133 Days

January 25, 2006 marks my 133rd day in Moldova. Though I do not
usually celebrate 133rd Day Anniversaries (preferring instead typical
17-day and always exciting 217-day anniversaries), I think it is
appropriate this time because I spent exactly 132 days in
Uzbekistan. Thus, today I am officially more a Moldova-17 PCV than
an Uzbek-18 PCV, though I will always consider Uzbekistan my "first
love."

And, while we're on the subject of anniversaries... back on January
16th, I passed my 1-year anniversary in the PC. Yes, one year ago 64
strangers assembled in a Sheraton Hotel in downtown Philadelphia to
begin serving in the PC. Since then I've lived with five families in
two foreign nations; written and performed "I've seen pits and I've
seen jir" (Russian for pieces of fat on kebabs) to James Taylor's
"I've seen fire and rain;" been in every climate between 110 degree
dry desert heat, -30 degree winters, and 90% humidity during DC's
sweltering summer; I've tried meat jelly and decided it's not for me;
pooped in all manner of commodes; grown and shaved beard three times;
built decks, worked in an NGO, and a mayor's office; and once dreamed
in a foreign language.

But those are all just things I've done or places I've seen. The
important question is what have I learned? Is all this globetrotting
worth it? Fortunately, I've decided "yes" for two main reasons.
First, I don't think I would ever have the appreciation I now have
for America without my experiences living abroad. America, with all
its problems, is still in my estimation a pretty amazing place to
live. We can buy really good food all year round. Our roads are
well-maintained and it's fairly easy to get from one place to another
- trains, planes, and buses basically run on time. It's pretty easy
to be hygienic. Our government - whatever the MANY faults with our
electoral system or those who wield power - is freely elected.
People can earn a decent wage. Our air, water, and earth are fairly
clean - or at least most citizens need not distill their water before
they drink it. And if you thought going to the DMV was bad, try
getting a visa from a former-Soviet republic. Most impressive I
think is the American can-do attitude, spirit of ingenuity, and
willingness to embrace change. We like new ideas and technologies.
We like to meddle around with systems to see if we can make them run
better, and because of that they often do. So yeah, I'd say America
is pretty swell.

The second reason I made a good decision is I'm making a good
introduction of American culture to places that have previously only
had contact with Terminator films and and Britney Spears. I believe
I can say without arrogance that those who have really been able to
get to know me have come away with a better impression of America
than that with which they started. And at a time when America is
loved and hated throughout the world, and when those feelings have
serious consequences for our citizens and for the world, I think
sharing some of the better parts of American culture and
humanitarianism is an important policy.

[And a third reason that really hasn't got too far off the ground
just yet is that I'm doing good work. I would have helped make my
NGO in Uzbekistan self-sustaining if I hadn't been evacuated. I
started and English Klub here and will soon start teaching a computer
class, which should improve the job prospects for people here and
allow them to work more efficiently. And who knows what else is
around the corner.]

I've certainly seen things that I think communities handle better
here and in Uzbekistan than in my homeland - for example, actually
being a "community." How many Americans actually know all of their
neighbors and talk to them every couple of days? How many Americans
live down the street from their entire family - brothers, mothers,
grandparents, cousins - and share the responsibility of raising
children or just lending a helping hand to fix a broken door? I'm
sure some of these community attachments in the US were sacrificed in
the name of greater efficiency and moving up the career ladder, but
as a nation (and me, personally) we could probably do better in the
community relationships arena.

So that's it - my year in review. Come back soon and often to see
how the next year abroad unfolds...