Moldovan Adventures

4th of July Party

Every year on the 4th of July, or thereabouts, a party is thrown for all Americans living in Moldova, including but not limited to Peace Corps volunteers. It was a lot of fun, but I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed, as last year there was free all-you-can-eat ice cream, and this year, there was NO ice cream!! :( I had a good time hanging out with all my Peace Corps buddies though. In this first picture (L to R) Amy, Rachel, me, Michelle, Carrie

Second photo (L clockwise): me, Adam, Amy, Carrie (up top), Craig, and Breanne

There was a band that played some fun American tunes with a Moldova accent. They were actually really good, and the volunteers did some heavy duty dancing.

me, Adam, Amy, Carrie, and Breanne again. :)

July's Scenery

It's amazing to me how each season has it's own natural beauty on the surrounding landscape. July brought beautiful fields of sunflowers, a few showers here and there, and the beginnings of grapes! Here's a few landscape shots from my village of Recea.

Camp T.A.R.E.

Well, I know I have a lot of catch-up to play. I am actually back in America now, but before I start filling you in my American adventures, I need to finish catching you up with my Moldovan adventures. So, let's run through the last several months, starting with.....JULY!!!! Wow! That's quite a time gap. Sorry, but my slow internet connection in Moldova was just not conducive to blogging. I'm hoping that now that I'm back in America, the high speed internet will make blogging relatively painless. So, let's give it a try.

So, at the beginning of July, we conducted Camp T.A.R.E., which I also assisted in last summer. T.A.R.E. stands for Teenagers, Active, Responsible, and Equal. In short, it is a 5-day camp/seminar for young Moldovan women between the ages of 17-22. They are taught a variety of topics on life and professional skills including: resume writing and interview skills, healthy relationships, AIDS/STD's, self defense, domestic violence, good parenting, nutrition, human trafficking, and many other important lessons that many young women in Moldova do not have informational access to. It is taught in a camp environment where we do a ton of fun "camp activities" such as: bonfires (complete with American S'mores), making pinatas,

tie-dying, talent contests, theatrical presentations, lots of fun sports activities, and so much more. This year we had 69 attendees from all over Moldova, and ten Peace Corps volunteers paired up with ten Moldovan volunteers as camp counselors. They worked together to present the lessons, and to lead the activities. It was a great success, even though it turned out to be one of the hottest weeks all summer.

The beginning of July

OK. It worked, so here we go! These 4 pictures are from the beginning of July.

Ana, who works at Peace Corps, and Heath, a former Peace Corps volunteer, were married, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to the wedding. They are an adorable couple, and the wedding was a lot of fun! L to R: Carrie, Heath, Ana, me, Adam There was a 4th of July celebration in Chisinau that all volunteers, as well as other Americans in Moldova, were invited to. It was fun, although, truthfully, last year's was even better (free all you could eat ice cream last year!!)

Fellow volunteers and I L to R: Amy, Rachel, me, Michelle, Carrie Left front going clockwise: me, Adam, Amy, Carrie (on the top), Breanne, and Craig

July 12th was Mama Genia's birthday. She had a small celebration at the house, and we had a lot of fun, eating, dancing, and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Let the Updates Begin!

I know. I know. It's been ages since I've blogged! But the combination of my slow internet connection, wanting to put pictures in my blog, and the blogging website, makes for an extremely gruelling blog process. So, I kept trying to post, and then giving up, when my blogs didn't make it to the blogsite. Well, I've decided to get back on the horse, and try again. So, in order to test the website. Here's my first attempt. I'm updating everyone on the cutest nephew in the world, mine! :) Trey is now 2 years old, and I can't wait to get to know the little guy! If this posts ok, I'll start the updates that have been a long time in coming. Meanwhile, enjoy these pictures of my adorable nephew.

Trey using a cell phone. Trey and his mom Jenny (my wonderful sister-in-law)

Trey playing hide and seek on a hiking trip And Trey being his adorable self!

Here goes nothing!!!!

Carrie trying on the procured hat of a Kiev statue.

A cool fountain

Kiev architecture

On the train back to Chisinau.

Kiev

Me, Carrie, and Simone, at Simone's apartment in Kiev

Ha! Me and a swimsuit model just hanging out.

Kiev, a busy and beautiful city. Very Western European in architecture and design

Carrie and I after the most difficult ticket buying episode EVER!! Thankfully we finally procured four tickets back to Chisinau for Carrie, Adam, Simone and myself, but OH the headache!! :)