Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I Make Fire

Since the onset of cold, we've been making fire. Naturally.

Most houses in Moldova run on wood/coal burning water boiler systems called Sobas. My family, being rather well off, has two with great systems of pipes and radiators. The main part, however, is a giant, porceline tile wall with a fairy tale-esque stove top and two openings for fuel. The openings are stacked one on the other, separated by a grate. The top is where you stick all your fuel, the bottom collects all the ash. Yep, straightforward. I know, I know... You're thinking -- "oh that Erika, she's a super fire chick. Been making fires since she was knee high to a bumble bee (or whatever the phrase is). She was a girl scout and her dad a park ranger. Obviously she's been helping make such straight forward fires!"

And you'd be dead wrong.

Nope. Maria, my host mother and fire tender, cook and maid (she will forcibly clean my room sometimes while I teach. It really gets me going.... gr.), will not let me help with fire ever. I am a teacher and cannot afford to get dirty. Teachers must be frumos (beautiful).

But I love making fires! Its so creative! Look at all that creation and destruction at once! and its useful! and necessary! and -- to boot -- it's damned pretty!

I am an artist! I need to help make fire!

Nope.

Until today. Today, Maria and Laurentiu (host dad will make fire if Maria is absent and he gets cold enough) were both gone!

So I copied all the steps:

Clean yesterday's ashes out.

Collect:
Sawdust soaked in lighter fluid.
Old cracker boxes
Corn cobs from the animal yard out back
Little chunks and flakes of wood
Bigger chunks of wood

Stack in a nice aireated manner
Light.
Close door.

Maria was so surprised! She laughed at my dirtiness and has left me in charge of my own soba in my room. I am so proud.

Moral: Observe until left alone and enact!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Today's Oral Experience

Eat a clove of garlic. Fresh.

Brush teeth.

You will not be disappointed.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Re: The Beatles are Magic

So far... just having problems with my partner...

She really liked My Heart Will Go On, so we spent two or three class periods singing it. I was forced to lead a couple times and it was... well some students liked it when I impersonated Celine Dion and basically dropped some true Diva Tears on them, but otherwise it was truely boring.

She did not like All You Need is Love (contrary to all her other tastes in music) and kinda edged it out of class. Thus, the real power of this idea will not commence until next year when I have the whole Beatles syllabus planned.

In other news I get to teach Billy how to Hora tomorrow night. The Hora is a traditional Moldovan circle dance where we all hold hands, step three times to the right, kick your left foot, kick your right foot then step three times to the right... Repeat endlessly.

This is unlike anything you with your innate American 4/4 rhythm brains can fathom. It seems easy, but keeping it up ad infinitum to music whose beat is not only something obscure like 6/8 but is also not at all in time with the fancy foot work.

And just when you think you can muddle through they add the hands which are, in fact, bobbed to 4/4 time.

I gave up. Billy still has lots of New Kid Optimism however, so it'll probably be a riot.

It's good having him here. As a natural tour guider, I tell him only all the really great things that I notice and partake in here, thus, my own motivation goes up a bit.

He has already noticed the roughness and frustration of trying to integrate and speak the language, and can't wait to move to Paris where he will be able to communicate.

It's predicted that winter will drag on to April this year. I've moved temporarily into the tiny room next to mine for warmth.