Marissa's Experience in Panciu: Semester 1 Hello! My name is Marissa Oliver and I'm a Peace Corps volunteer from San Diego, California, USA. I will be here in Panciu for two years, teaching English and taking part in secondary projects. I applied to Peace Corps last September and was originally nomiated to be in the Armenian, Azherbijan or Georgia regions. However, after 6 months, someone from the Peace Corps office emailed me and asked if I wanted to join the Eastern Europe program. This was my top preference when I filled out the Peace Corps application, so I thought about it for less than a day and responded, "yes." After saying yes, I quit my job, sold my car, broke up with my boyfriend, gave up my apartment and moved in with my mom before leaving for Romania. In San Diego, I was working for the San Diego County Bar Association as a Communications Coordinator. This meant running the advertising in our publications, editing and writing in our monthly newspaper, and editing the Association's website. I lived on my own in an apartment near my work, so I walked there everyday. Before this, I worked with children from ages 6 to 18 with special needs. It was a great job. I helped tutor them and implement programs to help them manage their behavior and learn in school. I received a scholarship to San Diego State University, where I majored in Comparative Literature and minored in Business and Dance. I have taken classes in ballet and modern dance on and off since I was 7 years old. I also briefly studied African dance and attended a performing arts high school, which combines classes and dance. I set up this site to tell the people of Panciu a little bit about myself as well as the activities that I'm participating in or organizing. Below is a list of activities I've participated in so far. Enjoy and thank you for your time.
2 E-twinning projects: Some students from profile 12E told me that they wanted to speak with students from other countries in English. I contacted someone on the etwinning website, which connects people from around the world who want to practice their English and do projects together using the English language. Students currently communicate over a forum with the students in Poland and LIS students sent them letters introducing themselves last week (last week before vacation in February). The second project involves working with three other countries: Greece, Turkey and Croatia and students from the 11th grade will travel to castles and palaces in Romania, take pictures, post them online and discuss them in English with the students from these countries, who will also post pictures of famous castles and palaces in their countries. Plays: Helped organize play for Balul Bobocilor and currently assisting with a play for LICart, a contest in Bucharest, with three LIS students involved. Helped organize girl's soccer team: Me, along with a volunteer from Rom Pentru Romi Association, Emeline (who provides soccer training), offer LIS girls a chance to play soccer twice a week, Tuesday and Friday from 430 to 6pm at the Sala de Sport. Participation: Halloween and Thanksgiving event, and a Lectia Demonstrativa Peace Projects with ten other PC volunteers, Valentine's Day activity with Class 9A Tutoring: began tutoring Member of GAD: Promoted GAD Campaign and contest, where students wrote an essay on scoala fara violenta or made a form of art regarding this theme. Congrats to Lavinia Bolocan from 12E who placed 1st in the high school essay cateogry and Teodora Andronic from 11D who placed 2nd in the high school art category. Worldwise: 9th and 10th graders send English letters to kids in the United States, telling them about themselves and the Romanian culture. NEW Library Magazine: Wrote an article in English recommending international literature for the new library magazine. See the librarian, Mihaela, to check it out! Ziua Liceului: presented a speech about Peace Corps and my experience thus far in Panciu. Peace Corps article: Wrote a description of the LICart play experience.
PROJECT CITIZEN: Doamna Cociorba and I went to Bucharest from February 24th to February 26th to learn more about Project Citizen, a three month long project involving the Romi community and her class, 11D where we will be exploring the process of analyzing problems, solutions and learning more about public institutions in our town. It will be an interesting experience. The project will be presented at the Parliament in Bucharest at the end of May.
BAZART! In April, I'm excited to announce that in collaboration with the Rom Pentru Rom Association and the high school, kids will have the opportunity to participate in after school activities involving soccer (girls and boys), cinema, photography and music. More details to come!
September 2011-December 2011: MURAL, , GAD CONTEST, AND INTERIOR COURTYARD
PENTRU UN SEMESTRU NOU, UN FORMAT NOU!!!
MURAL: PEACE CORPS HAD TWO ANNIVERSARIES IN 2011. ONE IN WHICH IT TURNED 20 YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN HERE IN ROMANIA AS AN ORGANIZATION, AND 50 YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN ACTIVE IN THE WORLD. TO CELEBRATE THESE ANNIVERSARIES, VOLUNTEERS APPLIED FOR A SMALL GRANT TO PAINT WALLS AROUND ROMANIA THAT WOULD REPRESENT PEACE. I APPLIED OUR SCHOOL AND WE WON A SMALL GRANT. THIS APRIL, STUDENT ELENA HARABOR WILL HAVE HER DESIGN PAINTED ON THE INNER COURTYARD'S WALL.
WE HELD A CONTEST SCHOOL WIDE FOR WHICH STUDENT CAN BEST COME UP WITH A PEACE DESIGN AND HER DESIGN WON. SHE WILL RECEIVE SOME ART MATERIAL FROM THE USA AS A PRIZE IN APRIL. TWO WEEKS BEFORE PAINTING THE WALL, PROFESSOR OF ART, MIHAELA CIRJAN WILL CHOOSE A GROUP OF STUDENTS TO HELP TRANSFER ELENA'S IDEA ONTO THE WALL.
GAD: THE GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE THROUGH PEACE CORPS ANNUALLY HOLDS A NON-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN AND CONTEST. THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDES AN ART, ESSAY/POEM AND SHORT FILM CONTEST. THIS YEAR'S THEME WAS "PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE FAMILY" AND AROUND 13 STUDENTS FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOL WERE CHOSEN TO ENTER INTO THE CONTEST. LAST YEAR, ANA TEODORA ANDRONIC ALONG WITH LAVINIA ELENA BOLOCAN WON PRIZES AND DIPLOMAS FOR THEIR ENTRIES. THIS YEAR'S WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE END OF JANUARY. THIS YEAR, FUNDATIA SENSIBLU AS WELL AS BIBLIONET WERE GAD'S PARTNER'S IN THE CONTEST.
INNER COURTYARD AT LIS: ONE FINAL AND BIG PROJECT THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH PROFESSOR COCIORBA OF HISTORY IS RENOVATING THE INNER COURTYARD AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, I WILL BE SUBMITTING A GRANT APPLICATION TO PEACE CORPS WHERE IF THE APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED, WE WILL RECEIVE MONEY TO RENOVATE THE ENTIRE INNER COURTYARD INTO A KIND OF PLAYGROUND/CLASSROOM. LET'S CROSS OUR FINGERS THAT THE PROJECT PASSES!
PENTRU UN SEMESTRU NOU, UN FORMAT NOU!!!
MURAL: PEACE CORPS HAD TWO ANNIVERSARIES IN 2011. ONE IN WHICH IT TURNED 20 YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN HERE IN ROMANIA AS AN ORGANIZATION, AND 50 YEARS THAT IT'S BEEN ACTIVE IN THE WORLD. TO CELEBRATE THESE ANNIVERSARIES, VOLUNTEERS APPLIED FOR A SMALL GRANT TO PAINT WALLS AROUND ROMANIA THAT WOULD REPRESENT PEACE. I APPLIED OUR SCHOOL AND WE WON A SMALL GRANT. THIS APRIL, STUDENT ELENA HARABOR WILL HAVE HER DESIGN PAINTED ON THE INNER COURTYARD'S WALL.
WE HELD A CONTEST SCHOOL WIDE FOR WHICH STUDENT CAN BEST COME UP WITH A PEACE DESIGN AND HER DESIGN WON. SHE WILL RECEIVE SOME ART MATERIAL FROM THE USA AS A PRIZE IN APRIL. TWO WEEKS BEFORE PAINTING THE WALL, PROFESSOR OF ART, MIHAELA CIRJAN WILL CHOOSE A GROUP OF STUDENTS TO HELP TRANSFER ELENA'S IDEA ONTO THE WALL.
GAD: THE GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE THROUGH PEACE CORPS ANNUALLY HOLDS A NON-VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN AND CONTEST. THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDES AN ART, ESSAY/POEM AND SHORT FILM CONTEST. THIS YEAR'S THEME WAS "PEACE AT HOME, PEACE IN THE FAMILY" AND AROUND 13 STUDENTS FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOL WERE CHOSEN TO ENTER INTO THE CONTEST. LAST YEAR, ANA TEODORA ANDRONIC ALONG WITH LAVINIA ELENA BOLOCAN WON PRIZES AND DIPLOMAS FOR THEIR ENTRIES. THIS YEAR'S WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE END OF JANUARY. THIS YEAR, FUNDATIA SENSIBLU AS WELL AS BIBLIONET WERE GAD'S PARTNER'S IN THE CONTEST.
INNER COURTYARD AT LIS: ONE FINAL AND BIG PROJECT THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH PROFESSOR COCIORBA OF HISTORY IS RENOVATING THE INNER COURTYARD AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, I WILL BE SUBMITTING A GRANT APPLICATION TO PEACE CORPS WHERE IF THE APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED, WE WILL RECEIVE MONEY TO RENOVATE THE ENTIRE INNER COURTYARD INTO A KIND OF PLAYGROUND/CLASSROOM. LET'S CROSS OUR FINGERS THAT THE PROJECT PASSES!
