As the calendar continues to whiz by, so do the Moldovan holidays. In fact, the only time I seem to recognize American holidays is when I need something from the Peace Corps office and can’t get it because the office is closed for an American holiday. “What holiday?” I asked our medical officer. “It’s one of yours, Melissa,” she said, “Labor Day.”
Right…
Anyway, last week was Teachers’ Day and the youth that I work with try to recognize the retired teachers every year on this day.
Here we are making greeting cards for them. These are two of my best friends at the center. Alina, seated next to me, is a talented artist, wants to go to school to be an architect, like her sister. Is fabulous with kids, and speaks English very well. We have a mutually beneficial relationship with regard to language. She is a great kid!
Doina, in the blue shirt, is one of the hardest working young people at the center. When I first got to know her, I assumed she was one of the oldest youth, but in reality, she is among the youngest. Doina and I have the best laughs together—usually a result of how I pronounce someone’s name. Nadya, Colea, Mariah Carey (yea, I know, ouch. But she’s in more than one young girl’s playlist here), etc.
The next day we split into teams and visited the homes of about 50 retired teachers. We took them the greeting cards and (the all important) flowers. We were very well received in people’s homes and it also gave the youth a chance to explain who they are and what they do for our community.
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