I go in my back pocket for money, and what do you think I find there in that back pocket of mine? Embarassingly enough, the HOTEL KEY!!!!!! Yep, I thought I had left it with the cleaning lady, but in the hurry to leave I had actually stuffed it in my back pocket. So, I had to get off at the next stop, and run the several blocks back to the hotel with all my baggage in tow, to give the key back to lady at the front desk. Embarassing, but at that point, all I could think about was getting to OM on time.
Fortunately, I did make it there on time, and the day was long, but a lot of fun. The teams of kids competing were very entertaining and creative, and it was great to hang out with all my Peace Corps buddies, and to make friends with Moldovans who were helping to judge the competition. All in all, a wonderful time. That evening, everybody decided to head to a nice restaurant to celebrate and hang out. It wasn't until about eleven o'clock that evening, while hanging out at the restaurant, that I realized I had left the printer toner at the building where we had the OM competition! Yep, that would be the 535 lei toner that I had had so much trouble procuring, and to make matters worse, when I called one of the few people left at that building on the outskirts of the city, she told me that she had looked everywhere and could not find it!!!
I began to get nervous and worried. That was money from my work, the receipts were in the bag, I didn't have enough money in my account to buy more, and without it, my work could not use their printer at all! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I was already tired, and to add this to the looong day was the last straw. I was done with partying for the night, as all I could think about was the missing toner, and the frustrations that had been piling up in the day. I decided that my best plan of action was to get some rest, and then head back to that building early in the morning. I had a meeting the next day at 11:00, and was hoping, praying that I would find that toner before then.
So, I said goodbye to all the volunteers who were planning on partying till the early morning, and then found a hotel room, and went to sleep. Next morning, I headed back to that building. Fortunately, it was open, even though it was Sunday, and most places are closed. I walked in, and asked the first cleaning lady I found whether or not she knew anything about my lost toner. She said she didn't, but directed me to another room, and another cleaning lady. I went through my whole explanation again, not expecting anything but a sad shake of the head. That's why I was so surprised, when the lady told me that she knew where my toner was!!!!! Sure enough, she led me directly to it, sitting in the exact room I had been judging in the day before! Never, was I so happy or relieved!
I didn't even mind so much when the dogs outside almost ate me, and was grateful I had the toner to swing in their direction, and keep them from quite reaching my leg to taking a chunk out of it. I ran away with a smile on my face even while they chased after me for half a block with teeth bared.
Well, I guess this turned out to be the long version despite my best intentions. I can't help it that I'm wordy. The last mishap to befall me ocurred when I went to pick up my winter boots. Turns out, the guy that repaired them, had gone home for the day, and would not be back for two days. So, I guess my boots are still sitting somewhere on one of his locked shelves in Chisinau, waiting for my return, which won't be for another two weeks. Oh well, at least I have my toner cartridge.
All in all, I had a really fun time this weekend, but I was glad to get back to my own village, my own house, and especially, my own bed, and I was more than relieved to hand the toner over to my counterpart, and be rid of it for good! 
Chisinau in the late morning with a fellow Peace Corps volunteer (actually, Adam, the guy in the picture). He agreed to go with me to find this computer store, since I am known for my lack of directional sense, and sometimes for my lack of just plain common sense. HA!
Well, I figured it was going to be a piece of cake when we found the correct street after only twenty minutes or so, of walking. The problem? Turns out we were walking the wrong direction on the street. We didn't realize this, of course, until we had walked the majority of the street in the the wrong direction. So, turning around and actually making it to the store, took twice as long. We probably walked for three or four miles.
Finally, we found the store. It was a big computer store, and I fumbled through explaining to them that I was there to buy the new toner. I took the old one out of the bag that it was wrapped in and handed it to the clerk. My counterpart and I had taped it really good because it had been leaking a bit of ink. Well, by the time, the clerk had unwrapped all the tape, it was obvious that the entire aparatus, toner and cartridge holder were covered in leaked ink. The clerk explained to me that I was going to need to buy an entire new cartridge which was over twice as much as the toner itself. Of course, I only had the money from my NGO, and my bank account from Peace Corps was not be updated for the month, until two or three days from then.
So, I called my counterpart, and asked her if she wanted me to buy the 535 lei cartridge and toner, or not. After talking on the phone, to the clerk herself, my partner asked me if I would mind buying the apparatus, and being reimbursed at a later date. So, I took some money out of the bank, and borrowed a bit more from Adam, and went through the process of buying the toner. It took forever, because for some reason, you have to complete an enormous amount of paperwork to make the purchase. Adam compared it to taking out a mortgage on your home, and he wasn't too far off. They were asking crazy quesitons like, "What is the phone number of your NGO's bank?" Considering that I don't even know the phone number of my own house here, I was in trouble! Many phone calles, and much confusion later, I finally had the toner, and the receipt. Whew! What a hassle!
Then, Adam and I stopped by the shoe repair shop to drop off the pair of winter boots I had bought here and that were falling apart for the second time after only a month or so of having them repaired before. The repairman said they would be ready two days from then, which was the day I was leaving. I figured I could stop by before I left and pick them up.
Then, we ran a few more errands and headed back to the Peace Corps office to meet up with other volunteers and hang out. In the evening, we headed out to dinner, and then to the cheapest hotel we knew of, to reserve several rooms. Turns out, when we got to the hotel, that they were reluctant to give us rooms, as there was a large group coming in the next day that had reserved rooms, and we would need to be checked out by nine the next morning. Which meant that we would have to find a different place to stay the following evening. We assured the clerk that we would be out in time, and she grudgingly gave us rooms for the evening.
The next morning, we were up and dressed in time to leave. I cleaned my boots with one of the room towels, as my boots were muddy, and clean shoes are a must in Moldova. Granted, the little towel got muddy, but it was nothing some bleach wouldn't take care of. However, when we were getting ready to head downstairs to check out, the maid took a look in our room, and found the towel I had used. She was very angry with me, and told me that I was not allowed to leave until I either paid for the towel or washed it (I assumed that was her job, but here in Moldova, the customer is NOT always right!) There was no way I was going to pay for a little mud, so I told her to give me some soap, and then I headed into the shared hall bathroom to scrub the towel in the sink.
I was running late for my Odyssey of the Mind competition, and wasn't sure I would have time to make it there if I spent too much time scrubbing. So, after scrubbing it mostly clean, for good measure, I took the offered towel of a volunteer who was staying in another room on that floor, wet it, and handed it to the lady. The other volunteer took my towel, and hid it under his bed. That threw her off my trail long enough for me to get downstairs.
As I was exiting the hotel, the security guard called me back inside, and I was sure the cleaning lady had figured out that I had swapped towels on her. Instead, the lady at the front desk began to rudely demand my room key. I explained to her that I had left it upstairs with the cleaning lady, and she yelled at me that it was my job to bring that key downstairs, not the cleaning lady's. At this point, I'm getting impatient, cause I'm not sure I'm going to make it to OM on time. So, I ask her is she really wants me to go all the way upstairs for a key that will surely be brought down shortly by the cleaning lady anyway. She says rudely, "No. Just go!" So, off I go to catch a bus to the center of town. Once on the bus, I go in my back pocket for money, and what do you think I find there in that back pocket of mine? Embarassingly enough, the HOTEL KEY!!!!!! Yep, I thought I had left it with the cleaning lady, but in the hurry to leave I had actually stuffed it in my back pocket. So, I had to get off at the next stop, and run the several blocks back to the hotel with all my baggage in tow, to give the key back to lady at the front desk. Embarassing, but at that point, all I could think about was getting to OM on time.
Fortunately, I did make it there on time, and the day was long, but a lot of fun. The teams of kids competing were very entertaining and creative, and it was great to hang out with all my Peace Corps buddies, and to make friends with Moldovans who were helping to judge the competition. All in all, a wonderful time. That evening, everybody decided to head to a nice restaurant to celebrate and hang out. It wasn't until about eleven o'clock that evening, while hanging out at the restaurant, that I realized I had left the printer toner at the building where we had the OM competition! Yep, that would be the 535 lei toner that I had had so much trouble procuring, and to make matters worse, when I called one of the few people left at that building on the outskirts of the city, she told me that she had looked everywhere and could not find it!!!
I began to get nervous and worried. That was money from my work, the receipts were in the bag, I didn't have enough money in my account to buy more, and without it, my work could not use their printer at all! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I was already tired, and to add this to the looong day was the last straw. I was done with partying for the night, as all I could think about was the missing toner, and the frustrations that had been piling up in the day. I decided that my best plan of action was to get some rest, and then head back to that building early in the morning. I had a meeting the next day at 11:00, and was hoping, praying that I would find that toner before then.
So, I said goodbye to all the volunteers who were planning on partying till the early morning, and then found a hotel room, and went to sleep. Next morning, I headed back to that building. Fortunately, it was open, even though it was Sunday, and most places are closed. I walked in, and asked the first cleaning lady I found whether or not she knew anything about my lost toner. She said she didn't, but directed me to another room, and another cleaning lady. I went through my whole explanation again, not expecting anything but a sad shake of the head. That's why I was so surprised, when the lady told me that she knew where my toner was!!!!! Sure enough, she led me directly to it, sitting in the exact room I had been judging in the day before! Never, was I so happy or relieved!
I didn't even mind so much when the dogs outside almost ate me, and was grateful I had the toner to swing in their direction, and keep them from quite reaching my leg to taking a chunk out of it. I ran away with a smile on my face even while they chased after me for half a block with teeth bared.
Well, I guess this turned out to be the long version despite my best intentions. I can't help it that I'm wordy. The last mishap to befall me ocurred when I went to pick up my winter boots. Turns out, the guy that repaired them, had gone home for the day, and would not be back for two days. So, I guess my boots are still sitting somewhere on one of his locked shelves in Chisinau, waiting for my return, which won't be for another two weeks. Oh well, at least I have my toner cartridge.
All in all, I had a really fun time this weekend, but I was glad to get back to my own village, my own house, and especially, my own bed, and I was more than relieved to hand the toner over to my counterpart, and be rid of it for good!
posted by Anna at 2:40 PM
2 Comments:
Hahaha!! I so enjoyed that last adventure...it reminds me of all the mishaps that we used to get into together. This confirms what I have always suspected--it was all you!! :) I miss you, bud!
I miss you too, Beck!
What? No mishaps since I've left?;)
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