Test Your Skills

We all know that America is the greatest country in the world, right? Well, how much do you know about our beloved U.S. of A? Here's a chance to find out. The OMI (see previous post) turned me on to the "Great American Civics Quiz". Check it out at:

http://www.bbhq.com/civquiz.htm

I scored a 46, which is considered to be very good. Post your score in the comments section and remember, no cheating!

Takin' you back

Inspired by my friend, colleague and fellow Manele fan, Steve, I've decided to disregard any previous self-imposed obligation to keep this blog going in chronological order. Anything goes now. Sounds so rebellious. Anyway, Steve is an entertaining writer with a quick wit. He also has photos to share. So if you want to see what someone else's life is like here in Romania, check out the "One Man Invasion" at:

http://mangat.blogspot.com/

Steve's also known to comment on various topics ranging from politics to 76ers basketball and he posts some very interesting videos and links now and then. Check it out.

I promise I'm getting nothing out of this from him. However, he is the commissioner of the the PC Romania Fantasy Football Fiesta, so a little sucking up never hurts.

Anyway, we'll being with a mountain theme, as I was on plenty of them during the month of September. Here are some photos of our trip to the summit of Mt. Postavarul in Poiana Brasov. Delia was our fearless leader and guide. She's a good one.


Victor, Ica, Me and Gene atop Mt. Postavarul, Poiana Brasov - 1804 meters



1804 meters? Confirmed. Thats 5919 feet for you folks back home. And just down the road a bit from Codlea. Or should I say up?



A view of Mt. Postavarul from my street taken last winter.



The whole crew, pre-summit.



And on the way back down, dinner at Coliba Haiducilor. Translation: The Outlaws' Hut.



Outlaws eat (and drink) well in Romania. 10 year old tucia, Ursus Premium, Mamaliga and Tochitura Vanatoresc (Hunters' Stew)

Busy or Lazy?

I don't really even know myself. I am still struggling to find the time to keep this blog up to date with photos, stories, etc. Maybe I've been here too long and things just don't seem interesting enough to write about anymore. The extraordinary has become the ordinary in many ways. This is a selfish attitude in a way, because despite my delinquency, I know that many of you continue to have an interest in what is going on with this blog.

I mean, I'm almost 2 months behind. The hole is getting deeper. I was even considering posting a message that the blog would be going on hiatus. But I won't do it dammit!

I just finished week 5 of school. It's not easy. 6th-8th graders have a lot of energy and I have to bring a lot of it myself to keep them interested and engaged. the language barrier is an issue as well. I speak in Romanian half of the time. I'm constantly translating and speaking in two languages. Also, the place is a zoo. Kids running around unsupervised all of the time, screaming, yelling and beating the crap out of each other; and I'm not just talking about the concrete playground/jungle in the back of the school. However, I am fortunate enough to have my own room to teach in, thus they behave themselves, for the most part, when they're with me. Is it because I carry around a wooden pointer stick all of the time? Because I'm 6'4", 220 pounds? Because I yell at them in two languages? You be the judge.

I've got some really good kids, but I've also got some rough and rude ones. This is a neighborhood school, not a magnet school, if you will, like Hogas was. Thus, I deal with a mix of the good and bad. The unfortunate thing is that the "bad" ones are not really bad kids. Many of them are quite intelligent. Unfortunately, the root problem lies at home. Parents separated, divorced, indifferent, poverty, etc. Same story, different country. This is a universal theme. We're all human beings and essentially deal with the same societal problems, just in different contexts. What's the lesson? Pay attention to your kids, make sure that Mom and Dad are both around and educate them at home as well. Teachers are not babysitters or psychologists....but sometimes we have to be. This is the burden we carry. Many of us care too much.

Everything's okay

This is a quick note to those of you that may be wondering why I haven't posted an entry in a while. I just haven't found the time. That's it. Life is just fine here. Relaxing and relatively stress-free (depending how the animals at school are behaving. At least I don't live there...god that sounds weird...I can't beleive that I actually lived inside of a school...aye.). Ica and Victor are well. Novac the dog and the cats are living the good life. Stay tuned for a photo review of the month of September. There's alot to post. Go Bears!

Yes I Am

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 80% Iron Man 55% Supergirl 52% Robin 50% Batman 50% Wonder Woman 47% Catwoman 40% Hulk 40% Green Lantern 35% Spider-Man 30% The Flash 30%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

An early dose of autumn

*This post was finished on Sunday, September 3rd

Thursday, 08/31/06:

Hi. It's pretty cold and rainy here in the Brasov area today. Yesterday was about the same. There's been a drastic temperature change within the past week. Just a week ago I was playing football on the beach, working on my tan. Today I'm wearing long sleeves, pants and my rain jacket. Delia and Gene got here last Friday and are out sightseeing. I decided to take a break today. Good thing because the weather sucks.

Anyway, some comments on the two photos.

1) My dinner at Sura Dacilor restaurant in Poiana Brasov. "Hunters' Stew" with mamaliga, tomato and cucumber salad and a Silva dark beer. Mmm. Hot tuica and ciorba was consumed with much pleasure before the main course. Delia, Ica, Gene and myself hiked from the old city in Brasov up to the ski resort area Poiana Brasov. That meal really hit the spot after a day of sightseeing and hiking.

2) Saint Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church in the Schei neigborhood of Brasov. The church dates back to the 15th century. I had never been to the Schei area before. Adjacent to the old medieval fortified city, it's tucked into a small valley and contains old houses, narrow streets, etc. You can still picture what it must have been like to live there 100 - 150 years ago.

3) That's me, Gene, Delia and Mihai (nephew of Delia's friend Geta) at Cheile Rasnovului (Rasnov Gorge), a big rock climbing park near Brasov. The photo was taken by Geta. We also went to Bran castle, after which the weather took a turn for the worse.

4) PC Romania Group 20 Fantasy Football Draft 2006, Mangalia. The few, the proud, the GMs of PCRO FFL. By far the best draft I have ever participated in. We were in a conference room at the top of the hotel. A view of the Black Sea, microphones for each participant with audio piped over an intercom system, a hired hand to handle the writing of the picks on poster paper, what more could you want? It was so fun that we all wanted to do it again the next day.

So, a lot has happened this summer. Here's a brief rundown. The teaching practicum in Ploiesti ended in late June. I had a great time there during that two week period and felt like I was able to help the staff make their site placement decisions. I also conducted a safety and security session for the new group. My colleague and friend Mandy helped me out with this. Overall, it was a very effective and rewarding experience for me and I'm glad I did it.

July 2nd to the 23rd was the trip back home. I spent a week in Austin with Sarah and the rest of the time in the Chicago area. Highlights: Mexican food, minor league baseball, buying lots of books at Borders, party in Plainfield. Lowlight: the nasty sinus/respiratory infection I contracted during the last week. It literally took more than 4 weeks before it totally left my system. I could go on and on about how wonderful it was to be back home, be with Sarah and spend time with family and friends, but I don't think that's necessary. Let's just say that, even though my life here has drastically improved and I love Ica and Victor, I can't wait to get back home.

After returning to Codlea, I spent the next two weeks recovering from my illness. I didn't do much, but did make progress getting settled in. I bought a desk, made arrangements to have internet installed at home, organized all of my stuff, etc. I had a lot of reading time as well, which was very nice.

August 5th -11th was the trip to Germany. Waaay to short. I could spend weeks in that country zipping around on trains. I stayed with my friends Ovidiu and Brindusa (they're with me in the first pic in the last blog post) in Wurzburg and made day trips to Bamberg and Nuremberg. Highlights: Wurzburg wine, smoked "Rauchbier" from Bamberg, Bratwurst, former Nazi Party rally grounds and museum in Nuremburg, beautiful medieval cathedrals and castles, clean streets, seeing Ovidiu and Brindusa. Lowlight: Weather (it was cold and rainy much of the time) and leaving (I really liked Germany).

I then returned to Codlea for 10 days. Again, I continued to get settled in, organized, etc. The internet got installed, finally. I met with the former volunteer at school #2 as well as the vice director and an English teacher. We discussed the situation, expecations, etc. After that, my friend Stephen came to stay with us for a couple of days before we left for the PC mid service training conference in Mangalia, a city on the Black Sea coast and just north of the border with Bulgaria.

We arrived in Mangalia after a 12 1/2 hour train trip and proceeded immediately to the bar to get reaquainted with out collagues. The 3 days in Mangalia were a lot of fun. Highlights: two games of flag football on the beach, fantasy football draft, hotel room parties, swimming everyday, sun, seeing everyone together again, a session on corruption with the economic advisor from the U.S. Embassy. Lowlights: not enough sleep, forgetting my phone in the hotel room (I got it back the other day ), and again, leaving. It was way too short. A week on the beach would have been nice.

I returned to Codlea on Thursday night the 24th. Delia and Gene arrived the following day. I drove to the airport with Tavi that day to pick them up. They'll be here until the 10th. It's been really nice to spend time with them and get to know "my sister". She calls me "brother". It's cool. Unfortunately, I'm not able to go on any hiking trips with them. I've got to get ready for school.

Sunday, September 3:

So, that brings us to the present. I'll go to school tomorrow and meet the director and any teachers who happen to be around. I'm not exactly sure what will happen after that. Probably nothing much. After that, I have to take a bunch of documents to the police station in Piatra Neamt so they can issue me a document confirming that I don't live there anymore. After that, I have to take all of the documents to the police station in Brasov so they can issue me another document that acknowledges the address change. This document will act as a sort of addendum to my ID card. Having to go all the way back to Piatra Neamt to do this is a pain in the rear. However, it will be nice to see Oana, Radu and Brindusa. Ovidiu will still be in Germany.

School officially starts on the 15th, which is a Friday. I won't have much to do that day, as there will be an "opening ceremony" but no classes. Classes start on Monday, September 18th. I think I'll spend the first week observing classes while they get the schedule worked out. The schedule is never set before school starts. I'll be lucky if it's set after week one.

Today I'm going to take Novac the dog on a walk up the hill and into the forest. After that I'll iron some shirts, watch Brazil vs. Argentina with Victor and do an English lesson with Ica. I guess you could say that today is the last day of vacation for me. It's a strange feeling to have to go back to work after all of this time off. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

Until next time,
Scott

Hooray!

I've got internet at home! So, to celebrate, I've posted some photos that are representative of the past 6 weeks of my life. The photos appear in reverse order. And remember, you can click on a photo to enlarge it if you'd like. Enjoy!

Catching up

Whew! I'm busy. I still haven't found enough time to write about my travels this summer. Soon enough. I got back from Germany last Saturday and now I'm off to the Black Sea coast for a PC conference next week. I'll take a night train late Sunday and arrive in the city of Mangalia around 8am. I'll be so close to Bulgaria (less than 15 miles). I wish I could go. Oh well, I hope to get there eventually. Anyway, my country director asked me to write a welcome letter for the 2 new groups of volunteers that will be arriving here in 2007. It will be included, amongst others, in the "Welcome Book" that all accepted applicants receive before they report to the staging event and depart for Romania. I'm glad to have the opportunity to write such a letter. Here it is:

This is an exciting time to be a PC Volunteer in Romania! Welcome! At this point you're probably wondering what material items to bring. Follow the suggestions in this book and you'll be just fine (especially if you bring a laptop). More important than material things however are patience and open-mindedness. These essential "items" will help you to be a successful and HAPPY volunteer.

Your eyes (and ears) can deceive you here in Romania. On the surface, many things will seem familiar to you. Most people under the age of 30 will want to and be able to speak English with you. You may have cable TV and high-speed internet in your apartment. Your host family may own a new European import car. Many people will dress like you. You'll ride on a modern train from time to time. On occasion, you may even have pizza delivered to your place. However, as volunteers, most of our challenges here exist below the surface. During your staging event, the PC staff will introduce to you the "Iceberg" concept. Pay close attention to this. The cultural differences between Romania and the U.S. are vast.

As I write this letter, Romania is poised to become a full-fledged member of the European Union. However, less than 20 years ago this country was enduring its fifth decade of one of the most oppressive communist dictatorships that has ever existed. Before that, Romania was mostly a land of rural peasants to whom democracy was a foreign concept. This is a society in transition.

In my opinion, our biggest challenge as PC volunteers here in Romania is to not let the cultural impediments that exist because of the past prevent us from doing our job, which is to help the Romanian people build a better future. It's not easy, but hey, it's the PC. I encourage you to learn as much as you possibly can about Romania's history and culture both before and during your service. Read, talk to Romanians, travel, etc. These things, combined with a concerted effort to learn the Romanian language, will undoubtedly help you to assimilate and have both a pleasant and productive life here in Romania.

Challenges aside, Romania is a country rich in cultural and geographical diversity. Mountains, beaches, medieval towns and castles, Roman ruins, festivals all year round; Romania is a major European tourist destination just waiting to happen! You're going to have a lot of fun here, I guarantee it. Oh yeah, and did I mention all of the great friends you're going to make here, both fellow volunteers and host country nationals? You're going to get so much out of this experience, both personally and professionally. I wish you all the best! Noroc!

Scott Fenwick
TEFL, Group 20

Indoor Plumbing....Or Lack Thereof

Hi folks. I'm dirty. I haven't bathed in almost 48 hours. Codlea hasn't had running water since Monday morning. Flyers were posted around town saying that the water would be turned off from 9am to 9pm Monday. Ha. I knew better than that. I have to dump a bucket of water down the toilet to get my turds to go down. Nice, huh? I also have to go to Bucharest tomorrow for my annual physical. I bet Dr. Dan would love to examine me after 3 days without a bath. And did I mention the 90+ degree heat? My PCV friend Andrew arrived last night for a visit with his American girlfriend. I really enjoyed saying, "Hi, nice to meet you. By the way, we have no running water. We've got a brand new car, big television set, etc., but no running water. Here's a bucket. You'll know what to do." Such is life here in Romania - "land of contrasts"....

I'm Back

It's been a long time, and there's a lot to put down here. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now. I'll try to post a summary of everthing that's happened during the past month soon.

I arrived in Codlea last Sunday night after 24 hours of travel. I got a sinus infection during my last week in the US and it has now morphed into bronchitis as well. The Dr. I saw in the US prescribed the wrong medication. So, now I've got some new drugs and I'm supposed to go to Bucharest next Wednesday for my annual physical. I'm going to Germany next Saturday for a week, so I need to be healthy.

I'm in the process of trying to get internet installed at home. I'm not sure how long that will take. In the meantime, I'll use the internet cafe here in Codlea.

A short note before I go. To all of my friends and family I saw during my vacation at home: I love you all and want to thank you for taking the time to see me, no matter the duration. It really meant a lot to me, especially all of you who came out to Plainfield for the party. That was so great! I'm just sorry that I didn't have more time to speak with everyone individually. In good time I guess.

Training Again

But this time i'm the other side of things. So I made it down to Ploiesti last Sunday after moving the rest of my stuff to Codlea. Radu and Oana stayed in Codlea with us on Saturday and left on Sunday. I'm staying in a true two-star Romanian hotel, the Hotel Nord, in a not so interesting part of town (I'm being very politically correct here). Romania's petroleum industry is primarily located in Ploiesti, and the first oil well in the world was started here. Walking around town, I had to wonder where all the oil money had gone....

After I arrived, I took a stroll down an avenue of neverending blocs and found the center of the city, which has a population of about 300,000. There I had some McDonalds (mmm) and then headed back home for the evening. My fellow volunteer and friend Mandy picked me up at the hotel Monday morning and we went to the school to start day one of 10 of our teaching practicum observations. Man, it was like looking in the mirror. I remember how clueles and nervous we all were last summer. However, by the end of the week I saw some substantial progress and improvement on their part.

All in all, in was a fun and productive week. I was able to meet a lot of the new volunteers, got the hang of evaluating them, hung out with some of my old language teachers and fellow group members, etc. I'm looking forward to next week, although it will be busier as I have to submit individual reports for each TEFL trainee, participate in a site placement meeting, and conduct a safety and security technical session with the entire group of trainees. That last task should be interesting. I'm sure they'll all be riveted. I'll try to keep it short. Normally, our Safety and Security Director would conduct such a session, but he asked me to do him a favor because he couldn't be there. Also, I'm a new member of the Safety and Security Committee, but I'm not sure if this makes me qualified or not. So, I'll just show a power point presentation and use the notes he provided me.

Ploiesti kind of grew on me. I like it there. Lots of beer gardens. Although I'm not sure how I'd feel if there weren't a bunch of Americans and PC staff around all of the time. Next Friday should be fun, as the TEFL trainees will probably all be ready to party after they finish the teaching practicum. I'll take a train to Bucharest next Saturday afternoon and stay at a pensiune near the airport. I've got to be at the airport at 4am next Sunday. I think that I'm scheduled to land in Houston around 2pm CST.

I'm in Codlea right now. I got here last night around 6:15. Got up this morning and realized I left my speakers and MP3 player at the hotel. Nice. Luckily, I called and they found the items and will hold them until I return tomorrow night. Very surprising, as I thought for sure the items would be in some bazaar by now. I tried to do some laundry this morning in preparation for next week and the trip home, but alas, the whole town is without water right now. I hope that it's working when I go back the house. I really need to get my laundry done before I leave tomorrow afternoon. Hard to believe that I'll be in the U.S. in 8 days. It's kind of freaking me out a bit, as I've got a lot of traveling and things to do in a short period of time.

Year One - Mission Accomplished

You know, teaching generally is a thankless job. As a PC Volunteer and first-time teacher it's especially hard to measure whether you've done your job or not. I've had moments where I've thought, "Yeah, good job on that one", but for the most part you don't really know. You just have to have faith that one day some of these kids will remember you and think, "Oh yeah, I remember that the American taught me this, that, etc.". I think that you get the picture.

The process of leaving Hogas High hasn't been easy. Yesterday I kept asking myself if I had succeeded, dealing with bouts of uncertainty and wondering if it was all worth it. Well, today I got my validation. The class pictured above, 10D (11D after tomorrow) gave me a letter today. It reads:


The 13th of June, 2006
Piatra Neamt

Dear Scott,

In these moments a good letter beginning is not enough, but we want to show you, by this letter, that this year we learned a lot from you. Many times, as teenagers, we wanted to have a teacher like you. Someone with who we could talk to not only about school, but also about our "problematic" life and about our position in Romania. You made us understand that above all we learn at Hogas, we have the power to change the future - by will and by voluntary actions.

You see, we're telling you this because we're really sorry you have to leave. If there's one thing we won't forget about our classes together, it's your understanding. Because, as you know, many of our teachers sometimes ask too much from us (no wonder some of them are envious that we like your method better). We are glad to have met you and we're not saying this only because it was the first year that an American teacher taught us, but because we had a great experience.

We honestly regret not having the opportunity to spend more time with you but, as you say, we must always look ahead; although, we won't forget you and we hope we can stay in touch and inform you about our new "ways" in school and to keep in mind both old and new advices.

If we've ever upset you, please accept our apologies, as we never intended to . We also hope that you will remember all the times we were insecure, but also the moments when we started to talk, sometimes for more than an hour!

There are many other things that need to be said, but, unfortunately, we must end this letter. You know, sometimes silence is worth more than anything, if there are true feelings hidden behind it.

If sometimes you will see clouds that seem to be pointing at you from the sky, they're us, traveling by thought, searching for guidance.

Thoughts,
Class 10D


I'm sorry that I have to leave too. But I do. There's a saying, "Each One, Teach One". I've always believed in this concept, thinking that if we all could just teach and reach one person, the world would be a better place. I can now say that I truly have done my part. Even though I'm leaving this school prematurely, I can hold my head high. And I've still got another year and a whole new set of kids in Codlea to teach. Whatever happens next, I'll never forget these kids, class 10D.

Bye for now.

Scott

The Road Back Home

I'm referring to both of my homes of course, Codlea and the U.S. A few more days and I'll be leaving Piatra Neamt. It's been a long wait. Anyway, the first photo is of me and my 10th grade History class. We had a rough start together, but I really wound up enjoying teaching them, especially when it was U.S. and not British history. The last few weeks were great, as I covered World War II, the Cold War and Vietnam.

Photo number two features Kristen, Ica and Victor. Sarah's friend and former roommate paid me a visit a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time. She was able to see a lot in under a week: Bucharest, Brasov, Codlea, Piatra Neamt, Sighisoara. I especially enjoyed testing my skills as an interpreter. I thought that I did a good job, although Kristen was able to pick up some of the language after a few days. She's got a good knowledge of Italian, which can prove quite useful here in Romania. She left for Turkey last week and will also go to Greece, England and Scotland. Awesome trip!

So I think I'll do something a little different with this blog post. I'm going to add an e-mail I wrote to my Mom this afternoon. This should give you a glimpse into what's going on with me nowadays. T - minus 19 days and counting until I plant my feet on American soil...Here's the letter:

Hi Mom,

I like Antiques Roadshow as well. In fact, Sarah and I went to a taping a few years ago when the Roadshow was at Navy Pier. We got some things appraised. It was really cool. I brought some of the old White Sox stuff that Grandpa Dick gave me and Sarah brought some of her Grandma's old china. My stuff was appraised at about $800.00. Not bad, eh?

What have I been up to? Just biding my time here. I'm very anxious to get out of here once and for all. I'll be leaving on Saturday with my friends Oana and Radu. I think that they are going to stay with us in Codlea on Saturday night. Some of the kids took it pretty hard when they found out I was leaving, so this process hasn't been easy. Go figure, right? I must be some kind of masochist or something to have signed up for this . I just can't wait to be on that plane in about two and a half weeks.

I'll be doing some cleaning of my own come Thursday and Friday. I want the place to be nice and clean when I leave. It won't be too difficult though, as I gave it a thorough cleaning before Sarah's friend Kristen came to visit.

The weather here has been unseasonably cold and it's been raining off and on quite a bit. It's been very unpredictable. It was downright cold this past weekend in Codlea and it rained a lot. I'm sure that it will truly be summer here once I return from my vacation to the US.

I booked my trip to Germany. I'll fly out of Bucharest to Frankfurt on August 5th and return on August 11th. I'll then take a train to Wurzburg where I'll meet up with Brindusa and Ovidiu. Ovidiu is a very good friend and I can't wait to see him. They are both great people. I think that I'll also be visiting Nuremburg and Bamburg (I'm hitting all of the "burgs" I guess). Nuremburg will be especially interesting as there are many museums about the Nazi period. I believe that you can also visit the stadium where Hitler used to have those huge rallies, etc. In sum, there's a lot to see there for history buffs. I studied Nazi Germany pretty extensively in college, so this will be a rewarding experience for me. And don't forget about the beer....

Like I said before, I'm pretty anxious to get out of here. I can't truly say that I'm feeling great. I don't think that feeling will come until I'm on that plane. However, I will say that I'm sure I'll be feeling quite good once I'm on the road to Codlea on Saturday afternoon. No looking back....

So, today I'm going to have dinner with my friend Nicolae and his wife Nina. Nicolae runs the foreign languages library here and we've become pretty good friends. I guess it's a "goodbye" dinner, but I have every intention of coming back to Piatra Neamt to visit. After dinner, I'll watch some more World Cup matches. Brazil plays Croatia tonight at 10:00. I'm a big fan of Brazil. They're unbelieveable to watch!

Well, I guess I'll close for now. You take care and we'll talk soon.

Love,
Scott

One Year in Romania

Yesterday was my one-year anniversary. Amazing. I haven't left this country for one year. The things I have learned. Hard to believe.

Anyway, they lifted the quarantine on Codlea, so I'm here right now. It's Saturday and the weather is quite nice. By the way, I threw out a hint in the first May blog post about something important. Not sure if you may have caught it. I'm moving to Codlea! PC has granted me a site change. I'll be taking the place of the current volunteer here after she leaves in July. I'll live with Victor and Ica and split my time teaching between a junior high and high school. Life in Romania is about to get a whole lot better. I am very lucky and very thankful.

Life in Piatra Neamt just wasn't pleasant. School was fine, but I am very isolated there. Living in the school got to me. Not being able to live in the community hindered my ability to integrate. I don't know many people there and the ones that I do are very busy and or have decided to leave themselves. I'll be sad to leave some of the students, but my life here is more important than my job. Plus, I'm sure I'll have a nice experience at the schools here in Codlea. Bottom line is that I wasn't going to last too much longer in Piatra Neamt and PC knew this. I thank them for giving me "new life".

So, as of right now there are three weeks left at school and five weeks until I come home for vacation. Sarah's old roommate Kristen is coming to Romania next week. I'll pick her up in Bucharest on Friday and take her to Codlea. We'll go to Brasov on Saturday and then head up to Piatra on Sunday afternoon. She's going to be able to experience a lot here in a very short period of time. I'm excited that I'll have a visitor soon! I enjoy playing interpreter and tour guide.

I'll post some new photos next time. Can't do it here at the internet cafe. I'm trying to think of something else to say, but I'm drawing a blank. I feel like my blog was more interesting in the past. Anyway, I'll see what I can do to spice it up a little. Bye!

Down On The Farm

We had a little birthday celebration "down on the farm" this weekend. I was in Bucharest to see Dr. Dan and then I headed up to Codlea. On Saturday Victor, Ica and I went to Ica's brother Tavi's farm. It was Tavi's wife's birthday (Vali) and we had a really nice time. The weather was beautiful and we did a little grilling - Romanian style (Mici, Chicken, mmmm).

That's Tavi in the second photo. The baby horse is about three weeks old. The baby cow in the first photo was born that day; just hours old and already walking! Tavi's farm is really cool. Lots of dogs, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, etc. They even have bees to make honey. Tavi and Vali make awesome cheese as well. Sheep, goat, cow and mixtures. Cascaval and telemea are the names of the cheeses. All natural. I love it. I hope to visit the farm a lot this summer.

Something interesting has developed in the past couple of days. An Avian Flu outbreak was discovered on a chicken farm outside of Codlea. As a result, I cannot go to Codlea for the next three weeks. As of right now, they haven't identified it as the "dreaded" H5N1, it's just H5 (whatever that means). As the bus crossed the border from Brasov County to Covasna County yesterday, we came upon a roadblock. There was a team of people there that were disinfecting all of the vehicles leaving the area. Little did I know that it had anything to do with bird flu, let alone that it was in Codlea. Too bad I didn't get quarantined in Codlea...heh heh.

I'm sure that the situation will be resolved within three weeks. The authorities here are attending to the problem. I heard that they might have to euthanize about 500,000 birds. Apparantly, the company that owns the farm was not attending to their responsibilities and was dumping bags full of dead birds in a local garbage dump during the past month. Nice. There's going to be some heavy, heavy fines coming their way. This company produces chicken and turkey for sale in the Brasov area and other domestic markets. There's a lot of meat being pulled from the shelves right now. There are some other towns and villages in Brasov County that are having some issues at the moment as well. A few of these places have been quarantined. Let's just hope that this doesn't happen in Codlea.

So, looks like I'm not going to be seeing Ica and Victor for awhile. I'm going to try to go to some other places and visit some friends instead. Maybe Bucharest. We'll see. Weekends in Piatra Neamt are pretty lonely and boring. As you all know, I try to get out of here on the weekends as much as possible. I'll be soliciting some people this week for a visit....

We're definitely in countdown mode here at school. Only four weeks to go after this week. I'm pretty much set with what I'm going to be doing, so it should be pretty low-key and low stress. C'mon time and fly for me! U S of A six weeks from Sunday!!!

Signing off from the (as of right now) bird flu free zone of Piatra Neamt....

Scott

6 and 8

Welcome to Ica's Easter table! This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when we had our Orthodox Easter Sunday meal. An overview of what's presented: Painted hard boiled eggs, Cotnari wine (from Iasi, Moldavia), Salata de Beouf (an awesome potato salad with carrots, peas and pickels...Sarah's a big fan), Drob (a sort of lamb meatloaf made from internal organs with egg in the middle...it tastes better than it sounds), Ica's cheese dip in the shape of a fish (in honor of Jesus), and some sweet cheese bread (special for Easter, with the cross). We also had some baked lamb and other assorted goodies. What a spread!

So, 6 & 8. Six weeks left of school and exactly eight weeks to the day that I'll be coming home for vacation. Man oh man I hope that this time flies. Everybody here is about done with school, the teachers and students. Attendance is bad enough as it is and will continue to decline. I'll be lucky if half of the kids show up by the time June rolls around. Oh well, not my problem.

I'm hangin' in there in terms of how I'm feeling. It's up and down. However, I'm a lot better than I was, let's say, 5 weeks ago. I'm just trying to focus on July. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be headed down to Bucharest on Friday to see Dr. Dan. We'll talk and I want him to take a look at my back. My back has been killing me for some weeks now. I think I may have done something to it while playing basketball a while ago. Maybe I need some chiropractor (spelling?) action? We'll see. I just hope he doesn't keep me overnight until Saturday, as I want to stay in Codlea on Friday and Saturday night before having to go back to Piatra. However, if I have to stay, I have to stay. Health comes first.

I'd like to report a couple of success stories here at school. First, the pen pal project I started between the 5th grade here and Sarah's Mom's 4th grade made the local paper in the SW suburbs of Chicago. It was a nice article with a photo of Barbara's students. Everybody here was excited to see the news article. I'm hoping that I can get a reporter to come to school here and do a similar story. I've got a friend who works in the PR Dept. in the city hall and he may put me in contact with someone from one of the local papers.

The other story is about Animal Farm. My 10th graders finished the book a few weeks ago and are now watching the animated movie on DVD. When I asked some of them what they thought of the book they said that they enjoyed it and it helped them better understand communism, and as a result, created a better understanding of what went on in their country before they were born. Most young people here don't have a very good understanding of the period between 1945 and 1989, nor do they know much about the '89 revolution. The topic is not frequently discussed in school and the information available in print is scarce.

I'm proud that I was able to facilitate a better understanding of things on their part via literature. Also, there are a lot of good non-fiction books available in English about the events in '89, but for some reason they're not printed in Romanian. It's a shame. Many of these kids are curious about the past and should be able to access such information. It would be nice if a publishing house in this country took it upon themselves to make these texts available in English and Romanian. I can think of at least four books I've read about the communist era and the '89 events that I know would sell well here.

So, that's my report for now. It's Sunday afternoon and I'm gearing up for tonight's Rapid match. Rapid has a good chance to win the championship right now and must win tonight to help their chances. It's too bad that I can't watch the game with Victor. However, there's a possibility that I may not have that problem in the near future. More on that later.....

Scott

Doing Better

Photo: Codlea with the Bucegi Mountains looming in the distance.

For those of you that read the last post, I'm doing a lot better. I was down in Bucharest yesterday for another session with Dr. Dan and he was of great help as usual. He said that I looked better and that I've made a lot of progress in a week. Anyway, I'm going to be seeing him on a regular basis for the time being. Not easy stuff, but necessary. However, I really like going to Bucharest, riding the subway, etc. That big city feel reminds me of home and puts me at ease.

We're getting ready for Orthodox Easter tomorrow here in Codlea. The preparations began earlier in the week when we went to Tavi's farm and got the meat for Sunday. Tavi picked out a little lamb from the barn and went to work. I've got pictures and film. I wasn't sure how I'd react to watching the slaughter, skinning, cleaning and preparation of an animal in person, especially considering the fact that I knew that he'd eventually be my meal. However, it didn't really bother me at all. I just rationalized that this is how it goes. If you want to eat the meat, you've got to kill the animal. It's that simple. At the same time, I understand why some people are vegetarians. While witnessing the process I had a few moments there when I asked myself if I should make the switch to being a veggie.

So, it's Saturday afternoon here in Codlea and Ica is busy making preparations for tomorrow's Easter feast. It's going to be quite the spread. Lots of lamb dishes (of course), sarmale, colored eggs, etc. Tonight we're going to go to the church in Dambravita, the nearby village that Ica and Victor are originally from, to check out a little bit of the Easter service. We'll go around midnight, but only stay for a bit because apparently this thing goes all night long. No way I can handle that. I need to get my beauty sleep before I stuff my face tomorrow.

That's about it for now I guess. It's a nice day, so I may go for a walk after the I'm done here at the internet cafe. Rapid is playing tonight, so Victor and I are going to have some tuica and beer and watch the game. Not too much though, as we've got to go to church later. I'll catch the bus back to Piatra Neamt on Monday and get ready to finish the school year. I'm only ten weeks away from my trip back home now.

Spring Break

Sorry there's no photo this time. I also apologize that it's taken me so long to post this new entry. I'm in Codlea right now, so there's no way for me to post a photo. I'll put one up next time. I'm on Spring Break right now until the 25th. I'll be staying with Ica and Victor until the Monday 24th and catch the bus back to Piatra Neamt. Orthodox Easter is this weekend, so it will be nice to be here for that.

What's been going on for the past three weeks? Well, I went with Ovidiu to his mother's village, Butea, in Eastern Moldavia for a weekend. Drank some home brew wine, broke up some rocks (for "landscaping"), hung out with the chickens and loved that outdoor plumbing....this village was very poor. It was quite a shock for me. It's gotta be rough there in the winter without indoor plumbing and running water. However, Monica was a sweet lady, treated me very well and sent me home with a bunch of food. Thanks Monica!

I've been down to Bucharest the past two weekends for medical visits. I caught something nasty a couple Fridays ago. Fever and diareeha again. Not cool. I've lost a lot of weight. Things seem to be back to normal now though. However, the main reason that I made the two visits, and will continue to make more, is because I'm having a bit of a tough time mentally right now. I took some tests and they tell me I've got mild depression and above-normal anxiety. As a result, Dr. Dan, Dr. Ileana and I are engaged in "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy", a fancy way to describe counseling I guess. This is a good thing for two reasons: 1) I know that there's nothing wrong with me physically and 2) They are helping me work on this problem and facilitating understanding of my thoughts and feelings.

It all hit me really fast. I was doing just fine until mid-March. I didn't understand why I was feeling the way I was and was worried that there might be something seriously wrong, physically. After I found out that all of this was mental, I was a bit ashamed at first. I felt like I wasn't a strong person. However, I now know that there is nothing to be ashamed of and that it takes strength to admit that you have a problem, seek help and try to fix the problem. One way or the other, this is what I intend to do. I also believe that PC is going to do their best to help me as well.

I know that all of this is very personal. However, I want to share this because I think that it is very important for people to seek help when they're not feeling well mentally. There's no shame in this. It is also not a sign of weakness. Life is not easy and sometimes we need someone else to help us figure out what's going on "upstairs" so that we can feel normal again. Personally, I don't know how long this will take, but I have to work at it and keep trying. For all of my family and friends who are reading this, please don't worry too much about me. I'm going to be ok. I have good support here.

On a happy note. I've booked my flight home for summer vacation! I'll be arriving in Houston on July 2nd. Sarah will pick me up and take me to Austin for a few days. We're going to drive to Chicago and should be there on the 9th. I'll fly back to Romania on the 22nd. So, for all of you who want to see me, send me an e-mail and we'll try to work something out. I'm hoping that Aaron and Carrie will host a get-together at their place, so stay tuned.....

Until next time, enjoy the springtime and take care. Oh yeah, and if you want to talk, send me an e-mail, Skype me (after the 24th) or get a hold of me on Yahoo messenger (after the 24th).

Scott

21.5 degrees

I almost forgot how nice it is to be able to play basketball outside in a t-shirt and shorts. Radu, Ovidiu and I were out on the court yesterday (the same one that doubles as a soccer field; refer to photo) and played for about 90 minutes against three high school kids. Man, I felt old, slow and out of shape. Radu was our star and coach, as he played during his college days in Iasi. We held our own despite the fact that they were quicker and had that 17 year-old stamina. They were like rabbits. But, remember this: old men know how to pass the ball. It wound up pretty even in the end, with the kids taking 5 of 9 games from us. I hadn't played that much basketball in years. I need to work on my game and exercise more. What a wake-up call. Even though I'm about 12-15 pounds lighter (since I joined the PC), I was in much better shape last May. Time to go back to work. Oh yeah, by the way, 21.5 degrees is about 70 fahrenheit. Perfect weather.

Today's photo was taken this afternoon in front of Hogas High. As you can see, we don't have a proper soccer field (no high school in town has one), so they play on the blacktop. It's a 6 on 6 game and is pretty fast-paced. Dangerous too. I cringe everytime I see someone fall and hope he has all of his skin when he gets up. Hogas is the team in blue and the team in red is the forestry high school. They wound up in a tie at 2-2. Yesterday Hogas beat the informatics High School 4-0. Informatics has cool jerseys. They're collared and have "INFO" printed across the chest. I wish I could get my hands on one of those.

I'm going to be traveling to Bucharest next week for a medical visit. I've got to get my eyes checked, my teeth cleaned and I'm going to have Dr. Dan take a general look at me. I haven't been feeling all that well the last couple of weeks and have been more fatigued than usual. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the weather? We'll see I guess. What will probably happen is that I'll feel perfectly normal by the time I arrive next Friday. If so, oh well. Friday's going to be a bit brutal, as I have to take a 3am train. I'll arrive at 8:15 and will then have to go to the three appointments. Ouch. PC will put me up in a hotel and then I'll take a 3:00pm train back to Piatra Neamt the following day. This will be my first trip to the PC office and I'm curious to see what it is like there.

It looks like I'm going to help out with the teaching practicum for the new TEFL volunteers from group 21, who arrive on May 18th. They will be in Ploiesti, which is a big industrial city just north of Bucharest. I'll head down there for two weeks after school ends and will then come back to the U.S. for my vacation. Looks like I should be arriving in Texas on or about July 2nd. I should be in Chicago around the 9th. Probably will leave around the 23rd. So, the near future is starting to take shape. Only 10 weeks of school left for me after tomorrow.....

Now I Think It's Spring

The snow is melting as I write this! Yes folks, I do believe that spring is finally upon us here in Piatra Neamt. It was a balmy 10 degrees celcius (50 fahrenheit) and sunny today. Just a week ago today it was snowing hard, the wind was blowing and it was basically like Siberia around here. Most of the snow should be gone by the time I wake up tomorrow. I just hope that it doesn't return. I'm not counting on it though. Being from Chicago, I'm always geared up for a nice April snow shower or two.

Enough of the weather, yeah? I've provided an "action photo" this time. That's me on the right leading a discussion during my "History Nights" club that I mentioned before. It's a joint project with my friend Ovidiu, a history teacher at the economics high school. We meet every Monday for two hours and watch DVD history lectures that I brought here from the U.S. Each 30 minute lecture is followed by a 10 minute discussion period. We get about 10-12 students per session. It's university-level stuff, so their English has to be fluent and they've got to be smart kids. I've got a lot of them. Once again, I'm lucky.

Not much to report here really. I'm going to Codlea this weekend. Sunday will mark 10 months in Romania (feels good to be in double-digits). Spring break is three weeks from this Thursday. Rapid and Steaua made it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA cup and will have to play each other, which guarantees a spot for a Romanian team in the semi-finals. This is a really big deal now and everyone is talking about it. Game one is next Thursday at Rapid's stadium, followed bay game two the following week at Steaua's stadium. The semi-finalist will be determined by aggregate goals. I bought a Rapid scarf this weekend and am going to wear it to class next Thursday. The kids will get a kick out of that. I'm sure I'll get some boos and hisses as well because Steaua is the more popular team. But, Victor taught his boy to be a Rapid fan this summer, so they're my team. It's similar to my Dad breeding me to be a Bears fan. It's in the blood. Forza Rapid!

That's about it I guess. I must admit that I've been feeling a bit homesick lately. I think it has something to do with the weather. I just seem to be a bit off right now. It's got to be the season changing. Sarah told me that I am very sensitive to this. I'll have to take her word for it because she's the boss. :) Anyway, I'm sure that I'll snap out of this funk soon. A weekend in Codlea should do the trick. I think that I just need to get out of town for a few days. It can get quite claustrophobic here sometimes. And with the weather changing for the better, I've got the urge to get out and go. Just gotta keep ridin' the roller coaster I guess. I got some good advice in an e-mail the other day. Simply put, "keep at it". Well folks, that's just what I intend to do. I hope you feel that your tax dollars are being well spent.......I mean with me of course. :)

Scott