Moldova Peace Corps Volunteer Greg writes: Underwear Anyone?



"I have now joined the league of people who have said completely and utterly embarrasing things in another language without having the slightest idea until it's all said and done. My passing into the ranks happened earlier this week when I showed up to meet some friends at the school for a workout."

Moldova Peace Corps Volunteer Greg writes: Underwear Anyone?

Underwear Anyone?

Friday, October 27th, 2006 at 2:54:21 am

Caption: Stock photo of model wearing underwear. The photo is not of PCV Greg.

Well, I have now joined the league of people who have said completely and utterly embarrasing things in another language without having the slightest idea until it's all said and done. My passing into the ranks happened earlier this week when I showed up to meet some friends at the school for a workout. This particular room was just redone (with carpet and everything), so we are not allowed to wear our shoes while inside, so as usual I quickly removed my shoes and went inside to talk to a few of the guys.

That's when things went horribly wrong. The new carpet in the room is quite rough on socks and I have already ruined a pair working out on it, and I noticed that a couple of the other guys weren't wearing socks. That seemed like a pretty good idea to me in order to save some of the few pairs of socks I have left (that's not a request to have more sent over Mom & Dad). So I casually asked the other guys if we had to wear socks while we were working out. Their surprised facial expressions led me to believe that it was absolutely out of the question, yet there were 3 other guys getting ready to work out without socks on. I was confused, so I asked a few more times to different people, trying to be sure that they understood what I was trying to say.

They understood perfectly fine. The problem was that I happened to be asking them if we had to wear "underwear" while working out, not "socks". After a few more minutes of uncomfortable and awkward silence, I finally realized what I had said and quickly explained what I had originally intended to say. At that point we all had a good laugh - but I'm still not sure if any of them will want to go in the changing room while I'm in there again...

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: October, 2006; Peace Corps Moldova; Directory of Moldova RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Moldova RPCVs; Blogs - Moldova; Humor

When this story was posted in December 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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All Volunteers Safe in Fiji All Volunteers in Fiji are safe and accounted for. The Peace Corps is monitoring the situation very closely. Volunteers are on standfast but there are no plans for evacuation at this time. Peace Corps is working closely with the US embassy and with host country partners to monitor the situation. Peace Corps is confident that volunteers are not in harm's way. The military seized control of Fiji on December 5 after weeks of threats. Subscribe to our news feed to read the latest breaking news.

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December 8, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Ryan Morris disputes Borat image of Kazakhstan 20 Nov PCOL announces Peace Corps News Feed 8 Dec Michael O'Hanlon writes: Civil War in Iraq? 4 Dec Dayton Daily News Editor Jeff Bruce retires 3 Dec John Sherman writes libretto for opera "Biafra" 30 Nov Carol Bellamy writes: The Hidden Cost of AIDS 30 Nov Gaddi Vasquez in Egypt with World Food Programme 29 Nov Bill Moyers writes: Message To West Point 29 Nov Alejandro Toledo appointed Stanford Fellow 29 Nov PC to start five new Master's International Programs 27 Nov Garamendi hopes to reshape role as lieutenant governor 26 Nov Parents plant seeds of caring for Carrie Jane Dulin 25 Nov Beth Duff-Brown returns to Congo Kinshasa 25 Nov Forbes gives Direct Relief International perfect score 23 Nov Margaret Krome writes: Parents provide a lesson 22 Nov PC IG investing in case management system 21 Nov Amy Taylor producing a CD called "NamibiAlive 20 Nov Chris Matthews interviews Seymour Hersh on Iran 20 Nov Joe Acaba speaks to Tech students 20 Nov Jeffrey Stanaway teaches life skills to at-risk teens 19 Nov Sam Farr's spinach fest 18 Nov Dodd Introduces Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act 16 Nov

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Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

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November 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Michael O'Hanlon writes: The New Congress and Iraq 9 Nov Amanda Host named new PC Press Director 12 Nov Shays will reach across the aisle for answers in Iraq 8 Nov Petri loses chance to become committee chairman 8 Nov Doyle gets a mandate to improve education 8 Nov Eunice Shriver spends election night with Schwarzenegger 8 Nov Donna Shalala writes: Eliminating gender bias in universities 7 Nov Robert Paul upheld peace amid Afghan war 6 Nov Carol Bellamy receives humanitarian award 6 Nov Joseph Opala studies Black Seminoles 6 Nov David C. Liner named PC Chief of Staff 3 Nov PCV Matthew Costa remembered 2 Nov Ethiopian-American community rallied for Garamendi 2 Nov Christopher Poulos named Teacher of the Year 1 Nov Peace Corps Writers and the Lost Generation 1 Nov James Rupert writes: A deadly attack in Pakistan 31 Oct Hill meets secretly with North Korea to restart talks 31 Oct Jimmy Carter remembers mother in Peace Corps 30 Oct Leigh Emery travels world for science 27 Oct IFAW breaks ground for new headquarters 25 Oct RPCVs Podcast Around the Globe 23 Oct

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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