My Thoughts and Journeys

Extended CouchSurfing Exeriences

Curtis Schwieterman — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:28:11 +0000

(12.12.2009) I experienced my third when passing through Skopje, Macedonia. It was with a couple that I was going to be staying with during my stay, Elena and Ivica. Elena was the one who retrieved me from the train station where I had stored my bag for the day. She took em to the apartment where I met the rest of the family (her husband Ivica and their two cats whose names I have forgotten).

I had an incredible time with the pair. Because of the train times to Prilep, Macedonia they offered their room to me for another night. I graciously accepted. Elena, understanding my somewhat planned (mostly unplanned) future route, lined me up with a surfer in Jerusalem.

Yael turned out to be a friend of a friend of Elena. The first night in Jerusalem I learned that Yael was not feeling well at all. I offered to grab a hostel but she still insisted that I come by for a cup of tea and a place to rest. We spent the evening trading stories and cups of tea. Sadly, I learned the next day that she was going to go home to be with her parents. She was only getting worse. She needed rest, but her three roommates were fine with me staying a bit longer.

On my last night in Jerusalem two of her friends, Ilana and Tzipora, and I met up with my friend Thomas, who I had met in Amman. The four of us went to the Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem to watch and listen to Babylon Blues. Great sounds throughout the show. I’d see the group again if I get the chance.

Tzipora put Thomas, who she had just met that night, in contact with a friend she had in Tel Aviv. Her friend said that he would meet with Thomas and show him around the city for his day there before his flight back to his home in Sweden the next day. Tzipora then put me in contact with her friend Shmuel who is an Israeli Naval engineer in Haifa.

It’s wonderful how CouchSurfing continues to connect people. All of this came from my planned stay with Elena and Ivica in Skopje.

Dangerously Cold Weather in Ukraine

Curtis Schwieterman — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:11:43 +0000

The Ukrainian Health Ministry press service said on Monday (21.12.2009) that “A five-day-long heavy snowfall caused 27 weather-related deaths” (People’s Daily Online) This news has reiminded me of the cold I experienced during my two year stay in Kramatorsk, a city in Donetska oblast in eastern Ukraine. I experienced some cold winters in housing that led me to see my breath while lying in bed. The heating in my apartment and in the apartment of several friends was very limited so we wore sweaters, pants and socks to bed. I worry even more for the elderly and the young.

I hope only the best for those living in Ukraine now. It was last week that almost 400 cars were stranded on a highway between Kherson and Nikolayev in western Ukraine (ITAR-TASS). It has been a tough winter and I hope the best for those living in and visiting Ukraine.

Taxis in Amman

Curtis Schwieterman — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:43:23 +0000

(07.12.2009) Most of the taxis that I’ve ridden in during my stay in Amman have been wonderful. The drivers have held conversation with me despite the enormous language barriers. Even with the difficulties they never showed signs of frustration.

Today Thomas (a Swede that I met in Amman), RJ (an American studying in Tunisia) and I grabbed a taxi from the Mecca Mall to the Jet bus station. Ina nice car he took us to the Jet station so that we could check on tickets to our three different destinations. He said that he would wait for us as we went inside to gather our tickets and information.

When we returned from the ticket counter he had acquired chocolates and crackers for us to munch on during the remainder of our travel back to the hostel. On this trip he stopped to pick up some coffee for himself offering each of us a cup. Thomas and RJ declined while the driver and I sipped our cups.

When we arrived at our destination for the driver rounded the fare down to the dinar. Needless to say the driver received a pleasant tip while we took his number. This was just one of the many pleasantries experienced during my stay in Jordan.

A Long Trip Between Homes

Curtis Schwieterman — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:31:40 +0000

During the second week of November I put my belongings into the piles of ‘still mine’ and ‘no longer mine’ piles. The latter pile found new owners while the other pile went into a couple of bags to join me during my trip home. The ‘still mine’ pile was then sifted through so that I could select the goods that would be helping me survive my next endeavour.

Through November and December I traveled down through the Balkans and the Middle East. The trip started with two weeks in former Yugoslavia followed with a couple days in Athens then another two weeks in Jordan and Israel. I wrote in my journal as I trekked the lands and as I made such wonderful new friends. Sadly, my camera broke on day three of my travels so the descriptions will be mostly text. Many of the stories will be added to this blog in the next couple of days.

Triumphs Over Past Obstacles, New Obstacles Arise

Curtis Schwieterman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:56:04 +0000

My three secondary school project co-directors have been beyond impressive in the last few weeks leading up to the final concert which was scheduled for this evening (31 October 2009). The girls have been able to secure our venue, get six bands committed, acquire various decorations and educational materials, distribute announcements throughout the city, and even get the attention of local forms of mass media.

I had a three day COS (Conclusion of Service) conference last week in Slavske, but with the speed of travel in Ukraine the conference took a week of my time with transportation included. My time as a Peace Corps volunteer is coming to a close. The timing of the conference of course was a bit of an obstacle. Prior to leaving I left the ladies with some important tasks which must be completed during my short leave. They got everything finished and continued working with their own ideas. Beautiful! The project is coming together.

Sadly, a new obstacle has appeared. There was a death from H1N1 in Ukraine yesterday. As a result, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has declared this a national emergency, has closed schools and has banned all public events. This HIV/AIDS project is a public event. It has been cancelled and there has been no date provided as to when it can be rescheduled. I only hope it can be before my departure. After watching their performance, I know that Sonia, Dasha and Anna will be able to run the project without me now, but I still have a grant to close. Oye, we’re meeting this evening to discuss how to reschedule. The concert will go on!!!

PEPFAR Training

Curtis Schwieterman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:24:58 +0000

Yaroslav leading the HIV/AIDS teaching seminar

Yesterday (11 October 2009) we had a PEPFAR HIV/AIDS training seminar at my school. This training seminar is a major point of the first stage of our project: education. To my pleasure there were twenty five teachers from more than fifteen schools present at the training seminar which lasted about five hours.

Yaroslav, the PEPFAR trainer, spoke about the biology, transmission methods, statistics, stigma and some other main points of HIV/AIDS in the world and in Ukraine today.

At his conclusion one of my co-directors Sonia presented some HIV/AIDS posters that were drawn by pupils in other parts of Ukraine. She asked the teachers to have their classes try to make posters or design other activities so that the pupils can apply what knowledge they have gained in their lessons.

Today between my lessons I spoke with a fellow English teacher Daria Vladimirovna about the seminar. She told me that some of the teachers actually met with other teachers after the session and spoke more about HIV/AIDS in Ukraine and how to bring this information to students in clear and interesting fashions. It is wonderful to know that the session had such wonderful results so quickly.

Some additional news, Yaroslave arrived at my apartment around seven in the morning on Sunday. The two of us had some good talks over breakfast and tea. We traded some music and decided that he would purchase my guitar before I depart this lovely country of Ukraine. A good day all around.

HIV/AIDS Project Swings into Motion

Curtis Schwieterman — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:21:03 +0000

I have organized an HIV/AIDS project with the main aims of spreading awareness of the global issue in Kramatorsk. I have recruited three wonderful secondary school students to co-direct the project with me. Sonia, Dasha and Anna are all eleventh graders who attended Camp HEAL in August 2009. There they learned much about HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and some other world issues. They wanted to bring this knowledge to their home town.

The project we have organized is a two part part project.

Sonia, Dasha, Curtis, and Anna

The first part of the project concerns education. We are asking teachers at many of the schools to teach at least one lesson about HIV/AIDS to their home room pupils in the month of October. Some of the teachers have agreed to attend an HIV/AIDS seminar presented by PEPFAR on 11 October, 2009. This seminar will touch the biology, transmission, prevention techniques, medications, statistics, stigma and more about HIV/AIDS in the world and specifically Ukraine. This seminar will also give some different teaching methods specifically for HIV/AIDS.

When the teachers teach their classes about HIV/AIDS we ask that the classes create positive posters concerning HIV/AIDS. These posters will go into a national contest where the best will be printed and distributed throughout the county. Classes can also prepare speeches or presentations concerning HIV/AIDS.

All of the posters and projects will be displayed during the second part of the project. There will be a youth concert and talent show held on 31 October 2009. Here, youth bands, dancers and other performers will be showing their skills to the public. Between each performance some information will be given about HIV/AIDS by pupils through presentations and games.

The main aim of this project is to spread awareness. Ukraine has the highest infection rate in all of Europe. Donetska oblast has one of the highest rates in Ukraine. Making people aware is the first step towards fighting further infections.

Obama Receiving the Nobel Peace Prize

Curtis Schwieterman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:40:20 +0000

I learned this morning that US President Barack Obama will be receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2009. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was awarding Obama with such an honor for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples,” and that such actions have “created a new climate in international politics.”

This climate created has opened the floor for dialogue. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has exclaimed that “In a very short time, he has succeeded in shifting the tone worldwide towards dialogue. I believe we should all support him to make world peace more possible. There is still much left to do, but a window of possibility has been opened.”

Windows have been opened but it is important to see who will be climbing through it. While some view his actions as steps toward global peace, the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated his reaction, “The Nobel prize for peace? Obama should have won the ‘Nobel Prize for escalating violence and killing civilians’.”

His actions for a more peaceful world have been great, but many feel the award has been given a bit too early. While his attempts have been noted, we don’t yet know what reactions beyond kind words his methods will receive. Some feel this award may even be a source to make further efforts an obligation.

Something that interested me was the comments of Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the upper house of Russia’s parliament. He sees the award as a ‘reaction of the Bush era.’ Margelov said to RIA Novosti, that “after the crushing neo-conservatism of the previous American administration, there really is a need to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people, and the awarding of the prize to Obama testifies to the deep disappointment caused by the policies of George Bush.”

Whatever your reaction to President Barack Obama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize may be, I think we should all keep notice and observe the possible successes of his methods and goals.

Sources: BBC News, RIA Novosti, and Spiegel Online