MoldovAnn

Before I left the states, Question #3 (after “Moldo-huh?” and “You’re doing what?”) was “You’re still going to vote, right?” I am pleased to report that I have voted!

I filed for an absentee ballot before I left Ohio, but have not been optimistic that I would actually receive my ballot here in Moldova. First, the mail system here is incredibly slow and unpredictable; second, Ohio sends out the absentee ballots relatively late; and third, I don’t expect it’s an especially high priority in my Republican-controlled state that a bunch of Peace Corps Volunteers vote. Well, the PC staff here arranged for us to vote at the federal level, which means only for President/Vice President, and they arranged for our ballots to be delivered via the Embassy. I’ve done all I can do at this point, and now it’s up to the US Postal Service and the Franklin County Board of Elections to handle it. Thank you Peace Corps for helping us vote!

PC staff also tapes CNN for us, and we get to watch it before our lectures and during lunch on our Hub Site days, which means once or twice a week. These last few Hub Site days, we’ve watched the Presidential debates. I watched some of them, but have to admit, decided not to watch all of it. I made up my mind a long time ago about who I would vote for, and nothing was going to change my mind at this point. I am pleased to report that at least one volunteer in our group said he changed his mind, and is now NOT voting for Bush, based on the debates. I hope some other Americans saw the light, too!

I understand there is some kind of scandal about flu shots at home. I don’t know what’s going on, but my first reaction is “Are you people crazy? With everything going on in the world, there was actually a question in the presidential debates about freakin’ flu shots?!” Granted, there may be more to the situation than I realize, but it still sounds ridiculous to me.

I must admit, I am glad that I am not in the US now, mired in all the political rhetoric and drama. Of course we (volunteers) are all interseted in the election, and are in fact quite nervous about it. The PC budget was cut again recently, and instead of 2 groups of volunteers coming to Moldova next year, there will be only one group (for the past several years, English and Health Education PCVs came June, and EOD and Ag PCVs came in September). PC budget is only one tiny piece of our concerns, of course, and I can only hope and pray that our country gets back on track, and that we are able to repair the damage done to our international relations.