Life and Such

Goodbyes and New Beginnings

Beth Ogden1 Comment
Ringing the COS bell
Many of the English Educators group ringing the bell to end their service.

This is my last post as a Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) in Moldova. As you read this, I’ll already be a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, otherwise referred to as an RPCV, and be on a plane headed west. It’s so strange to think that I have spent the past 25 months here in Moldova and that my time here has come to an end. It has been a wonderful journey that I am so thankful to have had.

A last picture with my host mom and host nieces.

The last week has been full of bittersweet goodbyes. I will dearly miss my host family, who has supported and loved me as a daughter. I will miss my host nieces a lot as well- they’ve given me plenty of laughs and cuddles (and a handful of headaches). I will miss my colleagues at school, who helped me navigate a new environment and supported my projects and ideas. I’ll especially miss the two teachers that I taught beside for two school years, Ina and Liuba. They helped translate when I didn’t understand me, and I’m really proud of the work we did together and the friendships we developed. I’ll miss my students, who have been at the center of my work here. They are the ones who often made a bad day better and who made me smile and laugh when things were hard or I was missing home. I’ll miss this village and community, who opened me with open arms. I couldn’t have been placed in a better place, and I loved living in this small, quiet community. And I’ll miss Moldova, with its sunflower fields, bright sunsets, hot bus rides, and beautiful churches.

A surprise farewell party at the school.

The goodbyes have been hard, but I’m also ready for the next stage in my life. I’m so glad I spent the past 2 years here. Now it’s on to new things and new adventures (though to be honest I’m still figuring that part out). For now, I’m returning to my hometown and I’m looking forward to  spending time with my family, picking and eating quart upon quart of blueberries, going hiking in the woods, and kayaking down the river. I’m anticipating that the adjustment back to life in the USA might be a bit difficult and might take some time. Thank you to everyone who has followed along on this journey for the past 25 months! I’ll still be posting here (first up: my COS- or Close of Service- trip to Iceland with my family), so I hope you’ll keep reading!

Last 100 Days, Days 5-1

Beth Ogden1 Comment

As I’ve mentioned, I’m sharing a photo and a look back on my favorite memories in moments in Moldova for each of my last 100 days here.  I’m counting down, so here are days 5-1.  Tomorrow I will be leaving Moldova so this is the final post for the Last 100 Days.  See all of my “Last 100 Days” posts here.

Day 5: I was once again invited to accompany my village’s dance ensemble, this time to an international festival. Knowing it was likely my last chance to see my students dance, I immediately agreed to go. The festival was held outside under the shade of big trees, and the kids and teenagers from my village did a great job! After they finished, we had a bit of time to walk around and eat some food, and then we headed back to the village. I have loved getting to attend these performances over the past two years, and it is something I will dearly miss. (June 2018)
Day 4: I finished out my service with two summer day camps in my village. The first one, with students in grades 6 through 8, was a leadership camp. The second was an English Camp with the theme of “Around the World” for students in grades 3 through 5, where we imagined we were traveling to a different country each day. Both camps were a lot of fun, and it was great to see our students be active and motivated! (June 2018)
Day 3: My school community had a surprise farewell party for me my last week in site. Several teachers and students gathered at the school, and surprised me with a beautiful Moldovan flag cake, champagne, a beautiful gift, my favorite Moldovan food (pelemeni), and kind words. I was so lucky to work at this school with these people, and a fair number of tears were shed as I said goodbye for the last time to my school director, partner teachers, colleagues, students, and school staff. (June 2018)
Day 2: I was so fortunate to live with a wonderful host family for two years in my village. I will miss my host mom and host nieces so, so much! My last two days in the village were spent with them, as well as with my extended host family, who all came to celebrate a delicious meal together one last time. I couldn’t have asked for a better family to call my own in Moldova. (July 2018)
Day 1: Before we leave the country and become RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), we get to ring the COS (Close of Service) bell at Peace Corps headquarters in the capital. The ringing of the bell signifies the end of our service here in Moldova and the beginning of our next adventures. (July 2018)

Last 100 Days, Days 10-6

Beth Ogden

As I’ve mentioned, I’m sharing a photo and a look back on my favorite memories in moments in Moldova for each of my last 100 days here.  I’m counting down, so here are days 10-6.  See all of my “Last 100 Days” posts here.

Day 10: One week after Easter, Moldovans celebrate “Memorial Easter”. This occurs either on Sunday or Monday, and everyone gathers at the cemetery. There is a service, with the names of all of the departed loved ones read off during a long prayer, then the graves are blessed with food and wine. The week leading up to this, every family spends days in the cemetery cleaning up and decorating the graves of their loved ones, and on the day of the holiday, many families stay and eat a meal at tables set up by the gravestones. (April 2018)
Day 9: On May 9th, one or both of two holidays are celebrated in Moldovan communities: Victory Day, which commemorates the victory of the Allied forces in World War II and also recognizes those who have lost their lives in wars, and Europe Day, which also commemorates the end of World War II and promotes peace. Government and other businesses are closed on this day, and in my village, the students gather at school, then walk the short way to the World War II memorial near the park, where there is a short ceremony before all the students and some community members place flowers around the monument. (May 2018)
Day 8: The English Club I have with a group of 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students has been one of the highlights of my time here in Moldova. To thank them for coming and being interested in English, we had an American “masa”, or meal, at the end of the school year. My site mate, Amir, and I made mac and cheese, tacos, deviled eggs, cornbread, banana bread, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and fruit punch and iced tea for the students who came regularly throughout the year. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed getting to share my favorite foods with them! (May 2018)
Day 7: Peace Corps was established in Moldova in 1993, just two years after Moldova’s independence. That means that this year marks 25 years of the Peace Corps in Moldova. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Peace Corps had a large celebration in the capital, complete with music, videos, a few short speeches, and a nice reception following the ceremony. I was so glad my partners, school director, and my site mate and his partners were able to join us in celebrating. (May 2018)
Day 6: Each year the last day of school falls on May 31st and is celebrated with a ceremony called “Last Bell”. This year’s celebration, being my final Last Bell and also final day of school, was an emotional day for me, as well as for the 9th grade graduates, who will move on to other schools or work next year. It was a beautiful, touching ceremony, and I received a diploma for the work I’ve done in the school as well as a bunch of notes and drawings from my students. I will miss this school, these teachers, and these kids so much when I leave! (May 2018)

“Around the World” Summer Day Camp

Beth Ogden
The participants with their diplomas sporting big “American” smiles

This past week we had an “Around the World in 5 Days” themed English summer camp at our school with students in 3rd through 5th grade. Each day, we “traveled” to a country on each of the continents (minus Antarctica), learned about the country, and did a craft and/or game inspired by that country. The students had passports that we glued stamps into each day after we “traveled” to the country. We had a lot of fun and a decent turn out, so I’d say it was a success!

Day 1: Making mosaics
Day 1: Valeria with her finished mosaic of a pizza
Day 1: The finished mosaics

On Monday, we traveled to Italy in Europe. We learned about Italy, talking about some of the popular places people like to visit, then created mosaics from paper, inspired by the famous mosaics of the Roman Empire. The students also received their passports for the week and their workbooks. We learned some English vocabulary, such as boot (the shape of Italy), canal, and bridge.

Day 2: Learning African drumming thanks to our guest Peace Corps volunteer, Anne
Day 2: Learning an African dance
Day 2: Filling out worksheets for vocabulary and fast facts about Senegal

On Tuesday, we traveled to Senegal in Africa. A fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Anne, joined us and taught the students some African drumming and dance, which the students really loved! After, we learned a bit about Senegal and some English vocabulary such as grasslands, savanna, and prehistoric.

Day 3: Doing the Hokey Pokey
Day 3: Playing Simon Says
Day 3: Making, and then unraveling, a human knot

On Wednesday, we traveled to two countries: The United States of America in North America and Peru in South America. Some vocabulary we learned included stars, stripes, prairie, rain forest, and guinea pig. We played some classic American children’s games outside, such as Simon Says, Red Light Green Light, and the Hokey Pokey. It was a lot of fun!

Day 4: Our camp workbooks and passports
Day 4: Playing Simon Says with our guest volunteer, Alicia
Day 4: The students with the mandalas they colored

On Thursday, we traveled to Thailand in Asia. A fellow volunteer, Alicia, joined us. We learned about Thailand, including some favorite Thai foods and English vocabulary such as spicy and jungle. We did some simple meditation while the students colored mandalas and listened to some meditation music (I’ve never seen them be so quiet!). After, we played a children’s game from Thailand called “Stealing the Leaves”, which was fun!

Day 5: Making paintings inspired by Aboriginal dot painting
Day 5: Water balloon fight
Day 5: Our finished paintings

On Friday, our last day, we learned about Australia. After learned some interesting facts about Australia and looking at a bunch of photos, we made some paintings inspired by Aboriginal Dot Paintings. They turned out quite well! Since it was the last day, we then went outside and played games, including a water balloon toss and fight! At the end of the camp, we handed out diplomas and reflected on the camp.

I think the kids really enjoyed the camp and they learned a lot about some places and countries they didn’t know much about before. They even asked if there would be another camp next week! This was my last official project in Moldova, and the last time I will work with my students. Friday was a bittersweet day because of that, but I bought the two older students that helped a ton throughout the week some ice cream and we sat and talked for a while. These two students are in 6th grade and I only taught them for part of my time here, so I didn’t know either well before the past two weeks. I was so impressed by both of them and the camp wouldn’t have been so successful without their hard work!

Last 100 Days, Days 15-11

Beth Ogden

As I’ve mentioned, I’m sharing a photo and a look back on my favorite memories in moments in Moldova for each of my last 100 days here.  I’m counting down, so here are days 15-11.  See all of my “Last 100 Days” posts here.

Day 15: We had a full schedule of events for Peace Corps Week at our school this year! We had a mini film festival with volunteer videos from across the world, video-chatted with a class in the U.S.A., and welcomed three other Peace Corps volunteers to our school to talk about where and what home means to them. It was a really fun, interesting week and the students really enjoyed it! (March 2018)
Day 14: For International Women’s Day, my village had a concert at our Casa de Cultura, with performances by some of our students, the local dance ensemble, a professional orchestra, and several well-known Moldovan singers. The dance ensemble, made up of students in 7th through 10th grades, performed a new dance, which was really beautiful (pictured here). (March 2018)
Day 13: One of my favorite Moldovan holidays is that of “Mărţişor”. This holiday occurs on the first day of spring, which is celebrated on March 1st. People give each other these red-and-white amulets, called “mărţişoare”. They celebrate the coming of spring and are wishes of good luck. At the end of March, they hang the amulets on a budding tree. (March 2018)
Day 12: Each spring, a week or two before Easter, spring cleaning occurs in every household and around the village. School ends a bit early on one day and all the students, accompanied by their teachers, clean up the village in preparation for the Easter holiday. Each class is assigned a different part of the village, where they pick up garbage, rake up any leaves remaining from the autumn, and whitewash the tree trunks. (April 2018)
Day 11: I celebrated Easter in my village once again this year. My host dad and I joined my host mom at the church at 4:00 in the morning, and we gathered with everyone along the roads surrounding the church with baskets full of meat, special Easter breads, and red-dyed eggs. The priest then went around, blessing each person and each basket by splashing water on them. After, we returned home (it was still fairly dark out) and broke the Easter fast by eating the food from the basket and drinking a glass of wine before going back to sleep. (April 2018)