Beyond the Grass Hut

When most people think about the Peace Corps they imagine living in grass huts in Africa. Well, there's a lot more to it than that. In my service country it is mandatory for a volunteer's house to have electricity (mostly because we're required to carry cellphones at all times in case of emergency), some volunteers are lucky enough to have gas heating, and the really lucky ones have indoor water. Recently, due to health problems, I have moved from living with a host-family in a village to my own apartment in the nearby town. I still commute back to my village for work which costs 4lei and a 20 minute bus ride. Being on my own again has been very liberating, as well as coming with new challenges. So here it is, my new apartment:



This is the wardrobe and table in my living room/bedroom.



My bed and tv, which I use as a bookcase. There is a rug hanging on the wall next to the bed, I think it is to help keep the apartment warm in winter. Like most Soviet-era buildings in Moldova, this apartment is constructed from concrete.



My water closet, just the toilet. And a bucket to flush with when the water goes out. For some reason many towns in Moldova cut the water during the day and late at night to living spaces. The theory is that they are saving money this way. I have to get up early if I want to shower in the morning, and dishes tend to stay in the sink until evening when I can wash them. I can usually get water pretty reliably from 6-10pm and about 6-9am.



My shower room. Last night I also used this as my laundry room when I washed clothes by hand for the first time. Both my pre-service training and permanent site host families had washing machines, so this was the first time I had to wash by hand. I started late and ended up racing against the dwindling water supply at 10pm when it gets shut off again for the night.




My kitchen. Little tiny stove, little tiny counter, and a little tiny sink. Since I have no pantry I keep the dishes in the drying rack at all times and use the upper cupboard for food and the bottom cupboard for pots and pan. Or, really, pot and pan since I only have one of each so far. I'll have to buy a bigger pot for soup later in the year, but since I don't need it yet I haven't bought it. Setting up the new place has been a bit expensive. The apartment did come with one pot, but when I went to wash it I found a few holes, which made it good for a strainer, but not much else.



Some of that expense, or really most of it, came from me buying a microwave. I use it almost everyday for cooking. My fruit bowl on top is full because it is summer. It'll be lonely in winter when all I can get is bananas and oranges from Turkey.



My refrigerator, which lives on the balcony outside of my bedroom. But at least I have one, so hey, who cares where it is.

And there you have it. Beyond the grass hut. While my living situation certainly isn't the most normal for volunteers in Moldova, it isn't that unusual either. A good dozen or more of us live in apartments in the bigger towns and cities. So if you thought you could never join the Peace Corps because you just have to have a shower/microwave/fridge/toilet, what are you waiting for? This place is better than my first college apartment.