Dieting and Muddy Roads in Moldova

The words depression and disability do not exist in the Moldovan language. If someone has either one of these (or heaven forbid both) it is dismissed as being caused by the wind, or by eating too much packaged foods. Likewise, I am almost certain the word diet cannot be found in their language. Dieting in Moldova is the second most hardest thing to do here, right behind teaching Moldovans about the harmlessness of the current.
Feeling my pants getting tighter and seeing my belly get flabber, I decided I would simply eat less and initiate my own diet. This did not go over so well with my host mother. For the entire day she kept asking me "Who is telling you you are fat?" You have to eat to be healthy. Yes, I agree. So I explain to her that I don't want to eat oil, butter, smantana (sour cream), mayonaise, cookies, and bread. She then tries to tell me that oil, butter, smantana, mayonaise, and bread are all natural and are good for your health. "Aliona eats all of these foods every day and she is skinny." "Yes, but Aliona is different than me, and I feel gross when I eat oil and these foods." "But it is good for your health and you must eat. You are not fat, if you get any skinnier you won't be pretty." "I don't want to be skinny skinny, I want to be skinnier, I have a belly." "You do not have a belly, I have a belly, you are skinny." "My pants are tighter." "I don't see it," she says as she reaches toward my waistband and tugs at my jeans. I happen to be wearing pants that were a little too big for me in America and so now they are fine. "Other pants, my other pants are too tight." "We I don't think you are fat and Inga says you are good." "Well, I am want to be skinnier." And that is how most of the conversations begin and end.
Today is no exception. As I walk out of the house with my cup of coffee, no bread and butter, no cookies, my host mom asks me why I didn't get something to eat. I tell her that I don't want any. "How can you not want any?!?!?!? You must eat." I begin my whole "I am going on a diet, I want to be skinnier." This time I use my brother's visit (sorry Matt) as an excuse, saying I want to be skinny for when he comes. I am hoping this will carry the message closer to home. The same dialogue unfolds as above. I leave to go to my room and she continues to work outside. After about ten minutes she enters my room and says "If you want to be skinny, here is what you do. In the morning you drink tea, only tea, without bread, cookies, nothing. Then around two or three you eat whatever you want. Felul unu and felul doi (first course and second course), but not a lot. At seven at night you drink sour milk. That is all, nothing more. I worked with a doctor in Chisinau and this is how they said to lose weight. If you want, of course. I will go buy sour milk from my neighbor." I agree and so the plan is set.
I am relieved she finally understands what I am trying to say and that I am going to be stubborn about it. Lets see if she follows through and doesn't try to lure me with extra food swimming in oil.
In other news, it has been raining my village, on and off, for the past three days. Now, if you know Moldova you know how incredibly muddy the roads get after it rains, making it impossible to travel anywhere without ten pounds of mud attaching itself to your shoes. Some smart person on my street decided it would be a good idea to have everyone pitch in money to purchase rocks, gravel, pebbles for the road. This makes it easier to walk on the road, and even drive, whatever the weather might be. Yesterday and Today I made it to school without having my shoes covered in mud. Although I was walking on the balls of my feet the entire way, I was able to make it to school and still look presentable. This is not to say that I didn't trip a few times. I have not mastered the graceful walking that other Moldovans instinctively know how to do. Even on the scariest of terrain, all Moldovan women can gracefully float across, even in 3 inch spiky heels, and make it out unharmed and spotlessly clean.