shall I do it???!! Shall I reflect a little? Why not!Now that its almost over I wish I had:
1. Gotten to know my fellow PCVs better, lets be honest PST was a bitch! And when I escaped the stress
of it and the wear and tear of practice school, I ran away from everyone. When your exhausted and under
a lot of pressure you just recoil (and maybe have a dead-end relationship for the sake of comfort BUT, hey maybe that was just me!!!).
I see my colleagues in the Peace Corps lounge sometimes and think awww your not so bad...wait I LIKE YOU... wait I LIKE YOU A LOT! LOL terrible but true, I see so much good in all of us and I wish I had more time to explore it. I absolutely think the M24's are an amazing group of people and feel blessed that we got on the same plane together....no joke.
2. Participated in more Moldovan traditions. NO I never did the Easter thing! Red eggs, going to the grave and eating a huge meal with my family, getting tipsy for the dead! Hram!Never did it! I did get smacked in the face with holy water and fell backwards once, but this may have been for Christmas. Why didn't I participate in these things? I don't know...I suppose I never really had the right people in my life to get me on board. I'm pissed I never got to do the 40 saints day celebration either ggrrrrr (the one where you drink 40 cups of wine in honor of forty saints....you know about this right?? :D) I got my share of experiences in of course but I wish I would have done more, o well making wine with bare feet may still happen for me, cross your fingers!
3. Painted, drawn and written more. A lot more blogging thats for sure.
4. Rode a caruta aka horse drawn wagon (hey Im still trying every chance I get though!)
5. Learned how to cook at least ONE Moldovan dish! I dont mean the easy stuff like mamaliga or a salad. I mean an amazing soup or how to make moonshine! SOMETHING! I was spoiled what can I say? The consequences of living with good host families!
6. Had more picnics and BBQs in the woods with friends. Springs back I may still get to do this!
FINALLY:
Biggest regret and I know this may sound lame to many but here it is:
7. Not sledding or making a snowman. Two winters and I didn't do it! It was too cold LOL Im still not used to the snow! And all I wanted to do during winter was jump into my warm comfy bed and sleep! I have definitely found my inner bear here in Moldova!!
That being said! It's not a long list, so I'm pleased! After sitting and pondering about this for a long time (Im a serious blogger!) I dont really have many regrets or left over wishes!
Making me extremely happy!
Yayyyyyeeeeeeeeeee!
Ok Ok so this makes you want to puke! She cant be this happy! But I sincerely am! Here are some highlights as to why this Latina girl who is often confused as Korean is so happy with her service thus far!
Lets start with my work! Once I became a COD volunteer I began my primary job at an at-risk children's center called Brindusa. With my assistance we were able to repair our broken down beds and furniture last winter. We also got new blankets, sheets and mattresses :D It was truly an amazing project!
Before
AfterAt the center, I got to know our children better and was lucky enough to spend my days smiling dancing, singing and playing with them!
During my service I found that my artistic expression could be translated into film. Mahala films soon became one of my main projects, here are some of the results:
We decided that there were plenty of sad movies about Moldovan migration, hence we wanted to create something positive! A video message to spread hope. Wishing to address the children whose parents have gone abroad, this video was created to remind us to do what makes us happy and to do it every day if we are sad. We even got to do some Roma work with Mahala films!
friends. Their love was powerful and inspiring.
Speaking of Roma (Gypsy) work...
Some of the
most gratifying and fulfilling work I have done here in Moldova is associated with the Roma.
l'm a more spiritual, focused and enlightened because of the beautiful Roma people I have been lucky enough to meet and work with.
Their struggle for equality, inclusion and justice has inspired me to push myself harder than I ever have before. My patience and perseverance have been tested. My belief in humans has been challenged and thankfully has been rejuvenated.
In the beginning I questioned whether I was qualified enough to work and assist the Roma. I soon realized that in order to really get to know this community all you needed was one thing: to care. They felt my genuine want to assist in anyway I could, I wanted to learn more about them, I wanted so deeply to learn from them. It wasn't too long after that that I felt like I was adopted by my Roma
friends. Their love was powerful and inspiring.Here are some projects I have done with the Roma community:
1. Roma Social Theater- children acted out a case of discrimination and than offered solutions to intolerance. This was
really awesome because in the script for the grand finale I was able to integrate some of Martin Luther King's words from his "I have a dream" speech :D
2. Roma Camp- We got to teach the kids about their human rights and discussed stereotypes! But the best part was just getting to play and get to know all the amazing children of Minjir!This also was amazing for me because I got to introduce my fellow Peace Corps volunteer Ryne Peterson to the wonderful Roma people I had been in contact with. He fell in love with them instantly as well!
3. Roma Film and promotional video for young journalist in Cahul and Minjir.
4, The creation of R.I.S.E.! The Roma
, Inclusion, Support and Education Group! Peace Corps volunteers and Roma NGOs felt there was not enough communication between the two, hence we created R.I.S.E. Now there will be a group that will help connect these two entities to work towards peace and friend
together,
5. Put on a games seminar in 7 Roma villages. RISE in partnership with Tarna Rom and the Pestalozzi Children's foundation conducted a games seminar for local teachers working in Roma villages. Through the power of play we wanted to bring Roma and Non-Roma children together, ending discrimination early and in a fun way. This was loads of fun! I dont think I have laughed so hard and long in my whole life! They asked that when we come back to please bring some diapers! That some of the teachers peed themselves during the training! This is what I do for a living! you have no idea how happy this makes me!
Arent you smiling with me yet???
AND on top of all this I've made friends here that I will keep forever.
Friends that gave me bigger culture shocks than the Moldvans did! Friends that taught me that a fart can be a way to say hello, hello kitty can be a bad ass, "boy I tell you" can be cool to say, brutal honesty is my friend, dont run from it DONT!, that friendship can come in bursts of love or in insightful/funny well timed remarks! That real friends buy each other wine and waste their nights watching movies with you while getting you hooked on silly things like okcupid or old 90's dramas! Friends that put up with me losing my debit card almost every month, friends who if they didnt have enough minutes on their phones would sure as hell skype me to talk about anything that is bothering me! My eyes already tear up at the thought of losing them.
My life already has been changed, and blessed and we still have 3 months left together! So heres to the beginning of the end, I cant believe its come!
T.U.L.
Marlene Nancy Lopez
Sashi
Patches
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