Monday, July 16, 2007

Wine and Outhouses

I received an invitation to serve in MOLDOVA! The packet got to my parents on Tuesday and they sent it to me in South Carolina. I read it on Thursday...and then I looked up where Moldova is.

On Thursday, I was rather lazy all day. Not exactly morose. Not sad. Not eager either. But when I saw the UPS truck I was instantly giddy. I skipped/hopped back to the car and let out a little giggle. When I opened the three envelopes, there it was - in pink highlighter, nonetheless: MOLDOVA.

The excitement faded as I read the information packet they sent me. Thursday ended as solitary as it had started.

However, Friday and Saturday were much more energized. I read pages upon pages about Moldova, about the people, the culture, the assignment. Likely, I won't have running water and I'll be speaking ROMANIAN! I had only known one person who spoke Romanian, and she was my French teacher. There is a chance that I will speak Russian, as some of the larger (but not large by any definition) towns predominantly speak Russian.

Since then, I've come home from the beach with what felt like fifty pounds of seashells, Grace's new lizard, and an uncontainable excitement about going to Moldova. In two days I'll be in Northern California. In two weeks from today I 'll be on a plane to Dublin. In seven weeks from yesterday, I'll be heading to my two-day staging/orientation somewhere in the US and then heading to Moldova. That is, of course, if I accept the invitation. I don't see any reason why I wouldn't or shouldn't. I told myself that I would accept the invitation unless I felt like it was essentially wrong for me. I put my trust in God and the Placement Office. I would go where I was needed and I would reinvent my understand of human need, break my ignorance of what poverty looks like. My biggest hesitation and, simultaneously, my biggest fascination is that I will have considerable freedom. I will not have a Drill Sargent over my shoulder making sure I get up in the morning or that I do my share. This is, perhaps, my biggest challenge at home and may be a smart lesson to embrace, or it may be personally naive.

Dates are "subject to change," of course, but if all goes as scheduled I will leave September 9, 2007 for staging in the U.S., will start training in Moldova on September 12 to November 16, and will be an official PC Volunteer from November 17, 2007 to November 16, 2009.

Scratch the "if I accept" because I just called the Peace Corps office and accepted! Here we go! On to a country about the size of Maryland with bountiful wine country and bountiful sunshine! (Which is very important because I get depressed when it's gloomy). On to a country where the women wear dress suits and almost everyone uses an outhouse. See! I wanted a hut in the Sahara and now I get a hut in wine country! Well, we'll see how "hut-like" my village is. I could be in a town of 10,000 or a village of 1,000. But onward ho!

But, leaving South Carolina, I realized that as Mike and Angie and the kids were driving away, it was already the beginning of Moldovan life. I was already saying goodbye. As their blue van drove away it, hit me. I'd said it outloud, but I hadn't felt it until then: I will not see you for another two point five, likely three, years. And I cried a little. But people are wonderful and strangers on the plane offered their assisntance. "If you EVER need ANYTHING in Moldova." It was unexpected and totally inspiring that someone would offer, out of the blue, for resources. People have so much to offer eachother if we take the time to talk. I've picked up three email addresses. All from men, ironically. Two of the men gave me the numbers of their ex or their female friend who was either in the Peace Corps or spoke Romanian. So many people are connected to eachother and we don't realize it unless we talk about it. So and so knows someone who went to Moldova. So and so knows someone who is in the Peace Corps. "Will you be able to date the locals?" That's not really my focus right now. Two of my favorite females have already looked up the "gorgeous Moldovan men" and the "lush green" mountains. All I pray for at this point is the freedom from expectations. I want to appreciate EVERYTHING.

Here is the address where you can write to me during training September 12 - Nov 16, 2007:

Samantha Marangell, PCT
Corpul Pacii
Str. Grigore Ureche 12
2001 Chisinau
Republica Moldova

**Make sure you don't use regular envelopes because apparently people are skeptical that money is inside. Use padded envelopes or manila ones.


** AND A BIG GOING AWAY PARTY SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY AUG. 31st. Everyone's invited. Mom and dad, surprise! More details to come. **

Friday, July 6, 2007

The picture's getting clearer

Igor, the Placement Officer, called to discuss a project option with me. While he did not get the message that I had been completely shocked to be sent to his office at all, he was pleased to know that I was very flexible with project assignments. He thought I could be of broader use than teaching English alone. Not that there's anything wrong with teaching English...In fact, many of you know that I've considered actually being an English teacher! Anyway, he had a project in community development that he believed I was perfect for because I have a wider range of experiences and this organization invites pro-active volunteers. Meaning, I will likely be able to establish my own project(s) within the field.

What's the plus/minus of that? I like that I will be able to be more creative with my potential projects and I do like that there is still a little mystery about where I'll be going/what I'll be doing. Well it also means that I won't get a lot of specific information about my location before I leave, because I won't know where specifically they will place me until after my three months training. I may be in a town of 10,000 or in a teensie weensie village. While he could not discuss the specific country, he could tell me that it was in Eastern Europe (not Central Asia). That means I can narrow the countries down a bit more from the list I posted in the last entry. The existing contenders are: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. There are a couple countries that I believe are Central Asia, but I could be mistaken. Those are: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

So, to make it simple, I'm no longer going to any country that ends in "-STAN." That's actually interesting because I just read The Kite Runner and sparked some hidden interest in that area (which I had no idea was called Central Asia).

If he didn't call back (he didn't) then he would put the Invitation through today before he left for the day and it would be sent out on Monday. So sometime while I'm soaking up the South Carolina lifestyle, sipping a drink, reading a book, or forgetting what day of the week it is, a package will arrive with more details about the specific country and assignment. It will be an official Invitation for placement.

I don't mind that it will come while I'm in South Carolina. I am relieved that it will come before I leave for Europe July 30th and I'm grateful that it will come before Lizzy's wedding. That way I will be able to discuss my plans in better detail when I see everyone at the wedding. It will almost certainly be the last time I see the majority of relatives before I leave. Which reminds me...the specific project he was referring to would leave the second week in September which is PERFECTLY ideal! I didn't want to leave in the earliest September days because that would not give me enough time to see people/get ready/have a going away party/do laundry after I get back from Europe on Aug. 27th.

NOW WHAT?! Now I can relax a bit. I don't feel so rushed to "get my life in order" because there will be time to do that before I leave in September. Now I can look back on all the craziness that was involved in getting me where I am (emotionally and on the Peace Corps track) and I know that I'm still going in the right direction. I might not be very good at recognizing the right path, but God's always been good at making sure I know which way NOT to go.

I believe there was a reason that I called two weeks ago and found out about the change in region and assignment. Oh! I forgot to mention. So after I was shocked to find out that I was being placed in Ea. Eur/Cen. Asia, I called the woman who originally nominated me ready to ask her why she decided to nominated me for a completely different program than she told me she would nominate me for. (It turns out, she nominated me for a project identical to one she did....fishy?) This was my thinking: as long as there was an objective reason, I wouldn't argue it, but if it was subjective or even spontaneous, I would see if I could get sent back to the Africa office. Well I will never know, because Barbara Adams no longer works for Peace Corps. What does that say, eh? Except simply: Samantha, you will never know why you got sent to another office, but that's just what happened. I think perhaps this happened without my knowing so that I couldn't alter it. I wasn't supposed to influence that because I don't ultimately know where I'm most needed. BUT, back to the start of this paragraph, I think there WAS A reason why I called, even if that reason wasn't so I could "fix it." I think it was necessary for me to mention that I was "very flexible" (with emphasis and silent hinting) in projects. That said, Igor was able to place me someplace where I would be trusted to be a pro-active, creative, multi-use volunteer.

Phew, long entry. To sum up: life is great, exciting, and infinitely beautiful. Every choice and decision weaves your life together in ways we will never fully understand. And I will never see the full picture until the end of my days (which, heaven forbid, doesn't happen for ages), but I trust that it will be lovely, complex, and a little imperfect.