Peace Corps Life—Transitioning still

Tags

applying, Early Termination Peace Corps, Living in urban suburbia, Peace Corps, Peace Corps housing issues

So I am sure all the prospective volunteers and current folks in PC are doing a bunch of blog reading like I did when I was unsettled or in the process of applying. I thought I would share a recent “When I was in PC story”

I am in the process of buying a home with Drew. He is a country boy and I am a city girl.  So, like most couples we settled on suburbia, but urban living in suburbia. The process is very trying and annoying. I am not totally sold on our pick of suburbia, and when the potential that it won’t work out I hit the Internet in full force researching lofts in the big city. I love the raw city life. The hustle and bustle.

In my Peace Corps days I was one of the lucky volunteers that had the opportunity to live in 5 different housing scenarios. I had some misgivings in some of them, but some of them were absolutely perfect. The problem was I kept thinking that if I moved or had better living scenarios it would solve my aching for all my issues to go away.  You know that nagging feeling that something just isn’t working. So, I moved in with a dear and kind family. Life with my pseudo family was exactly as I wanted it to be.

Since I didn’t have a good experience with my host families as a Peace Corps Trainee I thought why not give it another try as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  All was gravy until Peace Corps pulled the plug on it because of ‘security reasons’. hmm.  Off I moved into a ‘better’ house where I lived alone directly across from my school with a wash machine and a new stove!  I really convinced myself that I would be happy if I had all the fancy amenities.  Boy was I wrong.

Turns out that the house I lived in was a fun party with other volunteers and the place where I would sleep for days–mild form of a depressive state. Not much changed. After a mold problem, broken computer disaster, and an infestation of fleas I reached my boiling point.

Some times when something isn’t right, and you try so hard to make it work it just isn’t meant to be. Is suburbia the right place? We shall see. Not afraid to try.

 

One Up or One Down

Yesterday, in a discussion touching on Organizational Development (OD) our facilitator generated an interesting notion regarding social identity.  My 28 classmates and myself were asked to think about the different identities we see ourselves as and do they give you a one up or a one down in our specific cultural context.  Then we discussed the implications of our social identities in different cultural contexts.  I thought of two situations. The first was in Romania as a young female Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) and the other of course is as a female cancer patient in America.

It was Counterpart Conference July 2010.  Rocking my nicest sundress and favorite Steve Madden boots, and sporting the name tag that had Snap written on it I walked my 45 minutes down the Pipeline (The Roma community’s settlement in Targoviste, literally under, next to, around a gas pipeline) to the conference center.  I was to look for Crackle and Pop (get it… Snap, Crackle, and Pop from the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies ads) on the name tags of the Romanian Counterparts awkwardly meandering around the entrance.  The point was to match us Trainees with the respective Romanians that would assist, guide, and mentor us throughout our service.  This was a VERY nerve-racking moment.  I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know why I had two people coming when most had one.  I knew that my Romanian was not developed enough to communicate all the excitement I wanted to express to my new host community.  Finally, of course I was one of the last to be paired, I found my tall, intimidating, short-skirt wearing, electric cigarette smoking Director, Haijni, and a youthful, female, sporting spunky short hair, and perfect English speaker Counterpart, Lavinia.  I hit the jackpot!  In fact, during the 2 day conference multiple Peace Corps staff members came to me with comments on how “badass” my Director was and other Trainees were in aw at how young my Counterpart was.

I thought it was the perfect fit.  I was a young (at the time 23) female, Caucasian, straight, and not very religious.  My age was a one up because many people in my community thought it was pretty cool an American would travel so far from home.  In the Romanian context I was instantly a one down for being a female PCV.  Romanians tend to cater more towards male volunteers, at lease that was what apparent to me.  Being Caucasian and straight were one ups for me because it was easier to assimilate in the community with no striking differences.  My religious thoughts ended up being the biggest one down for me in my specific context.

It ends up that my Counterpart was and is a Romanian Baptist.  She formed judgements of me and I of her from early on.  With my Romanian language skills not the best when I moved to site I needed her to be more available to me, but she didn’t see it as her role nor did she have the time to give.  I was intimidated, lost, lonely, and frankly annoyed because she was not meeting the expectations Peace Corps set forth during our Counterpart Conference (speculative: Did Peace Corps set unrealistic expectations? Yes.).  She placed judgements on me because she doesn’t believe in drinking, dancing, dating, and other social norms in Romania that she assumed I did.  It was all down hill from the first night we met when many PCTs and Counterparts went to the Irish Pub for dinner.

Oddly looking back, Laura (the Romanian Peace Corps Program Manager) was right when she said to me as I was on my way out of the country, “Katie, I don’t know why you didn’t turn Haijni for more support? She was always a huge fan of yours.”  I know why.  I saw myself as a burden to her and the community.  I didn’t have enough confidence to speak to her in the Romanian I knew let alone the fraction of Hungarian I picked up. I thought she had ‘sided’ with Lavinia.  In the end, it was the rift created by something I never thought would get in the way that blinded me from the other supports in the community.

My second wave of thoughts in class yesterday revolve around my ever so present and persistent cancer.  I now find myself apart of a mass that I didn’t foresee.  I was enlightened in class by these words, “we do not get to choose our social identities, they chose us.”  This is my life with cancer.  I love to hate it, and now I hate to love it.  I mean I don’t love cancer in the fullest sense; I love all the things that have come about.  I feel more connected than ever to my Mom.  My sisters are apart of me in a ways that I can’t explain.  My father, or technically step-father, has been a champion beyond belief.  I now know what a healthy and strong relationship is and that someone can truly love me.

Identifying as a cancer patient and soon a survivor (crossing my fingers) has only brought me closer to my belief in curbing the consistent struggle for so many, and in some small way giving back hope that can be so easily lost.

Claire Halverson Ph.D., the author of the Cultural Context Inventory, was correct with here analysis that one needs to take culture into consideration, and beyond that one needs to consider social identity and personality to really understand the context of one’s situation.

Draft: If Micro Finance isn’t the Answer, What is?

Tags

research

It’s interesting that the theme of your paper is hope, & yet your conclusions leave very little hope. For your next steps, I’d suggest that you take a close look at the recent World Bank study showing that poverty has in fact declined dramatically in all parts of the world. How has this happened? What are the factors that contributed to it? If you’re suggesting that micro finance is not the way ahead, then what is?

I have pondered this question for weeks! After hours and hours of research on the World Bank’s webpage and deliberating, I keep coming back to two viable options. I am arguing that micro finance should not be the huge fad or the ‘be all to end all’ in economic advancement for those trying to lift themselves out of despair.  I believe that with institutional economic development and sound education there can be a multitude of programs and opportunities offered by and for individual countries. The ‘cookie cutter’ programs that are so often seen today need to be removed and replaced with culturally sensitive and relevant programs.

New questions I am answering to myself…

What is economic development?

What does sound education mean?

Has poverty decreased?

Sources:

• Dichter, T. W. (2003). Despite Good Intentions: Why Development Assistance to the Third World Has Failed. Boston: University of Massachusetts Press.

• Dickinson, E. (2010, September 7). Study: The end ofpoverty starts at the bottom. Foreign Policy. http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/09/07/study_the_end_of_poverty_starts_at_the_bottom

• Kenny, C. (2011, July 11). The Price is Right: How the world can buy out of poverty for just $100 billion. Foreign Policy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/07/18/the_price_is_right

• Radelet, Steve. “We live in the golden age of development.” SIT Graduate Institute, Guest Lecturer. Washington, DC. 15 Oct. 2011.

• The World Bank. (Dec. 2012). World Bank Sees Progress Against Extreme Poverty, But Flags Vulnerabilities. Washington: The World Bank. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:23130032~pagePK:34370~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html

Videos from the World Bank:

How is Poverty Measured? 

Poverty and Social Impact Analysis Overview

Inequality Traps Children in Poverty 

Moving out of Poverty 

Link to World Bank Poverty Reduction and Equity

 

Motivation Statement for Peace Corps Application

Thought I would share my Motivation Statement that I wrote in March of 2009.  I have searched high and low for my Cross Cultural Essay and can’t find it anywhere.  These essays were apart of the Peace Corps application process to get oneself into the system.  There were many other hurdles and essays that I wrote to solidify my spot in Romania.

The distinct reason I want to join the Peace Corps is to implement integrity. The definition of integrity has two parts: one, a moral positioning about the distinction between right and wrong, and two, a consistent stance on this morality such that we act out what we believe and attempt to live our ideals.[1] First, the decision I have made about studying and researching the developing world has led me to make a moral decision to enact a grassroots approach.  The people living in the developing world are starving for basic human rights, and I feel the Peace Corps offers a mode in which one can contribute time to allocate basic human rights.  After an unexpected spiritual journey, my mind and soul began to see the world in a new light.  Is the American Dream my dream?  The McMansion, nice car, husband, kids, and a white picket fence are not in my foreseeable future.  This scared me to death, until I read a piece of mail stating, “Life is calling.”  Those are the first words I read one year ago.  This is when I made a moral decision to change my area of study and follow the unexpected path of joining the Peace Corps after I graduate with a Political Science and International Studies degree.  

As a Peace Corps volunteer I will have the ability to form relationships with those who are vastly different from me.  The first goal of the Peace Corps is to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.  One way to meet this goal is to successfully overcome barriers working in the host country.  I have implemented this as an AmeriCorps volunteer, specifically working with homeless children living in transitional housing.  Many of these children have disabilities, emotional detachments, and chemical dependency.  The progress and relationships I have formed with these at risk youth would not be successful if barriers were not surmounted.  The major barrier I have overcome is the racial difference between the students and me.  I am not a person of color, which the majority of the students are.  The children did not latch on to me as fast as they did with fellow volunteers, whom are people of color.  As time progresses I continue to treat each child with respect and dignity.  This has ensured positive and trustful relationships. 

In order to meet the Peace Corps second mission to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, I will be able to share truths about American culture.  Many stereotypical notions about American culture are equated to individual economic success, but many fail to see the success of coalition building across cultural barriers.  At the Women’s Community Development Organization I have successfully applied coalition building.  I developed the Early Childhood Education program with the advocates, parents, and teachers.  This has allowed a program to be accessible to any young person.  When coalitions form they often look beyond personal interests and look for the common goal.  As a Peace Corps volunteer one has to be consciously aware of the stereotypes and work towards the common goal of the coalition. 

One has to understand acceptance and learn difference in order to stare ethnocentrism head on to implement the last goal of the Peace Corps: Help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.  I will assume this task when I return from my service overseas.  I hope to pursue an advanced degree in International Relations, with emphasis in the developing world and gender studies.  Ultimately, I seek to open minds to diversity in the world we are cohabiting by education and policy making.

Overall, as a youth and community development volunteer I aspire to transmit empowerment.  Education will be empowering for the youth, cultural integration will be empowering for the mind, and individual growth will be empowering the path towards enacting my moral positions.  I have had an extensive educational background in cultural studies such as: Interpersonal and Intercultural Communications, Cultural Anthropology, Politics of Developing Nations, and International Relations, to name a few.  Also, I have participated in an International Fieldwork Study in Mexico City.  The opportunity was given to students to work hand in hand with peacekeepers and officials toward a common goal.  My classmates and I witnessed the relationship between nongovernmental organizations and government, and subsequently wrote a Policy Memo for future interactions.  The delicate relationship between these two actors within a developing society is essential for progress.  I feel with direct interaction with Mexican officials and nonprofit directors I have learned how effective a mediator can be, which the Peace Corps has been since 1963.  After these experiences expressed thus far, I feel I will be a productive and empowering member of the Peace Corps.      

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[1] Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee, Women’s Voices Feminist Visions 3^rd ed. (New York: McGraw Hill, 2007) 712. 

Questioning Effectiveness

Tags

American Cancer Society, College, Duluth, NGO Effectiveness, Sarah, Speaking Events

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 I was invited to speak at St. Cloud State University. My older sister, Sarah, was involved in a project to seek out a local organization and question its effectiveness.  Coincidentally, she was placed with the American Cancer Society (ACS).  Feeling well enough, I accepted to share my story and my thoughts on organizations such as the ACS.  Of course this was first time in a long time speaking in front of people and, of course, I talked too long.

Essentially, I wanted to challenge the group’s finding that ACS is really effective in its delivery of services.  At no time during all of my hospital stays and treatment did ACS and its services reach me.  Yes, there was a pamphlet but in all the madness and stress did we think to reach out to them.  I think the challenge falls upon us young people to start thinking of newer and innovative ways to operate such organizations.  I thank my sister who recognized this and wanted to share our story as one to inspire such thoughts.  She was the one who first recognized the shortfall of targeting those who don’t directly fall into the targeted range and wants to change the system.  Go get’em Sarah!

It was really nice to be back on a college campus.  The warmth of the sun heated my bald little head while I strutted around looking for the classroom.  Student booths, hippies playing hacky sack, girls in Ugg Boots and sweatshirt, guys in flip flops (it was 45 degrees) and shorts brought me right back to Duluth and my days in college.  So, as I sit here in Duluth (we took a little vacation!) on a crisp morning with the fog horn hailing the ships into the harbor, I wanted to step outside of my box and share the video…

A Year Has Past and I’m Back!

After a year hiatus I have willed myself to begin blogging again.  I have updated people on my CaringBridge website, but I have decided that it is not the same as blogging.  Please feel free to scroll through and read some of the good times I had in Romania.  There were many more, but I didn’t blog away as much as I should have.  Being under the censorship of the Peace Corps and the potential for my host country nationals to view the site I did not share any of the negative experiences I encountered.  As I wrote the blog posts I so badly wanted to purge out all the negatives just to vent.  In retrospect I am happy I did not. However, I do take issue with the fact that real problems volunteers face are not often talked about, nor are volunteers adequately trained to deal with them.  As I move forward in my life and writings I want to adequately share what life was Really like as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV).  Everything is not as peachy and perfect as I would have had it.

It is the eve before Easter.  I spent the day bumming around on the internet, visiting with family, going to a movie, and researching cancer scholarships.  As I sit here all I can think about is “wow a year has passed since I have been back from Romania.”  It was Easter time last year when I returned home.  My bruised ego and torn dreams masked the holiday.  This year is much different: My ego is flying high with confidence; my dreams are more real than ever; and my subconscience is maintaining its powerful embrace.

To recap , via CaringBridge, the last couple of months…

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 11:33 AM, CST

I’m alive and well

Sorry for the delay in updates.  Now that I am getting my strength back I thought I would grace all of you with my thoughts.  Again thank you to all that have followed me for the last 5 to 6 weeks! It sure has been a ride, but I am feeling this is just a ‘speed-bump’ in my little life (Thanks to Rod for that one over the years). I did make it out of Hospital Stay 4 last Saturday, January 28th feeling okay.  My time since then has been a whirlwind of staying at various houses and hotels here in the Maple Grove area.  I swear the Staybridge people know us by name with all the times we’ve checked in and out of there.  Right now we are focused on getting me as healthy as possible for my next round of Chemo.  So, I thought I would recap the last month or so… 

December 22, 2011, I so excitedly submitted my last final for the semester, a 30-page paper on sustainable education and entrepreneurship, and I noticed a strain in my left arm.  It felt like a pinched nerve from typing away for a week (ha!).  My arm swelled for about an hour and then it was back to normal.  The next day I woke at 3 am with severe chest pain and one HUGE arm.  I disregarded it for a while, and then finally I called the nurses line and went into the E.R. at George Washington University Hospital in DC (Hospital Stay 1).  They found 3 blood clots and admitted me overnight for observation (umm Random, who gets clots at 25?… oh someone taking birth control 😉 )   Christmas Eve day was filled with folks delivering little gifts and chatting with my hospital roommate.  Drew came to rescue me out of there so we could have some sort of holiday fun.  Who would have thought he would be running to the pharmacy x3 and giving me 2 shots a day for our holiday fun?  Well we made the best of it by getting out to see the deserted city on Christmas day and indulging in great Chinese food and late afternoon movie.  With India (my 4 month-long Practicum for Grad School) on the outs and a new practicum devised we had a week or so to spare, so we booked flights to go visit my parents in Austin, TX.  The next 3 days were spent at 3 different doctor visits (an Internist, a Hematologist, and a Gynecologist) to get the clots under control.  Friday, December 30th we were off to Austin. 

Our flight landed in warm Austin, TX around 11:45 pm Friday night.  Rod swooped us up and we were off to see Patty and Corv!  My chest pain was increasingly getting worse as the hours went on.  I so valiantly tried to hide my pain when we arrived because I knew my mom would make me call the Doc, and I just wanted to enjoy our little time that night and go to sleep.  Well that did not happen.  Patty soon found that I was not feeling right and off we went to the E.R. at 1 am in Austin, TX (Hospital Stay 2).  After hours and hours in the E.R. they admitted me with an expected pulmonary embolism.  The crew (Patty, Rod, and Drew) went home on New Year’s Eve night to catch some shut-eye, while I snuggled into the ICU.  The next 5 days were filled with CT Scans, a needle biopsy, and news that I had a mass in my chest 7×9 cm (umm what? It’s a mass cuz Patty thinks that sounds better than tumor J).  We met with the Oncologist in the Regional Hospital. With not ever seeing my scans and realizing what we were up against, Patty and I decided we needed to be at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.  This was day 5 in ICU and from there it was an amazing race to get me up to MN.  One last echo cardiogram, discharge papers signed, pain meds administered, the boys packed bags (Rod, Drew, and Corv drove all night from TX to MN-they are amazing), and only 45 min until our Delta flight left I left the hospital! Hurry!

We landed in MN on Thursday, January 5th.  Jenna was circling the airport (OMG She’s on time!! All those times she has been late are forgiven!) to whisk Patty and I off to Rochester.  We arrived in Rochester while I was coming down off my pain meds and all I could say to the Docs in the E.R. was “talk to my mom” and “how about some pain meds.”  The folks in the E.R. didn’t realize the situation until Patty came in from admitting into the E.R. with my scans.  They looked at the scans from Austin and said,  “Katie we will be admitting you upstairs in minutes.” (Hospital Stay 3). That night at Mayo we were graced with 4 different doctors and hours of personal attention and explanation.  This was the first time we saw my scans, and it was like looking at a hurricane in my little chest.  The doctors so tenderly told us that they expected cancer but they were unsure of the kind, which we were prepared for. The following days were filled with an extensive and holistic exam, tests, and procedures to figure out just what we were dealing with.  Subsequently, we ruled out that the clots were caused from my mass and not by birth control, and that I have Diffuse B-Cell Lymphoma that has centered in my chest and spread to a few nodes in my lungs.  Hospital Stay 3 ended on Wednesday, January 11th with an intense Chemo regiment of 6 rounds of treatment to come.  The brood checked out of Rochester and headed to our old stomping grounds of Maple Grove for a few days where the house-hopping ensued.  We would return to Rochester for all Doc visits and Chemo at the Mayo Clinic. 

Monday, January 16th and Tuesday, January 17th was Chemo Round 1.  Everything went smoothly.  We left Rochester after Chemo on Tuesday and headed back to Maple Grove and our trustworthy Staybridge room where I could recover.  All things were working in my favor until Friday night when I started feeling the effect of a bacterial infection.  Saturday afternoon I was on my daily walk around the hotel when this sudden pain inflicted my body.  We chalked it up to coming off of pain meds and finishing taking certain meds on my Chemo regiment.  Sunday, January 22nd the pain and diarrhea continued, and after consultation with my Doc at Mayo, we were off to the E.R. in Minneapolis (Hospital Stay 4).  We were told just to get some routine tests and a stool sample.  Well a CT Scan showed an inflamed appendix (WHAT!?). I was admitted under observation to be sure, and sure enough the appendix had to go (unrelated to my cancer).  During my stay in the hospital they concluded I contracted my little bacterial infection-C-Diff, which is relatively common with so many hospitalizations.  Even when my white blood counts dropped so low that I became neutropenic, family and friends filled my room with masks and lots of antibacterial hand washing.  My days and nights were filled with foot massages, constant itching from the pain meds (thanks Kristine for the handy spoon scratcher), and a rotation of night-duty family members to keep me company and assist in my outings with 4-6 lines dangling on me and a trailing IV pole at all times.  Soon enough I was able to get ‘my list of things to leave’ accomplished and was discharged on Saturday, January 28th.

So, here I sit at Drew’s feeling the best I have since this all started letting all of you faithful followers know a little too much info, but hey it helps me wrap my mind around the craziness.  I must say that I have found so much joy and laughter in all this with one huge support system consisting of my ever-so devoted Mother, Rod, my sisters, Drew, and all my extended family and friends.   Everyday we find something to be grateful for—for instance, it was a blessing I was in Austin, TX when I first found out about the mass because Drew and I needed to be with my parents to absorb the shock of it all; it was huge that I wasn’t overseas (which is a double-edge sword because that is where a piece of my heart is); it is amazing that I am able to be treated by thoughtful, caring, and ingenious Mayo doctors; and that we live in a wonderful place that has great medical care.

With this short novel coming to an end, I am inclined to tell you that Chemo Round 2 is on February 15th.  Until then I will be recovering and recouping my veins in my right arm so I can be as strong as possible, and more importantly staying out of the hospital.  Much thanks and love, Katie

Oh, I cut and donated my hair to Locks of Love! More pics to come.

To read more about my medical journey visit the CaringBridge site and view the Journal.  Entries were written by my sisters (Jenna and Kristine) and myself. 

And boom goes the computer…

After nesting in the house for a good 2 weeks I decided last night would be the night I would embark on a whole new routine.  P90X.  It’s the latest and greatest workout hype for PCVs in Romania.  So I gathered my extremely worn-in tennis shoes, changed into my workout clothes, and cleared a spot in my living room.  I was ready.  Well not so much.  Seriously 2 minutes into the warm-up I was ready to be finished.  An episode of Mad Men sounded much better at the time.  But with spring just around the corner, I told myself I better start now and stick with it.  So fast-forward 37 long and sweaty minuets later… I was really done.  Who can seriously do 1,000 push-ups 10 different ways, sit-ups for 16 minutes, and don’t get me started on the pull-ups (which are impossible since I don’t have a pull-up bar).  Okay well I know there are those out there that can, but this girl cannot.  Needless to say I was over the whole workout thing.  Time to get going on a different project. Laundry.

I was walking from one room to the next when my foot caught the cords.  The world stopped for a split second as I saw my computer, ever so gracefully, fall to the floor.  Oh no big deal I thought and continued on my way.  I returned to pick up the mess and whammmm ¾ of the screen is white with little lines.  Not good. I was in shock.  I know how it sounds. I am in Peace Corps and my beloved computer is out of commission.  Rough life.  Well yes, without a working computer I lose contact with friends, family, Peace Corps, Host Country Nationals, and the world. So now I am upset.  With the 4 inches of working screen I was able to Skype home to my mom, and the tears came.  Yup, I cried.   I was just so angry, sad, mad, frustrated, and worried.  But there’s no comfort like talking to a mother who knows just how to make you feel better.  A couple of calls later to Apple, via Patty (mom) in Minnesota, it was decided: I will buy a new computer in Romania.  For all of you applicants, I suggest you don’t go buy everything new, but keep some of that money for emergency reserve funds.  You never know. I spent hours on Skype researching and agonizing over where, what, when, and how I was going to get a new computer.  I was up all night thinking of money, and if I would get a Romanian keyboard or and English keyboard.

8:00 AM came fast.  Clasa -a-optea a (8A) was blurry eyed and tiresome as I was taking attendance.  At the beginning of every class I ask about the previous week, previous day, and the previous night.  This time it was my turn to share my story. I reenacted what happened.  We all laughed, sighed, oooed, and ahhed.   We made a timeline of events and my emotions. This fit right into the lesson plan of reading a blurb from the Horse Whisperer.  What were the feelings and why?  We discussed the difference between angry, furious, upset, pissed, and frustrated. They read and answered questions.  Homework was to write a journal on a series of events that produced such a range of emotions.  I found that this was a great way to tie my everyday mishaps into teaching. Just what I am good at. I really look forward to reading those entries.

Well I am sure you’re wondering. Did I get the computer? Yes, a very nice gentleman in Timisoara set me up with a new Mac.

I also had my first experience with no electricity in my house.  Problem solved only a few hours later with the local electrician, my landlord, and me in the dark with flashlights figuring out the source of the outage.  Some not so pleasant things happen to me here, but it all becomes an adventure and a story.  Funny mostly.   I will sleep soundly with my lifeline, lights, and one giant smile. 🙂

Back to School, Back to Reality.

It’s 10:15 on Saturday (okay now it’s Tuesday and I meant to post on Saturday) and I’m comfortably sitting in my new home having coffee and listening to music.  After one of the best weeks at site I feel completely relaxed and content. This past Monday I returned home from a vacation to Rome. This was my first vacation out of the country.  The time I spent exploring the city, eating copious amounts of food, drinking exquisite wine, and watching Italian life pass by I was ready to get back to Timisoara to start the new semester.

Back to School:

Second semester started Monday.  Surprisingly the staff and students were back in the groove right away.  This was unexpected because after our Christmas break it took 2 days for the students and teachers to get back to work. I arrived at school on Monday promptly at 7:50 only after getting off a train at 4:45 AM and making it home to shower and change.  Monday’s are now my long day where I teach 5 hours with Afterschool Program hours. I was expecting to be exhausted and irritable. This is how I am with no sleep.  Another surprise, I was neither of the two. I was energized and pleasant. I think it was because of my new plan for the semester.  For the first semester grade all my students had personal interviews with me in English.  This was a great way for me to gauge their English level as well as forming personal connections.  The language level determined how my Counterpart and I are splitting classes this semester.  It has made a world of difference for teaching.

Back to Reality:

I am finally settled in my new house. Everything organized and decorated with pictures and letters from home. After making four trips into the city, I have a fully stocked fridge and cupboards. With my fully functioning oven and stove I thought I would test it out.  As you may know I am no cook or baker.  But things are always changing in my life and I thought why not bake some cookies. I looked up how to make cookies online and in our Romanian cookbook, Pofta Buna, and luckily enough I found real brown sugar during one of my shopping expeditions this last week, so chocolate chip it was. First hurdle, no chocolate chips in Romania, but with chocolate bars a plenty I thought to chop it into makeshift chips.  Second hurdle, I do not have a blender and my butter was rock hard and cold. So put it on a heater for 10 minutes and flip, and melt on the stove.  Little did I know it’s not recommended to melt the butter? All and all cookie making turned out just fine. Pictures below. Also, I’m going to be one of those humans that talks about the weather. I know I can’t get my hopes up, but my landlord was over the other day and she was showing me around the yard.  She was really excited to show me the flowers blooming and all the different places I can plant and garden.  Again something I would never expect me to be good at (every plant dies in my possession), but I’m going to give it a go.   It’s early February and flowers? This is unnatural. In Minnesota March is the snowiest month, but from the warm spring like days here in Timisoara I’m thinking no more snow.

I made a mess with the flour.

Some day I will not know what to do with a big kitchen.

Chopping up the chocolate bar for the chuncks.

Looks about right.

First test cookie.

Full batch after the test one.

Make shift drying rack.

The fianl plate full!

Valentine’s Cookies for my community.

Ugh, the pile of dishes.

The blooming flowers in my yard.

Here nor There

It’s been two months. I just finished watching a movie and I’m seriously contemplating what I even have to write about. I mean there’s so much I could write about, but it’s almost not worth writing about the past. My new goal is to try and live in here and now. So right now I’m lying in my bed with perhaps the most comfortable blanket (including my blanket from home) and pillow I have ever had. Well it’s not exactly mine because I am currently living with a Gazda and they own my linens.  In two weeks I will be packing my belongings for another change.  I sit here now and I have no feelings about this other than the excitement for change.  It’s an often contradiction I have with myself.

Since I arrived in Romania I have wanted a home, as a matter of fact I have had many homes. So now it has evolved into I just want so desperately for a place to just be consistent, but yet I love and long for constant change.  Actually at the moment I am obsessing about organizing all my stuff, where I will pack this, where I will put every single item in my new house. All the while longing to just stay put.  The countless hours convincing myself how to make this entire life possible has not been in vain.  It might be seriously true that as a volunteer you gain more out of the experience than anyone else.  I have been in Romania for less than a year and I have seen and experienced more than I ever imagined. More importantly, I have been tested more than I ever imagined, but just like my life before coming here I would not change a single thing.

In the last two months I have been very busy with many things, but I’ve traveled a lot. I spent time in Arad for Thanksgiving. A group of volunteers made a massive feast for our Romanian friends.  I made my way to Blaj to visit some fellow volunteers before our week in Sibiu for IST.  Returned to Timisoara for two weeks before Christmas.  I can’t explain how many times I listen to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” track in those two weeks. Every single student of mine knows the song by heart.  I was so looking forward to Christmas!  I traveled with another volunteer to Targoviste (or near by) to spend the holiday with our Romainians. We ate and ate and ate.  After Christmas, due to no hot water, we made our way north to Comanesti for a few days. This is where I witnessed the festival of bears. People parade through the streets, dressed in real bear hides, reenacting a ritual where the bears were hunted and killed.  After a few days there, a group of us spent New Years in Bacau.  Hands down an awesome time spent with fellow volunteers, and what can I say the only open place New Years day: McDonalds. Memories I will never forget. Finally I made it home to Timisoara.  A week and a half later I was back in Bucuresti and Racari.  I always said I love to travel.  Looking forward… ROME in 12 days.

I got my bike back. More to come about the story of my bike.

 

My travels in the last two months Nov 2010- Jan 2011

On Tuesday I…

It’s Novemeber 16th in Timisoara, RO and I am sitting outside with clasa a saptea (7th grade) disscussing PEACE.

We discussed what PEACE is, read a poem, Prayer for Peace by Lao Tzu, listen to ‘One Day’ by Matisyahu…

The 7th graders decided they wanted to come up with an action plan for how they can promote PEACE during International Education Week at home. They came up with 3 ‘will do’s’ and they have to make a poster by the end of the week with their results. All and all a very successful lesson. Thanks to fellow PCVs for the inspration!

The other 1/2 of my stuff. I am truely in RO when you see all of the plastic hangle bags with all my books. Thanks to my packages from the US I am able to fit all my kitchen stuff and blankets. Yeah for moving…I can’t wait to unpack and organize!

1/2 of my belongings…can you believe I came to RO with just that suitcase and pack (and one small backpack and a messenger bag).