So we did it. Yesteray, we left Cahul. It’s not permanent – we’ll be back to visit – but it is for a long time. Strange.
Saying good-bye to our host family was terrible. Everyone was crying, and none of us could come up with appropriate words for the moment. Silence and sobbing. I couldn’t believe the day had actually arrived. Emotionally, I was not prepared for it, and I’m still not sure I’ve accepted that we’re not going back on Friday. Leaving our families in the U.S. two years ago was hard, but we knew it was only a temporary absence. Leaving our host family here is different because we don’t when we’ll see them again.
As we made the drive from Cahul to Chisinau for the last time, we sat in silence staring out the windows. We tried to absorb every last bit of scenery and engrave on our minds all the wonderful memories we are taking with us. It was a beautiful day for the drive – cold and clear, with a thin shroud of snow sitting on the distant hills of Romania. An ideal day for a good-bye.
In the past couple weeks, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my experience here. Two years truly did fly by. I was looking at pictures and I noticed how our host sisters have gotten older in the time we’ve been here. Doesn’t seem like that should be possible in such a short time.
I also spent some time thinking about everything we have done since we’ve been in Peace Corps. And we’ve done a lot. The work was very challenging; at times I thought I couldn’t take it anymore. But it was also rewarding. Learning how a different culture thinks and acts, and then adapting to work with that culture is something I really enjoyed. I have no regrets about the things we’ve done in Moldova.
On the other hand, it’s so easy to regret all the things we didn’t do. Opportunities missed, photos not taken, invitations declined. Now that I have been here for a while and learned more about the community and the people, I believe I could be even more effective in my work. I have more ideas that I want to put into action. But our commitment was for two years, and now it’s time to move on.
During my reflection, I also took a moment to review the 26 e-mails I have sent you guys over the past two years and four months. I wanted to see how my impressions have changed or if there was anything I wanted to correct. Surprisingly, I didn’t come up with anything. Maybe I should read them more carefully.
One thing I noticed about my message is that not one of them is really about my work. Sure, you’ve heard about the projects I’ve been involved in, but there was nothing about my day-to-day work, my counterpart, my office. Even more interesting, none of you ever asked. Well, I’m not working anymore, so why tell you about it now?
People already have lots of questions about Moldova. One of the most common ones is “What did you like most about Moldova?” That’s a tough question. There are so many things that I enjoyed about this experience, I don’t even know how to begin. But the more I think about it, the more I think the people I’ve met have been the best part of my experience. I have been privileged to work with many very dedicated individuals. These people receive almost no money for the work they do, but continue doing because they are passionate about a cause. Their passion has served as my motivation.
And not just the Moldovans. The other Peace Corps Volunteers we have met are truly exceptional people. Before we left for Moldova, people told us that we would make friends for life during this experience. After a few months here, I was skeptical. Sure, there are plenty of nice people, but none stood out as friends for life. After getting to know them better, I’ve changed my mind. Now, after two years, I can tell you that indeed we did make friendships here that will last forever.
I don’t think we had the most typical Moldovan experience. Or the most typical Peace Corps experience. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful experience. It was difficult, fun, frustrating, happy, sad, and educational on every single day. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions, successes and failures. Perhaps when people at home ask “How was Moldova,” that is what I will say.
I know these messages became less frequent as time went on. As I became accustomed to life in Moldova, fewer things made an impression on me and were “worth writing home about”. Although this will be my last message from Moldova, I was thinking I would write one after I get home. I expect things will be new and interesting again when we return to the States. I’ll let you know what my first impressions are.
All that’s left for us in Moldova is a bunch of Peace Corps paperwork and Thanksgiving dinner. Should be a nice way to close out our time here. We’ll be seeing some of you in less than a week. Until then, have a very happy Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for.
Love, and good-bye from (and to) Moldova,
Marc
