Sometimes this place feels magical, other times it makes you want to choke. But such is, at least I’m told, the life of a PCV anywhere. It has been an exciting time here, many things happening.
First there was a great birthday party for my friend Sarah. A few others came up and helped me prepare a feast. It always seems that when there is a party and food involved, we make way too much; fortunate for us to be able to do so. It was a terrific night.
Then just yesterday all the leaves fell from the trees. Sure the weather had gotten cold a few weeks ago, but the full force of autumn hadn’t yet arrived. Yesterday as I walked the familiar routes around town, I heard that distinctive swish of leaves being raked and kicked about underfoot. This morning the leaves were falling so rapidly from one tree as I walked under it that I glanced up to make sure nobody was shaking the branches.
Unfortunately, the crisp autumnal air becomes choked with smoke nearly every afternoon now. In addition to the regular garbage burnings, I suppose leaves are being added to the mix. It’s a pity, but makes for some great vivid sunsets.
My program manager swung by today on a routine checkup of all teachers in the area. We chatted for a while and then met up with my counterpart and some of the other teachers. It all went superbly! My PM is thrilled that I have been able to turn things around from a rather awkward situation last year to a smoothly functioning one this year. My counterpart was particularly pleasant and all the other teachers made sure to say that they were pleased with my work. It really felt good, especially coming from a place where praise is often non-existent.
I was also able to show off a new project that is currently in the works at the school. Peace Corps has a program called SPA (Small Projects Assistance.) Basically, Peace Corps is allotted a certain budget by USAID every year. It is up to Peace Corps to administer these funds. All volunteers are encouraged to submit project proposals. The projects can be about anything really, from special seminars to a rock climbing wall. Last year I wasn’t ready to get involved with this because I knew it was a lot of effort and frankly, wasn’t really feeling great about either of my schools. But the opportunity arose this summer when I heard that the old phonetics lab was getting a little work done. This room, (the language lab,) had not been updated since the fall of Communism; the floor was peeling off, chairs were uneven and desktops were separated from their supports. I knew that this room was the perfect one for a SPA but wanted to see some investment by the school before beginning the process. Anyway, this summer my counterpart mentioned that the school was going to repaint the walls and install a new floor in the room. Though this may sound minor, remember that funds here are scarce to non-existent, especially for capital improvements. When I heard of this, I began work on a SPA grant.
As a birthday surprise (the committee met to discuss proposals on the 26th,) I was notified that the grant was approved and would be fully funded. Of course we’ve had to wait over a month for the funds to wind their way from Washington to Bucharest, but yesterday I got the green light. We are going to purchase new desks and chairs for the room, and a large electric projection screen. The room has already been painted and re-floored (the school held its end of the bargain,) and looks 100X better. Now that the aesthetic has been improved, the furniture will be upgraded, and an important investment will be made regarding technology. Given that the room already has a DVD player and TV, I hope that the screen can be used for presentations and movies in conjunction with an existing LCD projector.
All this makes me feel like I am doing something right. Not that I tend to be hard on myself or anything, but working in a foreign country can be extremely frustrating and unsatisfying at times (just check out the many reality TV shows about it.) I want to see this money spent wisely and I want to see these new investments utilized and taken care of. Although the school is still light years behind those in Western Europe, I don’t see why we can’t have at least one modern room!
I am crossing my fingers that the American populace wakes up by Nov 7th and sends a clear message to these Republican thugs who have been ruining our country for the past decade. It is time to move on to a more progressive and positive agenda, one which doesn’t rely on fear tactics and gay bashing. Working abroad has taught me that establishing a connection and genuine trust takes time and effort. As Americans we certainly have the skills to do this, we just need a little boost in the will department. I think that as my generation matures and enters the social and political scene in force, we will see a return to values of respect, honesty and fair play. I am tired of being guarded in my optimism. This time I feel it without any hesitation.
As the mentioned birthday girl, I want all to know that our dear Matt threw me a fabulous birthday party. I felt very spoiled, well fed and princessy.
Hurray! I’m so pleased to hear about your language lab project. It sounds very exciting. I just wrote my first grant (all on my own, I’ve been assisting since I got there in April) and submitted it two weeks ago, to fund lectures featured African American artists of note.
Big hugs!
Congratulations on the grant! You must be really excited to be able to have that kind of an impact on the place! They should dedicate the lab in your honor!
WD,
As always, congrats on getting your proposal through. I am glad to see that you are really enjoyign your expierence and really making a difference out there. Living in colorado there are some interesting referendums and ammendemnts on the ballot. I of course will comment on whether they passed or not after the election, but three of them really were kinda interesting to me and I would love ot hear your opinion on some of them.
One of them is Ammendemnt 44 which would in effect decriminilize the possesion of less then an ounce of Marijuana on you within colorado(it is in effect in denver atm). Now one thing that confuses me is that there is a National law which states that Marijuana is an illegal drug. So which is it? Is it legal or is it illegal. Does this now mean I can buy it and smoke it in public as I can legally smoke a ciggerette?
The second and third appear to be counter measures yet both seem prime to pass. They are Ammendemnt 43 and Referendum I. Amendemnt 43 would define marraige as that between one man and one woman and Referendum I would establish domestic partnerships in the U.S. state of Colorado. Maybe I am the only one confused by this, but if you wanted to define marriage between one man and one woman(which is winning) wouldn’t you be against establishing domestic partnerships? Also, of you were against the definition of marriage, wouldnt you be in favor of domestic partnerships? I am having trouble wrapping my mind about being in favor of both. These measures seem to counter each other and I just dont get how both can pass. Then again, I am not voting in CO anyway, so i guess I dont have to really understand it.
Regarding the decriminilization of pot, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I think it is absurd that our jails are filled up with people busted for smoking it. Let’s not kid ourselves, there is a major difference between marajuana and, say, crack cocaine. But, I can understand your confusion regarding this proposition. My confusion regards procurement. Ammendment 44 purports to decriminalize possession, but what about purchace? If pro-pot advocates want to legalize, there needs to be a way to purchace without the use of seedy drug dealers. Think of the amount of money in taxes that one must pay for a pack of ciggs. Why then shouldn’t recreational pot users pay the government a tax for their fix? This money could be funneled into anti-drug campaigns…
I think what we are seeing here is an attempt by well intentioned people to relax our zero-tolerance short-sighted drug laws. I imagine that the problem they face is an intractable Federal government; can you imagine this administration allowing recreational pot use? Therefore, since the Feds provide a brick wall, these activists are forced to approach this issue from the groud up. Thus you see resolutions like this and other pro-pot canditates in most urban areas. My final thoughts are, while the passage of such a proposition will not suddenly end any debate/confusion around the issue, it will send a clear message that a majority of people (at least in your locale) beleive that the current anti-drug laws go too far. If this message can be repeated elsewhere, the hope is that it will trickle up so that in the end the US can craft fairer and safer drug laws.