Ridiculousness.

Thank you to everyone for the blog comments, emails, notes, letters, packages, etc. All of the care packages in every form.

Wanted to update a little on the (ridiculous) things I've found going on over the past week. Events seem to develop fast here,... my realizations, not actual work.
I didn't want to use my blog as a place to vent, but I want to keep people in touch with some of the things I'm dealing with right now.

Background information about my school:
Our previous volunteer, Nina, wrote a grant through PC to receive funding to build indoor bathrooms at my school. The construction was not complete before she left Pepeni, but was close to being finished. She gave responsibility of the finances (ie, the money) over to our school director, Mr. Balan when she left. I moved to Pepeni the end of August last year and the indoor bathrooms were still unfinished and I receive word that work was still being done. I didn't think much about this.
About a month ago I was approached by one of the teachers who worked with Nina on this grant to help with another grant to either repair or construct new outhouses (actually outside where we have 2 buildings of them now). I have since then asked professors in the school why the indoor bathrooms are not being used, and I was told that it's because the water is not working and that answer seems acceptable. The water, as I mentioned, has been off since October of this past fall.
I spoke with Nina today and she was very shocked to know that the bathrooms she funded were never opened to be used directly after she left the school. Apparently Mr. Balan and the school had promised that the bathrooms would be able to be sustained (water, no water, whatever situation) as soon as construction was finished... and construction was to be finished no later than August. I asked a teacher tonight if the bathrooms were ever finished and she said she didn't think so. If PC finds out, I don't think there is any way we can receive money to fund reconstruction for the bathrooms we already have outdoors. I would also be very interested to find out where the money went that Nina left Mr. Balan.
I recently heard a story from one volunteer about a grant project her precedent colleague left in the hands of her school director. The money was to buy a new television and dvd player to be used in the school for presentations. The equipment was moved to the director's house after the volunteer finished her service.
I don't want to insinuate that my situation might be like this, or that Moldovans are all corrupt, but these things do happen, and it's shocking.
Our water situation is pretty shocking and I definitely smell something funny going on. I've heard different stories from different people... "The well is dry"... "The pipes are broken"... "We've pooled money before to fix this, and we don't know where the money went", etc.
Another PC colleague of mine works in the city near my village. He works specifically with grants and called my mayor's office to offer to balance their budget and they declined. He said the situation sounds weird and that was without any information from me about what I've seen.

Seeing people taken advantage of bothers me. Seeing people who are poor and who have been stepped on their whole lives taken advantage of really bothers me.
My host mother received her pay check (well, in cash form) today and was given 800 Lei less than what she earned. That's about $80 and a lot of money. She's extremely upset. I asked her why she didn't receive all of her money and she said "I don't know". I asked her if there is anyone she could talk to or report this to and she said "no". I asked her if the police handle these situations and she said "no".

This world blows my mind.