03 Dec 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 4 Comments
Today I had a chance to get out for a walk and catch some final days of warmth before the autumn comes to a close. I often walk around the empty lake neighbouring our apartment, surrounded by a forest where many tree’s leaves are seeing the season out, changing from their bright green texture to a colourful array of brown, yellow and rich reds. Yet as I walk around the empty lake I’m always reminded of better days, and as I pass the various park benches, pathways and old monuments crumbling away, it’s very evident that the pride in this land has slowly dissipated into abandonment and neglect.
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05 Oct 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 3 Comments
The other day Jessie and I had a life changing experience.
It wasn’t anything dramatic or seemingly out of the ordinary. It was a simple and innocent connection that Jessie made with one of the lowest of lows. Funny how these moments touch us the most. (more…)
14 Jul 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 0 Comments
Amidst the busyness of kids programs we often run in villages we sometimes squeeze in a couple of visits to the elderly and encourage them with a food parcel. This afternoon we had a chance to drop by a few of the more marginalised elderly in the village of Slobazia. I always leave these visits feeling very uneasy and this afternoon’s visit was no exception. (more…)
30 Apr 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 0 Comments
Well life certainly is different here in Moldova during Easter. I recently had a chat about Easter with couple who I regularly meet up with as language contacts after bumping into them in the city. Whilst they were fascinated with the Western world’s custom of eating rabbits that are made out of chocolate (which is kind of strange when you think about it), we have been intrigued by Moldovan traditions over Easter, and it has been an incredibly insightful occasion that has brought a better understanding to the Moldovan way of life.
Whilst beautiful feasts (as pictured above), the traditional Pushca cake, along with the cracking of hard-boiled eggs with a partner may not seem overtly foreign, ‘the festival for the dead’ evokes a truly insightful perception on Moldovan customs. This event, a long time tradition celebrated during the easter period, provides a greater understanding on how a country dominated by Orthodoxy really is chalk and cheese to our home culture. The day typically consists of a family outing to the cemetery, where they celebrate a picnic lunch over the tombstone of deceased family members. At some stage during their outing, after the family patiently waits for the priest to make his way through peak traffic as other families take part in the tradition, the priest will pray for the deceased. Of course in a day and age where nothing comes cheap, the family is required to offer gifts of food, money and a drink of wine in return. The belief is that through such an ordeal the dead will earn more rights in heaven. By the end of the day you end up with a very drunk priest making his way around graveyards blabbering out prayers, whilst everyone else consumes a great deal of alcohol and becomes increasingly drunk as the evening passes bye.
We both experienced such events first hand as we travelled in a bus full of many drunk people during the evening of this festival. To paint you a picture, we quietly sat down in the bus while we listened to our neighbors hurling abuse back and forth as they debated the ‘true‘ language of Moldova – Romanian or Moldovanest. We made a decision to head up to the other end of the bus for some peace and quiet before adding the English language to the debate, where we were greeted by a grandmother who gazed into the distance in her drunken state. Every now and then she gave a little wave to her grandchild, a girl no older than 5 or 6 who was being cared for by her tipsy father who had just accidently smashed his phone on the ground. At one point the lady ended up in our laps as she tried to make her way off the bus at some random stop. It really was a sad sight, especially observing an innocent girl in the moment of it all.
So whilst Easter consists of many happy moments where the family place a major focus on celebrating this event together, this custom really does end up leaving an awful lot of people in a sorry state – a very sad thing to observe first-hand.
Well life certainly is different here in Moldova during Easter. I recently had a chat about Easter with couple who I regularly meet up with as language contacts after bumping into them in the city. Whilst they were fascinated with the Western world’s custom of eating rabbits that are made out of chocolate (which is kind of strange when you think about it), we have been intrigued by Moldovan traditions over Easter, and it has been an incredibly insightful occasion that has brought a better understanding to the Moldovan way of life.
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07 Mar 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 0 Comments
Today I walked past a beggar with no legs or hands – he could barely hold the rusty old tin shaking vigorously in his two stumps which he used to plead for money. I’m not so sure that he could speak either…
Generally speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of giving money to beggars who simply sit their, presenting themselves as unworthy and of little value (if any) to society. I find it sad that such people merely resort to pleading for a bystander’s empathy to throw some loose change into their tin, conceding that they have nothing to offer in return. I like to to think that everyone in this world has something to contribute, and although many beggars may not share this perspective, I wonder whether throwing change into a beggar’s tin promotes an acknowledgement of their hopelessness; to accept their inability to provide anything of value to others in society.
On the other hand, I’ve seen plenty of beggars in Chisinau who, at first glance, may not seem as though they have much to offer, but are doing their utmost to provide something for others. A few days ago we passed an elderly man on the side of the street singing his heart out. Now it wouldn’t have taken a professional vocalist to realise that this man’s voice was a little off key. But the point is, he felt that he had something to contribute to society, and by putting money in his tin, he is being acknowledged for what he has to offer to others – he is being recognised as someone of worth; as a human that has significance in society.
So where does that leave the beggar with no limbs? This man has found himself in an extra-ordinary situation where his present circumstances restrict him from doing much except plead. Each day his existence is dependent upon the compassion of others, and my heart goes out to him. He can’t play an instrument, and from what I gathered can’t use his voice, in fact, he would have enough of a battle commuting to his office parked on the steps each day. The more I’ve thought about this, the more it has challenged my perspective on life – on what it really means to be having a bad day; on what it really means to need something; on what it really means to be finding life hard. Maybe living out of a suitcase for a few months on end, travelling on a mini-bus packed to the rafters for 3 hours a day, or language acquisition isn’t so tough after-all. My short encounter with the man with no limbs has challenged me to reflect on my present circumstances and ponder on the opportunities I have to use what I’ve got to contribute to society as best as possible… maybe he did have something to offer to me after all.
Juz
Today I walked past a beggar with no legs or hands – he could barely hold the rusty old tin shaking vigorously in his two stumps which he used to plead for money. I’m not so sure that he could speak either…
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21 Feb 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 0 Comments
On Sunday night, we had the pleasure of being invited out for dinner with a local Moldovan woman from the village – it was an interesting experience to say the least, and we now feel that we have been officially inaugurated into true Moldovan culture!
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07 Feb 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 0 Comments
To give you a bit of an overview on Moldova’s situation, we thought we’d dedicate this entry to reflecting on our observations of this interesting country’s culture…
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27 Jan 2009, Posted by justin in the category, 2 Comments
Well, here we are in Moldova after all of this time! It’s really nice to finally arrive at our destination, and we’re both pleased that we don’t have to keep dragging all of our luggage everywhere!
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