It’s a small world after all..

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I just received a very interesting email. As those of you who have been following this blog know, I used to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan, and now I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania. Now for me, my exit from the country, though emotionally rough, was handled via a few days at a nice hotel in Tashkent and a plane ticket outta there. For some others, though, the situation was quite different. After the Uzbek government’s ruthless crackdown in the city of Andijan, many Uzbeks fled to Kyrgyzstan seeking asylum from the very murderers who had slaughtered their friends, family and townspeople. For the past two months, the refugees have been living in a state of limbo, unsure of their future; while officials in Tashkent continue to call for their extradition, other powerful forces, including international human rights organizations, have been protecting them from this fate. A return to Uzbekistan would signal for these individuals, at the very least, constant police harassment (greater than that to which ordinary law abiding citizens are already subject,) and more likely, beatings, torture or even death.

So I was overjoyed to hear the following news: Romania has just agreed to offer “temporary refuge” to the 400+ Uzbek refugees. To read the announcement, please Click Here. I am not entirely sure what the temporary refuge tag means, but I am well satisfied that this is a better place for the Uzbek refugees than Kyrgyzstan, itself a fragile nation. No doubt there are larger less altruistic moves behind this move. A speaker from the American Embassy here who talked to our training group told us that just recently the Romanian president called for a Bucharest, London, Washington axis. At the same time, this country is slated to join the European Union in 2007. So some international good will certainly won’t hurt either of these initiatives. I will follow this story and post updates here as they emerge.

As regards to life here in Râºnov, things move on. Romania is a strange place. While zoning out in language class today, I was pondering just what has been troubling me about the place for these past two months. I’ve come to conclude (and of course this will probably change with time,) that Romania is caught up in a great existential crisis. This is a country neither here nor there, trapped between a rural, homey, nationalistic past and a modern, global, high tech future. Each pole has its obvious advantages and drawbacks. There is something charming about old Romania – bunicas (grandmothers) wrapped up with layers of clothes trundling to the local piata (open air market) to haggle over fruit — the endless cooking in home kitchens, which become the hub of family life — a pace that leaves time for things to unfold as they will… But for the younger generation, while perhaps a romantic notion, it is one best fit for photography and festivals. The future they seek is not so Rockwellian, rather it is a European, or perhaps even global one. Travel, cars, phones, clothes, things, things, money, things!

And having only emerged from 45 years of brutal Communist rule in 1989, hugely fundamental disagreements remain as to what constitutes progress. At the summer camp I went to last week, the wife of one of the Romanian teachers was talking with us, and mentioned that she preferred life under the Communists. Being the good American I am, I was quite surprised to hear this. Why? we asked. The reason was simple. Back then, she said, the differences between ordinary people, her friends, family and town members, were not great. Now, she continued, class inequity surrounded her at every step, and the resulting stratification of society based on material wealth has left her feeling alienated. Truly, this is a tragic consequence of progress.

And though I can’t really ever understand how it feels to be there, I can see what she refers to every day. Walk down the street and some people are pushing their old cars from the 1970’s while others speed around them in the latest Volvo SUVs. And that’s just a very visible example. For the next two years while I’m here, I’ll have the chance to explore this in greater depth. Though I’ll be living in what’s considered one of the country’s most cosmopolitan cities, I’ll have access to friends serving in less fancy areas. Just how big is the urban/rural divide here, and how does each side to this debate view the other? In a time when nothing is taken for granted, (corporate sponsored school textbooks – Patriot Acts – the Right nation under God J.C. – gay marriage – terror – terror – terror,) what’s a country like Romania to do?

Thus I enter this existential fray, coming first from a place locked in a very different kind of battle, and before that, a great country uncertain about what it stands for anymore. I’m sure that the threads of these tapestries intertwine more so than I can even imagine yet, and that to untangle one from the others is an exercise in futility. But that doesn’t mean that comprehension is an impossible task. No, rather comprehension is a constant process of learning, one for which I feel well prepared.

La revedere,

Romaniac

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Well, it has been quite a while since the last update, so there is much to report.

First of all, I feel that I’ve not really been saying much about Romania. In all honesty, for the first few weeks here, I was not really here, instead still very much in Uzbekistan. But it has been over a month, and though its been difficult, I’m now more ready than ever to commit myself to Romania for two years.

I am writing this post from inside one of the two schools at which I will be teaching. This past weekend, all the volunteers from this group gathered to meet their counterparts. Just yesterday, I traveled with them to what will be, beginning August 5th, my new (new new new new …) home.

Here is a map breakdown:

The first map should be helpful because is shows Romania in relationship to not only the rest of Europe, but also Central Asia. The second map shows exactly where my new city, Targu Mures, is located. As you can see, the city sits right in the middle of Transylvania. The pictures of the schools should give you and idea of how old they are. I’ve heard from many people that these two schools are the best in the city and well respected throughout the country.

So really, pretty much everything here is different than Uzbekistan. Let’s start with the banal – weather. Whereas in Uzbekistan, summertime meant no rain, here it’s rained nearly every day. And I’m not talking about a drizzle, but intense rains. In fact, yesterday, once I arrived at what will be my host family for the first two months here, it hailed. Sadly, this has meant that much of Romania is flooding, causing huge damages.

Culturally, Romania is also very different from Uzbekistan. I am going to need more time for a thorough analysis of this issue, but what I can say is that there are a lot of different influences flowing through this society. For instance, although most of the country is made up of Romanians, there is a substantial Hungarian minority. In fact, in my city, the breakdown is about 60-40. This means, on a larger scale, that I’ll get access to not just one, but two distinct cultures, and, on a smaller scale, that I’ll have to learn a little Hungarian in addition to Romanian… There is also a large Gypsy population throughout the country. I will write more about the Gypsies here later.

In regards to language, Romanian is complex but logical. For instance, all nouns have a gender, and plurals follow only loose rules. But, my Latin background (4 years in HS) is giving me a bit of the boost; it’s hard, but for the most part, it makes sense. I have higher expectations of myself regarding learning this language than I did in Uzbekistan.

What I can say so far is that this country is full of extremes and contradictions. For instance, the other day when I had to go to the train station with another volunteer from my training town, as I opened the gate to my house, I saw here coming up the street in a carutsa. A carutsa is a horse drawn wooden carriage – and a common site outside of most of the major cities here. Just the previous day, though, I was taken shopping with my family. We went to a place called Sellgros, which was on the outskirts of a nearby city. The store was much like a Costco or Sam’s Club; it had everything (including an impressive liquor display,) and everything was in bulk. It was packed with not only products ready to be consumed, but also consumers.

Walking down the streets, everyone looks amazing – funky outfits, gelled hair, the latest, greatest, and most annoying cell phones. But we’ve been told by numerous people, that often this exterior glamor comes at the cost of a poorly stocked refrigerator at home. So it’s difficult to understand – how much of what I see really is? and where does priority lay for different individuals? I hope that as I explore the history of this place (and man, there’s lots of it,) that I will better come to understand where this society is now, and in what ways it views its future.

As the general English level here is much higher, I’m beginning to feel that my work will be more rewarding for me as a teacher, and that I’ll be able to get into the complex issues, debates and modes of artistic expression that help shape an informed modern citizen. Though I must admit, the immediacy of need here does not feel as great, and I still think of the young Uzbeks who have few if no alternative avenues to learn about the world beyond their borders. But life is a trade off, a compromise. Here I am and I can do it.

From Romania,

Cure the Cure

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I am on a few listservs related to various topics. I just recently received an email via one of them regarding a story that I had not previously heard about. The basic gist is this: A young gay kid in Memphis, TN, came out to his family and was subsequently shipped off to a Christian fundamentalist re-education center. Now I imagine that this thing has happened before, but this specific case has generated quite a buzz within certain internet circles. One reason in particular is that he was able to do a few updates on his blog while this was going on. The sad thing is that his last update talks about suicide and there has not been a new one since the 3rd of June. Some people are questioning whether this entire blog is a hoax, and though of course I can’t be sure, I imagine it is for real.

First, check out the website for the place where he was sent:
“Love In Action – International Inc.”

The gist of the program he is in is to help people with addictions. Being homosexual is considered by these people as one such addiction. I can’t imagine what the day to day of the program is, but I can’t imagine it is pretty.

Here is the link to his blog:
Zach’s Blog

These Love In Action people seem to be cozy with the group “Focus on the Family.” The people in this organization are basically super-right wing Jesus freak nuts. Idiots such as these people are pushing for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Read their dossier on homosexuality by clicking here.

These people may seem stupid, but they are politically savvy. For instance, they have basically cloned Focus and created “Focus on the Family ACTION.” The crucial difference is that this 2nd organization is not a non-profit and is thus able to more fully engage in political lobbying.

Check out their website: Focus on the Family ACTION

Notice that the News section of this website links directly to the Focus website.

And if this stuff is interesting to you, be sure to check out: Exodus International a flat out anti-gay super Chrustian crusading organization. Check out their FAQ section for some really enlightening reading.

Man, it sucks to read about my country this way. But this is an important time for the USA. We must not allow ourselves to be scared into submission by constant threats of terrorism and we can not continue to pursue a policy of perpetual war. We must focus on extremely pressing domestic issues, which means renewing the fight for civil liberties across the board. I don’t want to go down in history as the generation that allowed the gains of the 1960’s to be lost to crooked neocons and religious fundamentalists. I know America is great, but we’ve got to fight dirty – our future depends on it.

Tadpoles and Trams

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Quick update. Today we started practicum, so I got to stand in front of some kids and teach. It went quite well, but I can’t fool myself. The students who come for this practicum have voluntarily decided to forgo two lazy summer weeks and take English classes. Though it isn’t as accurate a representation of school life as the UZ practicum (we had practicum during the school year,) it is nonetheless fun. The students in the high school aged group mostly were very good in English. I had them interview each other and present to the class. It was my covert method of finding out what they are interested in. I’ve found that blanket questions addressed to the entire class, such as, “what do you want to study?” tend to produce nothing but blank stares. I’ll also be able to view my new colleagues as they teach, which should be fun – hopefully I’ll pick up some new methods for round 2.

Also, I was able to speak to another transfer volunteer today. His situation was an evac from China because of SARS after 1 year of service. It was so great to finally talk about transfer specific issues and get some support. What’s even nicer is that he decided to come himself, and wasn’t at all prodded by PC. Still it is a bit of a drag, but whatever, I’ve just got to keep going with it. Email updates keep trickling in from other former UZ-18’ers, and though the disappointment is still palpable, it does not seem like anybodies life has come to a screeching halt; in fact most have been re-assigned, are going through PST again, or have moved on with life.

This past weekend I went hiking with some of the other volunteers at my site. It was about a three and a half hour hike (after a 45 minute loop…) to a small resort ski town. It was a perfect day for the hike, cool, with the sun coming in and out of the clouds. The surroundings here are so different than Uzbekistan and are more like back home. The forests are tall and dark and dense, just beautiful. Once we arrived at the town we had some mici (grilled meat) and beer before hiking it back. I can’t wait till the winter because this is a skiing country! Now the problem will be finding the money to do so 😛 Just doing little things like that are proving to be very beneficial. I think we have some in country trips coming up, but I’m not sure. The more to do the better.