6 months down, 19 to go

FYI - THIS POST WAS MADE ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4TH!

So I just ate what you’re seeing here. Ohhh, the food coma is coming on strong right about now, but I’m going to tough it out and give you this long overdue blog update. I’m writing this on the cpu and will cut and paste it when I get home. Yes, I know, it’s been waaay too long since the last post, and I really don’t have a good excuse. So, loyal readers, scuzati-ma va rog.

What we have here is, arguably, the ultimate in Romanian cuisine. Sarmale (the cabbage rolls stuffed with pork and rice), Mamaliga (the yellow corn meal), chifteluta (a sort of meatball), and some pickled tomatoes and cauliflower. Add to that some palinka (the shot glass) and some Tuborg Christmas Beer and you’ve got yourself one hell of a meal. And to top it all off, it was prepared by, in my humble opinion, the number one chef in Romania, Mama Ica.

I believe I left off last time when I was in Codlea. Well, I’m here again and I’ll get you caught up on the past two weeks. Unfortunately, I must begin with some bad news. My camera was stolen at the bus station on my way back to Piatra Neamt. I have no idea how it happened and I didn’t feel a thing. It was only about three minutes from the time I got out of Victor’s car to the time I entered the bus. Unbelievable. These thieves here are very good at what they do. However, it was my fault. I was in a hurry, and wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around me. That made me an automatic mark. I had the camera bag attached to my backpack and thus it was out of my sight. After about 2 hours on the bus, I moved my backpack and noticed that my camera bag was open. They unzipped the bag and took the camera without me noticing. I still can’t believe it happened and am in awe of their skill. So, I learned my lesson and bought a new camera. Asta e viata (that’s life). Although it’s nowhere near the quality of my old one, it will do the job.

Thanksgiving came and went. I decided not to travel, as I had been “on the road” the past 3 weeks. Gabby and I made dinner on T-giving, drank some wine and watched a DVD (thanks Roz). It was low-key and ok. I spent the remainder of the weekend catching up on schoolwork and talking to people on Skype. My six month anniversary here came and went as well. Hard to believe.

The teachers’ strike finally ended here in Romania last week. I think that I was the only volunteer that didn’t have at least one day off due to the strike. I’ll find out for sure this week when I go to Sibiu for the In Service Training Conference. I think the teachers got an 11 or 12 percent salary increase and got paid for the time they were striking. The bad thing, at least for volunteers, is that the schools have to find a way to make up for lost time. I think some people are either going to be working longer hours during the week or will be working on Saturdays (ouch). In retrospect, I lucked out because my program was not disrupted and my colleagues at least got something out of the deal. However, settlement is only temporary at best. Romania’s education system is in serious need of reform in all areas and I can’t imagine that things are going to get better any time soon. Sorry for the gloomy outlook, but it’s going to take a couple of generations to rid this system of its old commie ways. All theory and no practice makes for an unproductive workforce. Trust me. Even my students know this. They’re fed up with the system.

Last Wednesday, I went to a Rotary event in Piatra. They put on a benefit concert to raise money for a music school for kids in some village in Neamt county. The performers were all kids and they put on a great show. The solo piano performances were particularly good, as these kids exhibited great skill. Classical, Jazz, some ragtime, it was excellent. I went with a couple of my students so they could introduce me to the head of Rotary in Piatra Neamt. I’m going to try to start a Rotary Interact club at school. It’s a good way to get the students involved in volunteer projects and hopefully give some of them an opportunity to apply for scholarships. Many of them want to go to university in the States. We’ll see what happens. Thanks to Sarah’s dad, David, for giving me the idea.

Ica and Victor finished remodeling the front bedroom before I arrived last Thursday. They put in a beautiful fireplace and parquet floor. Ica really wanted to get the room finished before Sarah comes. I really appreciate that. We’re all going to have a great time. It’s so nice to sit in the room and relax and read with a nice fire going. Good stuff. Thanks to their daughter Delia for making it all possible.

I’ve got three days of school this week and will head to Sibiu on Thursday morning. I’m estimating a 7 hour bus ride (depending on the weather). I’ll be in Sibiu for a week with my fellow Group 20ers and we’ll have language and technical training seminars all week. I’m sure there will be plenty of partying going on, as this will be a reunion of sorts. It will be four months since we were all together the last time. I’m really looking forward to seeing everybody, including the staff and language teachers. Sibiu is an old Saxon city with a heavy German influence and will be the cultural capital of Europe in 2007. It will also be the EU administrative center once Romania accedes in a couple of years. I’ve always wanted to visit this city and should have ample opportunity to check it out.

After Sibiu I’ll travel to Codlea for the weekend on my way back to Piatra. Then, four days of school and back to Codlea for Christmas! I’ll be sure to document my Romanian Christmas thoroughly for the benefit of you loyal blog readers, ok? So, that’s the agenda as of right now. I hope that this blog post finds you all in good health and spirits. I also hope that you are all looking forward to Christmas as much as I am. Until next time, Sanatate si Numai Bine.

Scott

Blue Arrow?

This post's photo was taken waaay back in early August on the front steps of Scoala General Nr. 3 in good 'ol Codlea. These are the people, along with our language teachers, that I lived with in Codlea this summer. Many of them are good friends of mine. As it happens, I was fortunate enough to see a few of them this past weekend. Let's get to that now shall we?

I woke up at 5:00 am on Saturday to catch a train to Focsani,.......ok, I started this post last night but was too tired to finish. Tonight, I have no time. Tomorrow I'm going to Codlea directly after class, so I'll have no time tomorrow. I will go to the internet cafe in Codlea on Friday and continue. Just wanted to let all you loyal readers that I'm still bloggin'. So, until Friday then, ok? Bye.

It's a snowy Saturday here in Codlea and I'm a day late. I didn't feel very well yesterday. Around 2pm I felt very fatigued and had some nausea. Ica came home from work and, of course, she was very worried. I had a feeling that I was just overtired, but she wasn't taking any chances. She proceeded to: take my blood pressure, take my pulse, rub vinegar all over my hands and forehead (a bit of traditional medicine I guess), place a cold compress on my head and give me mint tea with lemon. After about a 3 hour nap I was ok. We then drove through the snow in the Dacia for a trip to Metro and I was able to buy some sweaters and a scarf. It's starting to get really cold here in Romania, especially since I'm always in a mountainous zone.

So, let's go back in time a bit. As I said before, I went to Focsani last weekend. My friend Jonathon was hosting a birthday get together for another volunteer. His name is Bridger and he also lives in Moldavia in a city called Onesti. You may be wondering at this point what a Blue Arrow is, right? Well, that's the name of the train I took. Romania unveiled these brand new trains this summer and they are the pride of the CFR (Romanian rail system). They were manufactured by Siemens (Germany) this year and are very different from the rest of the fleet, as everything else is a communist era relic. Modern, clean, but not very fast (as the name might lead you to believe). I think this has less to do with the train itself and more to do with the tracks and system as a whole. I'll explain.

I was about an hour late going to Focsani and three hours late going home. Moldavia experienced massive flooding this summer, and, as a result, the tracks are still really messed up. What is frustrating is that CFR won't update their train schedules to account for the delays. They've known that these trains have been running behind schedule for months now, but do nothing to accomodate passengers. That's that good 'ol Romanian customer service for 'ya. As Jonathon and I froze our asses off on the platform last Sunday, an update for the Blue Arrow to Bucharest was announced over the PA system. About a hundred people let out a collective groan after they were told the train would be an hour late. I'm sure there was some cursing as well, but my Romanian is not that polished yet. Maybe next year I'll understand all of the dirty words....

The party in Focsani was really fun. There were about ten of us packed into Jonathon's apartment. We watched a lot of DVD's, drank many litres of homemade white wine (less than a dollar a litre) and caught up on each other's lives. It's really interesting how people can feel so close to one another in a situation like this. In the grand scheme of things we hardly know each other, but many of us have formed a bond and have become fast friends. I guess this experience naturally brings people together. I think that I've made some friendships that will last for a long time. Anyway, Jonathon and I cooked (for 10), everyone had his/her fair share of wine, and we all parted ways on Sunday.

I had mixed results at school this week. Wednesday was good, as I was able to have my first session of "office hours". Florin gave me the keys to the "Modern Languages Lab" (which is simply a nicer classroom for the kids with advanced foreign language abilities. It has a proper heater as well) and I met with four students. I'm writing a letter of recommendation for a girl who wants to attend university in the US and I'm helping three other students prepare for an oral English exam. The conversation I had with the three students was excellent. They are very sophisticated and well-informed for their age and the topics we covered were wide-ranging and complex. The fact that they can have such conversations in English is even more impressive. There's no way I could have such a conversation with three 17 year-old American students. These kids have a thirst for knowledge and information and are willing to work very hard to improve their situation in life. They're hungry and are determined to make something of themselves. Not surprisingly, they're all female. No offense, but males here are a bit lazy and complacent. I hate to stereotype, but that's just my opinion. Girls make better students anyway.

Thursday's bus ride was interesting. The driver decided to blast "Musica Popular" the whole way down to Brasov. It was as if he was piping the Favorit and Etno channels through his PA system, and loud. So much for chilling out with my headphones. Ahhhhhh! For my fellow PCVs, you know what I'm talking about. For everybody else, you'd have to experience this yourself to understand. Luckily, I took a little video (with audio) on the bus, so all you people back home will get a taste when I come back.

Jonathon is here with his lady friend from Sibiu and I think that they're going to come over tonight for dinner. They're staying with Jonathon's gazda here in Codlea. We're gonna eat some Mici and drink some Palinka from Zalau. Palinka is a stronger version of Tuica. Apparently, the best Palinka comes from Zalau, so we've got the good stuff. I had one last night and I enjoyed it. Dangerous though, because it has a lot more alcohol than Tuica and goes down smoother. Limit 2 shots.

I was able to stroll around a bit today and take some pics of Codlea. The snowmakes for some picturesque conditions and I will be sure to post a pic when I get back to Piatra. There's a great soccer game on tonight, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Victor and I are pumped. These are two of the best teams in the world and our man Ronaldinho will be in action. Go Barcelona! I'll catch the 3:30 bus tomorrow afternoon. I hope that the weather conditions won't impede my journey. The last thing I want is to get in really late tomorrow evening, as I've got 5 classes in a row on Monday. Well, that's about it for now. I'm actually enjoying the snow because it made me realize how close Christmas is. It also means that Sarah will be here soon! Until next time, Numai Bine.

Greva

First, you may be wondering what a "greva" is? It means strike, as in labor strike. We'll get to that in a moment. Let's talk about the photo, shall we?

Codlea: I was sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast a couple of weeks ago and the doorbell rang. Ica went to answer. I heard "clip-clop, clip-clop", turned to look out the window and saw a horse's head! Of course I immediately went outside and you're now seeing what I saw. Firewood delivery, Romania style. The car is Joel's rental, and Ica is in the foreground. Tavica the dog is with us here as well and, if you look really closely or click to blow up the pic, you'll see that one of the horseys left us a "present". The firewood delivery guys were really nice and Ica treated them to a round of coffee and, that's right folks, Tuica. Nothing like a little plum brandy to get the blood pumping for a hard days' work of wood delivery on the 'ol carutza.

They unloaded all of the trees and Victor then proceeded to chainsaw and chop the hell out of them. The garage was filled with chopped wood for the winter when I went back last weekend. He wields a mean axe. Fuel for the "soba" or wood-burning stove is very important for many Romanians. Gas is expensive and the soba, if built well, is very efficient and will keep a room warm for many hours. It's nice to walk the streets of Codlea on a cold, crisp day and smell the wood smoke coming from the chimneys.

Anyway, back to the Greva. As of this writing, approximately 85% of the public schools in Romania are on strike. However, Hogas is not. We do not have a union representative and are thus not on strike. We are one of only two schools in Neamt County that is not on strike. We made the news. People are not happy. Students, of course, are not happy, but for obviously different reasons (some of them "went on strike" after watching the Monday morning news). Many of the TEFL volunteers are not working right now and nobody knows when all of this will end. Let's hope that President Basescu helps out and gives these people a raise. Union reps are meeting with him in Bucharest this week.

I understand fully why these teachers are on strike. Their salaries are paltry (a colleague of mine, 29 years old, makes the equivalent of about $175 a month), they have to buy their own books, and the system is generally a mess. There was a revolution in Romania, but not in the schools. The system is antiquated, top-heavy and still has one foot stuck in the past. Unfortunately, the kids know this too and the resulting apathy and malaise can be challenging to overcome for a teacher, especially when he/she has to live paycheck to paycheck. Some of my colleagues are upset because they may reap the benefits that may be gained as a result of the sacrifices of the striking teachers, who are not being paid right now. Difficult situation all around.

So, that's the current state of affairs. I'll be heading to a city called Focsani on Saturday to hook up with some fellow group 20 PCVs. There's a birthday to celebrate and apparently some good, cheap wine to drink (Moldavia is known for its wine). It'll be about a 2 hour and 45 minute train ride south. I'll arrive at about 11:30am and leave around 4:30pm on Sunday. That should put me back in Piatra Neamt at about 7:15. Tomorrow and Friday will be devoted to ironing, lesson planning, homework grading and hopefully some reading and DVD watching (thanks again Roz and Joel!). Pa (bye)!

Scott (reporting from the Greva-free zone at Hogas High)

Cold Feet

Words of wisdom for those traveling by bus this time of year in Romania...bring warm socks. I hopped on the bus yesterday at the autogara in Piatra around 1pm for the trip to Brasov. Normally, one would think that if air blows from the floor it would be warm air, right? Also, one would also assume that if the bus was incapable of providing its passengers with heat, there would be no blowing of air at all, just closed vents, right? Wrong folks. This is Romania and the curent can come at you just when you least expect it. "Moldotours" from Targu Neamt provided me with a constant stream of cold air up my left pant leg for 6 hours last night. I can bet you that this bus was running long before Nadia Comaneci won the gold medal in '76. Thank you Moldotours! Luckily, the bus that I will take back to Piatra on Sunday is a lot newer, is quite nice and has heat. Ironically, this company, Patru Trans Plus, charges 100,000 lei less than Transmoldavia for the trip. I don't get it. Really, I don't.

So, I'm back in Codlea for the weekend. Ica and I are going to make a batch of zacusca and I hope to write down some more recipies as well. I made a Romanian omelette this morning with ardei (light green peppers), ciuperci (mushrooms) and fresh telemea cheese. Toast with homemade boysenberry jam was scarfed down as well. Yum. I hope that there will be some mici in my future as well. I'm going to try to get some school work done today and hope to just read and relax for the rest of my time here. I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back again this month, as Ica and Victor will be having a soba (wood burning fireplace/heater) installed in my bedroom. They are also putting in a parquet floor. This should take at least two weeks. Also, Ica will be in Paris the following week with her daughter Delia. So, I might just have to wait until December 1, as I'll have a long weekend due to a holiday.

That's about it for now. La revedere.

Long Time, No Blog

I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus, but it's been a busy time for me lately. First, let's talk about the pictures, shall we? First, we have yours truly with Mrs. Lupu, the Director of Hogas High as we prepare to do our duties as member of the judges' panel at the 5th grade Halloween pageant. What a production! The 11th graders organized and ran the show and the kids were great. They presented themselves as individuals, put on a group play, danced and had a costume contest. The kids here really get into Halloween and make quite a big production out of it. I also went to 3 other parties the following day for 8th, 9th and 10th grade.

Next, that's Ica, Victor and my friend Joel with Codlea in the background. We all went for a walk last Sunday and Joel got the birds-eye view, as well as the tour of the town. The weather was absolutely fabulous!

So yes, Joel made it to Codlea in his trusty Daewoo rental. He got lost a couple of times on the way, but finally made it. We ate a lot (of course), drank Tuica and hung out with Victor and Ica on Friday night. It was my first experience as an interpreter and both Ica and Joel said I did a good job. Whew! Good practice for when Sarah comes!

Saturday we went to Brasov (in the CAR!!!) and we took in the sights and went to the Scottish Pub. It was at the Scottish Pub that I ate a REAL Cheeseburger, not the Romanian version which I'm not sure is actually meat. Anyway, it was big, and it was legit. Had some fries with it and boy was I happy. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a real burger. Two kilts up for the Scottish Pub. I'm going back for sure. The other cool thing about the day in Brasov was that I was able to see some things that I had never seen before.

It was the first time that I was in Brasov strictly as a tourist. We went to the old Saxon Black Church and the newly restored White Tower, both about 500 years old. It was really great to do a little sightseeing and learn more about the history of the city. It used to be a full-fledged garrisoned medieval city with defensive towers, walls and a moat. Brasov is great. I like it more and more everytime I go. I now know why it and its surrounding area is Romania's number 1 tourist attraction. So, for those of you who are planning, or will be planning a trip to Romania(that's right people, you don't have a choice in the matter, you must come here at least once in your life :) ), I must suggest that you start with the Brasov area first.

Sunday afternoon we hopped in the CAR and drive north to Piatra Neamt. Going by car cuts 2 hours off of the trip, 4 1/2 instead of 6 1/2 hours. However, I miscalculated a bit, as we should have left 2 hours earlier. The last two hours of the trip were in the dark and, needless to say, the conditions were a bit difficult. Dark, two lane, potholed highways populated by horse-drawn carts and villagers (no sidewalks) made for quite the adventurous drive. Joel earned his stripes though. Not many Americans can say that they drove through Moldavia at night and lived to tell about it. He, nor I will ever forget that drive.

Monday through Wednesday were spent going to class and having dinner at my top three places here in Piatra: Pizza 66 (pretty damn good pizza), Nefertiti (good, cheap Turkish food), and the Cercul Gospodinelor (or, as I like to call it, the fancy Romanian restaurant on top of the mountain). We also, courtesy of Joel, were able to enjoy some episodes of season 2 of Chappelle's Show. Joel brought me the entire second season on DVD!!!! What a gift!!!! I'm sure that this gift will bring much joy not only to myself, but to many other PCVs in the future. Thanks again buddy.

Joel also spoke to a bunch of classes that have a mathematics/informatics focus and basically told them about himself and what he does for a living. He talked about web design, network engineering and even gave an interesting little lecture on the idea behind the MP3 and IPod. Very interesting stuff and I know that the kids and their teachers (including me) really appreciated it. But alas, he had to go back to civilization sometime, so we parted ways at about 4:50am on Thursday morning. He drove to Bucharest and flew back to Paris. He's probably enjoying his last night in Amsterdam right about now. Quite a vacation, huh?

So, it's Sunday night and I've got to finish creating a homework assignment for my geography class. A little map identification activity. Painless. I'm not trying to break their balls. Week 8 starts tomorrow. Even though time seems to move fast now, I still feel as though I've been here for a lot longer than I have. It's a weird sensation. Sarah will be here in less than 8 weeks, and, after the end of next week, I'll be 25% done with the school year. Amazing. I'm headed to Codlea this weekend again, as I've decided to try to go every two weeks. It's not nearly enough though.....I love my Mama and Tata. La revedere, numai bine si pe curand.

A little bump in the road

Here he is folks, the one, the only, Mr. Moldavia: Stephan cel Mare (Stephen the Great). He presides over the park here in Piatra Neamt and is loved by all. He's got a 500 year old church and clock tower here as well (pics in the future).

Well, I hit a little bump in the road this week. Missed two days of school due to a respiratory tract infection. For those of you who have been loyal readers from the beginning, do you think that the dreaded "curent" got its revenge on me? So, I'm on antibiotics and still trying to shake this thing. I'm trying to avoid a medical trip to Bucharest at all costs. Apparently, Dr. Dan from PC doesn't trust any doctor outside of Bucharest, so if I don't get better it's a 6 hour train ride. Boo.

So, here's what I want to do right about now. At this moment, I'm going to ask Sfantul (Saint), (yes, he is a saint) Stefan cel Mare to cure me tonight and use his saintly powers to remove all of the mucus from my lungs and restore all of my energy. And here's why: 1) I need to go to school tomorrow and teach 5 classes in a row, 2) I need to teach more classes on Tues., Wed., & Thurs. and, most importantly 3) I've got to catch a 7am bus to Brasov on Friday.

This is very important for two reasons: 1) I need to see my mama and tata (Ica & Victor) because I miss them and need to stuff my fat face with Romanian goodness and 2) My first visitor from the US is meeting me in Codlea!

My friend Joel Cote, who I worked with at Skadden, will be flying into Bucharest on Friday from Paris. Joel's going to then rent a car (this is huge) and drive up to Codlea. I should get into Codlea at about 3pm and Joel at about 6:30pm. He's a lucky guy. He gets to stay with Ica and Victor, eat Ica's food, see Brasov and he (we) will not have to rely on public means of transportation (HUGE!!). On Sunday we will drive up to Piatra Neamt and he'll stay with me until Thursday morning. I hope to bring him into my classes so he can talk to the kids. He's going to bring newspapers from New York so that the kids can look at them. I've got a couple of Chicago Sun-Times (thanks Lora and Roz), so maybe we can answer questions about stuff that they see in the paper? We'll see. No matter what it will be cool.

I'm gonna sign off now. I hope Stefan can help me out.......

Orwellian Weekend?

First off, if you don't already know, you can click on pics to make them bigger for maximum viewing pleasure. Second, I guess that I have some explaining to do after posting such a photograph. I'm at a loss for an adjective to describe it. If I had to use two words they would be "slightly disturbing", as that's how I felt when we took the photo. So, we have Domnul Professor J.J., my friend from Codlea, as the hand model, a paperback edition of Orwell's 1984, and a 1984 edition of the Bacau phonebook.

I arrived in Bacau on Friday afternoon after an hour maxi-taxi ride south. It's a big city full of concrete blocs and sits on a plain pretty much smack dab in the middle of Moldavia. Many people were moved there during the communist era as industrial workers. There I met up with my brothers from Codlea group 20 Dave and J.J.. They are both TEFL volunteers like me and have the great fortune of sharing a spacious 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Bacau. The people of Bacau were celebrating "Bacau Days" this weekend, so I thought it would be a good time to pay my friends a visit. Another volunteer from Codlea group 20, Ashley, came up from Targu Jiu in the southwest and Gabby showed up later on Friday night.

After a tour of the city, we all went to the festival, ate mici and kebabs and drank plenty of 15,000 lei draft beer (that's about .50 in case you were wondering). There was also some Tuica in the mix as well....but it definitely wasn't as good as the homemade stuff I get back in Codlea from Domnul Lawrence. Anyway, we all came back to the apartment and hung out.

As J.J. and Dave had just moved into the apartment a week ago, they had not yet explored the contents of many of the numerous cabinets that are built into walls of the living room and hall. The apartment was fully furnished, so the owner conveniently left a lot of stuff there like books, an old non-functioning stereo and lots of other random crap. After I asked if all of the cabinets were empty, J.J. said he didn't know and started opening them up. He then pulled the 1984 phonebook out. We were all amazed at the sight of this communist relic and, as I said before, I was a bit creeped out at the irony of the year. No ads, no photos, a few propagandistic (is that a word?) drawings, and lots of numbers to call with the word "comunist" next to it. All businesses were just listed as what they were and didn't have distinct names (example: Pharmacy nos. 1,2,3,4,5, etc.) You'd have to see this thing to get the full effect. It was a bit surreal. Sitting in that bloc apartment and looking at this everyday item made me shudder a bit as for a brief second I felt as if I got a taste of what it must have been like to live here during the Ceaucescu era. I'll take as few of those feelings as possible, thanks.

So, it's Sunday today and I need to do a little planning for school tomorrow. Might cook some dinner with Gabby over at the vice mayor's house tonight and hang out with her daughter so she can practice her English. I've got one of my program managers from Peace Corps coming to pay me a visit on Thursday. She'll observe one of my classes, we'll meet with the school director and then we'll chat and have some lunch. Next week I get a visit from Dr. Dan from Bucharest, who'll give me a flu shot and ask me a lot of questions about my health and how I'm doing. Well, let's just say I've been better, ok? However, this was to be expected. I knew going into this that my physical health would suffer a bit. It's up to me now to try to get it back. As far as the mental health goes, It's touch and go still. Some days are better than others, some hours are better than others. I wonder if I'll ever truly get used to all of this? I think that by the time I do, it will be time to go. However, I'm not going to complain about that because I've got so much to go back to. And for that I'm very thankful. Much love to you all.

Scott

Happy Anniversary

This post is a special shout-out to my favorite couple in the whole wide world. That's right, I'm talkin' 'bout the VanTilburgs - Aaron and Carrie! They're celebrating their 1 year anniversary this Sunday and I was fortunate enough to take part in the wedding last year as a groomsman and "unofficial" photographer. So, if you know them, give them a call and wish them a happy 1st anniversary. If you don't, then just admire the picture....sooo romantic....

Love you both,
Scott

October's Here

I love this picture of Ica! She's peering out of the new window that Victor put in recently in the bathroom that he's remodling. The bathroom is accessed from the courtyard/driveway outside and is adjacent to a cellar. Victor's putting in new tile as well. There's no toilet, just a place to bathe. It's nice in the summer, with lots of fresh air to come in.

The weekend in Codlea was good. The wedding was small, but fun and I ate ALOT. Good food and good people. I think that I'll be going back there every two weeks. I really feel at home there and love Ica and Victor so much. Next time there won't be any pre-planned events and I'll be able to cook with Ica and get school work done in a relaxing and comfortable environment. In a perfect world, I'd live with them for the rest of my service. Living alone sucks and I never want to do it again if I can help it.

Week 4 of school has started. I had a bit of a rough day yesterday with one of the classes - they don't know how to keep their mouths shut. Today was ok though. Although I don't want to do it, I'm going to have to drop the hammer on them and make them realize who's boss. I did it this morning in the British History class and I think that it worked. Oh well. Today, tomorrow & Thursday I need to catch up on some school work and then I'm going to visit a couple of friends from group 20 on Friday. They live in Bacau and were 2 of my fellow trainees in Codlea. They share an apartment and I'm looking forward to seeing it and hanging out with them. It's been two months since we all parted ways, so it will be good.

Sarah bought her plane ticket for Romania the other day. She'll be arriving on December 28th and leaving on January 10th. I wish we could have more time together, but schedules will not allow for this. I think that I'm going to give Victor money to rent a car so we can pick her up in Bucharest and take her to Codlea in comfort. The Dacia's in no shape for long trips. We'll stay in Codlea through the new year, use the car to travel around together if we can and leave for Piatra Neamt after about 6 days. We'll spend a few days in Piatra and then leave for a couple days in Bucharest before she leaves on the 10th. I'm counting the days.

Well, that's about it for now. I've got to go buy a few things at the grocery store, wash some dishes, iron some shirts, vaccum, etc. And I've also got plenty of school work to do. Bye for now!

The Double Whammy / Back to Codlea

That's right folks, yours truly is a millionaire - a million lei that is. Right now a million lei is about 35 bucks. It sure is some snazzy currency isn't it? It's similar to Australia's money in that it is synthetic, waterproof and has a little clear window in it. The moustachioed fellow adorning the bill is Mr. Ion luca Caragiale, a prized writer and the pioneer of satiric comedy here in Romania. He's big.

Anyway, my "friend" the math teacher and schedule maker has finally done it. He gave me the double whammy - British History and British Geography at 7am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively. Multumesc domnule. Geo is tomorrow. I'm going to have to do a dance or something to get these kids going at 7. If anyone has any suggestions on how I can incorporate dance into a geography lesson I'd love to hear from you.

Today was weird. I woke up with my head in a haze (maybe it was that double shot of Tuica I had before bed?) and I felt like a zombie all day. As I walked down the street towards the library for Romanian language tutoring, the sound of some pseudo-pop-traditional-I don't know what the hell kind of music became louder and louder. Wondering where it was coming from, I looked across the street and saw a table set up with a big speaker and a few people sitting there. There were posters everywhere and the guy on the mike was enticing people to come buy a CD and get an autograph from the artist, who was sitting at the table trying his best to look Euro-cool (yes, this is a look). Turns out he is some old, washed up pop star (I talked to my tutor). Makes sense because he was hawking his CDs on a street corner in Piatra Neamt. Only in Romania.

After tutoring I walked down to the bus station to get my ticket for tomorrow's trip to Codlea and saw one of my students. I spoke to him briefly (in English) as we crossed the street then parted ways. Next thing I know this smiling drunk guy in a suit is trying to speak to me in English and insists on shaking my hand, a lot. All he could get out was "Hello" so I started speaking Romanian to him. This definitely threw him for a loop as he could hardly speak (Romanian). Could have been because he was piss drunk, but anyway....He starts to tell me that he's a lawyer and whips out his official Romanian lawyer ID book (yes, such a thing exists) and starts asking me if I need help getting home to America (he's a lawyer, so he does things like this all of the time right?). I then explained who I was and what I was doing here and he was, again, flabbergasted (and wasted). I smiled, wrenched my hand away from him and walked briskly away to get my ticket. Only in Romania.

So it's back to Sweet Home Codlea tomorrow for some good times and good food. A welcome respite from the daily grind and lonely feelings here in Moldova.

I need to rant

Why in the hell am I teaching British History to a bunch of Romanian kids at 7:00am? Will somebody please give me a good reason for this? AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting Comfortable

As usual, I've posted a picture for your viewing pleasure. This is Peles Castle in Sinaia. It was the summer residence of King Carol I and is now a museum. I visited the castle in July when group 20 wen to out counterpart conference. If you think that the exterior is impressive, well, you should see the interior. I've never seen such beautiful and ornate wood work in my life. Quite impressive and highly recommended for those of you who might one day come to Romania.

Anyway, back to the present. I've got two weeks of school under my belt now and have finally met all of my students. In total, I see about 270 students a week. Unfortunately, this means that I only get 50 min. a week with each kid. At first I thought that this was not enough time for me to be effective. However, I'm starting to change my mind because my classes are so drastically different from everything else that they do. As a result, I think that they will remember their experience with me no matter how much time we have together.

For the most part, these kids are great. Most of them are really eager to learn and I haven't had any problems yet. They really seem to enjoy my presence here. In fact, there has been some controversy due to the fact that some classes (the bilingual ones) are quite upset that they do not have me as a teacher. One class went so far as to file a formal complaint, signed by them and their parents, with the school director! While I'm very flattered by this, the last thing that I want is to be the impetus of tension between students, parents and the administration. I can't see everybody. So, I spoke to them yesterday on my day off and told them that they could talk to me anytime if they see me outside of class. I hope that they calm down a bit and just accept the situation.

I think that I'm starting to "turn the corner" in terms of my comfort level here. I've been in Piatra Neamt for about 6-7 weeks now and am getting used to the situation. Living alone, teaching, etc., it's all so different and I was having a bit of a rough time as recently as last week. But, after a long and productive talk with Sarah, things started to get better for me. Combine that with my comfort level at school, the beginning of formal Romanian language tutoring and just a general feeling of familiarity of my city and I think that I now know why I'm feeling better.

It's a gray and wet Saturday today here in Piatra. I think that last weekend was the end of summer as the weather has been getting progressively cooler here. I think that the fall and winter will be similar to Chicago. I think I'll be able to handle that, even though I may not like it. I'll be doing some shopping today for food and various other items. I also need to go to the autogara to find out bus and maxi-taxi schedules to Brasov. I'll be visiting Ica and Victor next weekend and we'll be going to a wedding. It will be my first Romanian wedding and should be quite the cross-cultural experience. I'd like to leave on Thusday after school, but I'm not sure about the schedules. Ideally, I'd like to take a maxi-taxi south to Bacau, change maxi-taxis and continue southwest to Brasov. I could save about two hours with this method. However, there's always the 7:30am Friday bus to Brasov. However, based on my previous experience, I'd like to avoid that option if possible.

I hope that all is well with you loyal blog readers. Please send me an e-mail or post a comment, as hearing from people back home always makes my day! Pa! (bye)

A Day in the Life

First of all, let's talk about this picture. Do not be fooled, this is par for the course here in Romania. The horse-drawn cart or "Caruţa" (ca-root-za) is frequently seen sharing the road with mechanized vehicles. Many even have license plates! This picture was taken on the road which lies on top of the giant Bicaz dam, part of Romania's hydroelectric power system.

Anyway, a friend of mine asked if I might be able to do a "day in the life" post, however mundane it might be. So, I'll indulge you all. However, remember that I still haven't established a firm routine yet, so this will change. Maybe I'll do another one next month or something. Anyway, here goes:

7:00am - Wake up to the sounds of chattering students and the dreaded school bell that sounds something like a high-pitched version of the typical European police car siren (think of any action movie set in Europe with a car chase). Ouch.

8:30am - Go into school and sign the "condica" in the teachers' room. The condica is this big book that lists every class for the day and who is teaching each class. For each of your classes, you must give a brief description of the day's lesson and sign your name. Also, please note that teachers here don't have their own rooms, so we have one big room with a big table for everybody. Very different.

9:00am - this is usually when I start classes. Let the fun begin!

1:00 or 2:00pm - this is usually when I finish classes. Let the nap begin!

After class, I try to recap what happened in each class and record information in each individual class folder. I also have to record absences, daily grades (participation for Eng. conversation), etc. I also run errands, get some lunch, blah, blah, blah.

In the evening I plan for the next day's classes. If I'm lucky, I'll get to watch a good soccer game before I go to bed. I'm digggin' the Spanish League. Barcelona is my team. Ronaldinho from Brazil is the man.

Oh yeah, another thing that I'm going to be doing on Tuesday and Thursday nights is teaching English at Gabby's organization. It'll be about 20 adults. I'm going to try to keep it loose and fun, as I don't see how I'll really have any time to devote to planning.

Many changes to come though.....I'll keep you all posted.

Monastery Marathon!

Nice pic huh? That's inside of Secu Monastery near Targu Neamt. I went on a little vacation this weekend with Victor and Ica. It turned out to be more than I bargained for. We started a monastery tour at 7am and didn't get back until 9pm. At least 9 of those 14 hours were spent riding around in a little micro bus with a drunk tour guide (he wasn't driving, he was on the mic) and 17 Romanians. 6 or 7 Monasteries were visited. I'm not sure of the exact number because I was about done after the 3rd one. I slept in the grass outside of number 5 or 6 because I just couldn't take it anymore. The ride was bumpy, the conversation was loud and in Romanian and, for those of you who've been reading the blog since summer, the dreaded "curent" was in full effect.

At about 4pm, after sweating my ass off inside of this bus all day, I finally announced (in Romanian) that the curent is not true, just like Dracula. As a result, the bunica in front of me cracked her window a bit for me so I could get a whiff of fresh air. Immediately thereafter, the woman sitting next to her proceeded to wrap her sweater around her head. It was 80 degrees outside. This curent thing is out of control. 15 minutes later I saw a woman walking down the street with a scarf and wool hat on her head. Crazy.

So, today was the first day of school and my first classes are tomorrow. Wish me luck.....

Cool Hats

If you come to Romania, you too can model fabulous hats! First, we have yours truly modeling what I like to call the "Hungarian Cone", which is featured prominently in Harghita County (the site of the photo) and other predominatly Hungarian areas in Romania. Next, we have Gabby (my site mate) featuring the "Romanian Hunter", a fine cap made from pure animal skin, au natural. These photos were taken a few weeks back when I went on a trip with Gabby's organization to Lacu Rosu (Red Lake) and the Bicaz Gorges, two of Romania's natural tourist attractions and located in a national park. Cool.

Anyway, today is Tuesday and I still haven't done much as far as school is concerned. This system is soooo different than the American system. We've got 5 days to go before the first day and the friggin' schedules aren't even set yet. With the exception of two brand new English teachers, Oana and Brindusa, nobody talks to me or gives me any advice. At this point, the only thing the three of us have done is bitch and moan about the current situation and how there's only one friendly veteran English teacher. My counterpart is always too busy for me, so I guess this is just going to be the way it is. I'm going to do my thing and I hope they approve. If not, then they better actually COMMUNICATE with me. Don't get me wrong, most of the young people are pretty open; it's the older generation that's been conditioned not to talk too much.

Sooo, since nothing is happening here this week and everyone who CAN help me either doesn't talk to me or doesn't have time for me, I'm going to go to see Victor & Ica in Vatra Dornei on Thursday night and do some monastery hopping. A little vacation for me before classes start on Monday. I'm not worried about it too much because the first week's going to be a wash. And maybe the second, third, fourth.....

More pics to come now that I'm all hooked up here in the apt.

Salut,
Mr. Flexible

Fotbal Ceahlaul!

Victor and I went to the soccer game in Piatra Neamt yesterday. The team is called F.C. Ceahlaul (named after the big mountain in the area). F.C. Ceahlaul is in orange and F.C. Botosani is in blue. The mountain you see in the background is Pietricica, which is located in the center of Piatra Neamt (note the big TV antenna/tower). We had a lot of fun! Ica and Victor are visiting me this weekend and will be off to the resort town of Vatra Dornei today. I'll be joining them on Friday for the weekend!

Yesterday, Romania beat Czech Republic 2-0 in a world cup qualifier to keep their hopes alive for a spot in World Cup 2006. It was a very important game and it's all over the news today. The World Cup is in Germany next year and I hope that I'll be able to visit and catch a game.......I'm watching a lot of soccer these days and am enjoying it very much. The fans are so passionate about the game! It's fun to watch games from different countries and learn the different styles of play. Aside from all of the World Cup qualifiers this summer, I've seen games from the Spanish league, the English league, and of course, the Romanian league. Tonight is Brazil vs. Chile. I'm definitely going to check that out....

September is Here

Hello all. Sorry I've been so incommunicado lately. Just trying to get my life in order. So I showed up to school today for day one all primed and ready to go. Not surprisingly, nothing really happened. Aside from meeting a couple English teachers, I did nothing but sit at a table in the teacher's room (it's kind of like a big boardroom), make notes to myself and read PC materials on teaching. After about an hour and a half Florin (my professional counterpart and Vice Director of the school) came in and told me I should go becuse there's nothing going on today. Okay then. So, I wait. Fine with me. I'm friggin' Mr. Flexibilty at this point. When I come back home you're all going to call me Gumby.

After I left school I responded to some emails, including Ica's, which takes a long time because I need to translate and then respond in Romanian. Ica and Victor are going to come visit me tomorrow. Their daughter Delia (my new sister) was kind enough to send them some money from NYC for a vacation. This will be Ica & Victor's first time in Moldova. I believe that, aside from visiting Piatra Neamt with me, they will go to the painted monasteries and visit a resort with hot springs or something. I think its called Vatra Dornei.

I just got back from the gym (yes, I have a gym to go to) and fixed myself the usual lunch of a piece of fruit, bread, telemea cheese (it's kind of like feta but not as salty), and piept de pui (chicken lunchmeat). Now I have to clean the apartment and continue proofreading Florin's son's doctoral dissertation on postmodern Canadian literature. That's not a joke by the way. Big favor for Florin. Big favor.

My Friend John Helm

A week ago I found out that a good friend of mine passed away. His name was John Helm. He had an acute cancerous brain tumor that had gone undetected. He died suddenly and did not suffer, thank god. He was just about to turn 29 years old. Needless to say, I was shocked and upset to hear the news. I cried a lot. I called my Dad and Sarah. I called John's wife Jessica. I felt helpless. I was thousands of miles away and couldn't do anything about it. What a terrible feeling it was.

Last Monday I recieved an email from Jessica informing me of his death on July 29. She felt bad that I had to find out this way, but she did not know how to contact me earlier. Initially, I felt so guilty that I wasn't at the funeral to pay my respects. I felt so bad that I wasn't able to be there and offer my support to Jessica. I felt awol. Talking to Jessica helped a lot, as much of my initial anxiety was rooted in concern for her. She informed me that she was taking things one day at a time and was very happy that John's organs were donated. Apparently, his liver and heart went to two people; I assume this generous act saved their lives. Amazing stuff.

I met Helm in Wright Hall at ISU when I was a sophomore. He lived on the infamous 5th floor with his roommate and best friend from Decatur, Eric Veech. A lot of the guys from the football team who were my friends were living on 5, so naturally I got to know Helm & Veech. Initially, our relationship consisted of sharing information and talking about all of the crazy footballers on the 5th floor, especially Scramuzzo. We didn't really hang out too much until a couple of years later when Marc Hirschman, a friend of mine from Bolingbrook befriended Helm and became his roomate at the house on Kingsley Street, across from Spanky's in Normal.

Some of my fondest memories from college involve that house, and of course, Mr. Helm (as I liked to call him). We partied, bands would play in the basement, we'd hang out and listen to music, etc. Helm always made feel like an honorary member of the Kingsley St. house and I would go over there any chance I would get. The summer of 1997 (my only summer at ISU) was particulary fun and there was always a barbeque or something going on. It was during this time that I got to know his girlfriend and future wife, Jessica.

Other memories include going to Pub II when Helm was bartending, making crazy films with his video camera, and his graduation party at Rosie's (I think that's what the bar was called) in Bloomington. After he graduated, we saw each other every so often. He and Jessica would come up to Chicago for the Buddy Guy shows. It was great fun. I remember their engagement party at Alive One in Chicago, going to visit them in Aurora after Helm got his first job with Boise, helping them move into their first home, drinking the fine ale from Walter Payton's out of the kegerator in the garage, etc.

Helm and Jessica's wedding and the time leading up to it was especially joyous. I took a bunch of photos of them as a couple before the wedding, one of which was used in the gigantic picture frame that everyone signed at the wedding. They looked hot I must say. I'm proud of that pic! I also put together a jazz program for the dinner hour at the reception. Their wedding was special because so many friends got involved in one way or another to make it the perfect wedding. I remember unveiling the Buddy Guy photo I had blown up and framed for them as a wedding gift. Helm loved it. I'll never forget the look on his face. Priceless stuff. Their wedding will always be clear in my mind and makes me feel so good when I think about it.

Shortly after their wedding, Helm and Jessica moved to St. Louis. Sarah and I visited them in September of 2003. We went to a Cardinals game, grilled out, had beers, etc. It was a great time. That was the last time I saw him in person. We'd email and speak on the phone every now and then in the following months. I remember thinking how much I wanted to keep the friendship going and hoped that I could see more of him in the future. He sent me an email 5 days before he passed away and told me how much he enjoyed reading my blog. I'm glad I had this contact with him. It makes me feel closer to him now.

John Helm was one of the best people I have ever known. He was always smiling, always positive and upbeat. I never heard him complain about anything. I never heard him say anything negative about anyone. He had a magnetic personality and people, including myself, loved to be around him. I think of him often now and always see that smiling face and hear that distinctive Helm laugh.

Although I never considered myself part of his inner circle of friends (he had many), I always considered him to be a good friend of mine. I believe that he considered me to be one as well. As I write this tribute to him from a place very far away from home, I take solace in the fact that he is at peace now. He was a special person and I will never forget him. He's gone now, but his soul will live on inside all of us who loved him and cherished his friendship. We love you Helm.

Scott

Want to see my new apartment?

go to my yahoo photo album at:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rsfenwick/album?.dir=/3478&.src=ph&.tok=phq_EiDB7qLC2wQB

Copy and paste the address into your address bar & hit enter for maximum viewing pleasure.......

Me and Mama Ica

Hey! It's me and Gazda Mama Ica outside the "Casa Cultural" on Swear-in day, Aug. 5th.