Category: Stories and Culture

I’m away from family, dear friends: scents, sounds, even the colors of Gagauz leaves spark snippets of memory. Holidays do the same. I recently recalled that Thanksgiving, that time I experimented for the “perfect” turkey… we bag them in all-American plastic, for succulence! But my bird wept and wilted, and when placed on the table, the meat slid from the bones to the serving platter. There was no room for the traditional carving that night… oh no, wicked marketing scheme, you did us no good. But here, in Comrat, a different story unfolded: a turkey massacre, a gathering of helpers, an opportunity for exchange, and to learn.

Continue reading “Thanksgiving in Comrat” →

Food! The eternal unifier, facilitator of conversations, an excuse to gather friends and let the good (Moldovan) wine flow.

Continue reading “Cooking in Comrat” →

As he traced that heart in the air with two fingers, I knew… love had struck… again.

Or perhaps not. Here, where time flows and contracts like the accordion song of a Comrat native (never mind the occasional wheeze), a few busy weeks can marinate a day’s experience. Some memories stare back, more assertive than others; conversation ensues, and humorous reflection, and our common experiences distill a slick truth. Continue reading “A R(o)ug(h) Escapade” →

Now isn’t it about time we reintroduce ourselves, you and I?

The separation certainly hasn’t been intentional. The whirlpool of novelty has that unavoidable side-effect of blurring boundaries, catching you up in those sensory details and new perceptions (I believe they refer to this as “culture shock”). The introductions, invitations, adjustments, meals, new friendships…. The loneliness, the uncertainty, the exhilarating highs of new discoveries, the struggle for patience, the challenges of new forms of communication… Have you ever yearned for touch? Does it hit you beneath your breastbone, or is it a ghost hand resting gently on your shoulder? Do you know the glow of welcome and surge of warmth when you share that first hug with your new host mother? Continue reading “Hello Again: Comrat, Gagauzia, Part 2 (Extra-long for you hardcore fans)” →

“You’ve given him reason to keep living!”

I wriggled my eyebrows in mock-pleasure as the Gagauzian man across from me grinned widely and teased. He was referring to his father, a slurring 73-year-old with a fondness for wine and a delicate red stain on the collar of his light-pink-pastel shirt. I had just sat down after a short dance to Gagauzian national music where we stepped (close but not too close) in a near-waltz and whirled a few times out-of-sync with the beat (I wanted to see if I could give my unintelligible partner a bit of a shock, but he was delighted with my spin and emphasized it with his favorite exclamation, “y-AH!” I imagine this is the sound a farmer would make when an ox refused to take yoke, a curt half-yip with a hint of glee). Apparently, now that my new gentleman friend knows I’ll be back in town, he’ll have a little more spring to his step. Continue reading “Comrat, Gaugauzia, Part 1” →

“I think your job is done here. You can go on knowing you helped someone discover a proper selfie!”

I flicked through my thread of Facebook messages with a smirk. I had just revealed to my friends the newest development in my relationship with my 16-year-old host sister, Ana: this week I lent her my iPhone for selfie purposes. Lo and behold, the selfie is universal… Ana used my phone (a device met with a quick intake of breath and knowing, wide-eyed appreciation on the day of my arrival) to take seventy-four selfies, emphasis on the tens place. She had modeled for a new hair and makeup salon opening in Chişinau and asked if she could use my cell for a few minutes to take some pictures. The loan extended past the sixty-minute mark, and as the minute shook hands with the hour, Ana returned to ask me to send her photos through Facebook Chat. I spent the next ten minutes making sure she wouldn’t miss a single frame of her cute pout. Continue reading “Era of the Selfie?… Cultural Expectations” →