12.10.2007 18:07
I am doing really well. I’ll start off this entry with this statement and then end with it after I have explained why.First…
Here is a part of a letter we all got in email from our new Program Training Manager (PTM)
“
Finally…concerning my Peace Corps philosophy, my general belief is that 46 years of Peace Corps has demonstrated to us that there is something magical about a single Volunteer living and working with people in a community. It produces outcomes that are practically not reproducible through any other means. By living and working alongside people, Volunteers come to understand people in a way that is significantly more important than studying development data, attending meetings in capital cities, spending large sums of money, or reading countless sociological, economic, and historical texts about a country. It also demonstrate to the people with whom Volunteers' work that their lives, their communities, and their work is important…so important that the United States Government sent a person half way around the world to work with them. At the same time, Peace Corps is able to assist people in a way that big development groups with huge budgets can never do. Volunteers serve people where they work…in their offices…in their fields…in their classrooms…in their clinics and where they live…in their homes…in their parks…on their streets…even in their bars, hangouts, and discos. Using organizational development parlance…this is Peace Corps' niche…sending Volunteers to communities to work, often one-on-one, on community-based development. To achieve this good work, though, Volunteers must commit to working and really living (not just existing…not just being) in their communities. Of course, Volunteers also do great work using project funding, working at the national and even occasionally international levels, but this great work normally stems from the great work that the Volunteers first started on a small scale in their community and grew into larger initiatives over time. This commitment to community, incidentally, is also the primary mechanism through which Volunteers work toward fulfillment of Peace Corps' second and third goals.
“
I’ll start with how my day went today. I woke this morning after planning the night before that I would go for a run… successfully. I last dream I had before I woke up was me back in America going to a gym with my jump rope and gloves ready to hit the bag and do cardio for at least 2 hours. The gym in my dream was phenomenal, funny thing was the entire dream was me trying to get into the gym because my card wouldn’t scan. At the end of the dream I had gotten in and was walking into the locker room with the intense feeling of adrenaline I normally get when I walk into a gym preparing to have a great workout… so my alarm goes off at this point and I wake up with that feeling. Which was great because I jumped right up out of bed and had a great workout. I went out to the stadium and did laps around the “track” where the goats feed and pull-ups and pushups, some shadow boxing, lunges, speed rope and finished feeling complete. Anyway, it was really really dark when I woke up, the rabid dogs were roaming around town at this time so I had my guard on the whole time, and had only one attempt to take me on where upon I had to take to the form of the “alpha male” and stare it down and puff up until it let me pass. ( it scared the crap out of me ;-) ) after that my day was normal except that it started with a shower. I went to work, then met up with a german girl who I will later describe and went to this after school house that lets younger kids who lost their parents, or parents are off in another country working sending money home. That was a good time, the kids were insanely energetic … but they are kids :-). I talked with the supervisor over there for a while, she was very good with speaking to me and teaching me so I think I will use her as another tutor. Maybe do an hour with her then an hour with the Romanian teacher. I will now be going there to hang out and play with the kids every Monday, Wednesday, Friday after I get off “work” (also known as sitting in the office translating children’s books). So that excites me greatly. I wanted to get involved working with kids and this gives me a chance to organize activities and just play games. New schedule is… Monday, Wednesday, Friday work 8-12, eat, tutor, play with kids till 5. Tuesday, Thursday, work 9-1, train at the gym 2-3 coach basketball 4-8. Saturday, Sunday off :-).
This last week was the repeat of the previous week. Except I coached basket ball by my self without my site mate because she is in America vacationing with her family for Christmas. It went well and the kids listened to me. I feel like a dork but I used that good American know how and went on the internet to find some basketball drills and games so I have some knowledge about this sport I have really never competitively played or practiced playing. www.kudda.com has the answers for you if you are ever in that boat. I has videos and plays draw out with verbal instructions on how to coach an array of different sports for free. Wonderful resource. I spent at least 3 hours watching and taking notes and ran 2 successful practice with drills and ideas from that site.
I walked a lot this past week. I walked around the town, was ignored by about 70% of the people I said hello to but that’s better then 100%. I assume if I continue to see the same people and continue to greet them as I pass I can get that number down to 50%. I found a tutor lat week as well. So now I am getting some what of a direction on the language and I have someone to talk to. My tutor is a high school teacher who teaches Romanian as English teachers teach English in America… grammar and such. She doesn’t speak English which makes learning a little difficult but the act of describing a word to me in a language im trying to learn is beneficial. But learning grammar from someone who doesn’t speak English is a nightmare. My brain is throbbing after an hour and last week I was doing 2, 2 hour sessions. I cut that down to 1 hour session now 3 times a week when possible. Like I said I want to utilize that other teacher from the after school program and the kids as much as possible to supplement.
I am getting a phone call every other day from my host mom where I used to live asking how my day was and how im doing and what’s going on with me. I am also trying to write at least every other day how my day went in email and sending to them. I get to go visit them in a week when I travel to the city for some peace corps stuff so that is really exciting.
This weekend went really well. I was able to meet up with some other volunteers who lived nearby to chat and walk around my town. Because im in the center of a larger town called a Rayon they surrounding volunteers will come in a use the big market we have to buy stuff or go the restaurants. It was a nice change of pace seeing some friends and speaking English and laughing about stories and awkward moments we have all shared in experiencing. I feel rejuvenated from that, and now that I have basketball under control, a somewhat routine workout schedule, and a full slate of activities to do on a day to day basis I have centered myself and that will help me be a better volunteer. Alright just as I am about to wrap up I forgot about that German girl. I met her this weekend at a restaurant who was an acquaintance of the neighboring Peace corps volunteer. She has been here for 2 months, one month in the main city learning and 1 month here in my town. She speaks passable English and was great to talk to. She explained what she was doing while she is here working with those children and two disabled children before going to work with the kids every morning.
She is in the European Volunteer program which makes the peace corps and Americans look like a bunch of loonies. The PC is organized and so bureaucratic that we have things like lockdown, limits on when we can leave our sites, we have bosses, we have to notify everybody when we do anything. Her program is her and around 10 other people from around the world where they get an assignment, handed a positive attitude and a little living allowance. She is not given a heater, water distiller, doctor anything. It is really hardcore. I am thankful for the network we have here with the peace corps but sometimes it can be overbearing and controlling. Anyway shes great, invited me to see where she works and now I have a new friend in town to hang out with and another place to work.
And now to go off on a tangent here…
As I am reading the godfather by Mario Puzo, I came across a part where Michael gives his Apollonia a gold necklace. The author described it to be this magnificent gold necklace which is rare for this part of the country in this poor community. As the story progresses a little further I am imagining this girl wearing one of these ridiculous massive one inch think gold chains with a clock hanging from the end like some rapper would wear on a music video and how out of place that must look in a place like that… Then I realized the author never mentioned the size of it… and that It could just as well be a nice thin gold necklace looking entirely proper for the situation. It made me laugh out loud when I realized how ridiculous my imagination was working. I love that book, and I am already sad that I am coming to the end of it, My next package request will include the books following the first book. So I can complete the series.
Ok so I hope I got everything in. I am slackin on the picture updates, I have a bunch, I need to make some slide shows on for youtube…. But im busy…and I haven’t taken any pictures since I have moved to my new site… I will … soon I promise. And I will update my pictures for those of you wanting me to.
Until Next week.
Here is a part of a letter we all got in email from our new Program Training Manager (PTM)
“
Finally…concerning my Peace Corps philosophy, my general belief is that 46 years of Peace Corps has demonstrated to us that there is something magical about a single Volunteer living and working with people in a community. It produces outcomes that are practically not reproducible through any other means. By living and working alongside people, Volunteers come to understand people in a way that is significantly more important than studying development data, attending meetings in capital cities, spending large sums of money, or reading countless sociological, economic, and historical texts about a country. It also demonstrate to the people with whom Volunteers' work that their lives, their communities, and their work is important…so important that the United States Government sent a person half way around the world to work with them. At the same time, Peace Corps is able to assist people in a way that big development groups with huge budgets can never do. Volunteers serve people where they work…in their offices…in their fields…in their classrooms…in their clinics and where they live…in their homes…in their parks…on their streets…even in their bars, hangouts, and discos. Using organizational development parlance…this is Peace Corps' niche…sending Volunteers to communities to work, often one-on-one, on community-based development. To achieve this good work, though, Volunteers must commit to working and really living (not just existing…not just being) in their communities. Of course, Volunteers also do great work using project funding, working at the national and even occasionally international levels, but this great work normally stems from the great work that the Volunteers first started on a small scale in their community and grew into larger initiatives over time. This commitment to community, incidentally, is also the primary mechanism through which Volunteers work toward fulfillment of Peace Corps' second and third goals.
“
I’ll start with how my day went today. I woke this morning after planning the night before that I would go for a run… successfully. I last dream I had before I woke up was me back in America going to a gym with my jump rope and gloves ready to hit the bag and do cardio for at least 2 hours. The gym in my dream was phenomenal, funny thing was the entire dream was me trying to get into the gym because my card wouldn’t scan. At the end of the dream I had gotten in and was walking into the locker room with the intense feeling of adrenaline I normally get when I walk into a gym preparing to have a great workout… so my alarm goes off at this point and I wake up with that feeling. Which was great because I jumped right up out of bed and had a great workout. I went out to the stadium and did laps around the “track” where the goats feed and pull-ups and pushups, some shadow boxing, lunges, speed rope and finished feeling complete. Anyway, it was really really dark when I woke up, the rabid dogs were roaming around town at this time so I had my guard on the whole time, and had only one attempt to take me on where upon I had to take to the form of the “alpha male” and stare it down and puff up until it let me pass. ( it scared the crap out of me ;-) ) after that my day was normal except that it started with a shower. I went to work, then met up with a german girl who I will later describe and went to this after school house that lets younger kids who lost their parents, or parents are off in another country working sending money home. That was a good time, the kids were insanely energetic … but they are kids :-). I talked with the supervisor over there for a while, she was very good with speaking to me and teaching me so I think I will use her as another tutor. Maybe do an hour with her then an hour with the Romanian teacher. I will now be going there to hang out and play with the kids every Monday, Wednesday, Friday after I get off “work” (also known as sitting in the office translating children’s books). So that excites me greatly. I wanted to get involved working with kids and this gives me a chance to organize activities and just play games. New schedule is… Monday, Wednesday, Friday work 8-12, eat, tutor, play with kids till 5. Tuesday, Thursday, work 9-1, train at the gym 2-3 coach basketball 4-8. Saturday, Sunday off :-).
This last week was the repeat of the previous week. Except I coached basket ball by my self without my site mate because she is in America vacationing with her family for Christmas. It went well and the kids listened to me. I feel like a dork but I used that good American know how and went on the internet to find some basketball drills and games so I have some knowledge about this sport I have really never competitively played or practiced playing. www.kudda.com has the answers for you if you are ever in that boat. I has videos and plays draw out with verbal instructions on how to coach an array of different sports for free. Wonderful resource. I spent at least 3 hours watching and taking notes and ran 2 successful practice with drills and ideas from that site.
I walked a lot this past week. I walked around the town, was ignored by about 70% of the people I said hello to but that’s better then 100%. I assume if I continue to see the same people and continue to greet them as I pass I can get that number down to 50%. I found a tutor lat week as well. So now I am getting some what of a direction on the language and I have someone to talk to. My tutor is a high school teacher who teaches Romanian as English teachers teach English in America… grammar and such. She doesn’t speak English which makes learning a little difficult but the act of describing a word to me in a language im trying to learn is beneficial. But learning grammar from someone who doesn’t speak English is a nightmare. My brain is throbbing after an hour and last week I was doing 2, 2 hour sessions. I cut that down to 1 hour session now 3 times a week when possible. Like I said I want to utilize that other teacher from the after school program and the kids as much as possible to supplement.
I am getting a phone call every other day from my host mom where I used to live asking how my day was and how im doing and what’s going on with me. I am also trying to write at least every other day how my day went in email and sending to them. I get to go visit them in a week when I travel to the city for some peace corps stuff so that is really exciting.
This weekend went really well. I was able to meet up with some other volunteers who lived nearby to chat and walk around my town. Because im in the center of a larger town called a Rayon they surrounding volunteers will come in a use the big market we have to buy stuff or go the restaurants. It was a nice change of pace seeing some friends and speaking English and laughing about stories and awkward moments we have all shared in experiencing. I feel rejuvenated from that, and now that I have basketball under control, a somewhat routine workout schedule, and a full slate of activities to do on a day to day basis I have centered myself and that will help me be a better volunteer. Alright just as I am about to wrap up I forgot about that German girl. I met her this weekend at a restaurant who was an acquaintance of the neighboring Peace corps volunteer. She has been here for 2 months, one month in the main city learning and 1 month here in my town. She speaks passable English and was great to talk to. She explained what she was doing while she is here working with those children and two disabled children before going to work with the kids every morning.
She is in the European Volunteer program which makes the peace corps and Americans look like a bunch of loonies. The PC is organized and so bureaucratic that we have things like lockdown, limits on when we can leave our sites, we have bosses, we have to notify everybody when we do anything. Her program is her and around 10 other people from around the world where they get an assignment, handed a positive attitude and a little living allowance. She is not given a heater, water distiller, doctor anything. It is really hardcore. I am thankful for the network we have here with the peace corps but sometimes it can be overbearing and controlling. Anyway shes great, invited me to see where she works and now I have a new friend in town to hang out with and another place to work.
And now to go off on a tangent here…
As I am reading the godfather by Mario Puzo, I came across a part where Michael gives his Apollonia a gold necklace. The author described it to be this magnificent gold necklace which is rare for this part of the country in this poor community. As the story progresses a little further I am imagining this girl wearing one of these ridiculous massive one inch think gold chains with a clock hanging from the end like some rapper would wear on a music video and how out of place that must look in a place like that… Then I realized the author never mentioned the size of it… and that It could just as well be a nice thin gold necklace looking entirely proper for the situation. It made me laugh out loud when I realized how ridiculous my imagination was working. I love that book, and I am already sad that I am coming to the end of it, My next package request will include the books following the first book. So I can complete the series.
Ok so I hope I got everything in. I am slackin on the picture updates, I have a bunch, I need to make some slide shows on for youtube…. But im busy…and I haven’t taken any pictures since I have moved to my new site… I will … soon I promise. And I will update my pictures for those of you wanting me to.
Until Next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment