Peace Corps Volunteer Melody Jones writes about her training in Romania



Many days during PST i came home in tears. In class my head would ache from new information and i would have to fight back the tears. It was so stressful to come home from a tough day of school to find that my family wanted to talk to me when i just wanted to go to my room.

Peace Corps Volunteer Melody Jones writes about her training in Romania

June 30th, 2005


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I took my test and it went really well. Before hand i did a practice run with my teacher Adnan. He was very impressed and said that i might be eligable for intermediate low!!! That would be so great :-) The test is completely based on speaking and there is no written part. They just ask you questions about your family, work in america, your permanant site, your bulgarian family, what you do everyday, what you did last night, after the test, and just whatever they want. Then you ask them questions.

The tester confirmed what i already knew. That my grammer is terrible but then said that i'm easily understood and have great communication skills. Now we all know what a talker i am. You think i'm going to let grammer get in the way of me talking bwahhahahahha! I think not! So thanks for the emails they were great.

The bad news is that the internet crapped out in my town this week. It rained really hard and now the internet is broke and they dont have any money to fix it. Luckily i'll be moving in one week to Chirpan. Then ::crosses fingers:: i'll have internet at home.

Next friday i'm going to swear in. i think my host sister is going to made me a dress. I really hope she does. Also, my host mother told me that i need to dye my hair before next friday as well. Cant be swearing in with 2 inch roots. I'm excited to swear in and get on with being a volunteer. PST has been strange in the way that we just have school all day. It's not really working. Of course i'm not saying it wasnt hard b/c it was.

Many days during PST i came home in tears. In class my head would ache from new information and i would have to fight back the tears. It was so stressful to come home from a tough day of school to find that my family wanted to talk to me when i just wanted to go to my room. PST was certainly one of the toughest things i've ever done. Not only do they expect you to learn a foreign language, but also we had projects, teaching, and families. It wears on your brain, your personality, your manners. It affects everything about you from day to day. But now that i'm through i'm glad for the intensity. My languge skills that i have aquired were worth the work. Because i refused to give into myself and I spent every moment i could with my family, i know have a bulgarian family that would do anything for me if i asked them. I've made friends here and i couldnt have asked for a better group of voulenteers to be with. Eric, Kathy, and Stephanie were really fantastic.

My group totally supported each other from day one. We spent alot of time together, traveled together, and shared our ups and downs together. Now, you can tell from our intergration, language, and overall state of being how much that closeness helped us. I was very lucky to have been able to spend three months with these people.

When this story was posted in June 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:



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The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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American Taboo: A Peace Corps Tragedy Returned Volunteers met with author Philip Weiss in Baltimore on June 18 to discuss the murder of Peace Corps Volunteer Deborah Gardner. Weiss was a member of a panel that included three psychiatrists and a criminal attorney. Meanwhile, the Seattle U.S. Attorney's office announced that Dennis Priven cannot be retried for the murder. "We do not believe this case can be prosecuted by anyone, not only us, but in any other jurisdiction in the United States." Read background on the case here.

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June 16, 2005: Special Events Philip Weiss, PCV murder writer, speaks in Baltimore June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 NPCA to hold Virtual Leaders Forum on July 29 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 "Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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June 14: Peace Corps suspends Haiti program After Uzbekistan, the Peace Corps has announced the suspension of a second program this month - this time in Haiti. Background: The suspension comes after a US Embassy warning, a request from Tom Lantos' office, and the program suspension last year. For the record: PCOL supports Peace Corps' decision to suspend the two programs and commends the agency for the efficient way PCVs were evacuated safely. Our only concern now is with the placement of evacuated PCVs and the support they receive after interrupted service.

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 6, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Kinky Friedman will "sign anything except bad legislation" 6 Jun Niels Marquardt Makes Chimpanzee Protection a Priority 6 Jun Laurence Leamer needs approval for "Today" appearance 6 Jun Desperate Housewives' Ricardo Chavira is son of RPCVs 6 Jun Anthony Sandberg runs Berkeley sailing school 5 Jun Amy Smith field-tests sugarcane charcoal 5 Jun Mary Johnson organizes workshop on genocide 3 Jun Jonathan Lash in 100 most Influential Business Leaders 3 Jun Hastert jump-starts Chris Shays' Campaign 3 Jun John Coyne says 41 RPCVs applied for scholarships 3 Jun James Rupert writes on bombing in Kandahar mosque 1 Jun John McCain says to expand opportunities for service 1 Jun Jay Rockefeller's relationships with Japanese go way back 1 Jun Anat Shenker met her husband during service in Honduras 31 May Ryan Clancy punished without hearing for visiting Iraq 30 May Melissa Mosvick remembered as a fallen American hero 29 May Kurt Carlson played basketball against Togo's national team 29 May Helen Thomas's favorite president remains JFK 24 May

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