On why I write, why I don’t write and on communicating my Peace Corps experience.

Artists, photographers, and sculptors usually have some sort of statement of purpose describing the theme of their works and why they have created them. You could say that writing is an art form, so why shouldn’t bloggers have a statement of purpose? I’m almost 2 years late in posting this, but better late than never, right? This blog was spurred by a conversation I had with a friend/PC volunteer. Said volunteer is a prolific blogger and spends a lot of her time in the media limelight. There’s nothing wrong with it. If she wants to put her entire Peace Corps experience online, more power to her. If she is comfortable in the spotlight and wants to carry the gospel of Peace Corps far and wide, I say go for it. That is not me and here’s why:

My Peace Corps experience is something wholly and sacredly personal. I started this blog to share a very small tidbit of my experience with my family and friends. I don’t plan on broadcasting this blog to the entire internet. I don’t link my blog to Facebook. I’m not on CNN Ireport. Nor do I intend to write a book about my time with Peace Corps. I’m not trying to get down on those who do these things. I’m just saying it’s not my style.

Even if I wanted to share my experience with the whole world, I wouldn’t know where to start. What you get here is a small snippet, a brief peek behind the curtain, a microsecond glimpse of the thousands of hours I’ve spent here, a single photograph in a gallery, that’s all you get. I wouldn’t know how to boil down all the emotions I’ve felt, the conversations I’ve had, the jokes we’ve shared, the people I’ve met, the kids that have changed my life, the sights, smells, sounds, and colors of Romania into a concise blog. If I documented everything, I’d spend all my days in front of my computer rather than living my Romanian life. It’s as simple as that.

And if I did somehow find a succinct way of expressing myself, you’d still be missing a part. Peace Corps is like Zen meditation. You can’t just describe it, you have to be it. You have to live it. You have to become it. Peace Corps is experiential. You can only know so much until you actually live it. You won’t truly know what it’s like to feel socially awkward until you fumble and founder your way through an unfamiliar language. You won’t truly know the sweet aromas of a spring evening in the hills, until you spent an evening walking down the roughly paved roads of Northern Oltenia. You won’t truly know longing until you’ve spent 2 ½ years away from your fiancée.

I write to try to convey what I can to those I love, to give them a glimpse in to my extraordinary life, to keep them as up to date as I can, to give them a taste of the amazing beauty that  is Romania and Romanians.

As I said before, what you get here is a very boiled down version of my life. I honestly don’t possess the vocabulary to express the thoughts floating around in my head and the emotions swimming around heart. Even if I used every noun and adjective that I know, something would still be missing. I write about the experiences I feel are important and ones that I feel are appropriate to share. Basically, it comes down to this, if it would be something I’d feel comfortable writing about when I lived in America, I’ll write about it. If it is too personal or intimate, I don’t.  The same goes for picture-taking. If I’d have my camera out in the States, I’ll take a picture. If I wouldn’t do it at home, I certainly won’t do it here. I don’t want to sell-out my community by sharing every intimate detail of every single moment. We all need a little privacy sometimes.

I’ve never claimed to be the world’s greatest writer. I’m not trying to be a great writer. I write the same way I talk, deeply American and at times grammatically incorrect. I don’t write using awkward vocabulary. I didn’t recently swallow a dictionary. So, enjoy my uniquely American style, accented with dated slang and peppered with a hint Appalachian twang.

So there you have it, my artistic statement. If you’ve enjoyed the blog up to this point read on. If you want to share in my appreciation and love for all things Romanian, check back for updates. If I’ve offended you in any way, no one is forcing you to read this.