Music stands in Moldova

These are Moldovan music stands. They are handmade and maintained by a man who comes to the Academy of Music occasionally to fix them. I love them because they epitomize what I love about Moldova. People take time to care for each other and for their surroundings.

Each music stand is made from slats of wood, held together with small tacks and bits of glue. There are two essential parts in each one that must be hand carved to fit and serve its purpose. The cloth one in the photo is especially good for performing while seated. The others can be adjusted by moving the parts up or down. Any of them can be made taller by being placed on a chair.

There is a set of these stands in the Sala cu orgă and the Filharmonic Hall. Sometimes they use the more expensive folding stands similar to the ones I used to take with me to All-City Band in Denver in the 1960s, but I think the musicians have a special love for the handmade Moldovan ones.

Care and maintenance of these stands is intensive. While there is a tradition of taking a music stand home  after graduation from my university and other places I have studied or taught in the US, no one would ever think of stealing one of these very special Moldovan stands.

People perform quite a lot from xerox copies. These sheets of music have to be put on the stands and kept there using whatever means is possible.

As spring finally comes to Moldova the crews are out in the parks preparing for a good growing season with handmade brooms and tools for digging. And the music stands are being repaired and made available for the many wonderful musical events accompanying the change of seasons.

R&R in Modova - Revisited!!!

I have been thinking a lot about Russian and Romanian language in Moldova, as usual. This is the main topic I find myself engaged in most of every day.

I enjoy speaking English with my Moldovan friends. I know that they want to practice speaking English as much as I want to practice speaking Romanian and a bit of Russian.

I do love the days when I do not spend time with any American English speakers. I especially like the people who just speak Romanian to me as if should understand everything. It is a bit daunting and I get tired quickly, plus I am a bit afraid of when they raise the pitch of their voice for a question I am not liable to understand right away, but it is delightful to try to take part in a conversation.

My nai teacher is the best at this. He is very intelligent and has lived for long periods of time in Romania, so his speech is a little bit more like my Romanian language recordings. Plus he takes time to explain things to me. Early in our work together he told me to ask if I do not understand something, so I do – frequently. He takes time to reword and rephrase things, and I think he really appreciates my efforts to speak good Romanian. He probably has seen more progress than I have in my development as a Romanian speaker. I seem to end every day frustrated and more aware than ever of my limitations, but I know that I am using tenses and subtleties more effectively now than last fall. I sometimes lapse into speaking Romanian with colleagues who are struggling to speak English with me, and I hardly notice.

I have many friends who only speak Russian and some English – almost no Romanian. This is extremely interesting to me. I have had many people tell me that it is easier for them to learn English than Romanian. I am surprised at this, since Romanian and Russian share many sounds as a result of their long years of cohabitation in Romania and Moldova. Many times I have had Russian speakers tell me to simply speak English with them. At first I assumed this was because my Romanian was so poor, but now I realize that it is because they have not learned to speak or understand much Romanian.

Readings from prior to my arrival in Moldova led me to assume that this is because they look down on Romanian as an inferior language and I have encountered this attitude, but I do think that there is something about English that is easier for them to learn than Romanian. As a student of Romanian and Russian I certainly sympathize with the vast number of Moldovans who speak Russian as their primary language for expression and interaction with others. Among my friends there are many great musical composers and performers, doctors, writers, artists, and philosophers.

I have noticed that among many people I meet working here in Chișinău, Russian is very common. Shop clerks, the people cleaning the parks, the city garbage collectors, and the people in charge of public buildings all seem to be Russian speakers. One day I put up a sign at the Academy of Music announcing that a colleague of mine wanted to buy a violin. I wrote it in Romanian. I was surprised when the women in charge of the music building, who I had been speaking Romanian with since October, could not read it. They puzzled and laughed over it for some time since they are Russian speakers and not accustomed to reading Romanian. 

Language carries so many things for us. I struggle with how to express subtleties concerning emotions and interests to my friends and colleagues in Romanian. How can we assume that all people in a “country” will feel the same things related to language? This is absurd in a place like Moldova where almost everyone is fluent in more than one language, and where close friends and loved ones favor either Russian, Romanian, or Gagauz (a Turkic language common in Moldova).

I have appreciated my Fulbright colleagues who have pointed out to me the situation of the many Moldovans who primarily speak Russian. I assumed that Romanian was looked upon as a lower class language, but one of my Fulbright colleagues, an excellent Russian speaker, told me that he had assumed the opposite. He feels like Russian is looked down on by Romanian speakers.

During a time of being ill in February and early March, I made CDs of my music to give to each of the members of my Romanian language class. They are all native Russian speakers. For me it is very gratifying and touching to receive their thanks and praise in Russian, even though I cannot fully understand everything they say. I do understand their love of the music, which means the most to me.

Joe Biden in Chișinău

US vice-president Joe Biden came to Chișinău today.

I knew about this event, but had planned to work the whole day. I practiced at the Academy of Music from 8-9, attended an intense Romanian language class from 9-11, and then was back at the Academy to meet with a student to learn about Moldovan kaval from 11-12.

Following that, as I was walking back to my apartment to practice for the rest of the day, I was happy to see the many pairs of American and Moldovan flags along blvd. Ștefan cel mare and made my way across to the opera house to see how many people were hoping to see Biden. Large and enthusiastic crowds were waiting patiently to get in. Seeing the US and Moldova paired like they were today was quite emotional for me.

At this point I will tell you that anything I say reflects my own views and not those of the US Fulbright Commission or the US government. I am grateful for their support during this year of study in Moldova.

The weather was great - actually the first nice day of spring for us!!! As you can see in the photo, many people were chatting and enjoying the day as they waited for the motorcade to arrive.

The event began with three hours of Moldovan pop music, mostly singers accompanied by backup tracks. The singers and MCs were very enthusiastic and well loved by the audience.

The speaking began with Vlad Filat, prime minister of the Republic of Moldova. He has been truly elected as an outcome of the recent elections, while there is still a deadlock concerning the office of president. Filat was elegant and well-spoken as always.

Biden was quite direct in his speech. He clearly challenged the corruption and human trafficking in the breakaway area of Transdnistria, just 35 miles from here. Friends here tell me that Transdnistria is occupied by Russian military forces. They are ostensibly "peace keepers," but occupy forts and sites with symbolic importance to challenge the existence of the Republic of Moldova itself.

A friend told me that the Russian government announced today that although it raised natural gas prices drastically in February, it is willing to lower them if the Moldovan government will adopt Russian backed policies. This kind of interference in Moldovan politics victimizes all citizens, whether speakers of Russian, Romanian, Roma, Bulgarian, or Gagauz (a Turkic language prevalent in the southern part of Moldova).

Biden's speech was quite a contrast. He announced 262 million dollars of US aid to Moldova over the next five years. People here tell me that this money will be carefully monitored, unlike Russian "gifts" to Moldova that end up in the pockets of cronies and mafia collaborators. Following the riots of April 2009, Russia donated a large amount of money to repair buildings. Those buildings are still blocked off, unrepaired and unfinished.

Biden complimented the people of Moldova on their intense efforts to develop true democratic processes for free, fair, and transparent elections and legal proceedings. He also singled out Belarus as an example of corruption and human rights abuses. Freedom of the press and speech were suppressed under the Russian backed "communist" regime in Moldova during the period of 2001-2009. The recent elections were carefully monitored by outside entities from the EU, the Russian coalition, and other independent groups, and the press seems to be quite active in reporting the activities and views of all political parties.

Not everyone was thrilled to have Biden here. Many Moldovans were killed during the Russian attempt to control Afghanistan. People here tell me that Moldovans were often sent to the front by their Russian army chiefs, and fell victim to weapons provided to the Taliban by the US. Now that the US is attempting to control Afghanistan, sentiments are aroused in Moldova.

I spent quite  bit of time talking with an out of work translator and language teacher who identified himself as a "true Soviet," and who was not happy with Biden's speech. He said the Soviets were actually very nice people who knew nothing about the corruption at the top in Moscow.

I was impressed today with how recent and real the development of democratic processes has been in Moldova. I remember being amazed at the bullying conduct of a partisan observer as I monitored the elections last November. As I left the event today, an older man was quite adamant about being interviewed by the television crews as he told them about the socialist successes of the Soviet era.

I was also impressed with the fragile nature of Moldovan democracy. Although Moldovans were asking me all week why Biden was bothering to come to Moldova, I can now say that he must have known the delicate nature of democratic processes in Moldova. Even as David Letterman made foolish and insensitive statements about Moldova last week, Biden seems to have been aware of the importance of every individual person in this beautiful small country.

Today I was proud to be an American in Moldova.

Springtime in Chișinău

Spring officially came to Moldova on March 1. Here are some photos from around Chișinău I took today. The top photo is a street scene, showing a big pile of snow that should melt in the next few weeks, we hope. The second photo is outside of the Sala cu orgă, scene of many great concerts this week. The Sala cu orgă has a good website, but this is where most people learn about upcoming events. The third photo shows some Marțișor pins.

Marțișor is a great event taking place right now in many Balkan countries. The legend of Marțișor describes the vanquishing of a great dragon who had imprisoned spring in the dungeon of his castle.  A bold youth inspired the people to defeat the dragon, but the youth was mortally wounded in the battle. As his blood seeped into the ground the snow melted and the first flowers of spring began to emerge.

These pins are for sale on the street and it is common for someone to buy pins to give to others. Red symbolizes life and love, and white symbolizes purity and new beginnings. During the first two weeks of March there are concerts and special events taking place all the time. Even though the weather has been very cold, people are feeling optimistic.

I have heard two wonderful sayings about spring in Moldova. One of my friends said that we must remember that, "The wolf has not yet eaten winter." Another told me that they say that springtime is like a giant person shaking off a large winter coat with many layers of snow on it. A little bit of snow keeps falling for many weeks.

In any case, I hear from everyone that spring is a very beautiful time in Moldova.