Baking cookies

Not a lot of discussion here. It took many weeks to obtain the supplies, and all the energy and language skills I could muster to make this happen, but the photos speak for themselves. I was VERY happy about this, and my host family also seemed pretty pleased with the results! First chocolate chip cookies in Moldova!

Sunt obosită

As of yesterday, I have been living in Moldova for 4 months. There have been a lot of really great experiences, and of course, many challenges. All in all I am happy to be here. But I am SO TIRED. Or in Romanian: sunt obosită.

My life in the U.S. before I came to Moldova was exhausting (I've posted about that before), and the 10 weeks of training were exhausting. I guess I thought it would get easier after that. But I am still so tired all the time. Trying to learn a new place, and build a whole new community of relationships, and think in another language, and create programs, and plan activities, and create lesson plans takes a lot of energy. I suppose I knew that but it's one thing to know something theoretically and entirely another thing to live it. 

This weekend it rained. Like really rained. Not super hard, but it has been raining for 3 days so far and is supposed to rain tomorrow, too. It was a good excuse for me to stay home all day today and just rest. I needed it. I have been trying really hard to learn Romanian and integrate into my family and community, but today I stayed home and watched American TV shows on my computer. 

One thing I have learned really well in life is that it's ok to rest. In fact, it's necessary. When I am rested I think better, learn better, and feel better. And I think especially as a Peace Corps Volunteer where we are being faced with challenges and new experiences every day, it is really important to take time to rest when we can. 

A Mossback's love affair with rain

This article has come around at the beginning of Fall the past few years. It resonates so much with longtime PNW residents. And here in Moldova I find myself missing the Seattle rain. It was a brutal summer here (for me): 4 months of hot, humid weather with many 90-100-degree days. On Sept 22, the first day of Fall, the temps dropped and I felt so much relief. The reason for that is largely because of what this writer discusses. Today, I walked to work under gray clouds and a few small drops of rain. It was glorious.


"It's not simply the arrival of rain, but the transition to a different environment and way of life. The drear has a certain dark beauty; a low-contrast softness. There's no need to squint or close the blinds. Even the sound of the rain on our house is music to my ears, a lullaby. 

...The best way to describe the feeling is "coziness." Home feels like a refuge from the elements; a place to relax and live life more slowly. Coffee seems to taste better when it’s raining."

Although the temperatures here in Moldova have gotten cooler with the arrival of Fall, the days have still been dry and sunny. I'm not complaining; Seattle's 9 months of rain do get to me after awhile. But still, it will take me some time to get used to not seeing the Fall rain I have been accustomed to for most of my life.