Skyping forward...

Not going to lie... this weekend should have been more productive in the moving forward of the Skype project I'm working on, but unfortunately it didn't happen. There's not point in looking back and regretting it because what's done is done... and today I'm taking a giant step forward!

Originally I was thinking about trying to get the project funded through SPA, which is funding provided through Peace Corps. But instead I'm thinking of taking a different route by asking for donations and contacting actual companies of the products I wish to use (such as Skype and Crayola) to get what I may need. So that has been fun researching what exactly they have to offer, and we'll go from there!

But the other thing I've been busily researching today is the different types of activities I could do with the students to try to motivate them to do better in school and also work on their self discipline, organization, etc. Back when I was in elementary school and my parents divorced, I remembered going to special group meetings with our counselor at school and doing activities related to our feelings and everything associated with the divorce of parents. So I reached out and contacted her to see if she could help to point me in some sort of a direction as to how I can work with these kids, especially since I don't really have any sort of psychological training whatsoever. And she made a very interesting point: even though the students have not lost a parent due to death, they are still grieving the loss of their parent(s) at home. Hm. Interesting. .. and so right. So that has helped point me in a totally different direction for searching for activities and I'm super pumped about everything the internet has to offer.

... and then I remembered Solace House. After my mom died, my dad, sister, and I (and a couple of times my step-sisters and step-mom came along for support) went there for group therapy sessions. I remember that each session began with the lights off, light music playing, and all of us sitting in a circle with a candle and telling everyone who had died. And I remember once making a box for "memories". Now, it wasn't a quality box by any means... but I decorated it with paint and pipe cleaners for things that reminded me of my mom. And you know what? 12 years later, after all of the packing and moving and getting rid of things, I still have that box.

And that's what I hope to accomplish with these kids (along with increased communication between them and their parents, better discipline in school, better relationships with friends, and better grades).

Now I just have to be patient (in the meantime... care packages containing all sorts of art supplies from more paper to stickers to pipe cleaners to glitter to paint to magazines and more would be greatly appreciated!)

Peace Corps Moldova
PCV Mary (Cate) Crandell
#12 Grigore Ureche St
2001 Chisinau, MOLDOVA