Things are starting to look up just as winter, hopefully, is on it's way out. The SOS Tryavna children's parliament has finally gotten some feet and is starting after 2 months of planning and waiting. On Friday, we had a our first election for president and ambassadors of the children's parliament. The parliament is made up of one president and 11 ambassadors, or one child from each house in the village. The children were extremely excited to start the parliament, and they had a really good time electing their own peers to represent them. The most interesting part of the process was the vote for president. When it was time to give nominations for president there were many different names given, but when it came time to vote there was an overwhelming majority for one child. I was very surprised for many reasons, because for one the person elected was a girl, and two, she's very quiet and shy. Bulgaria is a very male-dominated country, and it's very evident by the behavior of the children in the village. The boys try to reign supreme over the girls by bullying them, and usually the girls give in without a fight. So when a girl was elected so lopsidedly, it confirmed a lot of things that I knew but I wasn't seeing. First, you don't have to push your weight around to be respected, and secondly, there is much more gender equality in the village than is given credit for. Going into the election I speculated that the vote would come down to two well-known boys in the village, but as it turned out only one was nominated and he received only 5-10 percent of the vote. I feel like President Obama when he wrote in his second book The Audacity of Hope, "I am robbed of the certainty of uncertainty - for sometimes absolute truths may well be absolute." Overall, I think the experience for the children was a success, and hopefully the parliament can be used to allow them the opportunity to make decisions in the SOS village.
In other news, today Peace Corps volunteers around the world received some really good news from our director, Aaron S. Williams. As of April 1, 2010 Peace Corps is raising the readjustment allowance volunteers accumulate during their service and receive after completion. As of now we accumulate $225 per month, but after April 1st we'll receive $275 each month. If you're inspired enough to extend your service past the normal 2-year assignment into a third year, you'll receive $375 a month towards your readjustment allowance. So for anyone out there thinking of joining Peace Corps you now have an extra incentive to make the jump.
Quotes of the Day:
"We can't change the world except insofar as we change the way we look at the world - and, in fact, any one of us can make that change, in any direction, at any moment." - Pico Lyer
"The present moment is all you ever have." - Eckhart Tolle
Beat on Repeat:
"Paris Nights/New York Mornings" - Corinne Bailey Rae
"Closer" - Corinne Bailey Rae
Peace, Love, and Understanding...
The final tally for president of the parliament.
The elected ambassadors from each house in the village.
The final vote for president.
Children from one house deliberating over their decision for ambassador.
A group of kids waiting for the final vote for president.
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