In this interview, we hear from Brooke Dunnery. Brooke is working as a Peace Corps Education volunteer in Moldova. What Brooke shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Brooke talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Brooke’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Education volunteer in Moldova?
I have had an amazing experience serving as an English Education volunteer in Moldova! During the school year, I lesson plan, co-teach, and co-facilitate clubs with three wonderful Moldovan English teachers: Irina, Elena, and Zinaida. This is my typical school day schedule:
- 7 AM wake up
- 7:45 AM 15-minute walk to school
- 8:15 AM first lesson
- 9 AM-1 PM lessons, quick lunch break
- 2-3 PM English club or co-plan for lessons
- 3-4 PM prepare materials for lessons tomorrow
- 4:15 PM walk home
During the summer, I co-facilitate day camps for local youth and present various topics about the US, such as cuisine, holiday traditions, and national parks, at an organization in the capital of Moldova called America House. I really appreciate having a lighter workload in the summer so I can recharge before the semester starts!
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Moldova?
I first thought about applying for the Peace Corps when I was in college (2018-2021). When the devastating COVID-19 pandemic struck, I decided to continue my academic journey since PCVs were not actively in the field. To my surprise, I was accepted to a chemistry PhD program at UMich after having majored in marine science at Coastal Carolina University. I started feeling burned out a year and a half into my PhD program and realized that my cup was not full.
My cup was full when I was teaching local youth about science (scientific outreach) with a group on campus called FEMMES. After realizing this and remembering JFK’s speech in 1960 at University of Michigan’s student union that inspired young people to dedicate themselves to global peace, friendship, and justice, I was reminded of my desire to serve in the Peace Corps.
Additionally, some of my closest friends at UMich were RPCVs. My friends spoke so fondly about their services and encouraged me to apply, so I did! When I applied, I did not have a specific country or sector in mind. I simply sent in my resume and hoped that Peace Corps would match me with a country/program.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
Living with My Host Family in Moldova
I live with a small host family. My host parents are in their 60s. Their eldest son lives at home as well. He is in his late 30s. My host family also has a big dog named Boss. He is such a sweet, protective dog! Boss and I became friends right away. I am closest with my host mom, Doamna (Mrs. in Romanian) Nina. She invites me to local events like concerts and always offers me tea and baked goods.
Even though my host family and I are very different (we have different personalities and beliefs), I am so grateful that they have welcomed me into their home and have given me a safe, comfortable place to stay during my Peace Corps service. I have my own room and bathroom in addition to an office. I basically have my own apartment on the second floor of their home! I enjoy doing at-home workouts 3-4 times a week.
My Site Placement is Close to the Capital
My site is suburban. I live in a town about 15 minutes south of the capital of Moldova. Unfortunately, I get very motion sick on public transportation, so when choosing a site, Peace Corps staff took this into account. I am super appreciative that my site is close to the capital because I do not have to travel far for Peace Corps events, which are usually held in the capital.
Tasty Moldovan Cuisine with Food Allergies in Mind
Moldovan food is super tasty! I have food allergies, so I cook for myself, but my host family always includes me in holiday meals. My favorite dishes are sarmale (cabbage rolls) and plăcinte (pies). Sarmale are cabbage or grape leaves stuffed with a flavorful mixture of rice, veggies, and pork. There are so many different plăcinte fillings. My favorite filling is cabbage. Some of my other favorite fillings are vișine (sour cherry), brânză (fermented cheese), and potato. Homemade soup is another staple in Moldovan cuisine. Soups like borș and zeamă (chicken noodle soup) are popular.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had?
In addition to making sarmale with my host mom, some memorable experiences include supervising my host dad’s vodka-making process and barbecuing with my host siblings when they were all home for Easter.
Without a doubt, my most memorable interaction was with my host grandma, with whom I lived in a small village during pre-service training (PST). One day, my host grandma and I were eating lunch. She handed me a delicious-looking pepper that she had picked from her garden earlier that morning. It looked just like the tasty, sweet peppers we had a few days before, so I took a giant bite. Big mistake. It was a fresh chili pepper. I have a relatively high spice tolerance (my go-to wing flavor is mango-habanero), but this chili was diabolically spicy, especially since I ate some seeds in that first bite.
In my broken Romanian, I asked my host grandma if she had any milk. She was so confused because I am lactose sensitive, and I usually have a bad reaction to milk. After a few seconds, she realized that she had given me a chili by accident, and she started laughing. She gave me cold compot (homemade fruit juice), which helped. We laughed so hard that I forgot about the pain in my mouth.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about challenges in Moldova?
Something that still surprises me about Moldova is how quickly young people grow up here. Most people are married and have children by their early twenties. I just turned 25 in June, and I am nowhere near the life stages of marriage or children. My students often ask me why I don’t have a husband (or a boyfriend) or children. I usually respond by saying that I feel young and have not found the right person yet. My students are very kind and say that it’s important to wait to find the right person. I know most questions they ask me are out of curiosity and not out of judgment.
This trend of growing up quickly has made finding local friends a little difficult. Most people my age are already married or have a kid or two. While I think I can relate to folks who are married and/or have children, I feel like I connect more with people who have similar backgrounds (single, neurodivergent, traveler, scientist, teacher, etc.) to mine.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Education projects?
A recent challenge I have been facing is fundraising enough money for an outdoor classroom. My main counterpart, Irina, and I have been designing this grant since last spring. We finally got approval from our school director and from Peace Corps. You can help HERE!
This project will create an outdoor classroom where students, teachers, and staff can hold interactive lessons, meetings, and extracurricular activities. The school community is excited to use this new space, which will support our growing student body. Learning outdoors helps students feel more relaxed, engaged, and focused. Teachers will adapt to teaching without digital tools, encouraging creativity and stronger lesson planning. The project is expected to boost student participation, teamwork, and critical thinking while helping teachers explore new teaching methods.
Since I was young, my professional network has been quite small, and our project is quite large. Thankfully, my workload this summer has been manageable, so I have been hard at work emailing various organizations, family members, friends, old professors, and colleagues to try to secure donations. Before this, I’ve only fundraised for small projects through bake sales. This new experience is exciting and challenging, but I am confident that Irina and I will secure the necessary funds to fulfill our school community’s dream of building an outdoor classroom soon!
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
Darien Book Aid
With used book donations from Darien Book Aid and Rocky Hill (where I grew up) community members, Irina and I built an English library in her classroom. This English library has a small bookcase with three shelves. All of the books are in English. The books range in difficulty level from kindergarten to high school. Some of my students’ favorites are Romeo and Juliet, Nancy Drew, and Magic Tree House.
Learn how Peace Corps volunteers can add free books to their libraries by requesting books from Darien Book Aid, an organization that ships to PCVs globally HERE!
English teacher workshop
In the spring of 2024, Irina and I co-facilitated a workshop for all the English teachers in our district. We gave an open lesson about shopping with our 10th-grade class. Afterwards, the teachers gave us positive feedback. Irina and I were proud of ourselves and our students. It takes a lot of courage to speak a foreign language in front of two teachers, even more in front of 20 other teachers. Then, we brainstormed how to create different assessments (verbal, written, and presentations) and how to grade students. It was a successful workshop!
Open “Office hours”
During the 2024-2025 school year, I offered “office hours” three times a week. I had to explain this concept to my students a few times, but once the idea clicked, many students attended. Sometimes I helped them with homework, but most of the time, we just chatted! One of my students said that she enjoys talking to me because it helps her improve her fluency and her English speaking speed.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Education volunteer in Moldova?
Apply! Peace Corps Moldova is a well-developed organization with 30+ years of experience. The English Education (EE) team really cares about its volunteers and wants everyone to have a successful service while feeling supported.
PST (Pre-Service Training) was a little stressful for me – there was a lot of information, homework, and I’ve never been the best at learning a foreign language, but if I got through it, you can too! My group was the first group in-country after the war started in Ukraine, but now there are other volunteers in addition to staff who can support you. Also, Romanian is a romance language with a high similarity to Italian, so if you know a little Italian or Spanish, Romanian may not be hard to learn.
9. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
PST (Pre-Service Training) was super helpful, especially practice school. After having the practical experience of teaching, I felt prepared to begin my service!
I also appreciate how PC Moldova approaches language learning. I was in a small group and by some miracle, I was placed in the slightly more advanced EE Romanian group. Being in the more advanced group pushed me to study more and try my best. Even though I scored the minimum required language score at the end of PST, I was proud of myself because Spanish was one of my weakest subjects in school.
The ISTs and MST were also quite helpful, but as a hands-on learner, nothing prepared me more for service than just jumping in the deep end and co-teaching at site.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Moldova volunteers?
Most Moldovans dress formally, especially for work. I recommend bringing two weeks’ worth of business casual clothing if you have it. If not, there are a number of affordable stores in Chisinau where you can buy relatively good-quality business casual clothes such as LC Waikiki, DeFacto, Koton, etc. All Moldovans wear slippers while walking around the house, so bring a pair of slippers!
I am very glad that I brought my favorite spice: Montreal Chicken by McCormick & Company. I use it in many dishes. I am also really glad that I brought my cold brew pitcher. I like cold coffee, but hot coffee is the norm in Moldova. I recommend bringing anything that you cannot live without or that will make you feel at home. You can find almost anything in Moldova, but if you are considering bringing something sentimental with you, I’d say bring it.
11. How has learning the language been?
My Experience Learning Romanian in Moldova
I learned Romanian. Everyone in my cohort learned Romanian, except for one COD volunteer who learned Russian. Romanian and Russian are both available on Duolingo, so if you would like, it wouldn’t hurt to start learning a little bit of Romanian and Russian before you come to Moldova.
I have an awesome Romanian tutor. During the school year, I take two one-hour Romanian lessons per week. My tutor thinks my Romanian is advanced low, and I am one year and seven months into service. I scored an intermediate high on my mid-service language test seven months ago (about one year into service, 15 months into learning Romanian). Last summer, I started learning the Cyrillic alphabet with the help of Duolingo.
Why Learning Russian Helps in Moldova
Many people in Moldova speak Russian, so it is helpful to know a little Russian. Additionally, some of my host family’s relatives only speak Russian. Since I learned Romanian, I could not communicate with them the first few times we saw each other. Practicing Russian on Duolingo and working on the pronunciation of Russian words with my host family has helped me have very short conversations with their relatives who only speak Russian.
The Ups and Downs of Learning Romanian
For me, learning Romanian has had highs and lows. Some days, I feel like I speak Romanian fluently. Some days, I only understand 30% of what someone is telling me. After speaking with my fellow volunteers, it seems like this is a universal experience. Learning a foreign language is difficult. The most important thing is to practice every day and figure out what method works for you. For me, hand-written notes and flashcards with English translations helped me memorize vocab. Speaking with as many host country nationals (HCNs) as possible helped me increase my fluency, vocabulary usage, and grammar. Listening to music with Romanian lyrics is also useful!
Final Thoughts
12. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Moldova volunteers?
Some of the best advice I received before my PC service began was to get rid of my expectations. If you don’t have any expectations, you cannot be disappointed. Come to Moldova (or your country of service) with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to learn, grow, and be flexible. And most importantly, be yourself! People in your country of service will be really excited to get to know the real you 😊
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like Brooke’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Moldova Government.
