Winter is here. It's been snowing on and off for weeks. All of December was cold and snowy until the week before Christmas (Craciun.) Last week was warm and all the snow (zapada) melted. Instead of a white Christmas, we had a slushy Christmas. This weekend was sunny and almost all the snow was gone when I got back to Comanesti yesterday. Today I woke up and the ground was white! It snowed all day and once again the town is quiet and peaceful, covered in a blanket of snow.
I spent Christmas in Onesti with Marta and Vicki. We had a quiet relaxing weekend. There is a tradition for carolers to go door-to-door singing traditional Romanian carols (colinde.) We had a wonderful dinner of squash and pasta and some sarmale from Vicki's counterpart. We exchanged small gifts and played a round or to of Bananagrams. It was nice to spend the holiday with some friends but it was a completely different experience from American Christmases.
With one more month of the first semester to go, I've gotten into a comfortable rhythm teaching at both of my schools. My middle school students are adorable and very eager to learn. My high school students are very intelligent and clever. Over the last few weeks there have been many Christmas celebrations. One of my 10th grade students has just published a book of poetry, so we had a small reception for her and I was gifted with a copy. I will sit down with my Romanian-English dictionary and read some of them.
The first week of December I spent in Sibiu. We had Peace Corps In-Service Training. All 41 volunteers from Group 27 met in Sibiu for a week of sessions on Romanian, programming and teaching. Vicki, Mil, Marta and I went to Sibiu a day early to be able to see the city and do some shopping. The city is adorable and the architecture is gorgeous. It was wonderful to see all my friends again and catch up. There was an area of the large market (Piata Mare) filled with a very large Christmas tree and little booths selling Christmas wares. We were able to find some nice restaurants and enjoy some vin fiert (mulled wine).
There was a "Carnival" celebration at the high school with different musical acts, culminated in a performance of the traditional bear (urs) dance of the region. There are larger examples of this for New Year's (Revelion) so I'm looking forward to that this weekend. Last week there were carol programs at the middle school and in each of my classes at the high school. I'm amazed at all the talented singers these schools have. I've been learning some of the Romanian carols such as "O ce veste minuata" and "Dum Dum sa-l nastum." They are wonderful.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Romanian Travel
Travel notes from a late August maxi-taxi ride:
We speed along a two-lane "highway" in southern Moldova and I'm greeted with extensive fields of corn, wheat and sunflowers, which were probably cheery a month ago but now their heads are drooping, exhausted from the summer heat. I could be traveling through the farmland of southern Delaware on my way to my grandmother's house if not for the occasional one room churches of strictly Orthodox architecture.
I pass alternating patches of green with occasional flocks of grazing cows, sheep or goats of various colors. Some fields are chopped up mud, already prepared for fall. Perhaps crops were lost and the land ravaged by the devastating floods or "inundatie" of early summer. We slow as we pass through small villages and hamlets; the only things to break the flat roaming farmland that stretches to where the Carpathian Mountains meet the western sky.
We speed along a two-lane "highway" in southern Moldova and I'm greeted with extensive fields of corn, wheat and sunflowers, which were probably cheery a month ago but now their heads are drooping, exhausted from the summer heat. I could be traveling through the farmland of southern Delaware on my way to my grandmother's house if not for the occasional one room churches of strictly Orthodox architecture.
I pass alternating patches of green with occasional flocks of grazing cows, sheep or goats of various colors. Some fields are chopped up mud, already prepared for fall. Perhaps crops were lost and the land ravaged by the devastating floods or "inundatie" of early summer. We slow as we pass through small villages and hamlets; the only things to break the flat roaming farmland that stretches to where the Carpathian Mountains meet the western sky.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The second half of PST flew by. I spent a lot of time with the friends I made and probably not enough time studying. Speaking is getting easier – though now that I’m at sight, I find it more difficult because I’m shy when I’m getting to know people. Hopefully I won’t lose too many of my language skills in these next few weeks.
After finding out the location of my site and meeting my counterparts, Carmen and Laura, I was excited to visit the town I’ll be living in for the next two years. The first day, we left early and visited Peles Castle. It was inhabited by King Carol and Queen Elizabeth early in the 20th century and it was a real treat to see the rooms inspired by different nations. My favorite room was the music room with Greek mythological characters painted on the walls followed closely by the library, complete with secret passage. On my site visit, I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I got to meet some British students who were on a summer trip here to work with Rroma and disabled youth. They do this every year, which I find admirable. I also got to see the city and had lunch at the deputy-director of the high school’s house. Everyone is so friendly and generous. Even though she had never met me, Doamna Stoica presented me with a wallet for my birthday. I look forward to working with her at the high school. I also got to visit a nearby resort town, Slanic Moldova, where it is said, if you drink from the (slightly sulfuric) water, your ills will be cured. It was a very quaint and picturesque site.
The two weeks back in our training city were quite hectic. We wanted to spend as much time with our American friends as possible before we all departed for our sites. One weekend there was a beer festival going on, complete with concerts and mici. Saturday we celebrated my birthday and that of another volunteer and one of my close friends, Annie. Sunday, some of my friends came over and we made some American comfort food: mac ‘n cheese. The next weekend we went camping again. This time 5 more volunteers joined us. I only went Saturday night because I was sick all day Friday (and had a practice speaking exam). It was fun, but since I was still sick, I didn’t have as much fun as I would have otherwise (especially when I was trying to sleep and people were singing at 4 in the morning).
The last week of training was extremely full of things to do. All we really wanted to do was study for our language exams but the professors tried to keep us entertained and engaged. Luckily, my exam was on Wednesday, so I was able to get it over with early, but on Tuesday my gazda invited some of my friends over for pizza, which put a dent in my study time. It didn’t affect my score though and it was fun. Thursday night, Katie slept over so we could get ready together to go to Bucuresti on Friday for swear-in. We were sworn-in at the Ambassador’s home, which was a very special experience. This was the first year that it took place there. The house and property are beautiful and the Ambassador and his wife are very gracious. The food was delicious and reminded us of the States! Friday night, one of the volunteers, Megan, had a party at her gazda. It was a wonderful last hoorah for all of us. We had a wonderful time celebrating.
Saturday and Sunday were spent packing and spending time with friends as people slowing trickled to their sites. We sent Katie and Ryan off Sunday evening and the rest of us left Monday. I took a maxi-taxi with Marta on Monday and Carmen picked me up from the station with all my bags. Since I’ve been at site, I’ve been settling in and meeting people. On Tuesday, I bought some kitchenware and made chicken ciorba (traditional sour soup) with Carmen. On Wednesday, I met Gabi and Marlena, some younger teachers at the high school. On Thursday, I went to the swimming pool with Gabi, Marlena and another teacher, Antonia. It was a lot of fun.
On Friday, Gabi and I hiked up into the hills surrounding the town. It is unbelievably gorgeous here! On Sunday, Carmen and I went to a barbecue with the director of School No. 7. He and his family are wonderful and his daughter is a senior at the high school and will probably become one of my good friends. I’ve already met some wonderful people and I’ve been here less than a week!
After finding out the location of my site and meeting my counterparts, Carmen and Laura, I was excited to visit the town I’ll be living in for the next two years. The first day, we left early and visited Peles Castle. It was inhabited by King Carol and Queen Elizabeth early in the 20th century and it was a real treat to see the rooms inspired by different nations. My favorite room was the music room with Greek mythological characters painted on the walls followed closely by the library, complete with secret passage. On my site visit, I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I got to meet some British students who were on a summer trip here to work with Rroma and disabled youth. They do this every year, which I find admirable. I also got to see the city and had lunch at the deputy-director of the high school’s house. Everyone is so friendly and generous. Even though she had never met me, Doamna Stoica presented me with a wallet for my birthday. I look forward to working with her at the high school. I also got to visit a nearby resort town, Slanic Moldova, where it is said, if you drink from the (slightly sulfuric) water, your ills will be cured. It was a very quaint and picturesque site.
The two weeks back in our training city were quite hectic. We wanted to spend as much time with our American friends as possible before we all departed for our sites. One weekend there was a beer festival going on, complete with concerts and mici. Saturday we celebrated my birthday and that of another volunteer and one of my close friends, Annie. Sunday, some of my friends came over and we made some American comfort food: mac ‘n cheese. The next weekend we went camping again. This time 5 more volunteers joined us. I only went Saturday night because I was sick all day Friday (and had a practice speaking exam). It was fun, but since I was still sick, I didn’t have as much fun as I would have otherwise (especially when I was trying to sleep and people were singing at 4 in the morning).
The last week of training was extremely full of things to do. All we really wanted to do was study for our language exams but the professors tried to keep us entertained and engaged. Luckily, my exam was on Wednesday, so I was able to get it over with early, but on Tuesday my gazda invited some of my friends over for pizza, which put a dent in my study time. It didn’t affect my score though and it was fun. Thursday night, Katie slept over so we could get ready together to go to Bucuresti on Friday for swear-in. We were sworn-in at the Ambassador’s home, which was a very special experience. This was the first year that it took place there. The house and property are beautiful and the Ambassador and his wife are very gracious. The food was delicious and reminded us of the States! Friday night, one of the volunteers, Megan, had a party at her gazda. It was a wonderful last hoorah for all of us. We had a wonderful time celebrating.
Saturday and Sunday were spent packing and spending time with friends as people slowing trickled to their sites. We sent Katie and Ryan off Sunday evening and the rest of us left Monday. I took a maxi-taxi with Marta on Monday and Carmen picked me up from the station with all my bags. Since I’ve been at site, I’ve been settling in and meeting people. On Tuesday, I bought some kitchenware and made chicken ciorba (traditional sour soup) with Carmen. On Wednesday, I met Gabi and Marlena, some younger teachers at the high school. On Thursday, I went to the swimming pool with Gabi, Marlena and another teacher, Antonia. It was a lot of fun.
On Friday, Gabi and I hiked up into the hills surrounding the town. It is unbelievably gorgeous here! On Sunday, Carmen and I went to a barbecue with the director of School No. 7. He and his family are wonderful and his daughter is a senior at the high school and will probably become one of my good friends. I’ve already met some wonderful people and I’ve been here less than a week!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
M.I.A.
Sorry I've been M.I.A. for the past couple weeks. Between learning Romanian, planning lessons and actually teaching children, I did not have the time nor energy to write. However, tomorrow is a big day in my Peace Corps journey. I find out where my site will be for the next two years. Tomorrow I will learn which community I will integrate into and call my home.
Therefore, I decided today would be a good time to reflect on my experience in Romania thus far. I have learned so much about the culture, the people and about myself in the last month and a half. People here continue to surprise me. I have been welcomed into a home and am treated as a daughter. The host families of my friends here have also welcomed many of us into their homes to share meals. The hospitality here constantly astounds me.
I am already experiences bittersweet feelings as the end of training looms. In a little over 4 weeks, my group will swear-in as Volunteers in Bucuresti and truly begin our service. I am looking forward to settling into my new site, but I am wary of no longer having the safety net of 43 other Americans. I have met some extremely intelligent and courageous people and made some wonderful new friends.
Since landing in Bucuresti, I've learned that I can, in fact, teach children English and I can communicate with someone without sharing a common language. I think the most important lesson I've learned so far is that it really isn't as scary to put yourself out there. You can't get anything you want unless you are willing to fall trying to get it. This experience is forcing me to push myself in ways I certainly didn't expect it to. Some things I thought would be difficult have been relatively painless so far. Other things surprise me in how I am affected by them. I am so grateful for every experience I've had and I hope to keep growing as this journey continues.
Therefore, I decided today would be a good time to reflect on my experience in Romania thus far. I have learned so much about the culture, the people and about myself in the last month and a half. People here continue to surprise me. I have been welcomed into a home and am treated as a daughter. The host families of my friends here have also welcomed many of us into their homes to share meals. The hospitality here constantly astounds me.
I am already experiences bittersweet feelings as the end of training looms. In a little over 4 weeks, my group will swear-in as Volunteers in Bucuresti and truly begin our service. I am looking forward to settling into my new site, but I am wary of no longer having the safety net of 43 other Americans. I have met some extremely intelligent and courageous people and made some wonderful new friends.
Since landing in Bucuresti, I've learned that I can, in fact, teach children English and I can communicate with someone without sharing a common language. I think the most important lesson I've learned so far is that it really isn't as scary to put yourself out there. You can't get anything you want unless you are willing to fall trying to get it. This experience is forcing me to push myself in ways I certainly didn't expect it to. Some things I thought would be difficult have been relatively painless so far. Other things surprise me in how I am affected by them. I am so grateful for every experience I've had and I hope to keep growing as this journey continues.
Monday, June 21, 2010
My First Teaching Experience
My morning began with my gazda mom asking me why I don't wear tight dresses. I had no answer for this.
This week I'm teaching a class of 5th graders with two of my friends, Sara and Freya. The school morning started with about 60 students and their concerned parents swarming into our classroom. We only had 30 desks and chairs so we had to send half the students home.
After the ruckus settled down, we were able to have a successful intro day. We spent the day doing activities to gauge the students' language levels.
I didn't know what to expect going into my first experience teaching young children. I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I was going to. The children were adorable and so curious and willing to learn. Even the students that did not have many language skills seemed to enjoy the activities. I hope the remainder of the week goes as smoothly.
Over dinner, my gazda mom and I had an hour long conversation (in Romanian mind you) about whether I will get married in Romania in the next two years. Then she proceeded to tell me that I need to marry a man who is clever and intelligent. When I suggested funny, she said no, a man who is serious. I'm not sure if that was a translation problem or a cultural difference. Now I think that maybe she was giving me a hint about my dresses this morning.
This week I'm teaching a class of 5th graders with two of my friends, Sara and Freya. The school morning started with about 60 students and their concerned parents swarming into our classroom. We only had 30 desks and chairs so we had to send half the students home.
After the ruckus settled down, we were able to have a successful intro day. We spent the day doing activities to gauge the students' language levels.
I didn't know what to expect going into my first experience teaching young children. I enjoyed myself much more than I thought I was going to. The children were adorable and so curious and willing to learn. Even the students that did not have many language skills seemed to enjoy the activities. I hope the remainder of the week goes as smoothly.
Over dinner, my gazda mom and I had an hour long conversation (in Romanian mind you) about whether I will get married in Romania in the next two years. Then she proceeded to tell me that I need to marry a man who is clever and intelligent. When I suggested funny, she said no, a man who is serious. I'm not sure if that was a translation problem or a cultural difference. Now I think that maybe she was giving me a hint about my dresses this morning.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Călătorie: Getting Out of Our City
Until now we have not been permitted to leave the county. This weekend each language class went on an Integrated Field Visit to the sites of current volunteers to gain a better understanding of what we should expect during our two years of service. My group and another language class went to a small mining town in the mountains of southern Transylvania.
My class took a “tren accelerat” to Bucureşti and walked around a gorgeous park with a giant outcropping of rock and beautiful gardens. We even picked some fruit from a Mulberry tree! We also got to see the Peoples’ Palace, built by Ceauşescu in 1983. This inspired another “I can’t believe I’m sitting on a lawn in Europe” moment.
We met up with the other language class to take a maxi-taxi to our destination. After fighting a lady for seats on the maxi-taxi, we rode about 60 kilometers out of Bucureşti before the maxi-taxi broke down. After waiting for a bus, switching to another maxi-taxi, playing rounds of 20 questions and weaving through a steep gorge, we arrived around 10:30 and were greeted by Joel, Andrew and some of their Romanian friends.
On Sunday, we went for a hike to a cabin in the mountains near the town. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so many insect bites in my life! The scenery was beautiful though and we had a fabulous time. At the cabin we got to meet some of Joel and Andres’s co-workers and community mentors. Everyone was extremely friendly and hospitable. They prepared what can only be called a feast for us with, as you can imagine, multiple types of meat, salad and bread. The highlight was pig back fat (slănină) which I tried, but I must say that I probably will not eat it again. We spent the entire day playing Frisbee and talking and learning from these amazing people. We also got to practice our Romanian!
Joel’s community mentor, Ledi, was the most memorable person I met this weekend. She has been extremely sick these past two years but she has still helped Joel integrate into the community; he is truly a part of her family. She is a very funny and loving woman who especially loves to give hugs and gain promises from us that we will return. Joel said that he eats dinner with her and her family at least once a week. One of my main goals during my service is to forge relationships like that with members of my community.
We got to visit Joel’s school on Monday. We met a few of his more skilled 7th and 8th grade students and walked around the town with some of them. We saw the coal mine where the majority of people in the town work. After communism fell, unemployment rose to almost 70% because so many people were employed by the mines. The students were extremely well-spoken, intelligent and genuinely interested in speaking to native English-speakers. Monday evening we had dinner with Andrew, his community mentor, Ernest, and Ledi. It was exciting to hear stories and learn more about Romanian culture. It was a wonderful experience to see how well Joel and Andrew have become part of their communities and successful volunteers.
Tuesday, we spent the entire day travelling. Our bus left late because the valley was closed and then it was slow and overcrowded, but that is just par for the course with Romanian transportation. Our bus got into Bucureşti late and we had to run through a downpour to make the last maxi-taxi of the day. We arrived home around 10:30 thoroughly exhausted.
My class took a “tren accelerat” to Bucureşti and walked around a gorgeous park with a giant outcropping of rock and beautiful gardens. We even picked some fruit from a Mulberry tree! We also got to see the Peoples’ Palace, built by Ceauşescu in 1983. This inspired another “I can’t believe I’m sitting on a lawn in Europe” moment.
We met up with the other language class to take a maxi-taxi to our destination. After fighting a lady for seats on the maxi-taxi, we rode about 60 kilometers out of Bucureşti before the maxi-taxi broke down. After waiting for a bus, switching to another maxi-taxi, playing rounds of 20 questions and weaving through a steep gorge, we arrived around 10:30 and were greeted by Joel, Andrew and some of their Romanian friends.
On Sunday, we went for a hike to a cabin in the mountains near the town. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so many insect bites in my life! The scenery was beautiful though and we had a fabulous time. At the cabin we got to meet some of Joel and Andres’s co-workers and community mentors. Everyone was extremely friendly and hospitable. They prepared what can only be called a feast for us with, as you can imagine, multiple types of meat, salad and bread. The highlight was pig back fat (slănină) which I tried, but I must say that I probably will not eat it again. We spent the entire day playing Frisbee and talking and learning from these amazing people. We also got to practice our Romanian!
Joel’s community mentor, Ledi, was the most memorable person I met this weekend. She has been extremely sick these past two years but she has still helped Joel integrate into the community; he is truly a part of her family. She is a very funny and loving woman who especially loves to give hugs and gain promises from us that we will return. Joel said that he eats dinner with her and her family at least once a week. One of my main goals during my service is to forge relationships like that with members of my community.
We got to visit Joel’s school on Monday. We met a few of his more skilled 7th and 8th grade students and walked around the town with some of them. We saw the coal mine where the majority of people in the town work. After communism fell, unemployment rose to almost 70% because so many people were employed by the mines. The students were extremely well-spoken, intelligent and genuinely interested in speaking to native English-speakers. Monday evening we had dinner with Andrew, his community mentor, Ernest, and Ledi. It was exciting to hear stories and learn more about Romanian culture. It was a wonderful experience to see how well Joel and Andrew have become part of their communities and successful volunteers.
Tuesday, we spent the entire day travelling. Our bus left late because the valley was closed and then it was slow and overcrowded, but that is just par for the course with Romanian transportation. Our bus got into Bucureşti late and we had to run through a downpour to make the last maxi-taxi of the day. We arrived home around 10:30 thoroughly exhausted.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Universal Language
I spent most of today studying Romanian. When I stop to think about it, the creation and spread of different languages is an extremely interesting phenomenon. The ability to communicate with a vast vocabulary and complex sentence structure is something uniquely human. Two people look at an object or contemplate a concept and think of a word that was assigned to that object or concept thousands of years ago.
It is also amazing how much we can communicate with very little shared communication. My gazda and I can have relatively complex and intelligent conversations using my broken Romanian and their smattering of English words. Though trying to explain concepts of early American history in Romanian to a Romanian is not really something a beginner in the language should attempt.
In the two weeks I’ve lived with my gazda I’ve also come to greatly appreciate the universal language of music. Most of the music they listen to in Romania is the western based popular artists that we know in the US – they really love Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Even most Romanian music artists sing in English – though I’m not sure if they know the language or not. I’ve been enjoying getting to know some Romanian artists and their songs as well as some Romanian “Popular” (traditional) music.
It is also amazing how much we can communicate with very little shared communication. My gazda and I can have relatively complex and intelligent conversations using my broken Romanian and their smattering of English words. Though trying to explain concepts of early American history in Romanian to a Romanian is not really something a beginner in the language should attempt.
In the two weeks I’ve lived with my gazda I’ve also come to greatly appreciate the universal language of music. Most of the music they listen to in Romania is the western based popular artists that we know in the US – they really love Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Even most Romanian music artists sing in English – though I’m not sure if they know the language or not. I’ve been enjoying getting to know some Romanian artists and their songs as well as some Romanian “Popular” (traditional) music.
Monday, May 31, 2010
On the Farm
This weekend I went with my gazda parents to the country house where my gazda dad’s parents live. The most significant thing I noticed was the continuity with which they live inside and outside of the house. The stove (aragoz) was in something akin to a screened-in porch, but all the dishwashing was done in bowls outside on a table using boiled well water. I could say that life on a family farm seems simpler, but it is a lot of work. I was incredibly impressed by my 80 year old gazda grandmother (bunică) killing chickens, chasing the dog and pumping water from the well, while still having time to cook meals. My gazda mom was extremely busy the entire weekend as well. There was always something to do and when I tried to help, I was told I was the daughter (frată) and therefore should read the book I was told to bring - I read about 3/4 of it.
I did get to help feed the pigs and chickens - which just comprised of throwing the left over food into the pens - and was barked at a lot by their giant dog – Motu, who really looked more like a lion. They also have a large vegetable garden where they grow their own onions, tomatoes, dill, cucumbers and spinach. They are incredibly self-sufficient. My gazda dad is a beekeeper - or as his nephew put it, he likes to play around with BEES!! - Which proved to be dangerous because on Sunday my gazda bunică was stung three times!
My gazda grandfather (bunic) is wheelchair-bound, so we amused ourselves by him asking me if there are bugs and crows in America. His favorite pastime was pointing at an object and saying the Romanian word, which I would repeat and then say the English word. Did he have any interest in saying the English word? No, I suspect he was just checking to make sure the object did, in fact, exist in the English speaking world.
Another exciting "new" experience was taking a shower that did not involve buckets of water – though it was my first adventure with putting wood in a furnace to heat the water. I don’t think anyone even wants to hear about the toilet situation, so I'll leave it at that. Just another Peace Corps thing I’ll have to get used to.
On Sunday morning (dimineaţă)I accompanied my gazda mom to the cemetery to put flowers and candles at her parents' graves. While there, I had the chance to observe two widows singing what I assume to be an Orthodox mourning hymn. The experience made me both curious and uncomfortable.
This morning I got to observe the English teaching methods of two elementary school English teachers. Everyone in Romania is extremely generous - the two teachers even made breakfast pastries and coffee for us. The 5th and 6th grade children were very energetic to learn - the 5th grade class even asked for out autographs! Last Friday, we got to observe a couple high school classes and it may not be surprising that the high schoolers were much more shy about speaking in front of guests. The smaller children were adorable and since I may be teaching students from 5th grade to high school, it is good to observe a variety of possible teaching tricks - since that is still what I'm most concerned about developing during Pre-Service Training (PST).
Friday, May 28, 2010
Through the Looking Glass
The Romanian word for mirror is oglindă. For some reason, my love of musicals makes me want to call it galinda. After my first few dyslexic attempts, I finally tried to explain The Wizard of Oz to my gazda mom. This task proved to be somewhere between highly unlikely and impossible. My gazda mom’s issues with the “galinda” concept: 1) Witchcraft, in all forms is bad, and intelligent educated people do not believe in it. 2) “In Romania” there is no such thing as a good witch; therefore Glinda could not have been a good witch. 3) There is no good reason to make a film about witchcraft; therefore The Wizard of Oz must not be a good film. After assuring my gazda mom that I did not, in fact, believe in witchcraft, I dropped the subject and was content watching the Eurovision contest. (I decided it would be a really bad idea to bring up the flying monkeys).
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Romanian Lessons
This week I started learning Romanian. I’ve always been somewhat of a language dork but I’m already enjoying more (and doing significantly better) than my foray into Chinese a few years ago. The way Peace Corps teaches language is through conversation. Our teachers, who are all extremely talented and knowledgeable Romanian natives, do not use any English to teach our lessons. We learn through pictures, activities and exaggerated pantomime. A lot of their lessons will be useful when I’m planning my own lessons for next year. I even enjoy the homework, even if I haven’t done a worksheet since high school. Today we learned some classroom words like chair (scoun) and paper (hârtie). The most entertaining moment was when another volunteer said she remembers thank you (cu plăcere) as “cup of cherries.”
Obviously, I’m having a lot of fun learning the language. I’m more concerned with the actual teaching component of this whole situation. There are a lot of volunteers that have experience teaching, and even experience teaching English as a foreign for second language. I’m not sure how my tutoring skills with help me with this, but the Peace Corps seems well equipped to prepare well, as long as I take initiative.
Every time I shower in Romania I get better at actually washing all the shampoo out of my hair. Bathing requires my gazda mom to boil pots of water to put in a bowl in the bathroom. Then I stand in the tub and use a large plastic mug to wash. Needless to say, my hair has looked relatively greasy the past few days. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. I have absolutely no problem bathing this way (although I’m not sure how the boiled water stays so scalding hot for so long). I’m thinking of this as practice for next winter when the water turns freezing right after I take it off the stove.
Obviously, I’m having a lot of fun learning the language. I’m more concerned with the actual teaching component of this whole situation. There are a lot of volunteers that have experience teaching, and even experience teaching English as a foreign for second language. I’m not sure how my tutoring skills with help me with this, but the Peace Corps seems well equipped to prepare well, as long as I take initiative.
Every time I shower in Romania I get better at actually washing all the shampoo out of my hair. Bathing requires my gazda mom to boil pots of water to put in a bowl in the bathroom. Then I stand in the tub and use a large plastic mug to wash. Needless to say, my hair has looked relatively greasy the past few days. I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. I have absolutely no problem bathing this way (although I’m not sure how the boiled water stays so scalding hot for so long). I’m thinking of this as practice for next winter when the water turns freezing right after I take it off the stove.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Life With My Gazda
Saturday morning, the Peace Corps staff put out place cards at tables in a speed dating-type set-up. All the volunteers waited anxiously with our odd-numbered bouquets (even numbers are reserved for funerals). I met my gazda mom, Florentina, and a sudden downpour required us to take a taxi; my two enormous suitcases in tow. For the next eleven weeks, I will be living in an apartment with her and her husband. She is a very sweet lady and is just as excited to be learning some English as she is to help me learn Romanian. We spent a few hours flipping through English/Romanian dictionaries and pointing to objects around the house (casă). I got to practice my Romanian some more by insisting that I was indeed full (m-am săturat) thank you (mulţumesc) after she adamantly served me a large meal only a few hours after the insanely large lunch at the hotel. (I have yet to have a meal in Romania that did not have at least two servings of meat).
Today, Florentina and I walked around the city and she showed me how to get to school tomorrow. We walked through the market (piaţă) at the center of town. Small town markets with stalls of fresh produce, meat and bread is so indicative of the differences between many European towns and most of the United States. I’m excited to go back and explore the market more once my Romanian is better and I’ve learned how to barter. Florentina was excited to explain her “American volunteer” to anyone who questioned my presence.
We walked through the center of town, passing many Orthodox churches (bisericăs) and a monastery. Florentina also showed me the town park with a lake full of frogs (broascăs) and statues of Romanian kings.
My geeky-ness (or twmp-ness, if you will) is coming out, but I'm really excited to start language training tomorrow. Most of the time, I can figure out from context what people are trying to tell me, but I can’t wait to be able to communicate without using a lot of hand motions.
The view from my bedroom window is really gorgeous; you can see beyond the apartment buildings to the hills on the edge of town. As you can see, România becomes beautiful countryside very quickly when you leave town.
Today, Florentina and I walked around the city and she showed me how to get to school tomorrow. We walked through the market (piaţă) at the center of town. Small town markets with stalls of fresh produce, meat and bread is so indicative of the differences between many European towns and most of the United States. I’m excited to go back and explore the market more once my Romanian is better and I’ve learned how to barter. Florentina was excited to explain her “American volunteer” to anyone who questioned my presence.
We walked through the center of town, passing many Orthodox churches (bisericăs) and a monastery. Florentina also showed me the town park with a lake full of frogs (broascăs) and statues of Romanian kings.
My geeky-ness (or twmp-ness, if you will) is coming out, but I'm really excited to start language training tomorrow. Most of the time, I can figure out from context what people are trying to tell me, but I can’t wait to be able to communicate without using a lot of hand motions.
The view from my bedroom window is really gorgeous; you can see beyond the apartment buildings to the hills on the edge of town. As you can see, România becomes beautiful countryside very quickly when you leave town.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Big Changes
I’ve been planning and preparing for this major change for nine months, yet I still feel woefully unprepared and a bit apprehensive. I know that my eleven weeks of training will prepare me adequately for assimilating to Romanian culture and teaching English to Romanian children. But even with those assurances in mind, I have yet to really wrap my head around the fact that I am actually, finally in
Luckily, there are 44 other people who are in the exact same boat as I am. We are already on our way to forming a Peace Corps Romania family. I have met quite a few interested (yet intimidating) people. The diversity of our group will be an asset during our training process and beyond into our service.
After a long day and a half of travel, I had some time to explore a few blocks around the hotel. I’ve already experienced the wild dogs that roam the city streets, the adorable park complete with bronze statues of
Monday, May 17, 2010
Inaugural Post
I'm enjoying my last night at home with some friends. I fly to Chicago tomorrow for Staging and then fly to Bucharest on Wednesday. I will be trying to update this blog with interesting experiences I'm having and people I'm meeting. So please stay tuned!
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