Bine ați venit!

Welcome to my new blog site. Life has been overwhelmingly busy these last few months, but I have finally taken a moment to sit down and write a post. Despite all the craziness, I have been able to take a few minutes each day to reflect on all I have experienced. In the upcoming weeks, I plan to write more about the many observations and reflections I have already witnessed in my short time here in Moldova. People say that serving in the Peace Corps will change you. Despite only being here for a few months, I can 100% agree.

The following is a brief recap up to the start of September:
In June I left my hometown roots in Indiana and made my way to the East-coast. This was where Staging for Peace Corps Moldova was held. Staging is the introduction and welcome to Peace Corps and for many of us, the first time we met any of our fellow cohorts. The next morning, we flew out of NYC and made our way to Europe. In Europe we had a layover, but finally made it to Chisinau International Airport around midday. At that point, my cohort was introduced one-on-one to our country director as we made our way to the baggage area. In what can only be described as Peace Corps fashion, upon exiting the baggage claim, we were welcomed by current volunteers, holding signs and cheering us on.

After a short bus ride, we ended the day at a hotel. Some information was given to us, but it was really a day to help us fight off jet-leg. The following few days were also used to acclimate us to our new environment. During our stay at the hotel, we had many information sessions, briefly started language learning, and learned about our Pre-Service Training site.

Going to our PST site was a time filled with many emotions. Excitement. Anticipation. Anxiety. And we were all nervous beyond belief. The main reason for all of these feelings was because we would be living with a host family for the next ten weeks, and prior to the bus ride to our PST site, we only knew the names of our host parents. Looking back on the day we pulled into our village, I can not help but smile at how amazing those next ten weeks would end up being. In upcoming weeks, I will definitely be writing many articles on the first community and family that took me in and welcomed me to Moldova.

After the ten weeks, my cohort (called M33 as we are the 33rd PC volunteer group to serve in Moldova) and I were sworn in and became official volunteers. After being sworn in, everyone wet off to their permanent sites. It’s only been a few weeks since I started living at my new village, but I am already enjoying it: my family is fantastic; I am working with enthusiastic partners; and my village is very picturesque.

As I alluded to at the beginning of this article, I have already been changed by the people of Moldova. At this point, you might be wondering how, in such a short time, have I been changed. In upcoming posts, I will explain, giving more details of the events that I mentioned above and including any new and exciting adventures I experience. Every day brings new adventures; new memories; new stories.

As you could probably tell, I am leaving out a tremendous amount of details that I will fill in at a later time, but for now, I wanted to give a very brief overview of what has happened thus far. If there is anything you would like me to write about specifically or if you have any questions or comments, go to the Contact page and tell me your thoughts. Until next time, enjoy your cup of joe.