This past week my host mom has been preparing the house for Paste, or Easter. Furniture has been rearranged, floors, walls, and ceilings have been scrubbed, curtains washed, and just about the whole house has been re-organized. I felt as if a tornado had gone through this house when I came home on Tuesday after my club. Now that the cleaning has finished, the food preparing has begun. From the time host mom got home from school yesterday (at 11AM), she has been preparing food. I asked her if she would be going to church tonight for Easter (Russian Orthodox have a 11PM-4AM Easter service), she said she would if she wasn’t too tired from cooking and cleaning…..I’m hoping she goes because I’ve heard its an interesting experience.

Yesterday I went into my kitchen and saw various body parts of a pig. Most interesting was the leg, foot and all. Also, all the pieces still had the skin attached. We also currently have a whole chicken (including the head and feet) stewing on the stove to make racituri. What is racituri you ask? Jellied substance with chicken pieces….So far it is the only Moldovan dish I won’t try, although it shows up for every special occasion. Several PCVs have had similar experiences and have been writing Facebook status’s involving eating next to a dead lamb, chicken, or pig in their kitchen. One friend saw her host mom pull an entire lamb from the freezer. Meat is expensive here, and most families don’t eat much pork; even fewer eat beef, so when a special holiday like Christmas or Easter comes along the main dishes on the table involve meat. Great for this Nebraska girl, but bad for all the vegetarians who are volunteers here in Moldova.

I haven’t been to school all week. I found out the reason my jaw won’t open is because I have arthritis, so to heal it I’m not supposed to talk for at least a week, as well as take several pills. I’ve been doing pretty good with this, but it is now Saturday and still no improvement.  One of the things I've been doing to occupy my time is prepare for the new group coming in June.  We are finally starting to know some of the 25s and the people in the 4 Moldova PC programs.  It's so exciting to put faces on this new group!  Only two more months before they arrive in country....only 2 more months until I've been here a year, it doesn't seem possible that I've been here almost a year.....

Sunday evening I leave for the Ukraine for 7 days with 3 other PCVs. We'll be in L'viv and Kiev.  It will be good to have a vacation....hopefully by next week my mouth can open again...