Rebecca Biely is working in the Peace Corps in Moldova as an agricultural business development volunteer



Rebecca Biely is working in the Peace Corps in Moldova as an agricultural business development volunteer

Peace Corps volunteer enjoys work

By Neil Rhines
Herald Times Reporter

MISHICOT — It isn’t that winters in Moldova are colder than Wisconsin, it just feels like it because Moldavians don’t do much for heating their homes, said Rebecca Biely, a 1996 graduate of Mishicot High School and Peace Corps volunteer.

Biely, visiting her parents for a few days at their rural Mishicot home, will return to Moldova on Jan. 15 for her third winter there working in the Peace Corps as an agricultural business development volunteer. She began her tour in June 2002.

Biely, a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Spanish and Latin Iberian Studies, said she isn’t positive how she found herself working as a business development volunteer in a country that was part of the Soviet Union as early as 1991, but she’s thrilled with the experience.

One of the chief languages spoken in the country, Romanian is based on Latin just like Spanish. As part of the former Soviet Union (as of 1940), “Russification” was pushed and many people now speak Russian. The other main groups there are Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Ga Gauz and Roma. Biely has learned Romanian and is now learning Russian.

The elected President Vladimir Voronin, a Communist, leads Moldova.

Biely was the only American, to her knowledge, to have ever visited the village she worked in. The village had no running water, indoor toilets, indoor heating except for portable electric heaters, and experienced sporadic power outages which often causes her to wear long underwear in her home.

She walked to and from work (a 20-minute trek) and she has learned to appreciate the area’s idiosyncrasies and superstitions.

For example, Biely said a woman tossed Holy Water on her when she was believed to have received the evil eye from someone. Also, an odd number of flowers are always considered a proper gift except during funerals, when an even number is given.

“It takes a little getting used to,” she said, adding that she knows things could have been far worse.

Biely’s mother and

father, Susan and Al Biely, visited their daughter recently. They both loved the country, but Susan was not quite as understanding of the outdoor toilets as her daughter.

“I don’t think the country owns one toilet seat,” Susan said, laughing.

Much of the nation is still very rural, and many households still make all their own milk, cheese and wine. Moldova was the chief wine production area for the former Soviet Union.

“You can smell the grapes in town,” she said.

One of goals of the Peace Corps, and Biely’s job, is to help farmers modernize their equipment and techniques, and build sustainable organizations and farming practices, she said.

The $150 a month stipend Biely receives for the work is far more than the $20 to $40 a month many school teachers make in Moldova, but it certainly won’t make her rich, and it isn’t something she can do forever.

Biely said she’d like to continue working abroad in a business development position. Her tour ends in September 2005.

Neil Rhines: (920) 686-2105 or Nrhines@htrnews.com

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Peace Corps issues appeal to Thailand RPCVs Peace Corps is currently assessing the situation in Thailand, anticipates a need for volunteers and is making an appeal to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps. Also read this message and this message from RPCVs in Thailand. All PCVs serving in Thailand are safe. Latest: Sri Lanka RPCVs, click here for info.

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January 1, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Lesotho RPCV starts "Touching Tiny Lives" 1 Jan Guatemala RPCV was grassroots veterinarian 31 Dec Reginald Hodges will head Durham Literacy Center 30 Dec Ed Seidel is Director of Marine Resources Aquarium 30 Dec PC wants happy, shiny faces without felony convictions 29 Dec Newspaper says PC could go to India and Indonesia 29 Dec Tom Johnson choses to spend Christmas in Sierra Leone 28 Dec Barry Rosen helps compile textbooks for Afghanistan 28 Dec Dorinda Dove learned to appreciate midwifery in Africa 28 Dec RPCVs host Exhibition at University of Rochester 28 Dec Mike Tidwell calls on Sierra Club Official to step down 28 Dec RPCV says we can express patriotism as we see fit 26 Dec more top stories...

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