awkward turtle

Today was an awkward day.  My PST house is just behind a major market.  Across the street from the market is a newly built restaurant that is named something I cannot remember.  Sorry.  I write this at midnight and music is my saving grace.  Thank you Death Cab for Cutie. 

Restaurant.  The restaurant opened today.  My host brother is training to be a chelner (waiter) there.  He woke up this morning and dressed uncharacteristically black and white complete with black slacks, white shirt, clip on bowtie, jacket, but no belt.  Ten minutes after my alarm rang, he knocked and asked for a belt to borrow.   I had to let him borrow mine considering I had to buy one in the capitol market because I, too, did not have one.  As soon as he tried it on, I could see that it would not fit.  So I took out my pocket knife and began to stab and twist vigorously; he was on a time budget.  This knife of mine was not meant for stabbing and I learned this the hard way as the knife slipped at one of my twists and snapped to shut position with my finger in the way.  Couple with the weight of my thrust I sliced my finger open a bit.  I still had to finish, but now I was spewing blood everywhere, so I grabbed my sweat bandana and quickly tied up my left index finger.  I finished, he put it on, and he was off.  I was left with a bloody finger and a now red and black bandana.  Not quite the start of the day that I had in mind.

LPI.  Language Proficiency Interview.  This is the test that all volunteers take at least once during their PST to gauge what level of language learning they are at and to gather information regarding the quality of the language learning process.  I thought that this was supposed to take place after the tenth week of PST, but no, it was today at the end of our sixth week.  It is really hard to imagine that we are almost done.  These next few weeks are going to fly by.  Not cool.  So, I arrived at school with my mind on my blood finger, but luckily I was thirty minutes early so I had the opportunity to calm down and gather myself.  Typically, the first floor would be alive with Language Training Instructor (LTI ?) and students dispersing to their respective language rooms, but not today.  Classes are off for the day because of the LPI.  I found a quiet room in the school and began to review my past/present/future forms of the more common verbs including the reflexive forms.  If you did not know this already, as an English major, my grammar is no good and Moldova of all places is going to put it back in order.  Occasionally, a profesoară would pass through, and reassure me that the interview will be okay and that it means nothing.  I think this is where I say that volunteers are required to attain an Intermediate Mid Level in order to be considered “passing.”  IMid consists of being able to speak effortlessly and use the correct conjugations of the past/present/future forms of all common verbs.  Believe me, it was not an easy task.  So I was definitely nervous.  If I did not pass, the consequence would be a required reassessment after 3 months which in retrospect is not really a big deal.  I will still be sworn in as a PC volunteer regardless of my LPI assessment, but I am trying to get it done in one shot.  So, at 8:20 I started to make my way up to the classrooms where the interviews were being held for my 8:30 appointment and met a colleague of mine who said that he was done and that they were ready for me. 

Interview.  I went in and nervously said my hello’s.  I sat down in front of my LPI interviewer and proceeded to discuss my day thus far in an informal and generously offered warm-up.  It really helped.  When she felt that I was ready, she turned on a tape recorder and I was asked to discuss about my family, what I liked about my community, what I planned to do in the future, what I was going to do after the interview, what I did yesterday, what I will do as a volunteer, how my future site visit was and she topped it off with a scenario of about 30 possibilities.  I was lucky enough to discuss a birthday party that I was expected to attend and had to ask questions regarding the party.  I nervously asked about where, when, for whom the party was, what gift I should bring, how I should dress, and who was going to be there.  After that scenario, the interview was over.  I am not sure how I did, but before I left she asked me how I felt about the interview and I said that I did not know.  She said that I did okay and that I would know how to feel after I see my final assessment score.  I did not really know how to react and I guess I am still not sure.  I guess I will have to find out on Monday.
Partenerul meu.  My partner.  As a teacher and as part of the objectives of the peace corps, I am expected to work collaboratively with a partner teacher.  For the next two weeks I will be working with a Moldovan teacher with at least 20 years experience in teaching English as a foreign language.  After sweating the day out, I had an additional three hours of technical sessions.  I met my partner for the next two weeks.  We will be expected to teach students from the community as if it was real school.

Şcoala practică.  Practice school.  Beginning Monday and continuing for the next two and a half weeks we will be partner teaching students in the community in mock school settings in order to acclimate ourselves to the Moldovan teaching regiment.  We will have to build a long-term lesson plan for the next two and half weeks as well as two lessons plans per day for those fourteen days.  Prior to this, we learned how to build one.  In our experience, it took us individually approximately five hours in total to complete a sufficient lesson plan.  These five hours were fit among two or three exhausting days.  I could not imagine doing twice the work in half the time.  If this is too confusing to follow, believe me when I say that it was confusing just to think about it, no less to have to describe it. 

Eu sînt obosit.  I am tired.  I am sorry.  I am exhausted from the day’s events.  I think this is my mind’s way of saying, “Lights out!”  So with that I leave you.  Noapte  buna.