Sarah Krile writes about Life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova
Life as a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova
Sarah Krile
Herald-Review
Last Updated: Thursday, March 10th, 2005 12:13:38 PM
To commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Peace Corps, last week was designated National Peace Corps Week with national and international events to celebrate the mission of promoting better understanding between the U.S. and other nations.
A 1999 graduate of Grand Rapids High School, Sarah Krile is currently serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Moldova.
She explains what her life is like as a volunteer and what she has learned about the land and people of Moldova:
Moldova is a small country in Eastern Europe bordered by Romania and Ukraine, and it is one of the poorest countries in Europe. As part of the former Soviet Union, it had no experience managing its own affairs at the national level. Thus, the transition period has created a range of economic, political and social challenges. Due to high unemployment and low wages, poverty is widespread, particularly in rural communities where the majority of the population lives and works. Many Moldovans lack clean drinking water and must struggle to find paying jobs and fuel to heat their homes in the winter. In fact, at least one-fourth of the population has left the country to work in places like Italy, Russia or Portugal in order to support their families.
Despite the challenges, Moldova is rich in hospitality and has fertile land that produces amazing fresh fruits and vegetables (except in the winter!). And Moldovans are very proud of their homemade wine (every household grows at least one vine of grapes and many own vineyards). I have been warmly welcomed into the town of Edinet in the north part of the country where I have been living since November of 2003.
I have learned the national language (Romanian), and I have been trying to learn the language primarily spoken in my town (Russian). I share a small house with a 73-year-old woman whom I call "Bunica," which means Grandma in Romanian. Her daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters live next door and share many meals with us. Her granddaughters have been eager to share their lives with me and we have spent countless hours playing card games, tossing a Frisbee, listening to music and making traditional Moldovan meals for various celebrations.
When I'm not busy at home learning to make Moldovan foods, I serve as a consultant for non-governmental organizations and other community initiatives. I work at a center for children and at the community center called Enter, which also serves as one of two local Internet cafes. Together with my Moldovan partners, I help raise funds and plan and implement events primarily for the community's youth.
I spend a lot of time trying to help create positive extracurricular activities for youth in my town and throughout Moldova by promoting the Odyssey of the Mind program, English clubs and youth groups. There is a lack of such activity for youth outside of the capital city of Chisinau (pronounced "quiche-e-now"), but a plethora of discos and bars exist where youth are welcomed. Fortunately, an increasing number of Moldovans are becoming interested in helping to implement community projects despite limited financial resources.
Because Moldova is a small country, I have had many opportunities to travel and visit some of the other 120 Peace Corps volunteers here. And, trust me, public transportation is always an adventure. Most roads are in very bad shape, and busses are usually very old and rarely make it through a trip without breaking down. I usually travel in a small van or "maxi-taxi" called a "rutiera." Drivers pack in as many people as they can, so sometimes I'll travel hours with a small, unknown child on my lap. It takes me an hour on public transportation to get to the nearest Peace Corps volunteer even though he lives just 18 miles away.
I had the wonderful opportunity to have my mother and sister visit me last August, and they discovered the adventures of public transportation, the generosity of Moldovan hosts and the great wines and fresh foods in Moldova. I'm sure that if you see them around in Grand Rapids they would be happy to share their experiences with you.
Throughout my time in Moldova, I have discovered a beautiful country that is a mix of modernity and poverty (I have better access to e-mail than I do to indoor plumbing!). I have faced challenges in my living conditions and in cross-cultural communication, but I have been rewarded with marvelous new friendships and the opportunity to deeply experience a new country and culture. My experience very well may be "the toughest job I'll ever love," just as the Peace Corps slogan suggests.
Peace Corps Moldova has four types of volunteers: English teachers, Health and Life Skills volunteers, Agriculture/Agribusiness volunteers and Economic and Organizational Development volunteers like me. We come from all over the U.S. and range in age from 22 to 79. Peace Corps service is about 27 months, which includes a 10-week training at the beginning on local history, cultural traditions, technical skills applicable to our assigned jobs, and intensive language training. During training, we live in villages with host families and it is there that I learned how to make homemade wine and to enjoy spending hours next to the wood-and-coal-burning stove with relatives chatting and eating.
Cele bune! (All the best!)
