Easter 2011

My student, Flori’s, family was kind enough to invite me to their house in Apa Asau to celebrate a traditional Romanian Easter (Paste-Pah-shtay). They were extremely generous hosts as the four days I spent in the country with Flori and her family were filled with wonderful food and interesting experiences. On Friday evening I got to see where Flori’s family keeps their sheep in addition to watching the cows milked and chickens fed.
On Saturday, I chopped potatoes to make Salata de beuf and tried a piece of beef heart that was going to be added to the salad. Saturday at midnight is when the Romanian Orthodox church service is attended. Flori, her father and I went to the church and got candles to light for the service. The priest sang some hymns and said what I assume is a benediction while standing outside the church and then the entire congregation walks around the church. It was very interesting and I’m sure I looked a little concerned and very out of place.

Sunday morning, I was greeted with a hot cup of fresh milk and some cozonac (traditional Romanian sweet bread) made by Flori’s grandmother. When Flori and her brother woke up we washed our faces with water from a jug that had a traditional Romanian painted egg (red) and some change (bani) in it. It is for luck. Around 11, we had our big meal of the day, including beef stew, racituri (pieces of chicken in concealed pig jelly from the bones of the head of feet – sounds delicious I know), and grilled lamb.

Easter is a very important holiday in Romania and people also celebrate the two days after Easter Sunday, which led to more days off school! It was so wonderful to compare these traditions to my own and Flori’s family was also very interested in the differences between our two cultures.

Springtime

Spring has finally arrived in the Trotuş Valley. Although it was snowing the week of “Mărţişor,” the Romanian spring holiday, a month later, I am now enjoying birds chirping and flowers blooming. Here in Comaneşti, March really did come in like a lion with the last snow fall of the season. March 1, or Mărţişor, celebrates the beginning of spring. Children bring good luck charms tied with red and white thread to the adults in their lives. As a teacher I received many charms from my students in all different shapes: snowdrops, clovers and chimneysweeps are all traditional symbols of luck. I also received a ladybug (buburuză) pin from the Assistant Director of the high school that I have been wearing on my jacket collar and have collected many compliments about.
A week later on March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Day. Again I received many flowers and small gifts from my students. We had a luncheon at the high school and I was able to practice my Romanian. At the end of the month, I took a weekend trip to Braşov. About three hours from here, Braşov is a popular tourist destination, touting Bran Castle as one of the real Dracula, Vlad Tepeş’, castles. I spent the weekend with two other volunteers at a youth hostel near the old city center. We visited the Black Church and wandered through the shops in this historic square. The days were warm and sunny, perfect for people watching and enjoying each other’s company. The hostel was a pleasant experience and we met some fellow travelers from Australia, Spain and the UK.

This past week has been full of new and exciting experiences. Last Friday, I was introduced to the town’s Habitat for Humanity organization by a fellow volunteer. My counterpart is a volunteer on the Board for the organization and is helping me become more involved. On Monday evening we were invited to have dinner with some Global Village volunteers who were here this week to work on a house. I was able to meet and get to know 11 students and two teachers from the American School of Dubai. They were all very excited to be here and very interested in volunteering. On Wednesday, I was able to meet with them again and even spend some time working on the house that Habitat is building in Moineşti, a neighboring town. I’m looking forward to working more closely with Habitat Comaneşti.

New Year and Semester's End

I had a surprising and eventful New Year. Three of my fellow volunteers descended on my small town for a few days of relaxation, great food and, what else, more Bear Dances. The "Revelion" tradition of the Bear Dance is localized in the Trotus Valley where I live. Only in this little section of Romanian does this reenactment of an ancient struggle between wild bears and the native Dacian population of the area.

Many young men dress in full bear skins, which I'm told are incredible heavy and difficult to maneuver in. Others dress as "gypsies" and others still wear scary masks to ward off evil spirits from entering the New Year. The human half of this dance is lead by a man dressed as a drum major leading the drummer in a distinct rhythm and chanting session. Dances go on for about 10 to 15 minutes, with all the participants constantly moving in an intricate back and forth between the "people" and the "bears." My town had a competition which included dances from many neighboring villages.

For New Year's Eve, my friends and I, went up to Bacau, the capitol of the county I live in. Three other volunteers live there and we had more delicious food (some wonderful curry dish and spanakopita) and a really great time.

Going back to school after having such a great holiday was difficult, but the kids definitely make it worth while. With the start of the New Year, I also started some new projects. After my first foray into assigning my high school students essays, I've decided that I'm going make that a reoccurring project for them. Similarly, I've started a more advanced writing workshop for some of them as well as an English Club that will meet once a week. I've also started an English Club at the middle school and am still trying to decide how large a group can feasibly attend.

These past couple weeks I've also gotten my first taste of Romanian grading. I've worked hard to mesh what I've learned of the Romanian system with what I think works from the American system I'm more familiar with. For example, Romanian students receive grades on a 1 to 10 scale so my students were surprised to receive zeros when they did not turn in their essays (their grades were subsequently changes after they did turn in the essays, though they were deducted for turning them in late.) Another difference is that Romanian grades are all written down in a "Catalogue." Each class of students has all their lessons together and all their grades go in the same book. It is intimidating to write my grades in the Catalogues because if I mess up I have to get my mistake signed and stamped by the Directoara (Principal) of the school.

This week is the end of my first semester as a teacher here in Comanesti. Next week we have our semester break and I'm going to Rome with three of my friends. I'm very excited and plan to eat wonderful food, see amazing things and have a great time with my friends.