Babel

For those who don't know the story of the Tower of Babel, I'll give
you a quick rundown… Back in the day, all of mankind spoke one
language. Folks got together and decided they would build a huge
tower to heaven to skip life and get right to the good stuff. God
disapproved, and so He caused the people to speak in different
tongues. They no longer understood each other, couldn't work
together, and the tower was abandoned or collapsed or both. [If a
greater scholar than I wants to give a better history in the comments
section, go ahead.]

The first time I watched director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's
latest film, named after the ancient tower, I did so without
subtitles. I thought I remembered reading an article somewhere that
said he had deliberately chosen to go without translations of the
Arabic, Berber, Japanese, Spanish, and sign-language in order to
highlight the barriers that separate us. If the audience struggles
to understand, then they're more participants in the story than
simple observers – or so the theory goes. Turns out, I never read
such an article and somehow created it in my mind, mostly because I
didn't notice the "Turn Subtitles On" button in the program on my
computer I was using to watch the film. Oops. Believe me, the
second time through (with subtitles) is much better.

This film and the story from which it derives its name are in some
ways strikingly similar to my current situation. Yesterday, I went
to the university in Taraclia, a city about a 5-minute taxi ride from
my village center. I've lived in Copceac for a year-and-a-half, but
it was only a week ago that I learned that there was a university
nearby, and only yesterday, when I ventured there on my own, that I
discovered an English Department there AND that from 1992-94 some
woman from Kansas served as a Peace Corps Volunteer there! Am I
speaking some different language? How was I never told about this?
Granted, some of the blame lies with me because I never asked anyone,
"Hey, is there a university in Taraclia?" Then again, I also never
asked anyone, "Hey, is there an underground Olympic-sized swimming
pool with an unlimited supply of chips and salsa in Taraclia?" Maybe
I should.

More striking to me was a question I asked several of the students I
met in one English class. "How many of you speak Gagauz?" Not a
single hand went up. In Copceac, five minutes away, the primary
language is Gagauz. But in Taraclia, nothing.

This was, of course, only one class and not a true cross-section of
the Taraclia population, which I know has significant numbers who do
speak Gagauz. Nonetheless, it was surprising to see that in such a
small area, two villages should have as many languages. That would
be like everyone in my hometown of Fredon speaking Spanish, and five
minutes away in Newton everyone speaking Chinese. I guess I never
cease to be amazed by the number of languages spoken in such a tiny
area. Romania, Russian, Bulgarian, Gagauz, Ukrainian, and some study
English and/or German.

Beef Jerky

Those who know my brother and me will tell you that we're beef jerky
snobs (especially my brother – sorry, Bud, but it's true). We only
go for the all natural stuff – none of that artificial Slim-Jim
crap. From various care packages, I still have about 5.5 packets
left. I spent the last half-packet in self-preservation. By this I
don't mean that I was wasting away with hunger, but rather I gave it
to avoid being eaten by another.

There are two large dogs at my new host family (which is great,
BTW). One is a beautiful black German Shepard, Linda. She's well-
mannered and can even open the front door if it isn't locked and come
inside. Linda sits at the foot of the dinner table and we give her
scraps. The other dog, quite frankly, scared the bejesus out of me.
She's got a striking resemblance to Kujo and showed up from God knows
where about 2 months ago and the family just adopted her.

Knowing that the way to a dogs heart is through its stomach, I've
been tossing scraps of jerky anytime I pass by. I think the plan has
worked, and now I only mildly fear for my life whenever I enter the
gate.

[PS – DON'T send more jerky. I've got plenty.]

Countdown

As many already know, I will be leaving Moldova to return to America
in about two months. This brings on a mix of emotions, not
dissimilar to how I felt a couple months from entering the Peace
Corps. Then, I was reluctant to leave friends, family, and a
familiar way of life. Who wouldn't be? But at the same time, that
reluctance was outweighed by my sense of adventure and desire to make
a difference. I was going to live in a country – first Uzbekistan,
and then Moldova – that few foreigners and fewer Americans ever see.
I was going to meet and help new people, face and overcome
challenges, learn a new language, and see parts of the world that
would (I hoped) forever change my perspective.

Now, I find myself in a nearly identical situation, but reversed. In
Moldova, I have friends, I have important (albeit intermittent) work,
I even have pointy-toed Moldovan shoes. It will not be without some
sense of regret that I leave these behind. On the other hand, I'm
getting pretty excited to be back in America. I'll see old friends,
spend time with my family (including a niece due to arrive in July!),
and begin down a new career path at business school. It's a mixed
bag in wanting these next two months to fly by, and to creep along.

Either way, they will probably be busy months with 2-3 more Poosk
seminars, a close-of-service conference, a grand birthday bash,
visitors from Germany, more computer classes, moving to a new family,
packing, finishing up the TV station project, and all the little
details that go along with transitioning across seven time zones.
I'll just try to enjoy the ride.

Free 411

This comes from the online journal of a current Wharton student. I thought this was a great idea for a business, and encourage you American readers to use it (and save yourself some money) next time you need to call information.

_____________________________________________
I was offered the opportunity to work with a local venture fund, Liberty Associated Partners, based on my work with Wharton's Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

I was at Liberty, a Philadelphia-based evergreen fund with a "few hundred million" in deployed capital, for less than a month. In those four short weeks, though, I had the good fortune to work closely with one of their portfolio companies, Jingle Networks, whose main (actually, currently only) business is 1-800-FREE-411, a free directory assistance service (http://www.free411.com).

As opposed to dialing 411 and paying $1.50-plus to Verizon (VZ) or whomever your landline or cell-phone carrier is, you call 1-800-373-3411 and get your number for free in exchange for listening to a short, usually 10-second, advertisement. It's a slick little Google (GOOG) model and a ridiculous value proposition for end users. As one of the VCs investing in Jingle often remarked, the business model was great because it shrank a large market.
________________________________________________

A Hero, Digging, Women, and Business

First, a moment of silence for the passing of Captain America, my favorite comic book hero. Apparently, he was shot and killed a couple weeks ago (although how many times have comic book heros come back from beyond?) For those who don’t know, Captain America started out as a fairly scrawny lad, unfit for military service during WWII. But, he had heart, and so volunteered to test a special “super soldier serum.” The serum gave him super strength, and he went on to have many adventures attempting to do what most superheroes do, save the world.

The way Captain America got his start is, in my opinion, a bit silly – nothing more than glorified steroids. I stopped collecting comic books when I was about 13, and I can’t say I’m any kind of expert concerning Captain America or that I’ve kept up with his exploits as of late, but I always liked him for his unbending idealism and honesty. He was a real straight shooter, in contrast to other, perhaps more questionable heroes/vigilantes like the Punisher or Wolverine who tended to meat out justice with a heavy hand. Even Captain America’s “weapon,” an indestructible shield which he could throw like a boomerang, was essentially a defensive instrument that could be used offensively when necessary. In a world of gray Captain America was about as close to white as comic book heroes come, and I, for one, will miss him. When I get home, I’ll have to dig out some old comics and relive a bit of my childhood.


Anyway, this blog is supposed to be about my Peace Corps experience, so let’s get to that. Now that the weather is getting warmer and the earth is less frozen, a lot of digging is going on. My host-brother, Vitalik, dug a new toilet and covered up the old, full one. People are planting potatoes and onions in their gardens, and trimming grape vines to encourage new shoots. One of the schools here dug a new well, and I helped out a little one day. These projects are basically carried out with a shovel, bucket, and a rope – very different from the mechanized digging of wells in America. At the school, how many people showed up to help struck me. A few of the workers were being paid, but many were simply the fathers of school children who wanted to make things better for their own. I admire that.

March 8th marked Women’s Day. This is similar to the American Mother’s Day, except that it’s for all women. I had a great time at a concert held in one of the school auditoriums. The local dance troupe performed several times and lots of people sang. The singing is a neat experience because everyone in the audience seems to know all the words to these folk songs. I’d imagine it would be like in America if we all sang “This Land is Your Land” or “Home on the Range.” But I just don’t think we have that sort of culture. Oh yeah – I also got up to sing. There were performances in Russian, Gagauz, and Romanian, so I started out by saying that as March 8th is an international holiday, it was only fitting that there be a performance in English as well. I then proceeded to introduce the audience to the wonder that is The Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town.” I think everyone got a kick out of it, and the whole concert, including my performance, has been replayed several times on the local TV channel.

Bryan and Amy came to Copceac for the weekend to run another of our small business Poosk seminars. Since it was on my turf, I was responsible for all the logistics. I was really worried that all the kids who had signed up to attend wouldn’t show, but on our first day we actually had well more than I had anticipated – actually it made the seminar a bit difficult to conduct with so many people in the room. But, fortunately (???) we had the typical attrition rate so days 2 and 3 were a bit more manageable.

Participants this time came up with creating a movie theater, a pizzeria, and a gym. I thought all of them were good ideas, though each needed to be a little clearer or do a little more research regarding their projected budgets. Nonetheless, the fact that they’re simply making budgets BEFORE beginning a project puts them well ahead of their peers and even some NGO directors. [One such director from another part of Moldova refuses to make a budget for a remodeling project because he/she claims that the costs can only be known once the project is complete.]

This seminar was the first time that Bryan, Amy, and I gave real feedback to students on their presentations and awarded a prize to the group that did the best job. In the past, we simply asked questions as a way to expose weaknesses in the presentations because we didn’t want to offend or discourage participants. Ultimately, we decided that the educational value was worth it – if we don’t flat out tell these students things like (a) not to look at only one person during a presentation, (b) not to have your back to the audience when presenting, or (c) that their budgets are unrealistic, who will?

I really liked having guests at my house, and look forward to an upcoming shared birthday party with Bryan and Amy. Coincidentally, the only three PCVs living in Gagauzia, who happen to be the same three PCVs who run Poosk, also happen to have their birthdays on April 13, 19, and 23. Small world.

100 Questions

A few days ago students voted for me to be the subject of a “game-show” called “100 Questions.” For this game, I sat on a swivel chair in the center of the gym and students sat in a circle surrounding me. I was given two minutes to talk about myself, and then the students could ask any questions they wanted. I had to answer honestly, and was given three passes (which I never used).

I believe I’m only the second person to participate in this activity, the first being the mayor, Oleg. So I feel a bit honored to be considered a VIP of sorts. I think a lot of locals were concerned that I would want to keep some things secret, but I actually loved the idea of this game – it’s exactly what Peace Corps is all about: sharing of oneself and of America with the host community.

I can’t remember all of the questions, but here are a few that I do:
1. What do you like and dislike about our Gagauz culture? I said I liked that there was a real sense of community, that people help their neighbors when there are large projects at home. I also said that I don’t really drink, so I didn’t like how alcohol is such a large part of the culture.

2. If you could live in Copceac with all the amenities that you have in America, would you stay here, or would you still want to go back to America? I said I would still want to return to America because that is where my family and friends are. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what kind of house I live in – ok, well, it matters a little. Much more important is my proximity to those I love.

3. If you were rich, what would be the first project you would do to improve Copceac? I said that I think a common mistake of many projects is that the donor simply gives something without first surveying the community needs, and without involving the community in the completion of the project. So, my first project would be to survey the residents of Copceac to see what was most important to them. That being said, I think two important project ideas would be (1) to complete the school that was started during Soviet times and is currently an empty frame and (2) to improve the computer literacy of the community – especially among students – in typing, Word, Excel, and the Internet.

4. Do you believe in love at first sight? I said that it hasn’t happened to me yet.

5. Where did you learn Russian? Uzbekistan and Moldova

6. What is the goal of your website (this blog)? The main goal is to keep my family and friends in America informed about my life in Moldova. It would be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to write individual letters or make individual phone calls to every person that I want to stay in touch with. Through my blog, friends and family can see what’s going on with me whenever they want. At the same time, it is certainly open to anyone who can read English and wants to see what I am doing in Moldova. [I didn’t say the following, although I wish I had: I think in general my blog tends to make people nervous. In a culture in which outward appearance is very important, they don’t like the idea that I might present an unflattering picture or opinion to the world (or more realistically, to the 4 people who read my blog). I’ve tried to present things honestly, but I would never write something that I consider inflammatory, derogatory, or embarrassing.]

We ran out of time, and so I was only asked 43 questions instead of 100. At the conclusion, I was able to ask three questions to any members of the audience. I asked #1 to the same boy who asked me, #3 to the same girl who asked me, and finally I asked if another PCV were to be placed in Copceac in the future, how would the people here make that person feel welcome?