2008.03.23: March 23, 2008: Headlines: COS - Moldova: Older Volunteers: Birmingham Eccentric: Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Moldova: Peace Corps Moldova : Peace Corps Moldova: Newest Stories: 2008.03.23: March 23, 2008: Headlines: COS - Moldova: Older Volunteers: Birmingham Eccentric: Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty

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Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty

Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty

"I struggle learning my new language and have to remind myself that this is only my second week learning Moldovan Romanian. My flash cards fill up one box and are rapidly filling a second box. I remind myself, I was able to learn Bolivian Spanish some 40 years ago while living in a university dorm in East Los Angles. I can accomplish Romanian living in a town where no one speaks English. "

Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty

Returning to Peace Corps brings trip to another world

On Friday, March 14, it is three weeks since I said goodbye to my son and got on a flight for Philadelphia for two days of staging on my journey to become a Peace Corps volunteer. I am sitting in my bedroom in the home of Vera and Ion, my host family. I have a few minutes before I take my 20 minute walk up the hill to our hub site, where I will spend the afternoon with the other 27 volunteers in training.

But let me back up a bit. After two-and-a-half days in Philadelphia, 29 of us boarded a plane for Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. We spent barely two days in the capital and our host families brought us to their homes. My home for the next 10 weeks is just north of the capital, about 30 kilometers but a world a part.

In my new town people catch the small buses to Chisinau to work. Or as the mother of my host family, works in another country and sends money home for her 18-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. This allows both of her children to attend school each day.

Five days a week, my day starts at 8:30 with language classes. I am learning the Moldovan dialect of Romanian. We break for lunch at 1. I get to go home for lunch most days. On Tuesdays in the afternoon and all day Thursday we have other Peace Corps duties. This includes getting shots. Last week it was the beginning of the rabies series. During this non-language learning time we hear lectures from our medical officer on what not to eat and what to do when you get diarrhea. Or we hear from Peace Corps staff on what Peace Corps is and what it is not.

Last week our first colleague chose to return home. If history holds true we will lose more before we are sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers the first week of May. The Peace Corps wants us all to make it to May but at the same time they want us to know what is in store for us.

I have been lucky so far. My home has inside plumbing and hot running water. This is not true for many of my colleagues.

Even though we are almost at the same latitude as northern Michigan, spring seems to be upon us. Every home has the yard tilled and the gardens are going in. Most yards have chickens and some goats and ducks. The roads are filling up with mud as the rain hastens the seeds to grow. We leave our shoes at the door to save the floors.

I struggle learning my new language and have to remind myself that this is only my second week learning Moldovan Romanian. My flash cards fill up one box and are rapidly filling a second box. I remind myself, I was able to learn Bolivian Spanish some 40 years ago while living in a university dorm in East Los Angles. I can accomplish Romanian living in a town where no one speaks English.

Patricia 'Pan' Godchaux is a former Birmingham school board member and politician who has rejoined the Peace Corps 40 years after her first tour of duty. She is writing a continuing series of columns on her experiences in Moldova in Eastern Europe. Her opinions are her own do not represent the Peace Corps.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: March, 2008; Peace Corps Moldova; Directory of Moldova RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Moldova RPCVs; Older Volunteers; Alabama





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Story Source: Birmingham Eccentric

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Moldova; Older Volunteers

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