Russian Beer, Ukrainian Chips, and German Pizza.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me in this country is the variety of languages I see and hear everyday. The official language of Moldova is Moldovan, a language which is almost identical to Romanian. In the city however, Russian is everywhere, either alongside Romanian, or completely on its own. Russian is even used by a large percentage of Chisinau's population as the first language spoken. Aside from the Russian/Romanian divide in the city, there is a plethora of other languages that can be found by walking through the city streets, or even better, the city's grocery stores.

I was walking to catch my rutiera a few days ago and heard, in the space of five minutes, a group of students speaking German, a street performer singing Russian folk songs (who kicks ass by the way), two people speaking English, and another couple speaking French (a fun fact that I did not know until yesterday: Moldova is a member of La Francophonie. In case you wanted to know)

Even more striking is the diversity of products available in the Green Hills market at the bottom of my apartment building. Not only are the signs in the store posted in both Russian and Romanian, but a simple stroll down any of the isles involves encountering at least three languages. So far I've seen: English, French, Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Spanish, German, Georgian, Turkish, Uzbek, Kazakh, and there are others I am sure. Also, depending on who your cashier may happen to be, you will be addressed in either Russian or Romanian.

Even with all this seeming linguistic diversity, language remains a divisive issue here. One question I am always asked in my meetings with students is: "why are you learning Russian instead of Romanian?" The recent memories of Soviet control are still strong amongst the population, many of whom regard the Russian language as a language of oppression, some of my close friends here hold such an opinion.

While I am in no way going to preach my opinion as truth here, I will give my personal opinion, take it for what it is worth. Moldova is a highly diverse nation, a nation of many languages and political affiliations. There are regions where Russian is spoken almost uniform, and the same goes for Romanian. There are also regions where Ukrainian is predominantly spoken, as well as the southern region where Gaguz, a variant of Turkish is also spoken widely. I see no problem with having a multi ethnic, multi lingual state, which almost exists de facto here, but as I said these are my own opinions gathered from my short time in this country.

Thanks for reading droogi, keep on keepin' on on the other side of the world and I'll try to do the same. Until next time, I'm off to get a few Baltikas and a German frozen pizza.

By the by: listen to Zdob si Zdub and watch Mindwalk.

Life is just a ride. And we can change it anytime we want. It's only a choice.

Seeing as how it's been weeks since I last updated this thing and there are far too many stories to tell, I'll just list off some of the things that have happened since the last update.

During my time in Moldova I have been stared at, laughed at, yelled at, robbed, been hassled by police, customs officers, and border patrol, been asked for bribes, been to a Moldovan hospitial, been pulled over while riding in a cab, and so many other things that would be laughable back home.

On the flip side, however, I have met people who's experiences and stories have challenged the way I think about every facet of life, had the opportunity to travel to places people back home have never heard of, gained a true appreciation of just how good people in the "West" have it, made friends which will last a lifetime, and if I were to continue the list I would fill pages.

There have been bad times and there have been good times, but that is life. Adjusting to a culture so radically different from your own while completely on your own is no easy task, and it's not supposed to be and easy task. I learn more about myself and this place with each passing day, and that was really the reason I came to Moldova.

When it comes down to it, as Mr. Hicks once said, we can change this ride anytime we want. If given the chance to start over and change the ride I've had since arriving here in January would I? There is no fucking way.

I promise a more standard issue post next time, until then moi droogs, da svidanya.

T.I.M.

I've been sick for the past few days. I knew it was going to happen at some point during my excursion into the Wild West of Europe, but wasn't exactly sure when. It seems to have dissipated since yesterday, but I didn't get out much over the past three days or so. Life goes on however, and it looks as if I'll be back in fighting form within a day or two.

In other news. I finally found a place with free wifi. It's coincidentally at a place called Bar Havana. It's a very Moldovan interpretation of a Cuban bar. There are pictures all over the place of what appears to be Cuba, as well as a giant stencil of Che Guevara right as you enter. I have noticed in my time here, however, that the music in certain places doesn't quite match up with the theme of the place. As with the Irish pub that played Reggae all night, this particular establishment seems to have a mixture of songs that sound like they came off of Pure Moods with some bad Frank Sinatra covers mixed in there, just to make things interesting (there's also a hookah in the corner which seems oddly out of place).

I apparently taught two English classes last week. It was my understanding that I was going to meet with some Moldovan students who study under some of the professors I know over at IRIM and talk with them about American life and Moldovan life and the differences and similarities. I would later find out that the time I spent talking with them was actually their English class for the day. Every group spoke English very well and some even invited me out for a tour of the city. There seems to be a significant divide between a great deal of the students I've met here. Some want nothing more than to graduate, get a job somewhere that will get them out of the country, and leave and never look back. There are others, however, who seem truly committed to seeing their homeland succeed in the way I know it can.

It looks as if I'm heading out to the village next weekend. Silvia wants to go back to Ermaclia (her hometown) for International Womens Day (March 8) and I think I'll be tagging along. It'll be my first village experience since I arrived here over a month ago and should be quite the trip. There is a significant urban/rural divide in Moldova, the majority of Moldovans live in villages or towns, with less than a million people (out of a population of around 4 million) living in big cities. The contrast between Chisinau and the village will be quite a sight.

I have learned during my (relatively short) travels, that the world is a very small place. Whether it's randomly running into a Mercer professor in a tiny town in northern France, or finding a Mercer graduate who happens to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova, people have a way of bumping into one another. This became ever more clear to me when I received an email from my mom telling me about three Moldovans who had been living in Vinings (my neighborhood of Atlanta) for the past month or so. Not only that, but they are heading back to Chisinau today, and one of them lives literally right down the street from me. I should be meeting up with them in the next few days and seeing how life back home is, as well as getting a little care package from home that they were nice enough to take with them.

Until next time friends of mine, stay healthy, stay warm, and keep the chatter up.

By the by: watch Sunshine and listen to Deftones.