Soapbox
As an oldest sister, I’ve been told to “stop lecturing” several times. All I’m ever really trying to do is just share information that I’ve found useful…so, please be patient and pardon me as I lightly step up to what some may call a…soapbox… ;)
(It’s all out of love babysisters… :)
(If I know my sisters, they have both x’ed out of this blog entry by now…haha)
So that you will better understand why I am writing in such detail….here are the goals of Peace Corps which partially coincide with my own:
1) Promote world peace by providing Volunteers who contribute to the social, economic, and human development of interested countries (you go Moldova!)
2) Promote a better understanding of Americans among the people whom volunteers serve
3) Strengthen Americans’ understanding about other people, cultures, and countries.
FYI: Currently there are around 130 PC volunteers in Moldova working on different programs and over 7,000 PC volunteers in the entire world.
On to my soapbox…I was thinking today about my collective experience so far with Peace Corps and whether it has been what I expected... No, it is not. Even though I told myself not to have expectations. I can’t say that it’s better or worse...just different.
It’s funny when you really break something down. I had all these grand ideas of educating and providing opportunities for people here. It’s so much more difficult than I had thought to really carry out this plan! I do see a difference, but it’s not always as far-reaching as I had hoped. Mainly, because the things I see as a need, Moldovans sometimes don’t… because (A1) they have not experienced it and can’t understand its importance or (B2) it is just a cultural difference and they value other things.
I’d like to give an example using the idea of “frumos” in Moldova. Frumos can be translated as “beauty” or “neatness”. I live in a village with a LOT of mud. But there is not a drop of mud on the other teachers’s shoes or on my students’s shoes when they come into class. “We live in mud but mud we are not”…I always think this when I look at their little feet entering my classroom. Anyway, it’s ALL about the presentation. Not everyone, but I believe that a LOT of people will pay what little money they have to look “frumos” as opposed to saving and paying to have running water in their home. Please think of today and how many times you have used running water. Brushing your teeth. Taking a shower. Cooking your food. Washing your hands. Flushing the toilet. Flushing the toilet. Washing your clothes. Watering your plants and animals. I think we have a similar problem with the misuse of money on “frumos”ness at home in the US but this is just to show you what happens on the drastic end of the scale…
Further… the other problem…It’s like when you see a rubics cube and it looks like fun…then you sit down to actually figure it out and you kind of end up wanting to throw it at the wall.
Example: Providing a functioning indoor bathroom for my school. It’s wintertime folks and the outdoor business does not fly with Ry. Great idea but what does this entail? First of all, I need to convince my school director that this IS possible and important. He wants me to replace some windows. When assessing needs in a community, we have to provide what the people think they need…not what WE think they SHOULD have. It’s hard. The windows should not be the top priority in my personal opinion. But with everything we do, we have to work with a Moldovan partner so that the efforts are all sustainable and they will learn the grant-writing process. THAT is the true bottomline motivation for the project.
Further…I have found myself in so many situations wondering, “why haven’t THEY done that yet”. Like when I need to contact someone...maybe an organization in the capital…and there aren’t any phone books or websites! Not all places even have addresses. Even in the capital the buildings aren’t all numbered. My real current address (besides the PC headquarters where you send me mail) is the family name and the village and rayon (county). No numbers or streets. It’s impossible to be rightfully frustrated with all the inconveniences because there is no “THEY”. “THEY” don’t exist in a developing country!!! They is me. Me is us.
This makes me a little nervous but also really motivated because I see that I am responsible for the way the world is right now. WE are all responsible. And especially responsible for those less fortunate and living in poverish conditions. They don’t understand what they are missing. They know that they are missing something though. They just don’t know what “it” is!!! Opportunities do not always exist here, despite amazing motivation and work. It’s school and then time to have a family in the village. Needless to say travel is not very popular with little money. I have students who have been to one another city and that’s it. This “city” is about 15 minutes away from their home. I see the restless, unhappy people that don’t understand WHY they are so unhappy…among a lot of other solutions, I believe just visiting some new scenery would help out so much. But they don’t have “reason” or money to leave so they don’t. Something I have learned here: we always hear that hard work pays off…and it does, however, sometimes even extreme motivation and dedication do not always open doors. For some, these doors are shut because of where they were born. Is this fair? Absolutely not, which is why these people need outside help.
We have to take care of each other because we are all connected and the care/lack of care we contribute to those less fortunate is a direct correlation to us. If these people were better educated or their talents were led in the right direction they WOULD be contributing members in our society and to the people of future generations. The talent I have witnessed in my students without ANY prior education is astounding. Dancers, sports players, artists, writers, leaders, actors…it really is incredible!
I remember before I came here and I knew I wanted to help but I didn’t ever really know how. I thought that by doing my part in being a productive member to society would be enough.
It is NOT enough.
People need your help. You know this. I want to list some ideas because when we don’t actually see the people suffering they become characters in TV commercials. These people are hidden from public eye, but they are really there.
Life is hard enough as it is, and I understand why people don’t want to be burdened by sad news or people that make mistakes. If this is what holds you back from helping then donate money…click some buttons online and be done with it…that is such a huge help! There are always projects going on with NGO’s (non-governmental organizations).
Offhand, I know one easy example is that Peace Corps always has projects and their descriptions online from all over the world and you can donate in different ways on their webpage: www.peacecorps.gov then go to the search box and type in “donations”)
If you don’t have money…it’s ok. Give your kindness and it will be appreciated silently.
About the denial/ignoring people need help factor….sometimes, I wonder how deep I can get and if there is a point when seeing suffering is too much and I’ll have to turn my head to maintain my own sanity. I wonder about my steps after Peace Corps. I am ready to come home but I also never want to leave. I have been so touched at the little sparks of hope here that glitter like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I am so happy to help spread awareness so people can get some help and turn the “glittering” hope into an actual accomplishment.
If you are helping already….good job, thank you, and keep up the great work!!!
(special thanks to Hannah and Mom for organizing the shipment of books from Osbourne High School to be donated to Peace Corps.)
Anyway, if you aren’t sure how exactly to help, here are a few ideas:
First of all, keep yourself in a good place. Realize and appreciate all the amazing blessings and opportunities you have around you…. so many thresholds have been opened for those of us just by being born an American! Anyway, it’s always much more difficult to help somebody when you are confused and unhappy yourself…so take care!
Now, let’s talk beggars. A beggar is a person, typically homeless, and LIVES by asking for money. Be nice to them. Not all beggars are thieves, drunkards, and bad people. Although I believe they have a higher inclination to become this due to the reaction we typically give with their existence. I was very surprised at all the poor Moldovans that GIVE beggars their money! Most of them do. This has helped me break through the beggar stigma and put a whole new perspective on how miserable it really must be to be hungry and have people look at you accusingly like it’s your own fault and not help you out. Nobody should have to go through this, previous huge mistakes or not.
One beggar is sticking out in my mind now. I was waiting in the hall at the hospital in the capital (fyi: a HOSPITAL that didn’t have toilet paper or soap in the huge public bathroom). She was walking up and down the halls asking for money for some surgery or something she needed. I was the only one who didn’t give her money and I still had the immediate reaction of cringing away a little and not looking in the eye… I hate that I do that and am really working on correcting this!!! (we aren’t allowed to give beggars money because then they will think PC volunteers have money and it will start a hounding cycle…)
So anyway, give a little if you can. If by giving, this means understanding, then go for it! If you think the person is allright, ask them what kind of food they like and give them this instead of money if you think they will waste it on booze. Don’t be discouraged if someone is unappreciative. Their appreciation is not what you are after anyway.
Look online for orphanages. Stop by and make a kid’s day. How? By talking, playing, loving, or donating. So we don’t have a lot of time or money for this. Remember that they are living without regardless.
For the younger peeps: go online and research fun events benefiting a good cause to take dates…it’s a total pantydropper!
Public Libraries might have information on how to help…
Organize donation supplies from local businesses…especially dentists (toothbrushes, paste, floss) to send to me in Moldova or a local shelter…
If you find a good website pass it on…LIKE THIS… ;)
Here are 2 KC local ideas…
Kansas City: Care of Poor People
2432 Chelsea KCMO 64127
http://coppinc.com/
Kansas City: City Union Mission
info@cumission.org
816.474.9380
1100 E. 11th St. • Kansas City, MO 64106 | 8A - 4P (M-F)
If we don’t do it nobody will.
Thank you so much for reading all this…sorry it was so long!
Much love and peace,
Ryan
(It’s all out of love babysisters… :)
(If I know my sisters, they have both x’ed out of this blog entry by now…haha)
So that you will better understand why I am writing in such detail….here are the goals of Peace Corps which partially coincide with my own:
1) Promote world peace by providing Volunteers who contribute to the social, economic, and human development of interested countries (you go Moldova!)
2) Promote a better understanding of Americans among the people whom volunteers serve
3) Strengthen Americans’ understanding about other people, cultures, and countries.
FYI: Currently there are around 130 PC volunteers in Moldova working on different programs and over 7,000 PC volunteers in the entire world.
On to my soapbox…I was thinking today about my collective experience so far with Peace Corps and whether it has been what I expected... No, it is not. Even though I told myself not to have expectations. I can’t say that it’s better or worse...just different.
It’s funny when you really break something down. I had all these grand ideas of educating and providing opportunities for people here. It’s so much more difficult than I had thought to really carry out this plan! I do see a difference, but it’s not always as far-reaching as I had hoped. Mainly, because the things I see as a need, Moldovans sometimes don’t… because (A1) they have not experienced it and can’t understand its importance or (B2) it is just a cultural difference and they value other things.
I’d like to give an example using the idea of “frumos” in Moldova. Frumos can be translated as “beauty” or “neatness”. I live in a village with a LOT of mud. But there is not a drop of mud on the other teachers’s shoes or on my students’s shoes when they come into class. “We live in mud but mud we are not”…I always think this when I look at their little feet entering my classroom. Anyway, it’s ALL about the presentation. Not everyone, but I believe that a LOT of people will pay what little money they have to look “frumos” as opposed to saving and paying to have running water in their home. Please think of today and how many times you have used running water. Brushing your teeth. Taking a shower. Cooking your food. Washing your hands. Flushing the toilet. Flushing the toilet. Washing your clothes. Watering your plants and animals. I think we have a similar problem with the misuse of money on “frumos”ness at home in the US but this is just to show you what happens on the drastic end of the scale…
Further… the other problem…It’s like when you see a rubics cube and it looks like fun…then you sit down to actually figure it out and you kind of end up wanting to throw it at the wall.
Example: Providing a functioning indoor bathroom for my school. It’s wintertime folks and the outdoor business does not fly with Ry. Great idea but what does this entail? First of all, I need to convince my school director that this IS possible and important. He wants me to replace some windows. When assessing needs in a community, we have to provide what the people think they need…not what WE think they SHOULD have. It’s hard. The windows should not be the top priority in my personal opinion. But with everything we do, we have to work with a Moldovan partner so that the efforts are all sustainable and they will learn the grant-writing process. THAT is the true bottomline motivation for the project.
Further…I have found myself in so many situations wondering, “why haven’t THEY done that yet”. Like when I need to contact someone...maybe an organization in the capital…and there aren’t any phone books or websites! Not all places even have addresses. Even in the capital the buildings aren’t all numbered. My real current address (besides the PC headquarters where you send me mail) is the family name and the village and rayon (county). No numbers or streets. It’s impossible to be rightfully frustrated with all the inconveniences because there is no “THEY”. “THEY” don’t exist in a developing country!!! They is me. Me is us.
This makes me a little nervous but also really motivated because I see that I am responsible for the way the world is right now. WE are all responsible. And especially responsible for those less fortunate and living in poverish conditions. They don’t understand what they are missing. They know that they are missing something though. They just don’t know what “it” is!!! Opportunities do not always exist here, despite amazing motivation and work. It’s school and then time to have a family in the village. Needless to say travel is not very popular with little money. I have students who have been to one another city and that’s it. This “city” is about 15 minutes away from their home. I see the restless, unhappy people that don’t understand WHY they are so unhappy…among a lot of other solutions, I believe just visiting some new scenery would help out so much. But they don’t have “reason” or money to leave so they don’t. Something I have learned here: we always hear that hard work pays off…and it does, however, sometimes even extreme motivation and dedication do not always open doors. For some, these doors are shut because of where they were born. Is this fair? Absolutely not, which is why these people need outside help.
We have to take care of each other because we are all connected and the care/lack of care we contribute to those less fortunate is a direct correlation to us. If these people were better educated or their talents were led in the right direction they WOULD be contributing members in our society and to the people of future generations. The talent I have witnessed in my students without ANY prior education is astounding. Dancers, sports players, artists, writers, leaders, actors…it really is incredible!
I remember before I came here and I knew I wanted to help but I didn’t ever really know how. I thought that by doing my part in being a productive member to society would be enough.
It is NOT enough.
People need your help. You know this. I want to list some ideas because when we don’t actually see the people suffering they become characters in TV commercials. These people are hidden from public eye, but they are really there.
Life is hard enough as it is, and I understand why people don’t want to be burdened by sad news or people that make mistakes. If this is what holds you back from helping then donate money…click some buttons online and be done with it…that is such a huge help! There are always projects going on with NGO’s (non-governmental organizations).
Offhand, I know one easy example is that Peace Corps always has projects and their descriptions online from all over the world and you can donate in different ways on their webpage: www.peacecorps.gov then go to the search box and type in “donations”)
If you don’t have money…it’s ok. Give your kindness and it will be appreciated silently.
About the denial/ignoring people need help factor….sometimes, I wonder how deep I can get and if there is a point when seeing suffering is too much and I’ll have to turn my head to maintain my own sanity. I wonder about my steps after Peace Corps. I am ready to come home but I also never want to leave. I have been so touched at the little sparks of hope here that glitter like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I am so happy to help spread awareness so people can get some help and turn the “glittering” hope into an actual accomplishment.
If you are helping already….good job, thank you, and keep up the great work!!!
(special thanks to Hannah and Mom for organizing the shipment of books from Osbourne High School to be donated to Peace Corps.)
Anyway, if you aren’t sure how exactly to help, here are a few ideas:
First of all, keep yourself in a good place. Realize and appreciate all the amazing blessings and opportunities you have around you…. so many thresholds have been opened for those of us just by being born an American! Anyway, it’s always much more difficult to help somebody when you are confused and unhappy yourself…so take care!
Now, let’s talk beggars. A beggar is a person, typically homeless, and LIVES by asking for money. Be nice to them. Not all beggars are thieves, drunkards, and bad people. Although I believe they have a higher inclination to become this due to the reaction we typically give with their existence. I was very surprised at all the poor Moldovans that GIVE beggars their money! Most of them do. This has helped me break through the beggar stigma and put a whole new perspective on how miserable it really must be to be hungry and have people look at you accusingly like it’s your own fault and not help you out. Nobody should have to go through this, previous huge mistakes or not.
One beggar is sticking out in my mind now. I was waiting in the hall at the hospital in the capital (fyi: a HOSPITAL that didn’t have toilet paper or soap in the huge public bathroom). She was walking up and down the halls asking for money for some surgery or something she needed. I was the only one who didn’t give her money and I still had the immediate reaction of cringing away a little and not looking in the eye… I hate that I do that and am really working on correcting this!!! (we aren’t allowed to give beggars money because then they will think PC volunteers have money and it will start a hounding cycle…)
So anyway, give a little if you can. If by giving, this means understanding, then go for it! If you think the person is allright, ask them what kind of food they like and give them this instead of money if you think they will waste it on booze. Don’t be discouraged if someone is unappreciative. Their appreciation is not what you are after anyway.
Look online for orphanages. Stop by and make a kid’s day. How? By talking, playing, loving, or donating. So we don’t have a lot of time or money for this. Remember that they are living without regardless.
For the younger peeps: go online and research fun events benefiting a good cause to take dates…it’s a total pantydropper!
Public Libraries might have information on how to help…
Organize donation supplies from local businesses…especially dentists (toothbrushes, paste, floss) to send to me in Moldova or a local shelter…
If you find a good website pass it on…LIKE THIS… ;)
Here are 2 KC local ideas…
Kansas City: Care of Poor People
2432 Chelsea KCMO 64127
http://coppinc.com/
Kansas City: City Union Mission
info@cumission.org
816.474.9380
1100 E. 11th St. • Kansas City, MO 64106 | 8A - 4P (M-F)
If we don’t do it nobody will.
Thank you so much for reading all this…sorry it was so long!
Much love and peace,
Ryan
posted by MissRy at 10:49 AM
1 Comments:
Ryan FREAKING Daniel...
This is Laura Cady (you might remember me as LC)... anyway, I got your blog address from Jaywall last night (who received it from Jackier Lamer). I'm entirely impressed with your decision to do Peace Corps, in fact, the idea has crossed my mind several times. Obviously could write a novel here about what I've been up to in two years but maybe we should email ;)I'd LOVE to catch up soon. My email address is lauracady@gmail.com. I admire your strength and audicity, even more after reading about your struggles. Hope to hear from you soon dear! -LC
PS-Only 2 months until I graduate from NW and leave Maryville! Yahooooo
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