A week of highs and lows

When I signed up for the Peace Corps, I knew life wouldn't be easy . In fact, John F. Kennedy told me so when he said,

"But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace."

This week had incredible highs. My 25th birthday and the inauguration of the first black president in the United States were incredible moments I'll always remember. However, after the confetti had fallen and the champagne was gone I got back to the real adventures of a PCV. That's where the lows come into play. This week my counterpart was in Cluj to take care of some personal business so I got to see just how much I could do on my own! I taught all my classes combined which created difficulties in planning differentiated lesson plans, taught the retired ladies computer skills, taught classes I don't usually teach, taught defensive basketball skills to my 8th grade team, and I tutored a high school student and helped her prepare for applying to Oxford and Cambridge. With all the school stuff, I still managed to find a little time to begin my grant proposal and budget for a foreign language lab.

I felt immensley productive at the end of the week, but there is still something I'm struggling with. The low...is that I have trouble finding my purpose and effectiveness as Peace Corps Volunteer in the school stuff. I know I've said all this before, but it's a constant issue floating around in my head. Am I serving my community here in Romania to the best of my ability and based on their needs? During PST, we are told that we will have these moments, that every Peace Corps country comes with it's different challenges...Romania's just aren't easily visible or easily identified. I think of it as an iceburg country...most things are just under the surface. A PCV in Romania doesn't experience the same hardships that most people immediately imagine when they hear the words "Peace Corps," but that doesn't mean we don't face challenges. I'm doing my best for my community, but it's an uphill battle against pre-concieved notions about volunteerism, etc.

At least after weeks like this I know I worked hard and gave everything I had to serve others. If all else fails, I can look into the eyes of the students at school and see how much of an influence I can have; and though it may not have been easy that in itself is something, as JFK put it, rich and satisfying!

This week's inspiration: Luke 6