Vin de casa - October 2016

Central and southern Moldova is wine country.  Located in the Black Sea basin with fertile soil, low slopping hills, sunny plateaus, and moist warm climatic conditions suitable for grape growing, Moldova has a long history and tradition of winemaking.

Moldova's wine industry is comprised of several large wineries and many small ones  Most of the commercially produced wine is exported with Russia having been the largest buyer of Moldovan wine until July 2014 when Moldova signed an association agreement with the European Union (EU). In response Russian President Vladimir Putin placed an import ban on Moldovan fruits, vegetables and wine.  The result has been an added economic hardship for Moldova, Europe's poorest country. A shift in exports has since occurred with the European Union becoming a major importer of Moldovan wine including the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Germany and Great Britain. Other countries importing Moldovan wine include China, Japan and the United States.

Domestically Moldovans prefer and pride themselves on 'vin de casa' or homemade wine. Wine that is commercially produced is available in stores and restaurants and consumed in homes in Chișinău and other cities.  In the villages, bottled commercial wine can be purchased, but mostly homemade wine is consumed and gifted in plastic bottles to neighbors and guests. (Plastic bottles from the purchase of water and soda are saved and filled with homemade wine to give or take to others.)

In the villages almost if not every house makes wine.  Grapes are grown in the garden or yard surrounding the house and on plots of land in the plateaus or hills surrounding the residential area of the village.  In Spring the soil and vines are tended with people working many hours on days taken off from work, after work or on Saturdays.  Hopefully following a good growing season with lots of sun and enough rain, the grapes are harvested in September.

Toamna or Autumn is extremely busy in the villages with villagers again working long hours away from and in addition to their normal routine and work. The fruits and vegetables from the gardens and surrounding fields are harvested and conserved for home use during the long winter months. And of great importance is the harvesting of the grapes and production of wine. Each house has its own method of making wine and the type of wine: red and/or white; and dry, semi-sweet and/or sweet. And many also produce rachiu or brandy from fruits for holidays and special occasions.

My host family grows grapes on vines in the yard and also in the hills of the village. In September they hand pick the grapes, ferment them in wooden barrels in the yard and then extract the juice with a hand operated crusher. The work is labor intensive and the entire process takes several weeks with the wine finally being produced in October.  The wine is stored in large steel drums in the cool cellar.

Both red and white wine are made by my host family.  They add no chemicals and/or sugars so that the wine is completely natural.  Without the addition of sulfites it is usually consumed within the year. Wine made in October is generally not consumed until after the New Year and Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

Winemaking is part of the village way of life and a living tradition.  Moldova produces very good wine both commercially and at the hands of its people who pass along their homemaking processes and recipes from generation to generation.  Any visit to Moldova is not complete without a glass of vin de casa.  Noroc!!  (Cheers)

Sixty Days . . .

It is a bright, sunny and warm late Spring day here in Moldova.  The roosters started crowing well before 5:00 a.m., but I was tired enough to tune them out and continue sleeping.  My hosts, however, started planting cucumbers in the garden sometime after 6:00 a.m. in anticipation of rain this afternoon.  The garden has become a focus of their energy as it is a major source of their food.

As I thought about my plans for this Sunday, I realized that today marks 60 days until my proposed COS (Close of Service) date.  I am confronted with a mix of conflicting emotions finding myself anxious, excited, nostalgic and a whole range in between.  I am oh so looking forward to returning home as I have truly missed family and friends . . .  and my Tigger.

I would not be completely honest though if I did not admit to being a bit anxious about my return. Everybody's life has continued these past two years according to each one's unique choices, path and situation. I expect that some, if not many, of us may be in a different space based upon our challenges, decisions and experiences. I know that I have lived a much different life, one that I could and did not expect, but one to which I have tried to be open and to embrace though not without being tried at times. There have been difficult days when my very beliefs, patience and resolve have been tested, but there have also been days of real joy, satisfaction and smiles. All of our varied experiences when shared with each other can enhance and enrich our own perspectives.  Upon my return I hope to do just that continuing to learn from and respect each person I encounter.

At the same time, I will miss the people who have graciously welcomed me a stranger into their country, homes and lives.  I have a family here who have been kind and thoughtful beyond measure accepting and including me in their celebrations and traditions.  At times I have been overwhelmed by their consideration and generosity. Similarly, I will miss the people with whom I work and the children to whom I have hopefully introduced and taught a little of the English language and American culture.  I am grateful to all the Moldovans whom I have encountered, most especially my family, associates and students, who have endured, but also helped me with my broken Romanian!

And for me personally I would be terribly remiss if I did not acknowledge my colleagues.  We first came together as a group of Peace Corps trainees in New Jersey on May 30, 2015 and arrived in Moldova on June 3, 2015.   After a couple months of long days of language, cultural and job training, we officially became Peace Corps volunteers. As a group we represent the diversity of America and have spent the past two years doing our best to work with the people of Moldova in friendship and peace. Throughout we have been there for each other and I could not think of a better support network.  I may be biased, but each one is an adventurous, amazing, persevering and talented individual with whom I have had the good fortune of sharing this part of my journey.

Yet I do not want to get ahead of myself.  I have a couple of months to go and work to do.  I pray that I am able to continue fulfilling my commitment here by just taking one day at a time.  

For now, during the next few weeks, energy and time permitting, I will try to get back to this blog and share some of the events and experiences of the past year.  It has been almost six months since I last wrote and much has happened.  I am not talking about great or major events, but the simple things of every day life.  Hopefully I can convey a little of the life I have known here in Moldova.

Moldova M30 Peace Corps Trainees  -  New Jersey  -  June 1, 2015

 M30 Peace Corps Trainees at COD Final Training Project  -  July 18, 2015

Cultural Exchange  -  M30 Peace Corps COD Trainees' Final Project  -  Mileștii Mici  -  July 18, 2015

 Officially Peace Corps Volunteers following Swearing-In  -  M30 CODs  -  July 29, 2015

 M30 PCVs at COS Conference (last training)  -  April 28, 2017

Mănăstiri Hăncu, Căpriana and St. Nicholas

On Sunday, September 25, my hosts Tudor and Maria took me on a tour of three monasteries located within relatively close driving distance of our village.  There are several Orthodox monasteries throughout Moldova.  Each is distinct and important because of the history represented and culture symbolized in this primarily Russian Orthodox country.  The monastery histories are taken from Discover the Routes of Life Moldova website (http://www.moldovaholiday.travel) and other online information including that of the Orthodox Church of Moldova.  The pictures are from my visit.

Hâncu Monastery  (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Hăncu)

The Hăncu Monastery is located in the village of Bursuc, Raion Nisporeni, Moldova. It is situated in a forest at the source of the Cogalnic River, about 55 km west of Chișinău.

The Great High Steward Mihai Hăncu founded a convent for nuns in 1678 at the request of one of his daughters who desired to live a religious life in a community.  She entered the convent and became a nun with the name of Parascheva.  The convent was known as Viadica until the 17th century.

In the middle of the 18th century when the Tatars invaded the nuns left the convent.  After the Russian army arrived in Bessarabia in 1770-1772, the Hâncu family successors asked the Monk Varlaam from the Varzaresti Monastery to take care of the abandoned convent. Varlaam, together with a group of mons who came with him, took care of the household and repaired the cells, and in time the monastery became a living place for the monks.

In 1817 a wooden church was built at the monastery and its inside walls were fashioned with many beautiful icons, eight of which were painted on planks of wood and gilded with gold. Hâncu was the first monastic settlement of Bessarabia where community life was introduced in about 1820-1822.

Both the inner life of the convent and its community household developed significantly during the supervision of the Bulgarian Abbot Dosoftei.  Where the old wooden church stood, in 1835 he built a new stone church dedicated to the Holy Virgin Dormition.  Cells for the monks were also constructed, waster was brought into the monastery and the administration of the monastery was improved.  At the end of the 19th century, the monastery was known under the name of Hâncu-Parascheva.

In 1944 the monastery and all its holdings were nationalized, and in 1965 the monastery was closed and the monks were forced to leave.  Subsequently in 1978 the monastery was transferred to the Institute of Medicine and became a sanatorium for people suffering from tuberculosis and a spa for students and employees.  Saint Pious Parascheva summer church was later turned into a club.

Hâncu Monastery was re-established in 1990 as a place for monks, but in 1992 the community was abolished.  However, in the spring of 1992, Hâncu became a convent for nuns and later that year, in September 1992, reconstruction of the monastery began.  In 1993 repairs to the Holy Virgin Dormition winter church, built in 1841, were finished, and the full interior of the church was repainted in 1998.  Saint Pious Parascheva summer church, built in 1835, was repaired in 1996. Three old buildings constructed in 1841 remain untouched on the monastery's territory.

Today Hâncu Monastery is home to a vibrant community of nuns.  This beautiful Orthodox monument has become one of the most visited historical sites and leading churches in Moldova.

Căpriana Monastery (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Căpriana)

The Căpriana Monastery is located in the village of Căpriana, Raion Strășeni, 40 km northwest of Chișinău.  One of the oldest monasteries of Moldova, Căpriana is situated in a picturesque forest area once called Codrii Lăpușnei, in the Isnovat locality on the bank of the River Isnavat.

The first official document to contain information about Căpriana Monastery is Alexandru cel Bun's royal charter dated April 25, 1420.  A royal legacy charter dated February 10, 1429 is the second document to mention the monastery.  Căpriana was given the status of royal monastery on behalf of Alexander cel Bun or Alexander the Good.

Initially the monastery was named after Vasnavet, the river flowing near the monastery.  Later it was renamed Căpriana, in honor of Chiprian who was the first Superior of the monastery.  After a period of decay, the monastery was rebuilt at the behest of Petru Rareș from 1542 to 1545. The papers of the chronicler Grigore Ureche record that Petru Rareș, the ruler of moldova (1527-1538, 1541-1546) built Căpriana's first stone church, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Because of economic decline and cultural stagnation, Căpriana Monastery experienced a difficult period during the 17th century.  Only after 1813 thanks to Metropolitan Bishop Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni was there a re-invigoration of monastic life at Căpriana. In 1837, Căpriana Monastery was given to Zograful Monastery which controlled it until March 9, 1873.  After the Russian-Turkish wars Bessarabia, an historical region in Eastern Europe which today is mostly occupied by modern Moldova, was annexed to the Russian Empire, and in 1813 the monastery was subordinated to the Bessarabia Archiepiscopacy.

On June 29, 1940, a day after the conquest of Bessarabia by Soviet troops, the monastery was confiscated.  The last abbot was the Superior Eugeniu (1952-1962), and the last church service was held on October 25, 1962.  The monks took refuge in other parishes and the monastery was desecrated and pillaged.  In 1962 it was transformed into a sanatorium for sick children.  The monastery refectory or dining room was transformed into a club where dancing, drinking parties and weddings were held.

In 1989, at the decision of the Republic of Moldova Council of Ministers, Căpriana Monastery once again became a place for religious services.  From 1994 until 1997 the refectory was restored and transformed into a church for winter services.  Reconstruction of the monastery continued until 2007.

Today the Căpriana Monastery consists of three churches:  Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1545, medieval Moldovan style); St. Nicholas (1840); and St. George (1907, late baroque style). The Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church, the summer church, is the oldest one preserved in the territory of Moldova. Metropolitan Gavriil Banulescu-Bodoni is buried there. The monastery complex also includes the abbot's house, refectory and monks' cells, and holds the largest religious library in Moldova.  The library has been preserved along with gifts from different kings.

St. Nicholas Monastery  (Romanian:  Mănăstirea Sf. Nicolae)

St. Nicholas Monastery is located in the village of Condrița, 26 km northwest of Chișinau.  It is situated on the banks of the Rivulet Catarrh.

According to historical documents, St. Nicholas Monastery was founded in 1783 by the Monk Joseph who came from Căpriana Monastery to which it belonged.  The Church of the Assumption was built between 1895 and 1897.

In 1918, St. Nicholas or Condrița Monastery separated from Căpriana Monastery and became an independent monastery.  The first monastic elder was Abbot Daniel, Dumitru Grozavu.  At this time the monastery was considered to be at its peak prosperity with 45 brothers in residence.

During the Soviet era in 1947, St. Nicholas Monastery was closed.  The monastery was looted, part of the property was confiscated, and the cemetery and various outbuildings were completely destroyed. The church was converted variously into a club, warehouse and school.

St. Nicholas Monastery was reopened in 1993.  The monastic areas had been left devastated. In a somewhat better state was St. Nicholas Church, which was the club, while Assumption Church was roofless and had fallen plaster on the outside.  With the help of the faithful from the village and its environs they built two groups of houses.  Renovation, repair and restoration continues.

Today St. Nicholas Monastery has communal monks and priests in residence.  It is a place of prayer in the heart of Moldova.