2008 year end survey
The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps, of which I am a proud volunteer

This is my traditional Year End survey that I got of Chris's blog once. This year I added the handy Year at a Glance checklist from Sam. Enjoy!

End of the Year 2008 Survey

In 2008...

Did you do something you thought you would never do?

I never thought I’d get bit by a dog. I never thought I’d actually be in Bucuresti for the premiere of The Dark Knight. I never thought I’d stay up all night working in the Peace Corps office on the Beyond Gender magazine. I never thought I’d do so much talking on the phone in Romanian. I never thought I’d participate in organizing such a huge event as the gingerbread castle project and take meetings with the mayor of Hunedoara.

Did you keep any New Year's Resolutions?

No, not only did I not keep my new year’s resolution last year to stop putting honey in my green tea, I broke my resolution and adopted several new unhealthy habits, like eating before bed, snacking on peanut butter sandwiches and drinking lots of coke and coffee. Also if I’m even moderately stressed it’s a good excuse for a Twix bar, or you know, cuz it’s a day.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, my good friend Sarah Gaboda and I haven’t done the math but I was surprised to find out on facebook my ol’ college friend Bree has a beautiful son named Quinn.

Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully no one I was personally close to died this year while I was in Romania but I was very saddened by the deaths of Heath Ledger and George Carlin.

Did you visit any countries?

Hungary was the first country I visited that I had never been to before, and Slovakia now officially counts as a country that I visited because we drove through it and even stopped there for lunch. Also, I had been the Czech Republic before but now I’ve actually visited my great grandmother’s village when before the only place I had been in the Czech Republic was Prague. I need to get a Slovakian flag patch for my backpack now.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Time to travel. I didn’t really have any money to travel either but I feel like all 2008 I bounced from one project to the next to the next and even if the projects didn’t pan out or weren’t successful or weren’t what I expected I was so focused on getting things done and looking from one event to the next I didn’t have time to plan a trip or save for a vacation. I feel like there was very little time to just hang out and take in the Romanian culture – or explore some other place. And there was always the computer, camera, bicycle or something else that needed fixing or a tent or a printer cartridge or something that needed buying.

Will any date from 2008 stay etched in your memory forever?

4:45 am 5^th November 2008 when my mom called to say that Obama had 200 electoral votes and McCain couldn’t win. It was an amazing moment, but basically the election and the days afterward are the moments I’ll never forget – the ones I’m already planning go on telling my children about.

What was your biggest achievement of 2008?

A couple of the times I was singing “Ain’t it Good” from the musical Children of Eden I actually hit most of the notes. Also, I didn’t completely lose my mind after my computer broke down and had to be sent back to the USA again to be fixed.

That and the two GLOW/TOBE camps and I coordinated and organized (with help) last summer. I’m particularly proud of the Deva camp just because it was the one I where I got to attend the whole thing. And I’m proud of the amazing amount of work Micah and I accomplished on the Christmas at the Castle project. Even though I didn’t do that much work on the gingerbread castle, the thing looked great!

What was your biggest failure?

Not ever doing anything for the organization I was assigned to in Deva. Truthfully when I got here they said they might change their focus and I didn’t know what that meant and everyone is busy so I just kept my head down and didn’t ask enough questions and didn’t learn very much about the organization – and they were happy to let me do that and happy to let me concentrate on my other projects but I think maybe I could have done some project to benefit this organization if I had just tried harder. Even now there’s a chance we could work on something together but it’s really hard to understand what is needed and what will work with the information understanding that I have.

Also, I gave up on doing Carpathian Challenge 2009 because oops! I never started training.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got bit once on each leg by a stray rottweiler and had to go to Bucharest 5 times to get 9 anti-rabies shots. Other than that there were just a few evenings of flu-like symptoms and then there’s the illness brought on by too much alcohol (on three occasions in 1 year, so that’s not so bad.)

What was the best thing you bought in '08?

Hope. I donated $50 to Barack Obama’s campaign and when he won the election I felt like I had been a part of something. And for the first time in a long time (since I don’t know when) I actually think the future holds exciting possibilities and I'm not as worried.

Did your behavior change over the year?

I drink a lot more soda and coffee. I stopped doing yoga regularly around June and probably haven’t done it all since September. I’m not as much of a health nut as I was in the USA when I tried to eat organic. Now I’m content with the veggie ramen, but I’m also not very concerned about it because I feel like I’ll go back into that lifestyle when I get home.

I got really lazy though and I can do most of my work from home on the computer so it’s hard to make healthy decisions and make myself go out and do stuff.

Where did you spend most of your money?

I spent the most money at the grocery store or at the piaţa but as far as percent of increase since last year – I started spending way more on phone minutes but it occurred to me at about the 1 year mark – I guess I know a bunch more people now.

It also feels like a bunch of my money went for (computer, phone, bicycle, camera) repairs and not vacations this year. And parties. Party food for all the parties I had here

Are you happier than this time last year?

Yes. It’s a great time to be alive. Actually, I feel I have a new direction in my life and a lot of hope for the future, but my year has a lot of unknowns in it. A lot. And that kind of makes me nervous but I am I’m looking forward to filling them in as I go.

What songs will remind you of 2008?

The entire musical Tommy, “Ain’t it Good?” from the musical Children of Eden, “Someone To Love” and “Killer Queen” because I finally memorized all the words and that’s been a goal of mine.

And if you’d asked what song will always remind you of November of 2008, the answer would be Feelin’ Good by Michael Bublé, because I listened to it for two weeks straight.

What do you wish you would have done more of?

Vacationing, traveling with friends, observing, hanging out

What do you wish you would have done less of?

Nagging and bitching. Sometimes I just get into this contrary mood where everything a person does pisses me off. It happens when I hear a lot of absolute statements like “I don’t like potato chips because they’re unhealthy.” And I hear “You like potato chips because you’re fat and stupid.” Or “My parents taught me to read before I was in school” and I hear “You are dumb. You are so dumb because you can’t remember when you learned how to read and your parents are dumb too.”

I wish little things didn’t irritate me so much. It also bothers me when people can’t give supportive evidence to back up what they say, or they think they can and they don’t know what they’re talking about. Or when you’re trying to say something really personal and important to you and the other person just won’t hear you.

And nagging.

What did/will you do for Christmas '08?

For Christmas I spent a week with Micah and my cat at his New apartment at his site, Ocna Mures. It was nice to eat dinner with the same families we visited last year and go caroling. We watched The Muppet Family Christmas again and baked and decorated a whole ton of cookies. Caroling and baking for strangers and visiting (families) who are friends was a great way to spend Christmas and it makes me think about the traditions I would start in my home if/when I have a family.

Did you fall in love in 2008?

No, not exactly.

Did you get your heart broken in 2008?

No, not exactly.

Favorite TV program of '08?

I rediscovered a love for Supernatural which I had forgotten, after having been introduced to the show in Jan of 07. In ‘08 I suddenly caught up to season four and now Supernatural and the brother’s Winchester are sometimes my reason for living. And favorites, as always The Daily Show and the Colbert Report.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

At several times throughout the year I have, Toby-like from West Wing season 1, felt and said out loud, “There is literally no one that I don’t hate right now.” I doubt if it was ever true, or if it was true I am sorry that it was and it was a passing hatred. I feel like this year I have had some experience feeling if not being hated or at least “hated on” and it’s no good. I had a person over to my apartment who made some veiled political comments and I could look at him and feel and sense the intensity of the hate that is in him and I just felt so sorry for this poor soul to be saddled with that great millwheel of hating what he does not and will not attempt to understand (Because he’s stupid >:P parentheses, emoticon for mean sticking-tongue-out face, close parentheses.)

It’s hard to make an effort to get a long with those with whom you are different, to find common ground among disagreements, it’s hard to be the subject of hate, but it’s important to put forth the effort and not give in to hate because it is such an ugly terrible thing. I’m proud to have done at least some reaching out this year, though I can’t say it isn’t difficult and frustrating.

What was the best book you read and/or movie you saw?

The best book I read was Three Cups of Tea by by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and just cuz I can never pick one favorite of anything I was also rather partial The Kite Runner too. Both books inspired me to write letters to Congress/the author respectively.

What movies did I even see in 2008 that I hadn’t seen already? I honestly just watch the same 20 movies over again (like Amistad) and never see anything new. I have to say The Dark Knight was great, and Milk. I can’t remember when Stardust came out here and I liked that one.

What was your greatest discovery?

Where do I go from here? For now I believe the best course of action is to imagine what I want my life to be and then take steps to get there. I guess that’s all you can do. Set goals and take steps toward accomplishing them and hope and pray it works out. And, work hard.

Also, I discovered what it’s like to love someone so much that when you see them at the worst they’ve ever been to you – you only want them to improve (as opposed to wanting them to be miserable for being such a bastard) and when they are annoying you think man, there’s no one I’d rather find annoying right now – and you hope they feel the same way when they see you at your worst.

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

My 28^th birthday was the final day of the Christmas at the Castle project. We closed up, cleaned up, came home, had a glass of champagne to toast the completion of almost a year’s work and then went out to dinner with friends. It was a great birthday! The girls from the organization Punct Inima surprised me with a chocolate walnut cake! The next day, Dec. 15^th was the 1 year anniversary of the first time Micah and I ever visited Hunedoara castle.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I can’t think of one thing that would have made my year immeasurably more satisfying. I few things might have improved my year somewhat, but as far as I’m concerned 2008 was immeasurably satisfying in many ways my hopes and dreams came true.

That said - I would have been significantly happier if my computer hadn’t needed to go back to the USA to get fixed again, and if my camera, my phone and my bicycle hadn’t also needed to be repaired.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2008?

Underwear, bra, socks, pants, shirt. Or sometimes underwear, bra, tights, skirt and shirt. Simple. Easy. I don’t shop for clothes. I have enough.

Who are you most thankful that you met?

My new site mate Beth. It’s going to be great having another Peace Corps volunteer in town. Especially one I can be such easy friends with and who is on the GAD committee with me.

And Dani because I guess we met at the beginning of 2008 and he’s been a great friend and someone I can really count on. Someone who listens and lets me crash at his place when I’m up all night in Bucuresti working on Beyond Gender and I got no other place to go. He’s given me multiple rides so I didn’t have to take the train when he happened to be going my way across the country and it was so fabulous of him to meet me at the train station when I got bit by the dog and pick me up in his car and take me to dinner instead of me having to drag my sorry self to the hotel and eat alone that night (or just not at all would have been easier). I think the man puts up with a lot hanging out with all these Americans all the time and he’s a great friend.

Who did you wish you did not meet?

No one I can say I wish I didn’t meet. Even if I met someone really irritating it helps to put that person in perspective so that I clarify why it is that I don’t agree with this person and don’t respect his/her behavior. It’s good for me to know that he/she is out there being (a jackass) his/herself and that I don’t need to feel obligated to change him/her. He/She can just go right on being the way they are and I just don’t care enough about he/she/it to get involved.

Who was your best friend?

My best friends are still Micah, my cat Bella, and The Family at home whenever I hear from them.

Who was your enemy?

Sarah Palin. My enemy was the entire Republican National Convention for telling me I suck and that everything about me sucks and all my ideas suck and basically I just just go to hell. Also, the hypocrisy in the world that makes me angry and frustrated and therefore consumes my time by me being angry and frustrated.

Who do you miss?

Nicole and Sam. When was the last time we were together? I also miss my brothers. I’m looking forward to sitting down and having a Supernatural marathon when we get together.

Under the heading of What do I miss? – Book stores. I really miss book stores and libraries, but mostly bookstores where I can go with casually and spontaneously go with friends and make a huge mental list of wants and then exchange money for a book of my choosing which then becomes mine – my new special object that I treat myself to and can carry around and cherish because it is my own and I picked it out myself for me – but I also miss libraries too. I just have had less experience throughout my life with really good libraries than I have had with book stores. At home it’s like whenever I go shopping I’m in the bookstore. (Want to get me a coming home present? How about a bookstore gift card?)

Who will you never forget?

Elder Sumbot and Elder Sandberg the nicest Mormon missionaries I’ve ever met. They’re also the only Mormon missionaries I’ve ever met, but that sells them short

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008?

That denying your hopes to avoid disappointment is an act of cowardice. It is the refuge of the weak and of the fearful. If your goal is to change you the world for the better, you can not do the work without the hope that the world can be better. If you try to do the work without hope and belief that the world can change, then you’re breeding resentment and you’re wasting your time. It’s easy to be a cynic. It’s much more difficult to be effective.

What will you always remember about 2008?

When I heard "as of 11pm eastern time The President of the United States is Barack Obama" and though technically he's the President Elect I could tell Jon Stewart was so happy to say those words. It was Wednesday night, November 5^th when I heard those words out loud for the first time instead of just reading President Elect off of a screen, and I was filled with such an amazing feeling of pride, and gratitude and hope.

Aspirations for 2009...

What do you want to do in '09 that you couldn't in '08?

Go home! Seriously, I want to travel a little bit more if I can (Greece and Turkey) and then successfully get Bella home to the USA.

And I want to manage the below without going crazy or spiraling into depression

Any resolutions?

To pray every day. Eat better. Learn more about vegetarian nutrition. Drink less coffee and more green tea. Go back to doing yoga every day. Join a gym and work out, when I get home. Go on a two week vegan fast when I get home so I won’t pig out too much right away. Listen more. Take the GRE and apply for grad schools. Spend 3 months in Mexico becoming fluent in Spanish. Keep a journal. Write more. Write more letters to my family. Update my blog more often. Make some money. Read the news. Get up early. Join a church when I get home.

What will be different about 2009 than 2008?

I’ll have to manage this whole saying goodbyes with uncertain futures attached, going home, dealing, sorting all my crap, probably have to buy new clothes, apply for grad school, get a new phone probably, and maybe get some kind of a job or else I’ll have no money at all thing – without going totally crazy.

Where am I going to live? Where are me and my cat going to live? How do I go visit everyone? What am I going to use for money? How am I going to afford to pay for grad school applications and the GRE? What about travel? Who’s going to pay for my prescriptions? My phone? These are some of the questions I have to answer without going totally crazy in 2009.

Anything you want to change about yourself for 2009?

I feel like I want to have for the first time in my life a really organized wardrobe. I want to have clothes that all fit together with a certain style that all look good on me. I guess to do that I’ll have to spend some money. I also want to go back to working out and doing yoga which I did a lot of in ’05 and ’06 but not so much in Peace Corps. I also want to work on being more spiritual and less grouchy.

Do you want to make more friends in 2009?

Yes, but only if they’re awesome friends like the ones I already have.

In 2008 I:
[x] stayed single
[x] got kissed
[] kissed someone new
[] kissed in the snow
[] kissed in the rain

[] kissed in a pool
[] kissed under the stars

[] kissed under mistletoe
[] fell in love
[] fell in love with a fool
[] had my heart broken
[] broke someone else's heart

[] lost my true love
[] lost faith in love for awhile
[] had a stalker
[x] lost a friend. Can’t say this is final, but when I hear the Mica song “I don’t care if I never talk to you again, and it reminds me of one person, it’s a good sign there’s not much worth hanging on to.
[] had a good relationship with someone
[] got pregnant
[] got married
[] had a divorce
[] got engaged
[x] kissed someone of the same sex There’s a lot of cheek kisses in Romania.
[x] met someone that I will never forget
[x] did something I regret
[] got a promotion

[x] got a pay raise We all did. To deal with price inflation.
[] changed jobs
[] lost my job
[] quit my job
[] got fired from my job
[x] did something I was proud of
[x] proved myself an idiot I’m sure in some way
[x] was involved in something that I will never forget
[] painted a picture
[] wrote a poem
[] ran a mile
[x] listened to music I couldn't stand
[x] double dipped I’m sure I did. The fried green tomatoes with ranch and potato chip breading come to mind. Unless that’s not what double dipped means and I’m proving myself a foodie.
[] skinny dipped
[x] went to a sleepover
[x] went to camp
[] threw a surprise party
[x] laughed till I cried
[] laughed till I peed my pants
[x] flirted shamelessly
[x] visited a foreign country
[x] visited a foreign state...state as in state of mind
[] cooked a disastrous meal
[] lost something important to me

[x] got a gift I love
[x] realized something new about myself
[] tried to gain weight
[x] dyed my hair
[x] came close to losing my life if you count “could have potentially lost my life”
[] someone close to me died
[x] read a great book
[x] saw a great movie
[] saw a movie so scary that it made me cry
[] saw a favorite band live
[] did something that I want to tell everyone
[x] experienced something new
[x] made new friends
[] found out who your real friends are
[] lied to your parents
[] snuck out
[x] went to a party

[x] went to a wild party
[x] had the time of your life

[x] got in trouble with police They tell me I was the reason the cops showed up, but I never saw any cops.

[] got arrested
[x] danced
[] fell out of love
[] had a crush on someone
[] swam in a pool
[] made a snowman
[] went snowboarding
[] went sledding
[] slept in past 2pm
[x] held someone’s hand
[x] held someone’s hand that you care about
[x] told someone you like them as more than a friend
[x] gone on vacation
[] gone on vacation with a friend
[] driven a car Wow, it’s been over two years since I’ve driven a car.
[] played strip poker
[] danced in the rain
[] seen someone get in a car accident
[] got in a fist fight
[x] laughed until you couldn't breathe
[x] had an amazing year
[x] missed someone
[] got hit by a car
[] sent someone to the hospital
[] got a new pet
[x] enjoyed this year overall

The Mighty Mighty Update
The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps, of which I am a proud volunteer.

Lest you think I have spent all my time since the November 5th (in Romania) election results (4:45 a.m. to be exact) gazing into the distance with teary eyes and a sappy grin - here's what I've been up to. I'm sure some of you have already heard about it - or seen some of the pictures.

Stand by for the upcoming 2008 A Year in Review Personal Survey! and Happy New Year, everyone!

Hello all, Happy Holidays to all! As donors and friends supporting our event here in Romania, we wish to give you this overview of the weekend. Attached is a slide show of photos with helpful captions to guide you.

And here's our project on the Romanian news, although two more news stations covered us, we don't have the links and haven't seen the clips. Pay no attention to that girl speaking English who is waving around a pamphlet for the Peace Corps Institutional Development Program.



By the Numbers:

• 20 kindergarten - high school groups came to perform carols, dances, poetry, and skits on Christmas themes.
• 20 NGOs came representing various causes and organizations: orphanages, Parkinson's Disease, the Handicapped, Women's Shelters, and more.
• 12 Peace Corps Volunteers were in attendance
• 2 Newspapers and 3 TV stations covered the event - both local and national
• 400 people voted in our Christmas Tree Contest
• 1 Gingerbread Castle was on display
• 20 Christmas NGO Christmas Trees entered the Christmas Tree Contest
• 2 out of 20 middle schoolers won in a simultaneous game against a national chess champion

The Gingerbread Castle and Decoration:
The event was a success with a lot of work put in by volunteers of various nationalities and ages. For the construction of the gingerbread dough, 12 of us gathered at a bread factory to use their large ovens and mixing machines. We had 2 Mormons working in Deva with us, 3 women from a Catholic organization coming from Argentina and France and the U.S., a Romanian-Hungarian as photographer, and the usual assortment of PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers).

Later that same weekend, we had two girls from Austria come to help us and 10 teenage Red Cross volunteers create posters for the event. About 4 of those same volunteers later came on three separate weekends to help us put up tables and chairs, hang the posters, garland, and lights, and put the finishing touches on the gingerbread castle.

Micah and I worked at the castle over three weekends. It's finishing touches were applied over one all night session at the castle. Micah had to ensure a steady stream of Aretha Franklin to remain oblivious to the fact that I was one of two people within those cavernous, cold, and creepy walls. A reality show once recorded there looking for ghosts and other supernatural phenomenon. It's obvious why. It doesn't get creepier then a medieval castle at night.

Wrap Up
Micah and I are still in the process of contacting winners from the children's coloring contest, NGO winners of the Christmas Tree Contest, and delivering certificates to our many volunteers. She will be on her way here for the holidays when we will gather all our materials from our October Skills Sharing Meeting to provide NGOs along with our survey. Those of you who donated to our event can also expect an official report as called for by PCPP funding rules. We are both very happy to have the event done with and have all of you to thank for it. I especially wish to thank our parents for their support. My mom donated Santa hats for all our volunteers and Halloween candy (with Reese's peanut butter cups!!!) for free games, among other gifts and her father gave generously to our fundraiser. My folks helped close the funding gap at the close to our fund raising time frame and helped me out this month as telephone and travel costs went over our usual stipend.

Future Event Prospects
We're now in the process of evaluating the success of the event by surveying participating NGOs. We hoped to draw NGOs together in a collaborative spirit and offer the public an opportunity to learn about the good works that NGOs provide. To this end, with a total of 5-600 visitors and lots of news coverage, we felt this goal to be well reached. We were very impressed by the professionalism of the NGO's games and Christmas trees. We had given them lots of suggestions and photographs to work from, and many of them took our ideas to the full degree. Because of their efforts, the event had a very strong and professional look. We'll soon find out if they would do it again next year. Preliminary feedback from the orgs has been positive. Micah and I are both trying to extend, but prospects for us being here next December are unlikely. We will provide the castle with a guide on how we organized the event, however we hope to find a leader among our invited NGOs to perhaps take the lead in organizing for next year.

Lessons Learned
Something this big cannot be done without its fair share of lessons learned. We have a much clearer idea now of the best way to build a gingerbread castle. I know now just how important it is to put performers and NGOs into one place. Getting an audience and performers together in a place as large as our castle is no small feat.

Thanks all who supported us!

Sail on, Sail on, Oh mighty ship of state
The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps, of which I am a proud volunteer.

"Democracy"
Leonard Cohen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OETwbVBPI1U

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on ...

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Christmas at the Castle Project update
(what we've been working on)
The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps, of which I am a proud volunteer.

Dear friends and family,
Micah and I are proud to announce that we are 50% complete with our "gingerbread castle project": Christmas at the Castle. We're delighted to have your support with this project and proud to involve you in this photo update of the work we have done so far.

The Practice Gingerbread Castle, 1st weekend of August, 2008


The first weekend of August another volunteer made the trip to Deva to help Micah and I bake for two days in my kitchen while the oven temperature reached 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Many cold glasses of water (with ice! were consumed.) Thank you, Anne!

This is what gingerbread looks like when made without molasses or brown sugar. We used honey as a substitute. The dough bakes a lot thicker and we realized we could carve it into the shapes we wanted rather than baking many many tiny pieces and gluing them together with frosting.

Determining the level of detail is difficult. The castle is really approximately 15 different buildings.

This practice castle is 1/2 the size of the complete model we hope to create for the December event. We determined at this practice session that we should try to make arrangements with a professional bakery for the use of industrial ovens. We're working out the details on such and arrangement now. We were still in the process of fund-raising for the greater project when we build the practice castle so the supplies for this phase of the project was not part of our budget.

The Skill Sharing Meeting 24 October, 2008

Micah and our translator Monica, a Red Cross volunteer, ask representatives from Romanian NGOs to get into groups and discuss the state of cooperation between organizations.

More than 27 people attended at least part of our meeting which was held at the Red Cross in Deva. Some people came representing organizations from as far away as Timisoara and Cluj (five hours by bus, but I'm not sure of the time by private car.)

The day was divided into 20 minute workshops on skills NGOs need to acquire or want to improve. We learned what areas were important to our partners through a survey when we invited them to take part in the Christmas event at the castle, then invited those who indicated they were willing to speak to share their organizations best practices and success stories. In the event that no one wanted to speak on a particular topic, we tracked down professionals in the week leading up to the meeting.

Holly, another volunteer in group 22 and a good friend with professional grant writing experience gives a presentation to the members of NGOs. Holly has raised over a million dollars for her community in the USA and gives her advice and basic tips in her presentation.

A presenter from the office of E.U. Integration speaks about the resources available to NGOs from the European Union and how to access those resources. At the end of the project we will collect information from all of our speakers and create a CD of resources for each participating member of the project.
Brindusa, a colleague from the Gender and Development board speaks about planning events for a nonprofit organization and the importance of evaluating events and projects. Brindusa traveled from Turda for the meeting and was a great help to Micah and I with last minute translating. She recently left a well known NGO in her town to start her own animal protection NGO.

It's like the end of a love affair...
The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps, of which I am a proud volunteer.

More like a death in the family, but that's cruel to use as a headline unless it's actually true and I don't know about you but with the election so close I don't need another thing to get my heart pumping faster than usual....

Last Monday night my computer Kwarou decided to be sick again. I'm sure it's a hardware problem with the monitor and I'm sure it can't be fixed in Romania. I have to send Kwarou back to the USA again, to be fixed again, because the last time I sent him to the US they replaced the motherboard, I assume without even noticing the occasional flickering of the monitor and when I got him back in February was all good for two weeks and then the problem started again.

Now the problem is much worse. I turn the computer on and I'm faced with a black screen that never turns into my desktop. The worst thing is the first time I took him in to one computer shop here in Deva he worked fine, so I brought him back home and was faced again with blackness.

Now my life is thrown into total upheaval. I'm really emotional about it. I'm two weeks behind in the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, I can't call home using Skype, I can't conference call my fellow Peace Corps volunteers for free which has led to my spending more than 100 lei on phone calls due to the increasingly busy nature of the project at hand.

Mostly I'm upset at not having my email at a finger tips all day.I miss knowing where all my files that have to do with this project are and not having to dig through my sent messages for a backup copy in my email. I miss not having episodes of Supernatural at my command.

I miss music and stupid Youtube videos. I miss political ads and blogs. I'm about to burst into tears when I think about where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing while election returns are coming in - probably taking a hot bath with a paperback and a bottle of wine at two in the morning and then pacing frantically - probably naked and crying!

I knew I spent too much time online before. In some ways this could be seen as a good thing as this is one of my two busiest weeks in Peace Corps preparing for the NGO skill-sharing meeting on Friday which is part of the Gingerbread Castle project. I don't need an youtube or video distractions. But I miss my online lifestyle. I miss being connected. More than anything I'm frustrated with all the obstacles this creates not just for my job but for my life - with a friend's laptop that doesn't get the internet, another laptop that does get the internet, but of course doesn't have my cache of downloaded TV shows and movies, neither of which connect to my printer or camera.

Also, since it cost 60 lei to get rid of Bella's fleas (I hope once and for all but she's scratching more than before she had them, less than than when I knew she had them last week) and because my ATM card is expired and its uncertain when I'll get a new one it's questionable at best when I will have the money to send Kwarou back to the US - braving the Romanian and US postal services so he can be repaired and returned to me.

And (this is the kicker) HP sent me a reminder that if I do send Kwarou in to be repaired I need to take responsibility to back up my files in case they get erased. Now how am I supposed to back up my files when I can't see anything at all on the screen?!

So I guess this is farewell, my friends. It'll likely be mid-November before you hear from me again.

"Many of the truths we cling to, depend greatly on our own point of view." -Obi-wan Kenobi
The contents of this website are mine personally as usual do not have anything to do with the US government, the Peace Corps, or Romania, and therefore do not reflect any official position thereof.

I just watched The Return of the Jedi, the last part in my impromptu Star Wars marathon, which came about something like this, Me thinking: I could watch the debate, but that will just depress me and make me angry. What's something uplifting I can watch that will give me hope? A New Hope...Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.

Later, though I did watch the debate, as I also watched the first debate and the VP debate and have been following the news as closely as I can. It is disappointing to me how much our political discourse is theater. The debates are really not about engaging the American people so they can learn each candidates position and make the best decision. It's about repeating stock phrases and trying to beat those phrases and two-second ideas into the heads of the audience. If you repeat something often enough it will become true.

McCain's campaign keeps saying Obama would sit down with leaders like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when my understanding of what he said is that under his administration high level members of the government would engage Iran in discussions, not that the President is going to have a one-on-one with Ahmadinejad, who isn't even the most powerful leader in Iran. Obama's campaign just keeps repeating that McCain voted with Bush 95% of the time. Both sides point to each other and say "Oh, he's a terrible person because he voted against funding our troops" even though McCain voted against funding the troops in a bill with a time table and Obama voted against funding them in a bill without a time table.

Something occurred to me watching Return of the Jedi. The Rebels could easily have been called a terrorist army by the Empire. I wonder if they were. I wonder if the people in support of the Empire thought the Emperor could protect them from "those who seek to destroy us." I wonder what those people wanted to be protected from in the big scary galaxy a long time ago far away.

Did they know that the Empire was a military regime in which ranking officers who screwed up could be summarily executed and not just fired? I wonder if the subjects of the Empire had rights. I wonder if they hated The Rebellion, if they thought the Jedi religion was a cult that sought to destroy their values, if they ever talked with anyone in the Rebellion. If there was any exchange of ideas between the Empire-Supporters and the Rebels.


Obi-wan's quote from the top of this post stuck out to me more than usual this time around. I have heard the term Post-Fact Society recently and it suddenly makes sense to me. We living in a time when if you don't like something- you can simply dismiss it. Judges you disagree with are "activists", an ethics violation investigation that began before Sarah Palin was nominated for Vice President is now "politically motivated." People who believe in Creationism are opening their own museums. Objective facts have lost all meaning. Paris Hilton is correct when she says "Sound bites, not sound policy determine our country's course."

We are in the Post-Fact world where education is undervalued and you can dismiss the voices of intellectuals as elitists in the pursuit of your own version of American-truth. I have heard it stated by people seeking to dismiss dissenting opinions, the ACLU and Sean Penn hate America! That we're not allowed to say Merry Christmas. There's no such thing as the separation of church and state. We should just blow up Iraq. People damning theocratic governments abroad while pining for one in the USA.

It frustrates and saddens me that this is the level of discourse in the United States today. People seem to have this notion of a democracy as a "majority rules" establishment. That it's a society of "us" versus "them" - the good guys and the bad guys, and if we can just get enough people on our side then we win. But that's not what democracy is about. It means we have a voice with which to elect our representatives and the right to express how we wished to be governed to those people, but we also have an obligation as a members of a free society to be respectful of minority opinions. There are protections, or were, in a democracy against the "tyranny of the majority." That's why we have constitutional limits on powers, and the bill of rights. That's why we have freedom of speech. That's why the first line of the first amendment is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free expression thereof." That's why we don't live in a theocracy. And that is why, unfortunately, sometimes decisions regarding the rights of the people are made by the courts and not left to a popular vote.

"Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Unfortunately right now the point of view held in the highest esteem by too many of us is our own point of view. Rather than seeking to hear another point of view, we immediately dismiss either the person or wholesale dismiss the facts on which their argument is based. Because we now live in a time when no fact can sway us and no argument must influence us unless it reinforces what we already believe and everything else can be thrown out, or better yet called "gay."

In a Post-Fact Society, I am longing for a real discourse. I'd like to enter into a real conversation and have my opinions challenged intelligently. We know I'm tired of being called names and having my values attacked (See former post September 7th). Use the awesome power of The Force to persuade me that your side is right. Don't make education the enemy. Don't change the subject. And don't call me names.

With the shameful lack of discourse going on, and appalling lack of statesmanship, I have to let go of my anger lest it consume me. I turn to past and fictional leaders for their wisdom to guide me through these troubled times.

Because, that's all I have. May the Force be with us all.

"I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier." - Rufus the 13th Apostle, Dogma

"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” -Yoda, Jedi Master

Brother, can you spare some peanut butter cups?
The contents of this website are mine personally as usual do not have anything to do with the US government, the Peace Corps, or Romania, and therefore do not reflect any official position thereof.

The holidays are fast approaching, the first one being Halloween. I'm helping my Missionary friends start a high school club where we reinforce Romanian high school students' English skills while also doing fun things watching movies, having discussions and doing activities that promote confidence, self-esteem, creative thinking, problem-solving and critical thinking skills and also foster cultural exchange. And we want to promote these evening activities as an alternative to alcohol and drugs. That is the hope, anyway.

To kick off this club we're planning a Halloween party, and let me tell you I am psyched for showing these kids a real American-style Halloween, complete with scary movies, pumpkin carving peeled grapes and oily spaghetti. Maybe even 80's Karaoke.

For the party, I'd really like to make some of those chocolate chip cookies with the peanut butter cup in the middle, as a matter of cultural exchange and also to show these Romanian kids that Americans do junk-food deserts right. Who needs alcohol and drugs when you've got chocolate chips cookies with peanut butter cups sticking out of them? However, chocolate chips, cookies, peanut butter and cups (peanut butter cups) are all foreign to Romanians. I don't expect they'll be nearly as excited as me, my Missionary friends and my volunteer army in charge of making this Halloween a very happy one.

So does anyone think they could put a bag or two of peanut butter cups in the mail - soonish, that it might get here by Halloween?
If so, you'd have the thanks of a grateful community of volunteers and maybe some culturally enriched high school students.