| | Prior to Peace Corps I felt that I understood a fair amount about Europe: geography, the EU, politics of various countries, etc but living in Romania I have to come realize that I missed one important topic, the people. Additionally living here has been a huge eye opener for me in realizing just how difficult it is to break from the past!
When I arrived in Romania catching myself up on its history (specifically modern) I assumed that remnants of the communist past would be gone—both physically and psychologically. Today I feel that at that moment I should have heard WRONG buzzing (like in game shows) in my ears. To move on takes time, a long time, something I am beginning to understand now.
Sure politics is run democratically; in short if you were to visit—minus the vast rows of bloc apartments in every town, city, and some villages and absence of houses—you wouldn’t think that history still plays a role here. Physically, the one noticeable thing left are the blocs (well, and the People’s Palace) but psychologically, it can be quite different.
Take NGOs for example. Banned during the communist times and the concept only taking off 90s means a vast amount of organizers are still learning. Creating an NGO isn’t a problem now but running one can be challenging. Many of the people running NGOs grew up during Ceausescu’s ruthless rein and have little experience running an organization. They must learn the tricks of the trade—fundraising, recruitment, organizing events and so on. I feel that these people are special, in a way; these are the ones willing to go into uncharted territory to make improvements in some area. For those who feel I am over exaggerating, understand that I felt the same way before as well. Like I said, this aspect of Peace Corps has been a huge insight for me, one I wasn’t expecting.
Today there are people willing to organize to create NGOs, problem solved, right? (BUZZ) No. These organizers face a huge challenge—the general public. Some are wary of NGOs because they are foreign (I don’t mean country wise) and even within NGOs members will be hesitant to partner with other NGOs. They fear competition. Shortly after arriving here I was frustrated at this point, I mean why not partner with another organization to expand upon a project; why are people so hesitant to volunteer to help an NGO that interests them??? These questions bogged me down at night. I can’t say I have the exact answers today but I have a better idea because today I understand, I understand how important and how difficult historical events/people/times can impact the present day. I have come to realize that indeed breaking with the past, even if one hates it, takes time and energy.
Volunteering is a concept many people don’t understand because in the past volunteering was mandatory. Partnerships can be viewed negatively because for so long they were discouraged and the reality of informants on family, friends, schools, and work result in difficulties to gain trust of another. Being more understanding of patience needed to break from old habits has helped me, at the very least, be ok with baby steps. I suppose this is why PCVs under the sector of Institutional Development are here—assist NGOs with tasks they may be unfamiliar with (i.e. fabulous data entry or creating a budget) and to suggest options they may not think of or be confident in. I think we are also here to help the general public realize the benefit of NGOs, to show them that volunteering is not a bad thing, or that giving a small amount of money to an org. can help them in the long run.
It amazes me that I never gave much thought to what politics means on a smaller scale; I always thought in terms of the politicians circle or the ramifications of one policy had on another government. Working at the grassroots level I realize (now) how important it is to remember history at a societal level to comprehend the present day situation and decide the best path to take for future progress.
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| | Posted 12/4/2007 2:43 PM - 33 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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