Well, Halloween #2 has come and gone. Those pumpkin kits that Margie sent are being well used! This was the cutting crew that got together the night before the party to get all of the decorations up and the pumpkins carved. We had a blast and it just reminded me again of what wonderful students I have. They are the greatest!!!!!

We have just finished the second of two Thanksgiving celebrations. First was down in Cahul at Naima's (Dean, you will be proud. We had CORNBREAD dressing! It was damn declicious.) Last night I headed up North to Orhei and had a great dinner at Brian and Annie's place. The food was delicious, the company fabulous, and we even played Apples to Apples after dinner. It was a little slice of home and a whole lot of fun.

So, December is almost here, the weather is cold, and I am coming home in 4 weeks!!!! Just wanted to let everyone know that I am going to be back in the Rock from the 28th of December thru the 10th of January. I am going to hunker down with Dean and Jeremy for the first few days, but after New Year's I want to get out and about and see everyone. Also, I am going to do a big open house on the 4th of January and everyone is invited!!!! We will kick things off at around 2 pm and I am sure things will last well into the night. I am going to cook my little heart out (I have really been missing my kitchen and all of those fabulous ingredients that I can't get anywhere here! Come hungry!) I can't wait to see everyone and catch up on life and everything that has been going on this last year and a half. I am going to steal Dean's cell phone while I am at home, so call me on his line. Stay warm and see you soon!

Back in the swing of things...

La Dolce Vita!

As most of you know, I spent the last two weeks of my summer in Italy with Jeremy, Dean and Suni. Jeremy came to Moldova for almost three weeks and then he and I packed up and headed for Bucharest in Romania to catch a flight to Rome. EVERYONE at my house in Moldova was sad to see our big Bebalusi (baby!) go, but I didn't think Alexandra was going to let him leave at all. Below is a picture of their final farewell. Just one more pinch of those big American cheeks!

We left Chisinau the next day on an overnight train. It wasn't a bad way to travel. We had a compartment to ourselves and a bed to stretch out on. If only the window would have opened. We had to get up several times during the night to ring the sweat out of our clothes and grab some real air. The trip took about 12 hours, 4 of which we spent at the border of Romania where they lifted the entire car (each and every one!) and changed out the undercarriage on each car. It seems that the gage of the track changes between Moldova and the rest of the world, so every car must have the wheels changed to be able to go from west to east. This happens at about 3 in the morning, so it is all a bit surreal... Below is Jeremy chillin' out and doing a little writing before I whip his ass at several hands of rummy!

Below is a picture of the greeting in the book that was in our room at our hotel in Bucharest. I particularly liked that we were being invited to dine in a "worm" environment and were assured that we "can't"be served breakfast, lunch or dinner!

This is a statue of a broken man that is a memorial to the men and women who were killed during Ciaucescu's leadership of Romania. Right behind it is the famous balcony where he gave his famous speech and was then helicoptered off the roof to safety from the waiting mobs.

This next picture finds us in Rome. We had a great apartment right off the Tiber near the Palace of Justice. It was our mission to drink enough prosecco (and other wines!) to satisfy my love of Italian wines. This was the first afternoon. Jeremy, Suni and I arrived first and then Dean arrived three days later. We decided to collect the corks for the time we were in the apartment. I am embarrassed to even tell you how many we collected during our seven days...

Suni, don't be mad, but I am including several pictures of you on the blog. Don't worry! No thighs! Speaking of Suni... She had a great idea one night that we should go out and eat African food. It was amazing and a nice change from delicious Italian food.

Dean's first "taste" of Rome was a trip to the vatican for a special tour with an art student. We got an amazing tour, and he was adorable to boot! Very cool and Roman. He even managed to show me some things I had not seen on previous tours...
...like, a statue that looks just like Bill Clinton that is in a niche in one of the papal apartments! The resemblance is uncanny!

The three amigos in front of the forum of Rome.

One of my favorite restaurants in Rome "La Carbonara" is right on the edge of the daily market in Rome called Campo Fiori. It was just as wonderful as I remembered, but man! the dollar sucks right now! The waiter helped us out and took one of the few group pictures of our trip.

Dean wanted to see the coloseum, so the coloseum it was!

This was a dream of mine... I wanted a romantic picture with the love of my life in front of the Trevi fountain. Here you go!



This is our amazing bed and breakfast in Orvieto. Over the rooftop you can see the old city perched on top of the hill.Dean relaxing in the corner on Suni's fabulous balcony!

Jeremy chillin' under the grape vines in front of the house.

This is the most beautiful cathedral (in my humble opinion!) in all of Italy. It is the duomo in Orvieto. I believe that I have another convert to the love of Orvieto. Suni mentioned on the phone that she adored it as well.

Leave it to the two Arkies in the group to find a razorback to pose with!

This trip was great on many different levels. One day Suni and Dean were too tired to go out, so I took off on my own and explored a town near Orvieto called Pitigliano. It is another one of those towns perched on the tufa hills. I had a great time exploring the town and just having some alone time.
The three amigos in Montelpuciano.

The next series of pictures is from Pompeii. Below is a plaster cast of a pregnant woman that was perfectly preserved by the "pyroclastic cloud" (Dean gave me a little schooling on the nature of volcanic eruptions and corrected my assumption that it was the lava that killed people. He told me it is the cloud of ash that gets people!)

...a man caught in the cloud...



... this person seems to have know it was his last few moments on earth...
One of the most interesting things I saw was a preserved... uh... whorehouse! There were little chambers where the women entertained their clients and above every door was a frescoe with the specialty of the woman that worked within!

It is not so easy to tell, but this is the kitchen of a public restaurant. Did you know that for the Pompeiians there was a close connection between food and sex? In their public kitchens they often had a statue of a penis for luck and health. Guess where Suni is sitting? Oh the scandal of it all!

Suni may have petit feet, but there was the dust of a thousand Pompeiians on it at the end of this day!

Finally, Deno and I were the last of the four left in Italy and we headed down to the Amalfi coast. The sky was blue, I was with my love, and I was in Italy. It just doesn't get any better than that!


Now it is time to get back to my life in Moldova and finish up my service here. It was great to see everyone, I had an amazing time in Italy, but I am happy to be back in Moldova with the amazing people I have met here. I will be back in the states for Christmas for sure, so I will post my dates so you can be sure to come by and see me while I am home! Love to all!

Sorry it has been so long....

Summer is flying by and I realize that I haven't posted on the blog since my trip to Turkey!!!! That is unacceptable, and I want to give everyone an update on what has been going on in my life in Moldova since then. School finished for me about the 13th of June, but our new group of teachers arrived on the 11th, so I have been busy all summer with coordinating the mentoring program for them (a program which basically helps the new volunteers feel welcome and helps them to get adjusted to life in Moldova.) I have also been working on the technical sessions for them during this PST (pre service training) time to get them up to speed on the technical aspects of teaching (as many of them are going to be teaching for the first time!) All that is just to say that I have been pretty busy, even though it is summer!

Lucky for me, though, I have some friends who have been brave enough (and willing!) to come and see what has been going on in this life of mine in Moldova. Margie was my first guest. She came and spent a week with me in mid-June and while it was wonderful, it put me in a bit of a funk after she left. I had almost forgotten what it is like to be around old friends and family that know you inside and out. We had many plans for her to see Moldova, but when push came to shove we spent so much time yaking and catching up that we just managed to see Chisinau and my town, Cahul. It meant a huge amount to me that she was here and that she came all that way just to see me! I missed the heck out of her when she left, but I got it together again and all is right with the world!

Most recently, Jeremy has come to see me! He arrived on Friday of last week and I immediately hustled him down to Cahul because we had been invited to a wedding (which is quite an experience in Moldova!). We got him a dress shirt and a tie, borrowed some pants from Nickolai and he was ready to go. Weddings in Moldova start at about 9 in the evening and go on until about 7 or 8 the next morning. They are chock full of interesting customs, huge amounts of food and drink and a whole lot of HORA. The hora is a dance that is traditional in Moldova and it goes on all night long. Jeremy was such a trooper! He danced all night long (even when the boys were doing the super fast hora at the end!) It has been amazing having him here with me. When I picked him up at the airport, I started pinching him (which I still do periodically) just to make sure that it is real. I love having my baby here with me!!!!!! Everyone loves him and my host mother keeps pinching her cheeks and telling him how cute he is. Nicholai is glad to have someone with him that will drink cognac! Jeremy will be with me for another two weeks and then we are headed for Bucharest to fly to Rome. My best friend Suni and my wonderful husband are meeting us there for two weeks in lovely Italy. I can't wait to see them either! It is so hard to believe that it has been an entire year since I have been home.

Alexandra, me!, Jeremy and Nickolai headed out for the wedding.

The lovely bride and groom at the head table. The groom is actually studying in America (in Birmingham!) and will return to the US in August. His bride is studying in Romania, so they will be apart for the next year while they finish their studies.

This was one of the strangest traditions of the evening. Several people danced out with raw chickens that were wrapped up in decorative paper, and "decorated" with anatomically correct boobs and/or a penis. No one could really seem to tell me why....

Not so easy to see (perhaps because he is dancing so fast!), but my son was cutting quite the rug. Everyone absolutely loved him!!!!

This was another lovely and interesting tradition. All of the linens, towels, etc. that the couple got were wrapped around the bride and groom as they were opened. Pretty cool, huh? Not so much when the temperature in the room was about 95 degrees!

We met some of the most amazing people in the course of the evening. This was one young lady who was just finishing up her high school and thinking about applying to the university in Romania. Her English was great and I really enjoyed talking to her! Best of luck Irina!

Three of my favorite Peace Corps volunteers in Moldova. Geoff, Anna and Matt!

This time of year is also sad! The "senior" group of TEFL and Health volunteers are finishing up their service and leaving. Just when you really get to know people well, you have to say goodbye to them. Anna (above) left today and Geoff will be leaving soon. Matt has extended, so he will be with us until around the time I go home! This is Ian, one of the most amazing volunteers I have met in Moldova. He was a three year volunteer in Moldova and one of my favorite people here. He left last month and is sorely missed by all of us!

Ian and I are usually tearing it up in the kitchen together, but this was his going away party, so I did the cooking and he just mingled. It was hard to keep him out!!!!!!

I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too high, but I think I am coming home for Christmas! I will keep you posted on my plans and what exact dates as soon as I book my ticket. (If anyone can find a ticket for less than $1500 from Chisinau to Little Rock=email me!!!!!)





I hope that the weather is not killing you back in the Rock and that everyone is happy and healthy. I miss you all desperately, but I am on the down hill slide. One more year to go!!!!!

Before you start to judge me...

...remember that I have been roughing it for almost a year now! I was lucky enough to be able to make a fabulous trip to Antalya in Turkey this past week. It was a much needed diversion and one of the most relaxing vacations that I have ever been on. Liza, Andrea and I flew to Antalya to start on our adventure. We stayed in a great little pension in the old town area of Antalya. We had just enough time for a morning walk around the old town and the harbor before we headed for the boat.

Relaxing breakfast at the pension Sabiyah in old town Antalya.

Interesting statue in the harbor park. You know how I love hands!!!!!

Some pre-Roman ruins in old town Antalya.

The amazing harbor of Antalya.

Look, in our defense, it was after 12:00 in Turkey before we broke out the wine. This is what most of our days on the boat looked like. Sun, cool breezes, wine and beautiful scenery. Just what I needed! There were about 10 passengers on the boat, (all but one of which spoke German!), so I had a lot of fun practicing my increasingly rusty German!!!!!

When we told Liza "down the hatch!" she took it a bit literally!

One of the amazing views of the coastline of western Turkey.

Liza showing off her amazing card-playing skills.

We did get off the boat one day to explore the ruins of a pre Roman ampitheater. It was a beautiful day and definitely time to get off the boat and walk around a bit.

In conjunction with the ampitheater were these Lycean rock tombs. They were tombs that were carved into the volcanic rock on the hillsides. It was really beautiful and very interesting!

Some of the friezes from the tombs just laying out in the gravel in front of the ampitheater. It was interesting that they were just out on the ground and people could touch them, sit on them, etc.

Last day of the boat trip was a side trip into Demre (conveniently the town where our Villa was located!) The statue is the statue of St. Nickolaus, the real priest that the modern day Santa Claus was patterned after. He was the bishop of Myra and well known for his good deeds in the area (especially in caring for the children). This is the church where he was buried. It is a very popular tourist attraction for many people in the Orthodox faith.

The tomb of St. Nicholaus. Many visitors were buying icons and then pressing them to the outside of his tomb to bless them.

Back on the boat for our last evening, it was nap time for the girls! Close quarters, but very comfortable.

Our illustrious captain and his first mate. They were awesome! They did everything in the world to make us happy and comfortable while we were on the boat.

The whole American gang and the crew. What an amazing time we had!

After we left the boat, we were brought to Fezay's restaurant to wait for our car to the villa. We lounged on the pillows and rugs like a bunch of harem girls while they brought us wine and food. Not a bad life at all...

This is villa we rented for the last few days we were in Turkey. We cooked, drank wine and layed out in the sun some more!

The rock beach and access to the see a few hundred meters from our front door....

Our last day in Antalya trying to soak up our last rays and drink in a little more ocean air. It was a fabulous vacation, and I came back refreshed and ready to finish out my school year (just a little over one more week to go!) I hope everyone is doing well and that plans are underway for an amazing summer of your own!