10 Random

This is a tribute to my dear friend John, who used to post "10 Random" observations in a "Note" on facebook every day. Here are 10 Random Observations about our daily life in Chisinau


1) We used fragranced toilet paper. (Sometimes it would smell like roses or green apples or peaches)

2) We did not have fitted sheets on our mattresses. We had a flat sheets on top and on the bottom. I found this to be annoying at first but actually got used to it rather quickly.

3) Orange cell phone stores were as ubiquitous in Chisinau City Center as CVS pharmacies are in Washington, DC. At least one on every block! Or so it seemed.

4) We did not use a dryer for our clothes. We had a new front-loading washing machine in our apartment, and we hung all of our clothes to dry (on a rack in the living room). Given the size of the washer, I did wash every couple of days. As soon as the clothes on the rack were dry, I would do another load. So we grew used to living with our laundry in the living room. (And I felt so "green"! Between not having a car, not using a dryer, washing and re-using our plastic baggies. . . In general we were much less wasteful. I am sure our carbon footprint must have decreased substantially while we were in Chisinau.)

5) It was fashionable for men to wear shoes with long, pointy toes. And for women to wear high heels. (the trend continued, even in snow and ice)

6) "Smoke" was often in the weather forecast, and sometimes when I brought my pantyhose in from the dryer rack on our balcony they would smell as if they were at a campfire.

7) There were huge selections of juice. Long aisles in grocery stores and convenience stores (alimentaras) with all sorts of delicious juices. All kinds of flavors that are just not available back home. All of which were packaged in cartons (not glass or plastic bottles.) There was one brand of strawberry juice that Peggy was crazy about. (Only one brand.) Despite the large selection at the Number One, you couldn't always count on a particular item being in stock every time you shopped. So, when I saw that juice, I would buy several cartons, even though I had to carry it a few blocks home and up 4 flights of stairs. . . .

8)All movies at the movie theaters are shown in Russian, event though Moldovan (Romanian) is the state language.

9) We loved all of the playgrounds in the City Center. I especially liked the "nautilus" playgrounds, with exercise equipment geared towards adults. In the beginning Peggy was frustrated that "no one spoke English," but she quickly adapted and would say "Hello" in Romanian and Russian and invite other kids to play on the see-saw with her. Families/Moms did not seem to interact with one another as they do back home. And I NEVER saw a child, when it was time to leave, resist in any way. (Other than Peggy.) In fact, I don't recall seeing any fussy children anywhere. I don't even remember seeing babies cry, though they must!

10) Speaking of babies, I saw some super-fancy strollers in the parks, but more often saw parents carrying their babies and toddlers down the street. Which is understandable, as there are so many stairs everywhere. (By the time we left, there were lots of parents giving their kids rides through the parks and down the street on sleds, which looked very cool. If we were going to be there longer, I definitely would have picked one up for Peggy at the Central Market.)