American volunteer impressed by village life: "I'm happy to work with Moldovan children"
A young man from the United States who came to the Republic of Moldova through the Peace Corps program quickly integrated into the community of Râșcova, in the Criuleni district. He teaches English to children and participates in community development activities. After four months in the country, Nathan reports that he has fallen in love with the hospitality of the people and the simplicity of life in the village.
“I’m here as a volunteer with the Peace Corps program, which is a collaboration between the United States Government and the Moldovan Government. I arrived in Moldova in June and moved to the village in August. My work focuses on organizational and community development, as well as some involvement with the local school and library,” Nathan explained in an interview with Radio Moldova.
The young American also participated in household activities with the locals: “I got involved a little in the garden here, especially to taste everything and learn about how vegetables grow. When I arrived, the tomatoes were wonderful,” he shared.
Nathan facilitates an English club for students in Râșcova, striving to make the learning process enjoyable and interactive. “I run an English club where we play games and learn new words together. For example, today in our club, we played improvisational theater games,” he said.
Despite being in the Republic of Moldova for only a few months, the volunteer speaks Romanian fluently. “The Peace Corps has excellent teachers. I had almost two and a half months of lessons, four hours a day, and I lived with my host family in the Ialoveni district, where I spoke only Romanian,” Nathan noted.
He mentioned that he found Romanian to be more accessible than other foreign languages he had studied. “I studied Chinese before, and of course, it’s easier with languages that have Latin roots,” he said.
Nathan has only good things to say about the Moldovan students: “They are very smart and polite. I am very happy to meet them and to work with them.”
He expressed his desire to visit the Republic of Moldova due to friends he knows from the country who have settled in the USA. “I have friends from Moldova who are emigrants, and I wanted to see what life is like here,” he said, adding with a smile, “It wasn’t too hard” to find your country on the map.
What impressed him the most was the hospitality of the people: “First of all, the people here are very hospitable. They welcome you with food and share their meal.”
When discussing the shortcomings, Nathan speaks with sensitivity and understanding: “It’s unfortunate that there is no cultural center or club in the village, and many young people have left.”
Nonetheless, he believes that the Republic of Moldova will always be a part of his life. “After two years, I will probably return to the USA. But, of course, I will come back to Moldova; we have made friends here. My host family has already become very dear to me.”
The Peace Corps has been active in the Republic of Moldova since 1993, during which over 1,600 American volunteers have participated in educational, social, and economic projects in communities throughout the country.
Author: Svetlana Bogatu
