One of the things that a lot of volunteers worry about when packing is what clothes to bring. We all want to be culturally appropriate in our choices and tend to agonize to much over this. How do you pack for two years? It is a ridiculous task. If any M26s are out there blogger-stalking me, take heed; don't worry about it. Especially if you're placed in an education program. A lot of the women and girls in Moldova dress surprisingly immodest by American standards (yes, ethnocentric, I know). Another volunteer, Emily Getty, wrote a great blog post about the dichotomy between fashion and culture in Moldova. I recommend reading it.
It is not uncommon in Moldova to see a girl wearing an extremely short skirt, sky-high heels, and an ity-bity tank top walk by a church and cross herself. My partner showed up to practice school wearing cocktail dresses. A lot of female volunteers have been told our clothes are "Nu furmos" when we're wearing standard teaching fare for America.
That being said, there are some girls here who dress more conservatively than what is normal for this culture, and I have a special place in my heart for them. That's why when I saw a group of girls at my piata wearing long skirts, t-shirts, and head scarves it made my day. Then I got closer and was able to read one of the shirts (it should be noted here that Europeans sometimes tend to buy shirts just because they are in English, and don't always know what they say). She was wearing a shirt with a bar of soap on it that said "Rub me on your butt!". Oh, honey, so close.
For more on Chisinau street style, see this blog.
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