Saturday, June 25, 2011

Softball in Moldova! Otherwise known as slow pitch baseball.

Of all the sports that I have tried or watch over the years (not all that many years I know, but to me my life has gone on for awhile) I have to say that my favorite two are softball and volleyball. To be honest I haven't played softball in awhile but I brought my softball mitt just in case. Up to this point my poor un-used mitt just sat in my room but as summer got closer another volunteer was working behind the scene to get some softball equipment to Moldova. Kim (the volunteer I was talking about) used to play and coach softball in the states and her dream was to bring softball to the children of Moldova.
To start with many children in Moldova do know what baseball is, or at least have an idea of what it looks like, a ball, a bat and a ball. They may not know the details but if you say baseball they say "Oh yeah, I know what that is. I have never played it, but I know what it is". Some years ago a previous volunteer actually started a baseball little league that continued on for some time but is now largely defunct. However, none of them seem to know what softball is. Which is why Kim came up with the term "Slow pitch Baseball". Of course that is just to lure them in and then we hit them with the wonderfulness of Softball, slow pitch because none of us who are helping or have helped have been pitchers up to this point.
But in each of the 3 times that I have helped it has been amazing to see how fast these kids have picked up softball and started to enjoy playing it. With in hours of instruction and playing around the kids have been playing against each other in loose teams. They shout out advice and pick up the rhythm of game and enjoy the glory of a home run. At the end of each day those of us helping could not help but be amazed with the progress of these kids how had never even seen softball played or picked up a mitt and a ball before.
Some of the best moments for me also were seeing the quieter boys and the girls get right into it and shining. In one village we had a girl who picked up softball so fast it made my head spin. If she had been in the states she would have been able to easily move up to a competitive team with a little coaching and practice. It felt great to be able to provide the role model of a women who plays and enjoys sports as part of a healthy life style. I hope that it is something that will stay with the girls that we played with.
In addition to the experience of working with Moldovan youth was the language exchange as well. The two villages I was able to help in were both predominately Romanian speaking and I am predominately a Russian speaker in Moldova. But since I had not taken the time to translate the words for bat, ball, mitt, and some others into Russian I had to relay on the Romanian words that Kim had taken the time to translate. I feel that in addition to the great time the kids had learning to play softball they also had a great time listening to me freely mix my Russian and Romanian together in new and inventive ways to help them figure out some of the basics. Even now, after having asked what the Russian words are, I can only easily recall the Romanian words. Sometimes I feel like I am developing my own language of Rom-Rus-English with a few Gagauz words thrown in for effect.
All in all it was a wonderful couple of days helping Kim with her Softball clinics. I hope that I can continue to help her out and have a week of softball in my own town sometime in the future. It gets said again and again but it always rings true that change lies with the future generations and those of use who can help them along the way are working towards a better future.

New Future Volunteers

A couple of weeks ago the next group of future volunteers for Moldova arrived. As a mentor in our Peer Support Network I was there to meet and greet the new trainees. They had a very long first day. They got off the plane in Chisinau and went straight to the school were they have their group training days. They started off with hauling all of their luggage into the school and separating it into piles that corresponded with the villages they will be living in for the whole of their training period. As a short break they then got to eat and spend a little time being meeting as many of us as they could. Most had a sort of shell-shocked expression, partly from finally making it to Moldova and partly from the whirl wind trip they had had up to that point. The day did not end for them there. They then went on to a brief orientation and then they were loaded down with things like a medical kit, fire extinguisher, smoke alarm, tons of information, water, a water filter and many more things.
It was crazy to see them going through the whole process and at the same time remembering what it was like for myself going through the same thing. I was glad I did it and continue to be grateful that I am in Moldova and living this wonderful experience but I am also very glad I don't have to do that first week over again! But the best thing is that we have new trainees and people who continue to want to spread peace and friendship around the world and in Moldova.
Since then as a mentor and a facilitator for Pre-Service Training I have gotten to meet and start to really get to know the trainees. I have to say that I am very excited that they are here and will be sharing all that they know with us and Moldovans.

Party in the Forest-A bonding moment with my fellow teachers

During the school year teachers have a hectic schedule. Some teachers have so many classes and other duties that they do not have time to do much socializing, while others have more than one job and often have to leave right after their classes to get to that job. In addition the cold of the school and lack of a lunch break are not great incentives to sit around after classes are over and chat. Those who do stay are involved in projects or the school administration, which makes them, again, very busy. However after the last bell and the last homeroom meeting most of the teachers of my school and I celebrated the end of the school year in a picnic in the forest. We had all been told to wear nice clothes for the last day but to bring a change of clothes for the forest. After all the students were gone we gathered up huge quantities of food (chicken for grilling, cucumbers, tomatoes, brinza, bread, stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, potatoes with dill) and got into a rented mini-bus to go to the forest. I admit I thought that we would be fairly close to the school but would need the transport for all of our food. We actually went a fair distance to a nice wooded area that had been set up for cook-outs past the village of Sadic.
We carried our bounty to a likely looking place covered in wild strawberry plants and set down a large piece of plastic and several blankets. The plastic for the food and the blankets for us. Right away some of the teachers got set to putting out plates and forks, others started cutting the veggies, and the rest of us gathered fire wood and get the fire pit ready for the buckets of chicken to be grilled.
Soon we were toasting to the end of the year and the beginning of summer and eating all the goodies we had brought. The chicken wasn't ready but in between we played all sorts of games and volleyball and sat and talked and just plain enjoyed ourselves.
For me it was one of the first times that I had a chance to really talk with some of the various teachers and really see a different side of them. The relaxed atmosphere, the good food, and the lifting of the weight of the school year made it easy to connect. I especially loved seeing how competitive we all got over silly little things.
It was a beautiful day that started with our last bell ceremony and ended with a bonding experience and a chance to really get to know my fellow teachers. Some days it is hard not to absolutely love being a volunteer in Moldova.

The school year is over

It may seem a little late but the school year is finally over. Technically the last day of school was the 31st of May. And we definitely ended with a ceremony and final farewell from all the students to the graduating class. But for the 12th form the end of the school year actually took the rest of the month of June while they took the Bacclaurate exams.
In Moldova there is a first bell ceremony and a last bell ceremony. Ring in the new and ring out the old. The last bell ceremony was beautiful and touching. All of the teachers (myself included) dressed in our nicest teacher outfits and wore ridiculous shoes. I had a beautiful pair of heels on that I never would have even picked out in the USA but I was glad I had them. All of the students were also dressed very nicely especially the 12th form. The last bell is really their day.
The ceremony starts by everyone going outside. Our school is small so we often have our assemblies outside when it is warm. The classes arrange themselves in a semi-circle around the front steps of the school from the youngest class on the left to the oldest class on the right. For this day the 12th form stood altogether on the steps in the front. We also had a speaker and microphone set up for the speeches and music. All of the students had at least one bouquet with them while many had whole armfuls of flowers.
In addition to all of the teachers of the school we also had several ministry officials and representatives of the mayor's office. Our director gave an introduction then handed the microphone off to our two MCs, a boy and a girl from our school. All of the classes had some small presentation, such as reciting poetry or singing a song. Then awards were handed out. Students received certificates for best student in their form, perfect attendance, participation in different sporting events and more.
After the awards the various representatives gave speeches of congratulations to the 12th form. I had been told ahead of time that I also would be expected to give a speech. This time however I was allowed to give it in Russian, which made planning it a lot easier then the first bell speech which I gave in Romanian. I tried to think back on all the advice that I had been given when I graduated from high school and I tried to pass on some of those same ideas.
While your time in grade school has ended you have just started your journey. You have the whole world in front of you and it is up to you to decide what you want to do with it. Keep dreaming and believing because those two skills will take you far. Remember your friends and loved ones because they are what help you through life. Never stop believing in yourself.
It probably did not sound as smooth in Russian because of numerous grammar mistakes but I hope that they received the message as it was intended.
After many speeches and presentations some of the 12th form class performed a waltz in front of the school. And in the end all of the students from the other forms lined up in a U-shape and formed a passage of raised flowers that the 12th form and their homeroom teachers passed through to end their time in school.
The very last thing the students did was then pass out their numerous flowers to their teachers. Each teacher came away with their arms overflowing with flowers and a smile on their faces.
The last bell ceremony does not end the day however. It is followed by the last homeroom hour in which parents and students are invited to discuss the end of the year and what to expect next year. I was asked by the director to hand out the participation certificates for the International Writing Olympics. It was a wonderful way to end the school year. All the good that had passed and the achievements that students had attained. It made me excited for the next year and all that could be accomplished.