It seems as if the days are getting longer. We're all dragging a bit now, as our minds are set on our sites and jobs. Everyone's just simply ready to go. Lethargic is the perfect word to describe the atmosphere nowadays. People are starting to skip sessions, leave early, show up late, etc. The technical training sessions are beginning to become tiresome and repetitive.
However, on a positive note, we had the political officer from the embassy some in and talk to us for about 90 minutes yesterday during HUB training in Brasov. He gave about a 45 minute talk and then opened it up for questions. I think that we all found this particular session quite valuable.
A few of us sat in the piata in Brasov yesterday during our lunch break, ate gigantic schnitzel sandwiches and did some people watching. We saw a camera crew following around some family, an old lady with blue hair, Korean tourists, and lots of skin. It was a hot one in Brasov. It's amazing the pictures you can get just by sitting in a public place for awhile. I'll be posting some of them one of these days.
After training, a bunch of us piled into the maxi-taxi for the ride home to Codlea. We had a bit of a run-in with some older people on the MT who insisted on keeping the windows closed due to fear of the dreaded "curent". We tried to negotiate with them as we stewed in our own juices, but could not convince them that a bit of fresh air would not cause them bodily harm.
At this point you may be wondering just what in the hell "curent" is? In a nutshell, the older generation in Romania believes that a breeze of any sort will make you ill, give you a toothache, etc. There's also some superstition about evil spirits in the air or something. As a result, and particularly during summer, any mode of public transport inevitably turns into a trip to the hot box. Ocassionaly, you may get lucky and not have any crazy bunicas on the bus/maxi-taxi, thus gaining a reprieve from the madness. It doesn't happen very often though, as public transport is dominated by pensioners.
The "curent" can also come into the home, so you'd better not leave the windows open godforbid. Quite frequently you'll see people walking the streets with cotton balls in their ears, most of them being bunicas. My friend joked that he was going to have an orthodox priest bless bags of cotton balls, sell them on the street and make tons of bani (cash). Sounds like an ideal economic development project to me! :)
Although one may encounter the ocassional exception, most people under 30 do not buy into the "curent" phenomenon. So, like many things in Romania, the "curent" will pass in a couple of generations. Until then however, we'll have to keep fighting the myth while we sweat our balls off.......
Yesterday was Victor's birthday. He turned 49 and we all wished him La Multi Ani while chowing down on grilled pork, mici and Polish Sausage. The concept of grilled Polish is new to them, as they usually boil it. After some hard lobbying by yours truly, Ica and Victor tried it and found out that grilled beats boiled any day of the week. After the consumption of mult (a lot) tuica and beer, Victor revealed his hidden talent for singing. He was belting out traditional Romanian favorites for about an hour! Ica and I enjoyed the serenade!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Saturday, July 23, 2005
My response to Dan's questions...
Please refer to the previous post before reading this......
Great to hear from you! Sorry that the blog updates are a bit infrequent. I'll have easier and faster acess to the internet once I get to my site in the second week of August. In fact, when I move into my apartment in October, I'll have a cable internet hook-up. So, the blog updates will be more frequent, I'll be able to post more pics, and you can contact me for free via Skype if you want.
You're right, the gamut of emotions runs quite frequently, especially lately. We've only got three weeks of training left and we're all gearing up to go to our respective sites. I've made a lot of frends in these past two months and it's going to be hard to say goodbye to many of them. We've all grown accustomed to seeing each other almost everyday, training together, partying together, and confiding in one another. August 5th will be a bittersweet day when we get sworn in as volunteers in Bucharest.
How am I feeling? My mental state is extremely fluid. The highs are high and the lows are low. Some days I wake up (like today) feeling discombobulated, lonely and upset and I don't really know why. The language barrier has something to do with it I think. It is tiring to be in a place where you hardly understand what people are saying all of the time. It's even more difficult when you actually have to open your mouth and talk to them. However, don't let me give you the impression that it's always like this. Some days really are quite good.
What do I enjoy the most? The food is great. The beer is cheap. The landscape is stunning. I enjoy having conversations with my gazda family, neighbors, etc.; which can be quite tiring mentally but gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I like Brasov very much. Walking around and taking photos here is quite enjoyable. If you come to Romania, I'll take you there. I think that you'd like it because it's like a little Prague. I also LOVE my gazda mama and dad and will be visiting them quite frequently.
What am I enjoying least? Missing Sarah, Chicago, my friends. Language barrier, pessimistic Romanians, pollution, trash everywhere, chauvenistic & pig-headed Romanian men, hearing about the rampant corruption in all facets of Romanian society, racism, ignorance, Boring PC training sessions designed for people with zero common sense, bad weather, funky smelling maxi-taxis, long lines and the people who cut into them, etc., etc, etc. However, don't let this deter you from wanting to visit. This place will blow your mind out and you will have a great time if you come!
Changing perspectives? I can tell you this: I love America. You don't know what you've got until it's gone my friend. It's the little things man. It's one thing to visit a place like this, but to actually live there is an entirely different issue. Let me say it again. I love America and I can't wait to come back. This experience has solidified my love for my country and my desire to make it a better place. We have all of the tools, we just need some perspective. PC punches you in the face with perspective, then kicks you in the stomach with it for good measure. I don't have the words to explain PC. It's just something one has to experience.
Damn, I miss baseball. I saw all-star game highlights the other day on BBC World and lost it. I said, "Baseball! Omigod, baseball highlights!" It was a bit sad really given that it was just the all-star game. Screw those guys who bombed London. These people will never accomplish anything with violence. As far as the care packages go, I'll have to wait until October. Thanks for the offer and I'll let you know when the time is right!
Great to hear from you! Sorry that the blog updates are a bit infrequent. I'll have easier and faster acess to the internet once I get to my site in the second week of August. In fact, when I move into my apartment in October, I'll have a cable internet hook-up. So, the blog updates will be more frequent, I'll be able to post more pics, and you can contact me for free via Skype if you want.
You're right, the gamut of emotions runs quite frequently, especially lately. We've only got three weeks of training left and we're all gearing up to go to our respective sites. I've made a lot of frends in these past two months and it's going to be hard to say goodbye to many of them. We've all grown accustomed to seeing each other almost everyday, training together, partying together, and confiding in one another. August 5th will be a bittersweet day when we get sworn in as volunteers in Bucharest.
How am I feeling? My mental state is extremely fluid. The highs are high and the lows are low. Some days I wake up (like today) feeling discombobulated, lonely and upset and I don't really know why. The language barrier has something to do with it I think. It is tiring to be in a place where you hardly understand what people are saying all of the time. It's even more difficult when you actually have to open your mouth and talk to them. However, don't let me give you the impression that it's always like this. Some days really are quite good.
What do I enjoy the most? The food is great. The beer is cheap. The landscape is stunning. I enjoy having conversations with my gazda family, neighbors, etc.; which can be quite tiring mentally but gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I like Brasov very much. Walking around and taking photos here is quite enjoyable. If you come to Romania, I'll take you there. I think that you'd like it because it's like a little Prague. I also LOVE my gazda mama and dad and will be visiting them quite frequently.
What am I enjoying least? Missing Sarah, Chicago, my friends. Language barrier, pessimistic Romanians, pollution, trash everywhere, chauvenistic & pig-headed Romanian men, hearing about the rampant corruption in all facets of Romanian society, racism, ignorance, Boring PC training sessions designed for people with zero common sense, bad weather, funky smelling maxi-taxis, long lines and the people who cut into them, etc., etc, etc. However, don't let this deter you from wanting to visit. This place will blow your mind out and you will have a great time if you come!
Changing perspectives? I can tell you this: I love America. You don't know what you've got until it's gone my friend. It's the little things man. It's one thing to visit a place like this, but to actually live there is an entirely different issue. Let me say it again. I love America and I can't wait to come back. This experience has solidified my love for my country and my desire to make it a better place. We have all of the tools, we just need some perspective. PC punches you in the face with perspective, then kicks you in the stomach with it for good measure. I don't have the words to explain PC. It's just something one has to experience.
Damn, I miss baseball. I saw all-star game highlights the other day on BBC World and lost it. I said, "Baseball! Omigod, baseball highlights!" It was a bit sad really given that it was just the all-star game. Screw those guys who bombed London. These people will never accomplish anything with violence. As far as the care packages go, I'll have to wait until October. Thanks for the offer and I'll let you know when the time is right!
Doua saptaman apoi gata
Two more weeks of training to go as of yesterday. Last time I mentioned that we will not be going to Bucharest for swear-in. It turns out that this is a good thing for a few reasons: 1) PC was not going to pay for an overnight stay, 2) Our gazdas are now invited to the ceremony in Brasov and 3) It's hot as hell in Bucharest. So, the charge d'affairs from the embassy will come up here and swear us in on Friday, August 5th. We don't have an ambassador in Romania at the moment, so the the cda will preside over the ceremony.
I scored an "intermediate high" on my oral language exam. It was a simulation, thus the result is not official. However, my skills can only improve over the next ten days, so I'm confident that I'll at least get the same score. The next level is advanced low. I'm going to try to shoot for that. I was a bit concerned with my progess a few weeks ago, but lately thing have been clicking and I'm feeling more comfortable with the language. Eu sunt ferecit cu aceasta (I'm happy with this)!
A volunteer from group 17 is having a party at the apartment in Brasov tonight. I'm not going because I'm not to keen on being in a bloc apt. with 30-50 volunteers and random Romanians. It's going to be hot, sweaty and crowded; not my idea of a good time. So, I think that Victor's going to chop up some wood and fire up the 'ol gratar (grill) tonight and we'll have some pui (chicken), porc (pork), and mici (salty sausage). I'm going to buy the beer tonight because I'm not too fond of Victor's beer of choice - Ciucas Brasov. It's cheap and it stinks. I prefer Bergenbier, Ursus, Ciuc, or Timisoareana.
I'll be leaving Codlea on Monday, August 8th for site. It's about a 6-7 hour bus ride to Piatra Neamt from Brasov. Teachers report to school on September 1st and students report on the 15th. I'm hoping that I'll be able to start planning asap upon arrival. I've got some ideas for thematic plans and it will be interesting to see how receptive my counterpart is to them. During the first few weeks at site I'll be wakling around a lot and trying to get to know people in my city. I also hope to do a bit of sight-seeing in the area and get together with volunteers in the area. I'm also planning on returning to Codlea a couple of weeks after I go to site. This will be a nice opportunity to see Victor and Ica and pick up the printer I bought.
That's about it for now. For those of you who actually read this thing, let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to answer them. In fact, it helps me understand my own situation better when I answer people's questions. I'd like to post my responses on the blog. In fact, I think I'll do just that with the next post. Durkin sent me an e-mail recently with some questions that I was glad to answer, so I think that I'll post the e-mail.....
I scored an "intermediate high" on my oral language exam. It was a simulation, thus the result is not official. However, my skills can only improve over the next ten days, so I'm confident that I'll at least get the same score. The next level is advanced low. I'm going to try to shoot for that. I was a bit concerned with my progess a few weeks ago, but lately thing have been clicking and I'm feeling more comfortable with the language. Eu sunt ferecit cu aceasta (I'm happy with this)!
A volunteer from group 17 is having a party at the apartment in Brasov tonight. I'm not going because I'm not to keen on being in a bloc apt. with 30-50 volunteers and random Romanians. It's going to be hot, sweaty and crowded; not my idea of a good time. So, I think that Victor's going to chop up some wood and fire up the 'ol gratar (grill) tonight and we'll have some pui (chicken), porc (pork), and mici (salty sausage). I'm going to buy the beer tonight because I'm not too fond of Victor's beer of choice - Ciucas Brasov. It's cheap and it stinks. I prefer Bergenbier, Ursus, Ciuc, or Timisoareana.
I'll be leaving Codlea on Monday, August 8th for site. It's about a 6-7 hour bus ride to Piatra Neamt from Brasov. Teachers report to school on September 1st and students report on the 15th. I'm hoping that I'll be able to start planning asap upon arrival. I've got some ideas for thematic plans and it will be interesting to see how receptive my counterpart is to them. During the first few weeks at site I'll be wakling around a lot and trying to get to know people in my city. I also hope to do a bit of sight-seeing in the area and get together with volunteers in the area. I'm also planning on returning to Codlea a couple of weeks after I go to site. This will be a nice opportunity to see Victor and Ica and pick up the printer I bought.
That's about it for now. For those of you who actually read this thing, let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to answer them. In fact, it helps me understand my own situation better when I answer people's questions. I'd like to post my responses on the blog. In fact, I think I'll do just that with the next post. Durkin sent me an e-mail recently with some questions that I was glad to answer, so I think that I'll post the e-mail.....
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
The future is now
Well, we're in the middle of week 8 of training and things are starting to move fast. I just finished a language test simulation with my teacher and am waiting for a few friends to finish while I type away here at the internet cafe. We're going to have a couple beers and discuss group 20s state of affairs. The latest news is that we won't be traveling to Bucharest for swear-in. Apparently, there's some "administrative issue" that is preventing us from having the ceremony at the ambassador's residence. PC - tops on the U.S. Govt's priority list.
Anyway, I know that a huge gap in time currently exists in this here blog. Let me try to get you all caught up.
About 2 weeks ago group 20 traveled to the ski resort town of Sinaia for our Counterpart Conference. It is here that we met our professional counterparts and found out where we'll be living and working. Oh yeah, so you probably would like to know that information, yes?
On or about August 8th, I'll be traveling for 7 hours by bus to beautiful Piatra Neamt in Moldavia. Piatra is a city of approximately 110,000 and is located at the foothills of the eastern Carpathian Mountains. It is a very green and clean city and reminds me of the Pacific Northwest.
I will be teaching 9-12th graders at Calistrat Hogas National Arts and Sciences High School. Hogas is recognized as one of the top two high schools in Neamt county and requires its students to be bilingual. Most of the students' second language is English and I'm pretty sure that I'll be teaching them content most of the time, if not exclusively. So, I got what I wanted; I think. Due to the fact that the school has a lot of money and resources, I was initially a bit puzzled as to why they requested a volunteer. However, I've had some time to think about it and believe that I can do a lot with these students. Most, if not all of them will go to university and I think that a have an opportunity to tackle some important issues with them. I'm looking forward to it.
While I was on my site visit in Piatra I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days with my predecessor. His name is Mike Richard and he'll be leaving Romania a a couple of weeks. Mike's a really sharp guy and he apparently did a great job at Hogas. I've got big shoes to fill. I'll be inheriting his apartment and was able to buy most of his possessions second hand. All I need is a vacuum cleaner and an iron and I'm set. I've got a washing machine (a huge luxury in Romania), cable TV, microwave, cable internet, etc. The apartment is newly remodeled and is in a separate building on the campus of the school. No commute for this guy. Foarte fine!
The only thing that kind of sucks is that I have to live with a second gazda family for 8 weeks. I stayed with them for a couple of days and I'm not very thrilled with the situation. They're nice people, but the fact that I have a fully furnished, fully equipped apartment just sitting there waiting for me is going to be a hard pill to swallow. PC policy dictates that we have a second gazda, but I'm going to try to see if my counterpart and I can "work something out" with regards to the, let me say it again for emphasis, fully-furnished & fully-equipped apartment. My counterpart, Florin Irimia, is vice-director of the school, so he's got the keys.
So, pretty soon, eu sunt din Moldova..............
Anyway, I know that a huge gap in time currently exists in this here blog. Let me try to get you all caught up.
About 2 weeks ago group 20 traveled to the ski resort town of Sinaia for our Counterpart Conference. It is here that we met our professional counterparts and found out where we'll be living and working. Oh yeah, so you probably would like to know that information, yes?
On or about August 8th, I'll be traveling for 7 hours by bus to beautiful Piatra Neamt in Moldavia. Piatra is a city of approximately 110,000 and is located at the foothills of the eastern Carpathian Mountains. It is a very green and clean city and reminds me of the Pacific Northwest.
I will be teaching 9-12th graders at Calistrat Hogas National Arts and Sciences High School. Hogas is recognized as one of the top two high schools in Neamt county and requires its students to be bilingual. Most of the students' second language is English and I'm pretty sure that I'll be teaching them content most of the time, if not exclusively. So, I got what I wanted; I think. Due to the fact that the school has a lot of money and resources, I was initially a bit puzzled as to why they requested a volunteer. However, I've had some time to think about it and believe that I can do a lot with these students. Most, if not all of them will go to university and I think that a have an opportunity to tackle some important issues with them. I'm looking forward to it.
While I was on my site visit in Piatra I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days with my predecessor. His name is Mike Richard and he'll be leaving Romania a a couple of weeks. Mike's a really sharp guy and he apparently did a great job at Hogas. I've got big shoes to fill. I'll be inheriting his apartment and was able to buy most of his possessions second hand. All I need is a vacuum cleaner and an iron and I'm set. I've got a washing machine (a huge luxury in Romania), cable TV, microwave, cable internet, etc. The apartment is newly remodeled and is in a separate building on the campus of the school. No commute for this guy. Foarte fine!
The only thing that kind of sucks is that I have to live with a second gazda family for 8 weeks. I stayed with them for a couple of days and I'm not very thrilled with the situation. They're nice people, but the fact that I have a fully furnished, fully equipped apartment just sitting there waiting for me is going to be a hard pill to swallow. PC policy dictates that we have a second gazda, but I'm going to try to see if my counterpart and I can "work something out" with regards to the, let me say it again for emphasis, fully-furnished & fully-equipped apartment. My counterpart, Florin Irimia, is vice-director of the school, so he's got the keys.
So, pretty soon, eu sunt din Moldova..............
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Yes, I'm still alive
It's been a hectic last 10 days, but I survived. I'll post the details later....stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
4th of July - PC Romania Style
Dueling national anthems? Guitar amps hooked up to car batteries? Gazda kareoke? Chicken and mustard? Dodging horse and cow poop while plaing catch with a real baseball and glove? Gazdas getting down to sweet American soul music? Hamburgers and Mici? Yes, you guessed it, a 4th of July party like no other!
We all went up in the foothills with our gazdas and partied hard man. The gazdas are still talking about it! We proved that we could hang with them on their turf! The was a price to pay however. Let's just say that I think I'm still a bit hungover. This American can only tolerate so much tuica.
After it got dark, everybody came back to my house for the after-party. One by one, drunk Americans piled into my gazda's small kitchen. I was a bit nervous at first, but apparently Victor and Ica love to party! Other than a couple broken glasses and somebody taking a dump in my toilet during water shut-off hours, all went well!
We all went up in the foothills with our gazdas and partied hard man. The gazdas are still talking about it! We proved that we could hang with them on their turf! The was a price to pay however. Let's just say that I think I'm still a bit hungover. This American can only tolerate so much tuica.
After it got dark, everybody came back to my house for the after-party. One by one, drunk Americans piled into my gazda's small kitchen. I was a bit nervous at first, but apparently Victor and Ica love to party! Other than a couple broken glasses and somebody taking a dump in my toilet during water shut-off hours, all went well!
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Halfway There
It's a cold, cloudy and rainy day in Codlea. We were supposed to have a big barbecue with our gazda families today to celebrate the 4th of July (a little cross-cultural exchange), but that has now been postponed. The weather here at the moment is quite shitty, as it's been raining since Friday night. Speaking of the 4th, one of the volunteers, who will remain nameless, went so far as to write a letter to the Country Director and circulate a petition demanding that we be allowed to have the 4th off. I declined to sign. I don't understand this guy's logic. Does this guy plan on working during Romanian holidays? I doubt it. The CD wrote a form letter to all of us explaining, in a very diplomatic fashion, why we can't have Monday off. I agree with his logic. Quite frankly, I found the whole thing to be a bit embarrassing.
So, I'm through week five (feels like month five) of training and now have five more to go. We finished our teaching practicum last Friday with a raucous session of kickball. It was all a bit confusing at first, but the students eventually got the hang of it. After playing for two hours, we took a break and headed to the teachers room while the older kids looked after the little ones. Awaiting us was champagne and certificates to sign! After quaffing a couple of warm cups of champagne, we all headed out to the playlot and handed out certificates to the kids and took pictures. Very Romanian. It really was a good day.
I'll be traveling to south to Sinaia for the counterpart conference this Thursday afternoon. We'll be there until Sunday, at which point we will depart for our site preview on Sunday with our counterpart. Speaking of site placement, some people know more than others. It depends on how much information was revealed during last week's site placement interview. I can tell you what I know about my potential situation:
1) I'll be teaching bilingual high school students.
2) I'll be teaching content courses about half of the time.
3) The school is a "teoretic" high school, which means that it sits at the top of the academic ladder in the Romanian system. Students must demonstrate an ability to excel academically to be admitted to a "teoretic" school.
4) I'll be working with an NGO on secondary projects.
5) There are three relatively new apartments on the campus of the school that were built specifically to house "visiting professors". I would live in one of these apartments.
Now, keep in mind that none of this is set in stone. I won't know anything for sure until Friday. We're all floating in limbo right now.
Everything else is going as well as it can. I kind of suck at Romanian right now. I had to tune the language lessons out during practicum. Many of us are in the same boat. I'll catch up eventually. I've got plenty of time to learn. On the street, I'm not bad; the classroom is a different story altogether. We've got language test simulations on Tuesday at the HUB in Brasov. That should be interesting. There's going to be a lot of body language in my session. :)
Sundays are a bit depressing for some reason. I miss home the most on this day. I'm trying not to drink and eat my depression away, as it's very tempting to do so. I'm not really depressed, I just get a little sad and lonely sometimes. This experience has been quite the emotional roller coaster thus far and there's really no end in sight for the next six months. It's tough. But, I think that I should be settled in nicely after the first semester of school.
For those of you hungry for pics, fear not. I predict that, aside from the one I just posted from the internet, there will be pics by the end of this month. Things move a bit slower here in Transylvania, so please bear with me. Thanks so much to those of you that have sent e-mails. I really do appreciate them and truly look forward to checking my e-mail (when I can). For those of you who haven't, please do! I'm always thinking about all of you and wondering how everyone's doing. That's about it for now. I've got to go read and catch up on my language study.
Salut!
So, I'm through week five (feels like month five) of training and now have five more to go. We finished our teaching practicum last Friday with a raucous session of kickball. It was all a bit confusing at first, but the students eventually got the hang of it. After playing for two hours, we took a break and headed to the teachers room while the older kids looked after the little ones. Awaiting us was champagne and certificates to sign! After quaffing a couple of warm cups of champagne, we all headed out to the playlot and handed out certificates to the kids and took pictures. Very Romanian. It really was a good day.
I'll be traveling to south to Sinaia for the counterpart conference this Thursday afternoon. We'll be there until Sunday, at which point we will depart for our site preview on Sunday with our counterpart. Speaking of site placement, some people know more than others. It depends on how much information was revealed during last week's site placement interview. I can tell you what I know about my potential situation:
1) I'll be teaching bilingual high school students.
2) I'll be teaching content courses about half of the time.
3) The school is a "teoretic" high school, which means that it sits at the top of the academic ladder in the Romanian system. Students must demonstrate an ability to excel academically to be admitted to a "teoretic" school.
4) I'll be working with an NGO on secondary projects.
5) There are three relatively new apartments on the campus of the school that were built specifically to house "visiting professors". I would live in one of these apartments.
Now, keep in mind that none of this is set in stone. I won't know anything for sure until Friday. We're all floating in limbo right now.
Everything else is going as well as it can. I kind of suck at Romanian right now. I had to tune the language lessons out during practicum. Many of us are in the same boat. I'll catch up eventually. I've got plenty of time to learn. On the street, I'm not bad; the classroom is a different story altogether. We've got language test simulations on Tuesday at the HUB in Brasov. That should be interesting. There's going to be a lot of body language in my session. :)
Sundays are a bit depressing for some reason. I miss home the most on this day. I'm trying not to drink and eat my depression away, as it's very tempting to do so. I'm not really depressed, I just get a little sad and lonely sometimes. This experience has been quite the emotional roller coaster thus far and there's really no end in sight for the next six months. It's tough. But, I think that I should be settled in nicely after the first semester of school.
For those of you hungry for pics, fear not. I predict that, aside from the one I just posted from the internet, there will be pics by the end of this month. Things move a bit slower here in Transylvania, so please bear with me. Thanks so much to those of you that have sent e-mails. I really do appreciate them and truly look forward to checking my e-mail (when I can). For those of you who haven't, please do! I'm always thinking about all of you and wondering how everyone's doing. That's about it for now. I've got to go read and catch up on my language study.
Salut!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Two weeks later....
Where have I been you may ask? Up to my neck in work I say. These past two weeks have been quite hectic and this is the first time that I've been to the internet cafe in two weeks. What have I been doing? Highlights:
- studying Romanian four hours a day
- making animal flash cards for 4th graders who can't speak English
- getting fat off of Iron Chef Ica's Romanian cuisine
- walking the dogs and talking fotbal with Victor
- drinking Ursus beer with melodramatic, overbearing Romanians until 4 in the morning
- dragging kids out of class for beating on each other
- creating lesson plans all night long
- missing all of you
- getting rained on every afternoon
- shopping at the Carrefour "hypermarket"
- watching Romanian talent shows on TV
- waiting for my site assignment
Week two of my teaching practicum starts tomorrow. I've got 5th graders and 7th/8th graders tomorrow. I like the 7th/8th grade class, but I don't much care for the young kids. Much respect to elementary school teachers. I just can't handle them. I don't have a problem teaching them or controlling the class, but I just feel like they suck all of the energy out of me.
On that note, I've got my site placement interview this week. I'm pushing hard for a position teaching social studies to bilingual high school students in a large city. I'll find out my assignment the week after at our counterpart conference in Sinaia. BTW - a horse cart full of gypsies just rode by the internet cafe and yelled whooohooo and other pleasantries......anyway, I think that my chances are good at this point because one of the program directors observed me and she really liked my lesson. I'm hoping for either Brasov, Sibiu, Timisoara, or Cluj-Napoca. There's a chance that I may be assigned to an area with a large Hungarian population. If this is the case, I will undergo Hungarian language training for the remainder of training.
Despite all of the work and uncertainty regarding placement, all is well right now. My host family takes very good care of me and I like them very much. I would feel very fortunate to be allowed to take a position in Brasov so I can be close to them. They really have welcomed me into their family. Ica told me today that she is going to miss me. I will certainly miss both her and Victor. I have mixed emotions about the day that I will have to leave them to go to site.
I miss home, Sarah, and all of my friends very much. I think about everyone all of the time. Please do try to check the blog, despite my infrequent posts. I'll try to find some more time to do this and hopefully post some pictures. I'm going to request a site that will allow me to have high-speed internet in my apartment. If this happens, it will be much easier to update the blog. Also, I'll be able to use Skype to talk to people for free!!!!!!!
Until next time, Te pup!
- studying Romanian four hours a day
- making animal flash cards for 4th graders who can't speak English
- getting fat off of Iron Chef Ica's Romanian cuisine
- walking the dogs and talking fotbal with Victor
- drinking Ursus beer with melodramatic, overbearing Romanians until 4 in the morning
- dragging kids out of class for beating on each other
- creating lesson plans all night long
- missing all of you
- getting rained on every afternoon
- shopping at the Carrefour "hypermarket"
- watching Romanian talent shows on TV
- waiting for my site assignment
Week two of my teaching practicum starts tomorrow. I've got 5th graders and 7th/8th graders tomorrow. I like the 7th/8th grade class, but I don't much care for the young kids. Much respect to elementary school teachers. I just can't handle them. I don't have a problem teaching them or controlling the class, but I just feel like they suck all of the energy out of me.
On that note, I've got my site placement interview this week. I'm pushing hard for a position teaching social studies to bilingual high school students in a large city. I'll find out my assignment the week after at our counterpart conference in Sinaia. BTW - a horse cart full of gypsies just rode by the internet cafe and yelled whooohooo and other pleasantries......anyway, I think that my chances are good at this point because one of the program directors observed me and she really liked my lesson. I'm hoping for either Brasov, Sibiu, Timisoara, or Cluj-Napoca. There's a chance that I may be assigned to an area with a large Hungarian population. If this is the case, I will undergo Hungarian language training for the remainder of training.
Despite all of the work and uncertainty regarding placement, all is well right now. My host family takes very good care of me and I like them very much. I would feel very fortunate to be allowed to take a position in Brasov so I can be close to them. They really have welcomed me into their family. Ica told me today that she is going to miss me. I will certainly miss both her and Victor. I have mixed emotions about the day that I will have to leave them to go to site.
I miss home, Sarah, and all of my friends very much. I think about everyone all of the time. Please do try to check the blog, despite my infrequent posts. I'll try to find some more time to do this and hopefully post some pictures. I'm going to request a site that will allow me to have high-speed internet in my apartment. If this happens, it will be much easier to update the blog. Also, I'll be able to use Skype to talk to people for free!!!!!!!
Until next time, Te pup!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
PC Ro website
The PC Romania Group 20 photo is now up on the web. Go to www.peacecorps.ro
There's a small photo on the main page. To get to a larger version, click picture/volunteers on the left-hand tool bar. I'm toward the back, on the right-hand side of the photo. See if you can find my mug...........
FYI, for the anonymous person (I'd love to know who you are) who asked what deer domestication is, basically, it's a family with a young male deer in hay-filled shed. He has a leash right now and they're trying to make him their pet. I'm not so sure how this is going to work since the sprouts on his head will eventually turn into a real set of horns. But hey, I'm not from rural Transylvania, so what do I know? American prost?
There's a small photo on the main page. To get to a larger version, click picture/volunteers on the left-hand tool bar. I'm toward the back, on the right-hand side of the photo. See if you can find my mug...........
FYI, for the anonymous person (I'd love to know who you are) who asked what deer domestication is, basically, it's a family with a young male deer in hay-filled shed. He has a leash right now and they're trying to make him their pet. I'm not so sure how this is going to work since the sprouts on his head will eventually turn into a real set of horns. But hey, I'm not from rural Transylvania, so what do I know? American prost?
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
One week later...
Ok, sorry that it's taken me a week to get this post up. I'm really going to try to be more consistent/frequent. I hope that at least some of you are still interested....So, I kept a journal for the first couple of days with the Gazda, so I think I'll put that stuff down here. Oh yeah, that's another thing that I want to try to do every day as well. We'll see what happens.
Sunday, May 29: Arrival in Codlea to meet Gazda (host)
We checked out of the bullet pock-marked and spartan Hotel Capitol in downtown Brasov at 10am and prepared to load up the van for the 10 km drive to Codlea. A few of us went down to the market to buy flowers for our gazda mamas and found some great deals. I was able to purchase 14 green orchids for $400,000 lei (about $13 US). These orchids would have been at least $50-60 USD in the states.
Upon arrival, I was greeted with hugs and kisses from Ica and Victor and schleped all of my gear into their red 1984 Dacia. Looking back, I can't believe that We actually fit 3 people into that car with all of my gear. The Romanians didn't have storage space in mind when they built this baby back in '84. Now I know why Victor rigged a luggage rack to the roof.
As we drove through the broken streets, Ica tried to give me directions and information about the area in her best "Ringlish". I was a bit overwhelmed mentally, very hot and physically cramped at this point, so I retained nothing. My mind was on where I was going to be living for the next ten weeks, all the while hoping that it wouldn't be in one of those communist blocs.
My wish was granted. We pulled up to a quaint little house located at the top of strada 15 Noiembrie and at the base of a big grazing hill. Sheep, cows, horses, and dogs were everywhere. Victor opened the big, red steel gate and we pulled in. I was greeted by two dogs (Davica and Novak) and 6 cats (names unknown). We walked in the house and a was seriously on the verge of tears...of joy and relief.
Forward to the present tense. I occupy a whole wing of their house. I have My own door to go in and out of, my own foyer, my own bathroom, and a big, fully furnished bedroom. There's also a living room and kitchen to share. Ica and Victor's bedroom and bathroom are located at the back of the house. This place is seriously nicer that my apt. in Chicago.
Back to the past tense. I put my stuff down and they proceeded to present me with a meal fit for a king. Soup, sausage, bread, vegetables; it was great! I then changed into some shorts and a t-shirt and got my stuff unpacked and organized. Later, I found out that I was to go on a picnic with my family, another volunteer and his gazda mama. His gazda mama and my gazda mama both work at the hospital and are friends. So, we all piled into the Dacia and headed for the hills.
In about an hour, we arrived at a "cabana" owned by Ica's brother Tavi. The views are great. At one point I could see all three mountain ranges in the Brasov area. We proceeded to have a barbeque Romanian style. Open pit fire, mici (a hybrid hamburger/tube sausage), pork, fresh goat cheese from Tavi's farm, Ciucas Brasov beer, etc. Cei Mai Bun! Victor worked on the car for about 2 hours. I was slightly concerned that we might have to hitch home.
On the way home I saw an old, abandoned Ceaucescu concentration camp, an attempt at deer domestication, and some nice taxidermy. What a day in Transylvania!
That's it for now, I need to go home and eat dinner. Servus!
Sunday, May 29: Arrival in Codlea to meet Gazda (host)
We checked out of the bullet pock-marked and spartan Hotel Capitol in downtown Brasov at 10am and prepared to load up the van for the 10 km drive to Codlea. A few of us went down to the market to buy flowers for our gazda mamas and found some great deals. I was able to purchase 14 green orchids for $400,000 lei (about $13 US). These orchids would have been at least $50-60 USD in the states.
Upon arrival, I was greeted with hugs and kisses from Ica and Victor and schleped all of my gear into their red 1984 Dacia. Looking back, I can't believe that We actually fit 3 people into that car with all of my gear. The Romanians didn't have storage space in mind when they built this baby back in '84. Now I know why Victor rigged a luggage rack to the roof.
As we drove through the broken streets, Ica tried to give me directions and information about the area in her best "Ringlish". I was a bit overwhelmed mentally, very hot and physically cramped at this point, so I retained nothing. My mind was on where I was going to be living for the next ten weeks, all the while hoping that it wouldn't be in one of those communist blocs.
My wish was granted. We pulled up to a quaint little house located at the top of strada 15 Noiembrie and at the base of a big grazing hill. Sheep, cows, horses, and dogs were everywhere. Victor opened the big, red steel gate and we pulled in. I was greeted by two dogs (Davica and Novak) and 6 cats (names unknown). We walked in the house and a was seriously on the verge of tears...of joy and relief.
Forward to the present tense. I occupy a whole wing of their house. I have My own door to go in and out of, my own foyer, my own bathroom, and a big, fully furnished bedroom. There's also a living room and kitchen to share. Ica and Victor's bedroom and bathroom are located at the back of the house. This place is seriously nicer that my apt. in Chicago.
Back to the past tense. I put my stuff down and they proceeded to present me with a meal fit for a king. Soup, sausage, bread, vegetables; it was great! I then changed into some shorts and a t-shirt and got my stuff unpacked and organized. Later, I found out that I was to go on a picnic with my family, another volunteer and his gazda mama. His gazda mama and my gazda mama both work at the hospital and are friends. So, we all piled into the Dacia and headed for the hills.
In about an hour, we arrived at a "cabana" owned by Ica's brother Tavi. The views are great. At one point I could see all three mountain ranges in the Brasov area. We proceeded to have a barbeque Romanian style. Open pit fire, mici (a hybrid hamburger/tube sausage), pork, fresh goat cheese from Tavi's farm, Ciucas Brasov beer, etc. Cei Mai Bun! Victor worked on the car for about 2 hours. I was slightly concerned that we might have to hitch home.
On the way home I saw an old, abandoned Ceaucescu concentration camp, an attempt at deer domestication, and some nice taxidermy. What a day in Transylvania!
That's it for now, I need to go home and eat dinner. Servus!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
I'm a little behind
I have to keep this one short. Ok, so I think that I need to pick up from last Friday....no time....i'll getto that later. It's Tuesday and I'm in an internet cafe in my new hometown (for 10 weeks) of Codlea, located about 10 km northwest of Brasov. My gazda (host) mama and tata (papa) are Ica and Victor Ciolan. Ica is a nurse at the Codlea spital (hospital) and Victor is a construction carpenter. My casa frumos (beautiful home) is located at the top of strada (street) 15 de noiembrie (november), at the foot of some beautiful forested and pasture-like hills. Lots of cows and horses in the strada and all of the wonderful things that come out of them....mmmmm....All is well and more details later...
salut
Scott
salut
Scott
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Buna Romana!
What a week! I'm safe, well-fed, happy to be here, etc. etc. I really don't know where to begin. I'm currently in an internet cafe in Brasov, surrounded by young Romanians and listening to American pop on KISS FM. Well, I guess there are some things that you can't escape, right? It doesn't bother me. I'm happy if the Romanians are happy. I don't want to see unhappy Romanians.....Here are some highlights so far:
Monday - Missed my flight to Philly by 2 minutes. Not the best time to miss my first flight. Let's just say I was a bit unhappy about that. However, with the help of a strong jetstream at my back, I made it to staging on time. Spent Monday evening in training sessions with the 63 other volunteers in my group (62 now) and went out to dinner.
Tuesday - More staging and getting to know people. Lots of group activities. Went for a run around Independence Hall and old Philly. It's a cool place to visit, especially if you're into colonial and revolutionary American history.
Wednesday - Left for JFK via charter bus. Flew to Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Let me take this opportunity to say that KLM is the best airline I've ever flown. You get your own personal monitor with approximately 80 movie choices and TV shows! Hot cheese rolls and free Heinekens aren't so bad either.
Thursday - Flew from Amsterdam to Bucharest. Landed at Otopeni Airport at about 12:50pm. Tried to be nice to the customs lady, but she was not having it. Stone cold comrade she was. We then waited for our bags to come out of the poorly designed baggage carousel. The carousel sucks so it has to be manned by two Romanian guys in funny blue overalls and euro-style wingtips. Awesome. With the assistance of our wonderful staff, we then loaded all of our crap into another bus bound for Brasov.
The ride took us north from the flat plain of Wallachia, into the rolling hills of Muntenia and then through the Bucegi mountains. On the way to Brasov we saw horse-drawn carts sharing the road with european sports cars, female "hitchhikers" (use your imagination), a Petrom refinery in Ploiesti, the beautiful ski town of Sinia and a 2500 meter snow-capped peak.
We checked into our hotel after about 24 hours of travel, so you can imagine how tired and cranky everyone was. My roommate and I got cleaned up and then went for a bere (beer) in the piata (plaza). I had a Ursus, which is a beer from Cluj and claims to be the king of all Romanian beers. Foarte bun! A few other volunteers joined us and we met up with everyone else at the Sergiana restaurant. We've been having all of our meals here and it is a very nice place. Dinner was chicken schnitzel with a cabbage and tomato salad. We also had fresh paine (bread) and more Ursus.
Afterwards, a few of us went to a beer garden in the piata and had a few more. We met up with a couple from Denmark who were on their way home from a six month trip in which the drove, yes drove, to India from Copenhagen. The spent time in Iran, Pakistan, etc. A luxury that we Americans don't currently have I'm sorry to say. They had nothing but good things to say about both countries and loved the people. The beer garden also featured some traditional Romanian folk dancing as entertainment. Pairs of men and women danced in full costume to some fast-paced music and did a lot of yelling and knee-slapping. Get your Romanaeste groove on....then it rained and we went to sleep (finally).
Friday - day one of pre-service training (PST). Breakfast here is interesting. Turkish style coffee, tea, carbonated water or juice, goat's milk for beverages. Choice of breads and pastries, cheeses, sliced meats, cabbage & tomato salad, potato salad and 3 different style eggs for main course. The only cereal they had looked like cheap corn flakes. I took a pass and am glad I did. I enjoyed the feta and sausage, eggs & salad. One thinnk that they need to work on is coffee temperature; it's entirely too cold, especially given its consistency.
Started training at 9am and met the staff. Only 3 on the staff are Americans! I can't say enough about how impressive these people are. They protect us as if we were their children, are so nice and accommodating and speak impeccable English. We have Dr. Dan, Florin the safety officer, Marius the training coordinator, Tudor the language coordinator, Manuela, Ioana, Octavian and many others. I look forward to meeting them all!
Well, my hour is up and I don't want to spend more than 16,000 lei right now, as I have to go to dinner soon. I'll continue with Friday and give some detail about today the next time I can get to an internet cafe. I hope that this posting finds you in good health and spirits. Thanks for reading!
La revedere
Monday - Missed my flight to Philly by 2 minutes. Not the best time to miss my first flight. Let's just say I was a bit unhappy about that. However, with the help of a strong jetstream at my back, I made it to staging on time. Spent Monday evening in training sessions with the 63 other volunteers in my group (62 now) and went out to dinner.
Tuesday - More staging and getting to know people. Lots of group activities. Went for a run around Independence Hall and old Philly. It's a cool place to visit, especially if you're into colonial and revolutionary American history.
Wednesday - Left for JFK via charter bus. Flew to Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Let me take this opportunity to say that KLM is the best airline I've ever flown. You get your own personal monitor with approximately 80 movie choices and TV shows! Hot cheese rolls and free Heinekens aren't so bad either.
Thursday - Flew from Amsterdam to Bucharest. Landed at Otopeni Airport at about 12:50pm. Tried to be nice to the customs lady, but she was not having it. Stone cold comrade she was. We then waited for our bags to come out of the poorly designed baggage carousel. The carousel sucks so it has to be manned by two Romanian guys in funny blue overalls and euro-style wingtips. Awesome. With the assistance of our wonderful staff, we then loaded all of our crap into another bus bound for Brasov.
The ride took us north from the flat plain of Wallachia, into the rolling hills of Muntenia and then through the Bucegi mountains. On the way to Brasov we saw horse-drawn carts sharing the road with european sports cars, female "hitchhikers" (use your imagination), a Petrom refinery in Ploiesti, the beautiful ski town of Sinia and a 2500 meter snow-capped peak.
We checked into our hotel after about 24 hours of travel, so you can imagine how tired and cranky everyone was. My roommate and I got cleaned up and then went for a bere (beer) in the piata (plaza). I had a Ursus, which is a beer from Cluj and claims to be the king of all Romanian beers. Foarte bun! A few other volunteers joined us and we met up with everyone else at the Sergiana restaurant. We've been having all of our meals here and it is a very nice place. Dinner was chicken schnitzel with a cabbage and tomato salad. We also had fresh paine (bread) and more Ursus.
Afterwards, a few of us went to a beer garden in the piata and had a few more. We met up with a couple from Denmark who were on their way home from a six month trip in which the drove, yes drove, to India from Copenhagen. The spent time in Iran, Pakistan, etc. A luxury that we Americans don't currently have I'm sorry to say. They had nothing but good things to say about both countries and loved the people. The beer garden also featured some traditional Romanian folk dancing as entertainment. Pairs of men and women danced in full costume to some fast-paced music and did a lot of yelling and knee-slapping. Get your Romanaeste groove on....then it rained and we went to sleep (finally).
Friday - day one of pre-service training (PST). Breakfast here is interesting. Turkish style coffee, tea, carbonated water or juice, goat's milk for beverages. Choice of breads and pastries, cheeses, sliced meats, cabbage & tomato salad, potato salad and 3 different style eggs for main course. The only cereal they had looked like cheap corn flakes. I took a pass and am glad I did. I enjoyed the feta and sausage, eggs & salad. One thinnk that they need to work on is coffee temperature; it's entirely too cold, especially given its consistency.
Started training at 9am and met the staff. Only 3 on the staff are Americans! I can't say enough about how impressive these people are. They protect us as if we were their children, are so nice and accommodating and speak impeccable English. We have Dr. Dan, Florin the safety officer, Marius the training coordinator, Tudor the language coordinator, Manuela, Ioana, Octavian and many others. I look forward to meeting them all!
Well, my hour is up and I don't want to spend more than 16,000 lei right now, as I have to go to dinner soon. I'll continue with Friday and give some detail about today the next time I can get to an internet cafe. I hope that this posting finds you in good health and spirits. Thanks for reading!
La revedere
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Fenblog is open for business
Ok folks, welcome to blog land. Before we begin, let's get a few things straight.
1) If you don't like what you see, please just keep it to yourself and go to a different web page or something.
2) If you do like what you see, please let me know by registering with blogger and posting a comment or send me an e-mail!
3) Please feel free to send a link to this blog (http://sfenwick.blogspot.com) to anyone who might be interested.
4) I'll try to keep it clean for the kids and various other loved ones.
5) I'll try to post as many pics as possible, but you may have to go to yahoo! photos to look. don't worry, I'll post a link when the time comes.
6) The opinions expressed herein are not representative of those of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps and should not be interpreted as such. (had to get the disclaimer in there)
Soooo, let's begin shall we? A little housekeeping first.....
e-mail: rsfenwick@yahoo.com
Training address until August 5, 2005:
R.S. Fenwick
Peace Corps/Romania
Str. Negustori, NR. 16
Sector 2, Bucharest
Romania
Address after August, 5, 2005: TBD
Training city: Braşov, Transylvania
Start of Peace Corps service: May 23, 2005
Close of service: July 31, 2007
Packages: For those kind and generous souls who are thinking of sending me a care package (I'm not soliciting. Really, I'm not.), I cannot receive packages until after I'm sworn in as a volunteer and have been assigned to a post (job). I'll be sure to post my post address as soon as I can thereafter.
Phone calls: For those who cannot bear to live without hearing my sweet voice, fear not! I will have a cell phone. When and what the capabilities will be is TBD. However, I can say with confidence that I will be able to make and receive international calls for a decent rate (about 12 cents/minute). Now, for all of you digerati out there (thanks Durkin), you can call me for free via the internet on Skype! My profile name is rsfenwick. Be warned however, I'm a novice at the moment and you may have to schedule a time with me via e-mail beforehand.
Ok, I think that's it for the housekeeping. You're probably wondering if I'm excited? Yes, I am. But I'm more tired than anything. What a process this has been. Very time consuming and stressful. I just want to get on that plane so I can concentrate on the Peace Corps and not a bizillion other things. I've had lists coming out of my arse (see, clean) for many weeks now.
I leave for the Staging event in Philadelphia next Monday the 23rd. I'll be in Philly with my fellow trainees from Romania group 20 (all 67 of them) for a couple days. We'll be boarding a bus on the 25th for JFK International, at which point we'll board a KLM flight bound for Amsterdam. We'll have a brief layover before we head to Bucharest on the same carrier. What will happen then I know not. I'll keep you all posted. I hope that we get to stay in Bucharest for a night so we can rest, see the PC HQ at the embassy and meet the staff. Boarding a bus straight away for Braşov after all that travel is not an appealing prospect. Wouldn't be a bad as Chicago to Perth I think. But, then again, I haven't seen any Romanian roads yet....
That's all for now. Let me know if I forgot anything by posting a comment or sending me an e-mail. Back to moving more furiniture. Bunǎ Zuia.
1) If you don't like what you see, please just keep it to yourself and go to a different web page or something.
2) If you do like what you see, please let me know by registering with blogger and posting a comment or send me an e-mail!
3) Please feel free to send a link to this blog (http://sfenwick.blogspot.com) to anyone who might be interested.
4) I'll try to keep it clean for the kids and various other loved ones.
5) I'll try to post as many pics as possible, but you may have to go to yahoo! photos to look. don't worry, I'll post a link when the time comes.
6) The opinions expressed herein are not representative of those of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps and should not be interpreted as such. (had to get the disclaimer in there)
Soooo, let's begin shall we? A little housekeeping first.....
e-mail: rsfenwick@yahoo.com
Training address until August 5, 2005:
R.S. Fenwick
Peace Corps/Romania
Str. Negustori, NR. 16
Sector 2, Bucharest
Romania
Address after August, 5, 2005: TBD
Training city: Braşov, Transylvania
Start of Peace Corps service: May 23, 2005
Close of service: July 31, 2007
Packages: For those kind and generous souls who are thinking of sending me a care package (I'm not soliciting. Really, I'm not.), I cannot receive packages until after I'm sworn in as a volunteer and have been assigned to a post (job). I'll be sure to post my post address as soon as I can thereafter.
Phone calls: For those who cannot bear to live without hearing my sweet voice, fear not! I will have a cell phone. When and what the capabilities will be is TBD. However, I can say with confidence that I will be able to make and receive international calls for a decent rate (about 12 cents/minute). Now, for all of you digerati out there (thanks Durkin), you can call me for free via the internet on Skype! My profile name is rsfenwick. Be warned however, I'm a novice at the moment and you may have to schedule a time with me via e-mail beforehand.
Ok, I think that's it for the housekeeping. You're probably wondering if I'm excited? Yes, I am. But I'm more tired than anything. What a process this has been. Very time consuming and stressful. I just want to get on that plane so I can concentrate on the Peace Corps and not a bizillion other things. I've had lists coming out of my arse (see, clean) for many weeks now.
I leave for the Staging event in Philadelphia next Monday the 23rd. I'll be in Philly with my fellow trainees from Romania group 20 (all 67 of them) for a couple days. We'll be boarding a bus on the 25th for JFK International, at which point we'll board a KLM flight bound for Amsterdam. We'll have a brief layover before we head to Bucharest on the same carrier. What will happen then I know not. I'll keep you all posted. I hope that we get to stay in Bucharest for a night so we can rest, see the PC HQ at the embassy and meet the staff. Boarding a bus straight away for Braşov after all that travel is not an appealing prospect. Wouldn't be a bad as Chicago to Perth I think. But, then again, I haven't seen any Romanian roads yet....
That's all for now. Let me know if I forgot anything by posting a comment or sending me an e-mail. Back to moving more furiniture. Bunǎ Zuia.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
My dad's dog
For all you pooch lovers out there, here's a link to some pics of Bubba the Catahoula Leopard Puppy:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rsfenwick/album?.dir=/8d01&.src=ph&.tok=ph5GU6CBsB2lSm4a
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rsfenwick/album?.dir=/8d01&.src=ph&.tok=ph5GU6CBsB2lSm4a
Friday, April 29, 2005
Greetings from blogland
Hey, this photo posting thing works! Now all I have to have is a reliable internet connection in Romania and I'm in business. If not, I'm going to use a Yahoo! pictures account to store photos online for your viewing pleasure. That's my next project. Anyway, that's me on "Mr. Nice Guy" in Jamaica. What a boat! In fact, I think I'll post a pic of it........
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
The Wait is Over
I've been quite busy since the last post getting ready to go. The invitation came in the mail around the 17th or 18th of February. I called to accept the invite and proceeded to read about 200 pages of required material, followed by the drafting of a new resume and "Motivation Statement". All of that took about a week to complete. I now find myself making lots of lists and spending lots of money....neither of which I'm very fond. What are you going to do though? Moving to Romania isn't the easiest undertaking. All for the best I think.
One of my goals is to start some language training. I've got some software and am waiting for a book and some CDs in the mail. That should be a good primer I think. My biggest challenge will be to study consistently. We'll see what happens I guess.
16 days of Skadden left.....
One of my goals is to start some language training. I've got some software and am waiting for a book and some CDs in the mail. That should be a good primer I think. My biggest challenge will be to study consistently. We'll see what happens I guess.
16 days of Skadden left.....
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