Ziua Independentei

This weekend is a 5-day weekend. In America we don't really have 5-day weekends. We maybe have a 4-day weekend here and there, but 5 days? Never! I think that we just love work too much in America. Well, call me un-American, but I never had the problem of loving work too much and the prospect of a 5-day weekend thoroughly excites me.

The purpose of this 5-day weekend is to celebrate Ziua Independentei, or Moldovan Independence Day (to dumb it down even further, I could say Moldovan Fourth of July), and Ziua Limbii Noastre, or Our Language Day. Seeing as Ziua Limbii Noastre is not until Tuesday, the rest of this post will be about the Ziua Independencii celebration.

On Friday Morning, my host mom and I headed to the Ziua Independentei parade. None of the rest of the family seemed all that interested in going (probably because they have gone to the past 18 Ziua Independentei celebrations). My host-dad said that he had to work in the garden. I think he had to get his gardening out of the way early because he wanted to go on an overnight fishing trip later in the day. My host sister, Diana, said she wanted to go, but her baby was sleeping. (Right, your baby is sleeping. Like I haven't used that excuse a million times.) And I am not really sure what my other host sister, Irina, did that morning, but it obviously didn't involve attending the celebration. So, mom and I headed to the plaza next to the Primarie (Mayor's Office), but not before getting some flowers from the yard to take with us. Apparently, at the end of the festivities everyone places some flowers on the Stephen Cel Mare Monument, so we took some lovely yellow flowers.



On somewhat of a side note, when I first arrived in Moldova and was picking out flowers to take for when I met my host family, I was told not to buy a bouquet of all-yellow flowers. All the new volunteers were told that all-yellow bouquets are reserved for funerals. I am not sure if the all-yellow bunches of flowers that we took were appropriate because we were going to a type of memorial or if we just chose to disregard the all-yellow-flower rule, but no one seemed to give our yellow flowers a second glance.

We took a taxi to the celebration and we were dropped of just outside the police barricade that was blocking off the street for the parade. As soon as we god out of the car, my host mom started greeting people that she knew by saying “sarbatoare,” which means celebration. She even gave a small child in a stroller, who's parents she seemed to know, 50 lei (High Roller!!). We then met up with some of the ladies she works with (in reality, I am pretty sure that all of these ladies work for her, but lets not split hairs).

At this point, the parade started. It was not a parade like we think of a parade. It consisted of several public officials, what appeared to be several different types of peace officers and then everyone else in attendance (including yours truly) following behind them. The “paraders” walked for about 200 meters (or yards) and then stopped in front of the Stephen Cel Mare Monument where the was a PA system set-up.





The presentation was set off by two young Moldovan children in traditional clothing who recited something in Romanian that I didn't understand. However, they recited it in a loud, clear and well-timed fashion. Everyone was very impressed (I am sure they would have been 4-Hers if they lived in the U.S.).



Then several public officials gave short-ish speeches. Below is the Raion Council President of Hincesti.



And this is the Primar (Mayor) of the town of Hincesti. My host mom referred to him as “our Obama” and then she said “because he is thin and black” and then she laughed. Ha ha. And then I laughed.



Also, a choir from Hincesti sang a song that was really good. A video of it is below. I am not sure what the song in entirely about, but I know they are saying the words thank you a lot. So I assume the song is about thanking someone(s). (Sorry for the poor video quality!!!)



After the presentations were over, we all put our flowers on the Stephen Cel Mare Monument. The police and a few of the general public, including my host mom, continued onto a different monument and placed some flowers on it as well.





And that was the end of the celebration for the morning. My host mom and I walked home and when we walked by the nicest restaurant in town, my host mom said “ That's where Diana's wedding was.” With out going into all I have learned about Moldovan weddings, I think this means that host-sister Diana had a really nice wedding.

There was a concert Friday night to continue the celebrating, but my family didn't go. We could, however, hear it from our house. I also stayed up all the way until 11:00 (a major feat for me by the way) to watch the fireworks. While we were watching them, my host-sister Diana informed me that she loves fireworks so much that she had them at her wedding. This just worked to confirm my suspicion that she had a really nice wedding. When the fireworks were over, my host mom said, “they must have run out of money,” laughed, and then we all went to bed!

As you may have suspected by all of the pictures in this blog post, I now have my new Mac. It is sooooo awesome!!!! AWESOME!!! I don't know why I didn't get a Mac a long time ago. I must have been crazy. Anyway, I am now available to set up Skype dates with, if anyone is interested in talking to me.

Also, I want to thank everyone for all the positive feedback that I have been getting on my blog. It is good to know that people who are unrelated to me are reading and it really motivates me to keep writing. Thanks.