I took pictures this month while doing an important regular task: Paying our bills. I've been doing this monthly for over a year now, so the process has developed a semblance of normalcy. Paying bills is an oft complained about part of adulting. It's not fun, but it was not something that previously took up much of my time. Chris and I set up automatic bill pay on everything - our phones, internet, energy/gas, etc. The only reason we didn't automate paying our rent was that we lived downstairs from our landlord and taking a check up to her was a lovely excuse to visit. Here, we had to learn how to pay bills all over again. We moved into our apartment in October 2015. I would love to say we roll through the process smoothly, but we often don't. What bills do we pay? We receive and pay the following bills:
We also pay rent to our host family/landlord. The apartment we live in is owned by their daughter who, like a quarter of adults in Moldova, lives and works abroad. Who really pays the bills? Not us. As Peace Corps Volunteers, we receive a stipend to cover the cost of living. We are expected to use this stipend in our community while here, living on par with our colleagues. We don't get a salary, we get money to house, feed, and generally care for us that should be completely spent here. Thus, Peace Corps pays our rent and utilities (along with everything for our general, simple living). How do we get the bills? This is where it starts to get tricky. The meters for two of our utilities are inside our apartment. We must read them ourselves and leave the numbers written on a post-it note on our door around the end of the month. Initially, we were told to do this on the 29th of the month. But, then our host mother called us several times on the 28th or 29th of the month, irritated that she got a call from the utilities company asking for the numbers. So, now we post this on the 26th of the month. The person who comes around to read the notes sometimes marks a check on the paper to let us know they've read it. Sometimes, they don't. Sometimes they come around on the 27th, sometimes later in the month; usually we have no idea. Last month, a person called out to me on the street and explained that she is who comes to get our water readings. She gave me her phone number so that I can call her with the number instead of posting it. I've done both last and this month. Throughout the second and third week of the month, bills arrive in our mailbox. To our knowledge, workers from each utility company come in person to put them there. I wait for all the bills to come in before the next step. How do pay them? I get cash from the bank then pay them in person! Some months, this only takes about half an hour to complete. Other months, it takes up much of my afternoon. Below, the process in pictures!
0 Comments
Beth O. is a Peace Corps Volunteer who arrived in Moldova at the start of June, 2016. She moved to her host village mid-August and teaches English in a local school with Moldovan counterparts. In many ways, she has a more rural life, a more typical Volunteer experience than I do. She recently shared about a day in her life through the series Call It a Day and I think there are many great insights into rural Moldovan life in this post! ”In Moldova, teachers only have to come to school when they have scheduled lessons. Today, I have to observe another teacher’s first period class, so I drag myself out of bed a bit after 6:30. I have trouble getting up, so I’ve already snoozed my alarm three times.
Before getting out of bed, I usually turn my data on and check my email, Facebook, and messenger. I usually sleep in a nightgown, so as soon as I get out of bed, I throw on some warm leggings, thick socks, and a sweater, as well as my down winter coat and a hat. It’s pretty chilly in my room in the morning, as my house is heated solely with a soba, or wood stove.” Read the full story here. Avery asks, ”What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Peace Corps in the future, but is unsure about it?" Immediately and briefly, I would say: Good, it's GOOD that you're uncertain. Flippantly with a smile, I would say: The application process will give you time to think it through. Back to my usual long-windedness... Service in the Peace Corps has changed over the years and will continue to do so. This is a good thing, a sign of a healthy organization that is changing with the times. Whether a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) 50 years ago or now, the commitment one makes is intense. Thus, intense thinking (including doubting) is helpful and positive before making the commitment. There are many useful questions to think through when deciding whether to apply to become a volunteer:
I am excited every time I meet someone who is thinking about serving in the Peace Corps. I can relate to that wish: I wanted to serve from the time I was an adolescent until I finally was in the plane on the way to training at 35 years old. I met with a recruiter as I finished my undergraduate studies and thankfully was given thoughtful questions instead of speeches. I identified then that I was not ready to make the 27 month commitment. I made it all the way through the application process at 28 years old, while finishing my graduate studies, only to be deferred due to my father passing away. This opened up another opportunity that I am glad I embraced because it has truly made me a better Volunteer now. When I applied again, it took 22 months of waiting and preparation - over a year for an invitation, 9 months from then until leaving for training. I know the format of a blog post means I talked at you all rather than asked a question and listened to a response. I hope that all who are interested in being a PCV in the future have thoughtful people who let you work through these questions and far more to see whether that interest is something to pursue and commit to. That's what I truly have to say to someone who's considering Peace Corps service. My apologies to the internet - all images in this post were taken from Google image searches without saving info on the original sources.
Two other posts for your consideration: 4 Reasons You Shouldn't Join the Peace Corps (And 1 You Should) Ten Things I Wish I Knew Before Joining the Peace Corps Today has me reflecting once again on a personal struggle I attribute to cultural differences in how we view & treat time.
Causes of Reflection I’m writing today’s post while sitting in a staff meeting. I was planning to be teaching Health Education to 7th graders right now, but for the second week in a row we’ve had to cancel class due to a mandatory meeting for all teachers being scheduled at the same time. There are ten classes that are supposed to be held during this time (three classes of 6th graders in Religion, six classes having Homeroom, and my Health Education class). My understanding is that this meeting was called this morning. A staff member walked the halls and announced to each teacher that it would be happening. Then, teachers and students knew that their 7th period class is cancelled – the students headed home early knowing they may make up the class another time. Another situation from today: I realized that yesterday was Mihai Eminescu Day when I came into school and saw a lovely display about the poet. I began asking people whether there would be an event at school for this holiday. Each person I asked said, “yes, there will be.” Early in the morning, the response to my inquiry “when?” was, “Maybe today, I’ll tell you when I know.” A few hours later the response was, “Tomorrow, but we don’t know what time exactly.” Now, the response is, “Wednesday, definitely Wednesday, after 6th period, in the auditorium.” “After 6th period” means during 7th period. There are nine classes scheduled 7th period on Wednesdays: Three have Health Education, four have Homeroom hour, one has IT/Computers, and one has an advanced math class. We all just deduce that we will have these cancelled and may have to be rescheduled. A third moment from today: With my 11th grade Health Education class, our lesson today centers around showing a video. I wanted to use a classroom that is usually empty that has a SmartBoard. I went the period before to try to stake a claim, but our PE teacher was already there with a class. I asked and he said he planned to use it the next period as well. So, I went to another teacher who usually has a projector we carry from room to room. She’s planning to use it the next period. So, I went to a teacher who has a SmartBoard and asked if we could swap classrooms. She’s planning to use it the next period, but reminded me that another teacher has just received a SmartBoard. So, I went to this teacher – she was NOT planning to use it the next period so we could swap classrooms for our respective classes. We announced this to students only as they were arriving at their usual classrooms at the start of classtime. I can’t “book” a room in advance or schedule to have a projector because a process of making reservations doesn’t exist. I simply must find what I need when I need it, moving materials or students around or changing plans at that moment as needed. Cultural Perceptions of Time One of the many ways in which cultures differ is how people understand and use time, how our concepts of time affect our interpersonal interactions. Below is a description from Culture Matters of the two extremes of this dimension: Monochronic and polychronic. As with the individualism/collectivism spectrum, no culture is exclusively monochronic or polychronic – neither are individuals – but most cultures tend to be more one than the other. "Monochronic — Time is the given and people are the variable. The needs of people are adjusted to suit the demands of time—schedules, deadlines, etc. Time is quantifiable, and a limited amount of it is available. People do one thing at a time and finish it before starting something else, regardless of circumstances. Polychronic — Time is the servant and tool of people. Time is adjusted to suit the needs of people. More time is always available, and you are never too busy. People often have to do several things simultaneously, as required by circumstances. It’s not necessary to finish one thing before starting another, nor to finish your business with one person before starting in with another." I was raised to have a much more monochronic view of time than a polychronic one. While my ability to be flexible around time has developed over the years (and has been further developed here through days like today and more), my internal default is to perceive time as quantifiable & limited and to expect myself and others to adapt to set plans rather than the inverse. My experience of Moldovan schools, trainings, outings, projects, and social interactions is that people generally view time through a more polychronic lens than a monochronic one. Everything can be adapted to, interruptions are normal and take priority over current tasks, and people should adapt to changes in ”planned” time. I attribute times where I feel challenged like this to my monochronic default: I focus on the specific amount of time allotted to my class and the plans I had for that time, rather than on the importance of the item that has come up to take its place. For my colleagues, today’s circumstances changed so we simply have to do something else – there’s always more time for that class we missed. Additional note... I would be remiss to not mention that my poor language skills affect this situation – I speak Romanian at an Intermediate High/Advanced Low level. I also speak awkwardly formally due to learning all my language skills from older teachers who taught me “literary” Romanian, without slang, without the ease of flow of someone who spends much time talking with a host family. I understand that I am difficult to talk with, that I don’t understand everything that is said around me. Even with that, though, I often find that my colleagues for whom the language of school is their primary language of communication, they also don’t know about what is happening when with what I (with my monochronic worldview) consider to be much advance notice. When I put out inquiries to people who've worked in US and Moldovan schools for comparisons, the topic that received the most comentary was GRADES. There are several key differences in how we construct and communicate grades. Adapting to differences in grading systems requires intellectual and emotional work for many Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).
Missed work PCV Natalie D. made this comparison: "In the US, teachers tell students ahead of time what their final grade is made up (i.e. 50% final exam, 10% homework, 30% tests, 10% participation), and if students don't complete an assignment or test they receive a zero and it contributes to the final grade. Here (in my school at least), if students don't do an assignment or miss a test, they just don't receive a grade, which is often better than getting a 2 or 3 [a very low grade]." The practice of not receiving a grade for missed work is so prevalent, it is often covered in presentations by US Americans about our schools. I have found it difficult to explain without visual aids and it receives mixed responses once I communicate it clearly. My Romanian language tutor saw some "pros" in terms of it incentivizing students to do all work and to take class seriously, and some "cons" in terms of it increasing teacher workload. I caused a lot of stress and confusion my first time grading student notebooks because I hadn't yet understood that missing work is not penalized. I collected student notebooks and graded them based on which information was copied correctly into them and which homework assignments were completed. Students and their parents were confused and upset by me calculating zeros for missing work into the overall grade. To deal with this, I learned to give two weeks notice before notebook collections, posting what information was expected to be in the notebook on my office door/in the classroom/now online, announcing that students should copy notes from each other if they miss class, and giving students the opportunity to complete missing information in order to raise their grade. Natalie also noted pros & cons, "In some ways I think it's better- students have more personal responsibility and agency to choose and complete their tasks, but it also makes it really hard to evaluate how students are doing." 1-10 vs. Percentages All the PCVs I've spoken with had the same grading scale I grew up with: The content of the final grade is given at the start of class (i.e. the weight of different aspects of schoolwork, exams vs. homework vs. participation) and everything is graded with percentages. Grades are given as both percentages and letters, usually with + and - options. Here, grades are given from 1 to 10. 10 is the top grade, 1 is the lowest possible. While there are official standards around what should count as a 10, a 9, an 8, and so on, actual grading practices seem to vary widely. A complaint I've heard among educators in both countries is concerns over grade inflation. PCV Beth O. shared this one: "Along those lines, students have to get the equivalent of about 30% in order to fail, which from an American standpoint seems [ridiculous]. I don't feel like I'm doing my job, even if my students are technically 'passing' because the standard of passing seems too low to me." While grades on schoolwork are given as whole numbers, the final grade is calculated to two decimals out (for example, 9.74). All of the existing grades a student has on record are averaged and are recorded in official school records and the student's report card this way. Work vs. Reputation When they exist, rubrics appear to be rarely consulted (which may be a factor of the many years of experience most partner teachers have) and a student's reputation often seems to outweigh how their work on the given assignment met (or not) the rubric. An English Education Volunteer shared with me an anecdote about grading exams. The Volunteer offered to grade a set of class tests and diligently read through every word and marked grades based on a defined rubric. Students then received grades based on the number of right/wrong answers, again, in accordance with the given rubric. When reviewing the grades, the partner teacher was shocked by several students' results - "How could you give so-and-so a 7? They are a very good student! You should have given them a 10." and "Why did you give so-and-so a 10? They are stupid, they should have a 7." The Volunteer then demonstrated how the students' work is where the grade came from and reminded the partner that they were new in a school and did not know the students well yet. My first time giving grades caused a similar confusion - why did I give "good" students low grades? why did I give "bad" students high grades? Thankfully, my partners handled the issue well by talking with students and their parents about how I graded (including sharing my spreadsheet where I had clearly marked which work was missing that caused the students to receive a lower grade) and emphasizing that I was new in the community so I couldn't know yet who "deserved" which grades. Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! The final difference I want to highlight is how grades are distributed and individual feedback is given. When grades are returned, they are announced aloud in front of the whole class. It may be that the teacher reads off the list of students and their grades. It may be that the classwork is handed back and the students respond with their grade after their name is called. This public announcement has caused many a sweaty armpit and racing heart among PCVs! PCV Danny G. shares: "I think it's strange that grades are public -- like my partners read all of the grades to students that each person got on a test and comments on them. And they are a lot more willing to criticize students and give negative feedback. Like when she comments 'very bad' about a student in front of their friends I cringe a little bit. If they felt that the student needed a talking to they could at least ask them to stay after class. I guess in short students get less positive encouragement than what I am used to in America and they use negative motivation to try and make them be good students." This post continues on the theme of individualist and collectivist cultures and school practices I attribute to this. Please check out the first post for what I mean by collectivist & individualist. The primacy of individual performance A difference in school & professional practices that I have struggled with and is often a point of discussion for Americans I know here is our ideas around intellectual property and academic performance. As a student from primary school through graduate school, I was trained to carefully cite sources of both direct quotes and general concepts that I drew from others that I used in any schoolwork I was doing. I participated in arguments about official changes in citation practices. Moving from humanities in undergrad to pedagogy in graduate school means I've had to be proficient in both MLA and APA practices and spent more money than I want to acknowledge on their style manuals. When I worked at a university, I carefully and conscientiously enforced policies around plagiarism. In my professional work, it was expected that I cite sources on anything I write, whether for a blog post, a pamphlet, or a journal article. The belief that concepts and words belong to people has been carefully and deeply ingrained in me. My ability to succeed as a student depended on me demonstrating this correctly every time in my work. I understand this belief and its associated practices as being very individualistic. I demonstrate respect to the individual who did the work to create what I am building my work on by overtly recognizing them, literally citing them as inspiration. In a sense, they "own" their ideas and words; I can borrow them only by properly noting their ownership. Respecting the source of an idea is an important part of the process of sharing ideas. Another way that individual ownership of knowledge was ingrained in me was the importance of individual performance. When taking a test, I must rely solely on my own self. I face dire consequences if I look at a neighbor's paper, if I copy off of a book or sheet I've snuck in, or if I seek out a copy of the test beforehand to memorize only the answers on it. Similarly, I must write all of my own papers in my own words, only using others' words & ideas when I properly cite them as described above. Once, in 7th grade, I tried to use a "cheat sheet" on a quiz I wasn't prepared for in Geography class. I was caught, received a zero for that quiz, had my overall grade lowered and could have received an F for the course overall if the teacher wanted, was given several session of detention, and my parents were called and encouraged to penalize my behavior as well. In my case, I decided to not risk it again, that cheating wasn't worth the consequences should I be caught. When working at the University, I saw professors take a variety of serious measures to prevent all forms of cheating. I saw students who were caught cheating face consequences ranging from failing just that class to being expelled from the school completely. The severity of consequences for not performing solely individually demonstrates the profound value we place on it. My success (or lack there of) should be dependent on my individual ability to demonstrate learning and thinking. I describe the value system I was raised in to provide a contrast for the practices around use of concepts & words as well as work during exams and projects/writing I've seen and heard about here. Success within the Group In a context of more collectivist than individualist, my identity is more associated with the group I belong to than my individual qualities. Things are shared more often and freely within the group. I believe this norm extends to knowledge and words. Returned PCV (RPCV, a Volunteer who successfully completed their PC commitment) Ree G. noted from her experience teaching in Moldova, "Students would do work for classmates, and copy from any source they could." This shows up in terms of doing homework as well as during written tests. Most schoolwork is hand-written. Students write essays, make posters, and do work copying from school workbooks into their notebooks. When preparing an essay or making a poster, students will find information on-line and copy it word-for-word without citing where they found it. A classmate or family member might do some or all of the work for them. More than once, PCVs have searched a phrase from a poster a student made and found everything was copied word-for-word from the Wikipedia article on the subject. More than once, I've had students turn in a print-out of a webpage or a downloaded PowerPoint when I've asked them to bring in a poster on something. This practice is common among teachers, as well. I have helped colleagues learn to copy & paste then seen them piece together documents from multiple websites. The only name or organization listed on the document in its final draft was theirs. I've helped teachers find and download PowerPoints which they later presented without comment to where it was found. When knowledge is viewed as collective and for the benefit of all, the sense that individuals "own" specific ideas and words no longer holds much weight. It follows that its not quite so disrespectful to not note an owner, or that them taking offense at not being cited is not as important. One stress US American PCVs and RPCVs alike face in their teaching that stands out strongly is giving tests. The culture clash between our expecations and the norms within Moldovan schools is intense and trying.
RPCV Beni Thelmia has worked in several educational contexts in Moldova, rural and urban, public & private. "Ask a Moldovan student if they ever cheated on an exam and they will be proud to tell you their techniques," she stated. "They will tell you why they justify cheating." PCVs & RPCVs have noted the following behaviors being common during closed-book tests:
Students are under a lot o pressure to give correct answers and they face some daunting challenges around tests. The test-time might have been shortened by waiting for the teacher to make copies of the test or waiting for students to pay for the copies that have been made. It is not uncommon for tests to be about information that was not covered in the classes preceding it. The practice of reviewing class content before testing is nearly nonexistent. In terms of consequences, I have seen and heard of students experiencing them only during the test time: They may be yelled at, they may be told to put the book/notebook/smartphone away in a bag or pocket, they may have their seat switched. They can continue to take the test, will still receive a grade for it, and in my observation often go right back to the behavior that they were doing. The behaviors listed above increase their academic success as measured by grades - both individually and as a whole class - and, thus, the reputation of a class and the school in which they study as good and smart. Bridging differences PCVs use a variety of tactics to deal with the drastic difference in our systems around intellectual property and test-taking. Some teach about US American practices and do their best to enforce them during their classes. Some strike a balance between preparing students who want to study in systems similar to ours and trying to not stress over those who will continue only in this system. Some become embittered by their sense of hopelessness and righteousness. Some adapt fully to the local practices. Personally, I have focused on utilizing alternative evaluation methods (I have a "no written tests" policy). My partners and I have compromised around grading techniques. I grade assignments using an "American" rubric (only evaluated on what we've covered in class, expectations are given in advance, grades are based strictly on whether work is done or not irregardless of the student's reputation, grades can be changed only by completing work that was not done) and I bear responsability for disgruntled students & their parents. The actual grades that go in the official gradebook are put in under a more traditionally Moldovan way. Given that large social meals, individually called a masa, are a valued practice here, RPCV Ree G. utilized these in a way to explain our difference in values. "I ended up explaining plagiarism with the metaphor of a masa," she said. "It's ok if everyone contributes (quotations), but it's polite to thank them (citations)." Let's start with an excerpt from Culture Matters: The Peace Corps Cross-Cultural Workbook about ideas around individuals & groups: While no culture is exclusively individualist or collective—not to mention individuals within each type—most tend to be more one than the other. In general, US American culture tends to place value on individualism, our norms and practices tend to be more individualist than not. I've been told and have come to understand that, in general, Moldovan culture tends to place value on collectivism, the norms and practices here tend to be more collectivist than not. I believe this cultural difference in values shows up in the school system in several ways; in this post and the next I'll explore how I think this plays a role in class structuring and around intellectual property. My Class / Clasa mea When asked about what differences stood out to her between US American and Moldovan schools, current Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) Beth O. replied, "There are many differences but one that stood out to me when we first arrived is that the same group of students stays together all the way through school (for example 4A, 4B) and don't mix, which means students don't get the chance to have classes with other students." When students arrive in first grade, they are put into as many class sections as the school needs. A small school might have only only section; a larger school might have two, three, or four sections. I've seen records of classes as small as six students; the government states they shouldn't be larger than 28-30 students (though occassionally you can find larger classes than that). If there are multiple sections, they are called Class 1-A, 1-B and so on (written here with Roman numerals, so class 4-A is Clasa a IV-a „A” and class 7-B is Clasa a VII-a „B”). This class section then remains together with the same students and the same teacher until 4th grade. This means that primary school teachers are trained to teach grades 1, 2, 3, & 4 and cycle through them over four years with their students. In fifth grade, when students start middle school, or gimnaziu, they may stay in the same class or the classes may be re-formed. While they will now start moving between teachers based on the subiect they are studying, they do continue to have a teacher who remains with them until they finish at that school (which could be 9th grade or 12th grade, depending whether their school offers grades 10-12). This teacher, their Homeroom teacher or dirigenta, meets with them regularly both in a special weekly homeroom classtime and teaches them their specialty. For example, my primary partner teacher Mrs. Dima is a Chemistry and Physics teacher. She is homeroom teacher to class 7-A, so she has a homeroom class with them on Tuesdays and is their teacher for Chemistry, Physics, and Health Education. She has been their homeroom teacher since the start of 5th grade (Fall 2014) will stay with this class through graduation in 12th grade (Spring 2022). Given the frequency of meeting and the structured length of the relationship, the connection between homeroom teachers and their students (and the reverse) is often described as special and strong. Homeroom teachers must know details about each student's homelife. They record and report at the start of the year contact information for the students' caregivers as well as whether the parents are together, where the parents live and work, information on the siblings, whether there is alleged or confirmed violence in the home, whether their caregivers have chronic conditions and/or mental health issues, and more. Homeroom teachers are an important source of information about the social-emotional environments students are living in as well as considered responsible for building a sense of unity and collaboration among the class. Class Schedule / Orarul lecțiilor It's important for students in a class to have good relationships because they spend a lot of time together. They take all of their classes together, moving as a group from subject to subject. The whole class has the same class schedule, regardless of interests and capabilities. They also work on school projects together, often preparing presentations for school concerts and other extra-curricular activities. Its this aspect of taking all their classes in a prescribed whole-class-together schedule that garnered quick responses from two Moldovan youth who studied in the US for a year through the FLEX Program. When asked to describe differences between the two systems, FLEX alumna Alexandra S. responded quickly with one word: CHOICE. Flex alumna Vlada G. elaborated, "I think it is getting to choose what subjects you want study based on personal preference. [I]n Moldova there's not much of a choice regarding the matter." Affecting this matter of choice is the prevalence of mandatory classes and the rarity of optional classes. To graduate, students must fulfill a set curriculum with very clearly defined learning outcomes and content. In my experience in the US, I had to complete general expectations and could fulfill them with multiple options. For example, for Science I must have so many credits of classes that fit the criteria for science and can choose between Natural Science, Earth Space Science, Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, and so on, which may be offered at different levels of difficulty (e.g. general, AP) and in sequences (e.g. Chem I, Chem II, Chem III). Here, students must have so many years of the prescribed General Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics classes - they cannot choose between them, they must take all that are mandatory in the time period that is mandated.
There are several optional courses that schools can offer, but it can be difficult for schools to do so. In order to offer an optional class, money needs to be identified to pay the teacher and order textbooks if they are available. At Boris Dînga Middle & High School, we offer three optional classes for students:
Students do receive grades in optional classes, but they do not necessarily go on their transcripts. In my experience, the grades for optional classes are written on report cards in a different color than grades for mandatory classes, which further highlights the distinction between them. Collectivism / Colectivism I attribute the structuring of schools around class sections staying together for all classes and over time as a collectivist practice. A lot of emphasis is placed on the importance of group cohesion and depth of relationships between students. I've heard of and seen where some families with children close in age will delay the older one starting school so that siblings can be in a class section together. Returned PCV (RPCV, a Volunteer who successfully completed their PC commitment) Patrick R. reflected that a big difference between US schools and Moldovan ones is " the notion that the group succeeds or the individual." In terms of academic success, he highlights that "we concentrate on the person, they concentrate on a group." I'm grateful that several of you asked about bathrooms - they have long been one of my favorite subjects! In fact, the first time I ever wrote a blog post, it was for a now-defunct group in Shanghai that helped foreigners prepare for and adapt to life in China. My post was a guide on the variety of toilets foreign guests might encounter and key tips for Westerners about using the toilets correctly (e.g. which way to face in a squat toilet, what to expect around toilet paper). When I returned to the US, toilets stayed a part of my work in terms of issues of access and how this oft-used space can teach us about society. People excrete. For health reasons, we'be developed systems where we excrete in specific locations with an eye to keeping dangerous microbes contained. Unfortunately, we face and we create a variety of barriers to building and maintaining bathrooms that contribute to public health. Cady noticed a detail in my post about Global Handwashing Day and asked, "You said that the water from the sinks is heated in the winter, does that mean they don't have hot water all year?" In Boris Dînga Middle & High School, the water heaters were installed almost exactly one year ago. Getting hot water was a huge step towards community members washing their hands more consistently. When discussing hand-washing, many expressed suspicion of my statement that it is better to wash our hands with cold water than not at all. Part of the idea that cross-breezes cause colds is that they cause us to feel cold - and many believe that being cold is what causes colds, thus adopting ”disease prevention” strategies such as never drinking cold water, avoiding touching cold water and surfaces, and insisting that we wear hats & many layers outside even if we ourselves feel hot. For the record, being cold does not cause colds - only viruses do. I found that the water heaters were turned off all the time that the general heating system was turned off (late winter through mid-October). I haven't asked why, though I imagine it's to save money. I have yet to know of another volunteer at a school with water heaters. In fact, a few are at schools that don't have heating at all. For a project I worked on last spring about menstruation, I gathered photos of a variety of bathrooms in workplaces and homes. Please enjoy a slideshow of them, below. Clay asked a very, very important question about the situation: ”What steps have you and your group taken to solve problems like lack of soap, hand washing, and cross breezes?” Knowing that we have ideas about disease prevention outside of avoiding cross-breezes and cold that have been shown scientifically to prevent the spread of disease, we do a mixture of education and infrastructure projects. We do education to build a base of understanding on which to build healthy behaviors (for example, understanding what microbes are, how they cause diseases, and how they spread then teaching & reinforcing behaviors that reduce their spread). In terms of infrastructure, we help people learn how to apply for and successfully complete grants that go towards installing water systems in communities that only have access to wells, that go towards installing water filtration systems where water is unsafe, and that go towards installing bathrooms and running water in public places. Let Girls Learn is a key initiative started most visibly by FLOTUS Michelle Obama that Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) support throughout our service. Its goal is to expand access to education for girls around the world. One of its key partnerships is with Water Charity - together they are working to build bathrooms and bring running water to schools around the world. Lack of bathrooms and running water cause access issues for all young people, but is particularly onorous for menstruators when they begin menstruating and begin missing 1/4 of their schooling (if not quit altogether) due to lack of resources for menstrual hygeine and stigma around menstruation. Many volunteers have helped their schools and communities install indoor bathrooms with running water. If you'd like, you can help promote one such project today! PCV Jenny S. in the village of Fîrlădeni is working with her school to raise the funds to do this. Please see their pitch video below: Several schools a year in Moldova complete a project like this with Peace Corps Volunteers, and many more with the support of other organizations. In another project, PCV Cynthia K. is working with the NGOs EcoVisio and Clean Water Foundation to provide high-performance, high-volume water filters for schools and hospitals throughout Moldova. This year, fifty different schools and hospitals who currently lack safe water will be equiped with these filters and the means to maintain them, ensuring safe water for years to come. PCVs also assist other organizations in their work around bathrooms. I am one of many over the years who have worked alongside the volunteers of TEECH, which is a small English NGO that works with communities in Moldova to install indoor bathrooms with running water in schools as well as provide other aid. Below, you can see the before (on the left) and after pictures of this past summer's project in the village of Ivancea. I hope that you have enjoyed reading about, looking at, and thinking about toilets as much as I have had writing about them! Each time you wash your hands with running water and each time you flush the toilet this week, I encourage you to think of our students and send wishes of success to all the projects we undertake to make it possible for them to do the same!
|
Rebecca LehmanHealth Education volunteer serving at Boris Dînga Middle & High School in Criuleni, Moldova. Archives
May 2017
Categories |