Tags: Moldova, Chisinau, fieldwork, cat
Date: 17 August 2007 12:26:47
I've tried, really I have, to fill my time productively while waiting for the rest of the (Moldovan) universe to get back from their holidays. I have read articles, and sent emails, and bought newspapers, and chatted with friends about life here, and faithfully kept my research diary. But oh my goodness I'm rapidly running out of enthusiasm. I just want to go on holiday now (like the rest of them, bah). Work - I'll do it another day. I hope.
In other news, yesterday I was very amused when I was in the post office to see that, due to an utter lack of remotely interesting buildings, the tourist bods have produced a postcard of the post office and another one of a random flyover. I saw another postcard with five or six different pictures on it, and it reminded me of those films where you see the trailer and it looks really good, and then you go to see the film and you realise that the only good bits were the bits in the trailer. Chisinau's so like that. Lonely Planet says something along the lines of it "not exactly being blessed with lots of spots of interest to tourists", which is a delightful understatement.
Anyway, whilst in the post office I was also amused by a fellow customer, who for some random reason had her kitten with her (as you do, in the city centre). She plonked it on the counter while she looked for her purse, and it amused itself by playing with the items on the counter in that cute way that only kittens can. I did take pictures, but the internet cafe here doesn't have any way of uploading them from a flash drive, so you'll have to wait for those. When she'd finished paying for her stuff (and I and the assistant had finished cooing over the kitten) she picked it up and popped it back in her handbag, and walked out with the kitten leaning out of the bag surveying the world like Lady Muck. Very cute indeed.