Tell Me Who's a Maverick Fan!

My friend, Delta Keoninh, has been accepted to Columbia University to study nursing. She’s on fire to serve a very disadvantaged and fragile group of people in our community—those who can’t afford quality health-care. With any college education accompanies a huge price to pay, and especially at Columbia University, the price tag is way over $100,000. She has enlisted my help to spread the word for her cause “Help Me Mark Cuban.” Delta wishes to grab the attention of Mark Cuban so she can present her case. Read more about her on her page at www.helpmemarkcuban.com.

Some other commentaries are posted on:
http://www.dallasobserver.com/blogs/?p=2667
http://www.wbap.com/Article.asp?id=381875&spid=6051

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to!

Guess who turns 25 on April 2?? *points at self*

Quarter of a century and my fate has brought me to Moldova.I won’t be able to celebrate it with my favorite people, nor see familiar faces.

In just a few months, my favorite little brother, Kham, will be visiting me in Istanbul, Turkey. I’m very ecstatic to see him because he’ll be bringing a little Texas and a little bit of Lao-siness with him. However, I’m a little low on funds as I am a Peace Corps Volunteer and we don’t really have a salary. So if you’ve been racking your brain on what to get me for my birthday, go ahead and send a little joy my way with some benjamins, or if you can’t, some jacksons will do just fine. Please feel free to e-mail me at vannyp@gmail.com and I’ll give you some options in transferring it to my power-of-attorney, Kham, or directly into my US bank account. Remember, you're also donating to making Moldova a happier place with a happy Peace Corps Volunteer :)

Happy Martisor!

March 1st marks the first day of spring in Moldova. Moldovans celebrate this day with a martisor, which is a type of corsage that is offered and placed on the women’s lapel. It usually has two flowers, one being red and the other being white. The red flower represents love and white flower represents purity; it also signifies that winter has passed and spring is here. Pictured left is the martisor my host mother knitted for me. Pictured right are some of the Romanian language students in Manta and their teacher. The martisors were given on the behalf of the students.

To Grandma's House We Go!

Yesterday, I met some random old lady on my walk back from teaching English in the neighboring village of Manta. She invited me to come to her house the following morning because there were going to be guests from out of the country. I asked what the special occasion was for her having guests from out the country and she answered I should come find out for myself in the morning. She said to meet at her house at 10:30 AM, but I didn’t know where she lived. She said I should come to the corner of the kindergarten and she’ll come get me from the road. So I did just that this morning. Two girls ran up to me at the corner—turned out to be two girls from the school in Manta that I knew. They asked me where I was headed and I answered “to some grandma’s house, I forgot her name.” One girl, Natasha replied, “Oh, you’re going to my grandma’s house.”

Me: “Wonderful. I forgot her name, but she told me to meet her at the corner of the kindergarten.”

Natasha: “She’s busy getting ready, so Doina and I came to get you.”

Me: “Did you know I was coming”

Natasha: “Well, grandma said a foreign girl will be joining us and I asked her if her name was Vanny. She said she couldn’t remember, but I thought most likely it was you.”

Me: smiles

Doina: “We could see you from way down the street and spotted your backpack and black jacket. We knew it was you.”

Me: smiles, then looking at Natasha. “What is the occasion for the guests to be at your grandma’s house?”

Natasha: “I don’t know exactly. I know there’s going to be two black men and a translator or so.”

Me: “Interesting. Do you know if they speak English?”

Natasha: “Not sure…probably if they have a translator.”

Me: “Don’t ya’ll have school today?”

Natasha: “Yes, we do. But, we asked the principal if we could be excused as we have guests from out of the country.”

Me: “Is that so?”

Natasha: smiles “Yes. That is so.”
...
Update

Turns out it was two black missionaries from England, accompanied by a two Romanian men, from Romania who served as translators. The grandma’s house as packed to the nine with villagers, for the most part to witness the “black foreigners.” I think they listened more attentively. Kola and Greg (the black gentlemen) were really a breath of fresh air for they brought such a presence to the south of Moldova. Pavel, the Romanian speaker invited me to visit him and his family in the Carpathian Mountains this summer! (Think Transylvania and Dracula’s castle).

Cupid needs to take a hike!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Vacuums suck
And so do you!

I joke. I joke.

I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. There’s not a need for a special day to think about who you hold dear. Valentine’s Day should be everyday anyways if it’s meant for the family and friends you care about. I’m not against Valentine’s Day, I’m just saying.

However, my Moldovan friend, Rodica was nice enough to invite me over to have dinner. Her mom made us cutlets and harishka (some type of barley it seems). The cutlets turned out to be processed pig brains and its intestines after some period of it being boiled. It tasted like Salisbury steak (yummy in my tummy!). Rodica made me a bundt cake. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it because we ate most of it! We exchanged valentines and promised to be friends forever and ever and ever…!

Happy Valentine’s Day to my family and friends! I miss you guys more than I miss pho. =)

Events this week

This week went by super fast! Two things happened this week: 1) I’ve started some English classes and 2) US Ambassador Michael Kirby, his wife and Jeff Kelly-Clarke, Peace Corp Moldova's director visited my site in lil’ Pascani.

As mentioned, I’m a Community and Organizational Development advisor. This entails working as a consultant for the community in the areas of organizational infrastructure and capacity building.

NGOs are a new phenomenon in the Republic of Moldova. The NGO sector works in a challenging environment in a country in transition, where tradition of trust is little, as well as community responsibility. One can see this in full motion after surveying its slow economic reform, social and welfare systems, corruption and crime, and widespread poverty. (However, NGOs are enjoying more credibility and a higher profile due to Coalition 2005—a coalition that published reports on the deficiencies in political processes with successful advocacy for changes).

There are well-established NGOs like the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), LADOM, and the Independent Journalism Center, where they have sound financial management, sophisticated and modern office equipments, multiple sources of funding and fundraising abilities. On the other end, you have lesser-developed NGOs, ran by a one-man show (mine being a classic example). These types of organizations center their activities on receiving grants and satisfying donor requests. Mission statements are in place, but seldom are engage in long-term strategic planning (which I will be helping to create a 5-yr strategic plan).

For any organization to operate, funding is paramount in making the wheels turn. The majority of the NGOs in Moldova rely heavily on international funding, especially in the form of grants, as community resources are limited within the republic. Most foundations and donors’ request that grant applications be submitted in English, which oftentimes in most start-up NGOs have anyone with a working knowledge of English. This “need” then is transferred over to a Peace Corps Volunteer. So where is the sustainability component to this scenario?

That was a long preface to why I started an English Club. I told myself in September that I did not sign up to be a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) volunteer, but a COD volunteer. The youths in my community have expressed a need to learn English because they said English is spoken all over the world. I turned multiple kids down numerous times and indicated to them that I was busy with my organization. At the end, I agreed to teach English (as if my English is that great anyways) since it will offer me some practice with my Romanian and Russian. Furthermore, I think it will be a wonderful way to get to know the youths and hopefully introduce the idea of volunteerism, which can result in sustainability and creating public value.

And so, the first class started this past Tuesday with a turn-out of 25 students in my village. We started with introductions and greetings. I’m splitting the group up in two because there is a huge disparity in ages (10 yrs.—26 yrs.).

Since I started one in my village, I decided I’ll ask the principal of the grade school in the neighboring village of Manta to start a club there as well. In this way, I can use the same activities and techniques for teaching both classes in both villages. Anyways, I told the principal I wanted a class comprised 15—20 students, the more attentive and hard-working kind (of course!). So today, I go to the school to meet the selected students in my English Club and they’re energetic and ready to go (mind you, this is after school). There are exactly 20 students sitting up straight as a pencil with their eyes focused at me as I entered the room. The Principal and the Romanian teacher, Domna Zina, was there to greet me and had a list of students, which included their name, grade, and age (in perfect Romanian calligraphy!).I thought to myself ‘hey, this shouldn’t be so bad; they look discipline and eager.’ We did some ice-breaker games and I told them I’ll have a syllabus for them next week. As the excitement of learning English buzzed through the school throughout the previous few days, some students have approached me and asked me how they can get in this very exclusive and distinguished club (or so I like to think). Their eyes were literally tearing-up as I apologized and responded that I can only accommodate so much (in my broken Romanian). What a way to end a Friday, huh?

Yesterday, Ambassador Kirby, his wife, JKC, and four other volunteers (including myself) had lunch in Cahul (the closest major city, 10 km north of my village). After which, we toured an English center at a Russian-speaking high-school. There were approximately 15 English students and ourselves at a table discussing “American miracles” and what it means to us. Some of the responses from the host country nationals (HCNs) included: Las Vegas, the Statue of Liberty, and Elvis Presley. Practically all their answers had something to do with an American icon. In contrast, the American responses consisted of modern medicine, cultural and ethnic diversity in America, and the desire to catch your dream. It seemed as though the HCNs’ responses were homogenous, the more Hollywoodic side of America, whereas the Americans’ responses were more of what America prided itself in—a melting pot of possibilities in any way imaginable. What I love about America are the many people from all over the globe that makes America unique. We are able to make mistakes, fail, and try again. In their world, one mistake and you’re not able to try again.

Today, the Ambassador, his wife, and JKC visited Artizana. I gave them a tour of the instructional room, the intended “computer room”, the workshop, the kitchen, and the salon, aka conference room. My counterpart and I showed them the finished products of basket-weaving done by the beneficiaries (children from socially vulnerable families) of our organization. We talked at length over the mission of our organization and how hands-on my counterpart is. He’s the type that is gung-ho (sp.?) about a project that he overlooks where it fits in within the mission and only sees it as a short-term goal. Thus, it becomes problematic for our organization because one cannot live on grants (or fish) alone nor can one not have a plan for long-term sustainability if growth is the end result. Pictured is my counterpart, Constantin, me (bad hair-day), Mrs. Kirby and Ambassador Kirby. Courtesy of JKC.

This entry is a little tedious on events that occurred this week. I do have funny stories, I do! But after today’s activities, I’m too exhausted to amuse you.

Let's kick it up a knotch!

Most of my diet has consisted mainly of potatoes, bread, noodles, cabbage, rice, and chicken. These can be cooked in a variety of ways: boiled, baked, or fried. Spices are limited to salt and pepper. Thank goodness I can still get my Asian spices at the grocery stores in Chisinau. Yes, I’m surprised too! Although, the markup is 300-400% from the products sold in Oriental grocery stores in the states, I had to get my fix. The other week, I bought fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai chili sauce, rice noodles, dried lemongrass, coconut milk, and Thai red curry paste. The fish sauce is the size of the tiny Kikkoman soy sauce and cost me about $2 (whereas you can get it for less than 99 cents for a big bottle, just to give you an idea).

Anyhow, last weekend my host dad was away in the capital and my host mom had to go into town to buy some medicine for my host sisters (they are currently quarantined in their room with the flu). Usually, my host mom would have something cooked and all I’ll have to do is just warm it up. So I'm home with my sick host sisters without food and it being three in the afternoon, my stomach cried bloody murder. I went on a scavenger hunt and found only found two small heads of cabbage in the kitchen and then I remembered I kept a carrot somewhere in my room (this was from Orthodox Christmas when I made Pad Thai at a volunteer’s apartment). The only perishable good I could find was a package of egg noodles. With these only ingredients, I decided I’m going to make lo-mein! I played mom and served my host sisters my creation. Just so, my host mom and host aunt came in the nick of time to join us. I had my lo-mein with Siricha Sauce and offered it to everyone. All I can say is..they can’t hang with the big dawgs!