Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Question Response

So, my lack of a computer meant that my posting for the basketball grant went up about two weeks too late. This does not mean that folks can't donate, it just means that I didn't leave much time for folks to donate. We are supposed to open the season the second weekend in March, thus closing the grant at the end of this month.
So, grab those credit cards and make some Moldovan teenagers happy. Really, 5 bucks is a huge contribution when multiplied by the power of many. Just like PC, this is grassroots donation...and you know exactly where the money is going.
Gotta sleep, but I will try and post tomorrow....WITH PICTURES!!!!
Pakah,
Spakoina noche,

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Basketball 2007

Warning, this is a begging post.

So, one of my projects here is coaching a couple of basketball teams in my village. Due to a lack of equipment, and constantly deteriorating gym floors...oh and the fact that no one knows how to play....basketball hasn't been real popular in Moldova.
the volunteer in my village a couple of years ago got a team off the ground though, and it has grown in popularity since. I am now coaching three teams in my village, and spend just as much time on the court as in the classroom teaching health. This may seem strange to some folks, but it my opinion it is one of the most valuable things I do here. First of all it keeps a gaggle of teenage boys off the streets and out of the bars, perhaps at least slowing the process of them becomming a vodka soaked, chain smoking, bitter old man...by the age of 20. It also is a great opportunity to teach what folks in the industry refer to as "life skills". You know, those little things that make the world go round, like communication, discipline, showing up on time, anger management, teamwork, respect....the little stuff. Since a lot of these kids don't have parents at home, because they are off working illegally in another country just to put food in their mouths, there isn't a lot of parental influence, and Russian MTV and movies have an even stronger influence than they do in the states.
Anyway, the kids may not be real good at bball, but it has become their drug...which is way better than the norm of alcohol and nicotine. They show up to every practice, and actually are starting to change their behavior so that they work as a cohesive unit.
I am kinda proud since I am neither built for bball or have much experience, but they are actually catching on. (I am actually a basketball god in my village, just to give you a picture of their experience level...for a while this actually made me think I was kind of good...then I played with some other Americans).
So, those of you who are still with me...this is where the begging comes in. Peace corps has set up an online grant program that lets everyday folks contribute to community efforts in locals served by PC volunteers. Thus we can find money to support our programs without having to find a major donor. It is an idea just like PC, funding from the grass roots, and we need your help to fund a national basketball tournament that will give these kids a taste of real competition.
My village is the farthest flung in Moldova, thus we are the most expensive team to have in the league. I also have 11 boys on my senior team, thus we will be hitting the budget pretty hard this time around. If a bunch of folks will give just 5 bucks a piece though, it will make a big difference. My boys live for this competition, just the way the high school sports inspired me to show up for class every day when I was a teen. We really want to be able to give them this opportunity.
Ready to donate....if not, I will put more begging blogs up soon, I just have to get going now and get some work done. Please skip Starbucks for a day though and help us out. Here is what you need to do. (copy and paste this link into your browser)
http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.projdetail&projdesc=261-151&region=europe
If that doesn't work, just go to www.peacecorps.gov, click on "Donate now" on the bottom left, select Eastern Europe as your region, then search for the grants in Moldova. This project is the Moldovan National Basketball League, thought there are many other worthy programs out there, and I encourage you to donate to as many as you are willing.

You can also call the Peace Corps' Washington office and donate at(800) 424-8580 ext 2170. Tell them that you want to donate to theMoldovan National Basketball League, project 261-151.
Thanks folks. We appreciate your support. Don't delay, donate today.
Will do a posting with a life update soon.

Sunday, February 04, 2007

ca normal

So who didn't see that coming, my utter and complete failure to keep up with a blog marathon, starting exactly the day after I hatched such a crazy scheme. I couldn't even keep up with it for two days straight. At least now though it has only been four days and not four months like some of my past blog hiatuses.

This is definitely a good symbol for how my service feels here: lots of ideas, some of them interesting and perhaps even useful, but neither the time nor the resources to really follow up on them. Granted this is not always my fault, but my penchant for overcommitment certainly adds to my lack of check-marks in the "success" column.

I currently have a to-do list that would make and workaholic-insomniac cry. These are of course mostly self imposed tasks, and I realize that the world will go on if I fail to get everything checked off.

I was once told that I am an optimistic cynic, meaning that I feel the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but if I work really hard I might be able to save it. While in some ways I feel I am fairly realistic about my abilities, I also seem to have a genetic inability to say no to just about any request. This combined with my ADHD attention span means that I spend a lot of time completing tasks that fall into the category of "working procrastination". In other words, I take on a task, add another one halfway through, and then start another one in the midst of that.

Moldova has proved to be an environment that exacerbates this problem. Not only does just about every organization in town need help, but they need help with just about everything. There literally is enough work for six volunteers in my village, and this is just with what little I know about what is going on here. Crumbling infrastructure, schools without basic sanitation, 15 y/o computers, massive unemployment, ignorance of environmental and health issues, human trafficking, government corruption...the list goes on.

I, being the idealist that I am, have been trying to fill in all those gaps, and of course have not been successful in getting all of it done. Throw in my perpetual dash of perfectionism and you have a recipe for continual frustration.

Speaking of which, I should probably stop procrastinating and get to work. Sorry this was more of a vent session than an entry, but at least it is accurate in describing my service.

Will post again soon....no really, I promise. :-}

Pakah