Is August really over?

I finally now understand why my brother is SO horrible at writing his blog...he waits too long between entries and then doesn’t possibly know where to begin!  I have been meaning to write for ages, but have been entirely too lazy to do so.  Well, busy too - busy traveling and then lazy being home!!!

So...I will try to hit the highlights of the past month to catch everyone up on my life.  There are entirely TOO many pictures to post, so I’ll put up a few and then post the majority on Facebook.  (I have been going INSANE taking pictures...I cannot possible keep this up for the entire two years...although I did get a photo card that will hold 10,000 pictures...hummmmm.)

August...gone in a flash!  The first half was spent working in my schools (as I’ve already written about) and settling in to my new home...the later half having visitors and traveling.  Lindsey, who lives a mere hour by train away, came to visit me for a few days mid month.  We walked A LOT and spent most of our time deciding what and where our next meal would be.  We went to the one and only Chinese restaurant in the county (and it was gooooood!), made grilled cheese sandwiches (found cheddar!!!), and made homemade tomato sauce (I have since made two more batches and now have about 6 jars in my freezer for winter!!)  It was so nice to have someone here to just hang out with and speak in English!!!  

After Linsey left Gordon came for a visit.  He likes to walk and get lost, so that’s exactly what we did!  We found a huge tire company hidden away, walked over LOTS of train tracks, had women shoo us away from some obviously important and secret company (whatever!), and then happened upon a little oasis of cafe’s right on the river bank.  We sat, had a beer, and watched the barges head up river!  LOVED it!

The next day my big 14 day adventure began!  Gordon and I hopped on a train, picked up Lindsey about an hour down the tracks and headed for Botoșani to visit Grant (my PC BFF!).  Our trip consisted of heading to București and then taking an overnight train about 8 hours northeast.  We were lucky, our train had air conditioning!!  After watching Casablanca from my computer, the train lights were turned out and Gordon and Lindsey slept like babies...I sat there and watched them...ugh!  

We arrived safe and sound, were picked up by Grant, and took a bus to his little village of Vladeni where we had a fabulous visit!  Without going into great detail the following week went like this:  

• Kelly meets us at Grants and 5 of us spend the night there after a wonderful dinner with Grant’s Gazda family.
• We all take a bus to Suceava where we hook up with Melissa, Megan and Jovanka...the 8 of us stay at Melissa’s overnight (good thing I brought my sleeping bag).
• We tour the city and go to a rock concert at a medieval castle ruins (okay...Grant and I stayed at the top and sat/talked/drank wine while the rest went down to the mosh pit - yikes!)
• We all hop a bus to Iași and play tourist for the day - it’s a beautiful city and the weather was perfect!  
• We found a mexican restaurant with great food...but no ice for margaritas...so sad.  But, there was a cute baby there and the parents let me hold him (I think I was staring)...you know how I LOVE babies!!!  It made my day!
• We stayed at a nice little B&B (Gordon, Grant and I were banished to a room of our own because we snore...humph!)
• The next day everyone, sans Kelly, heads back to Grant’s for more fun and games overnight.
• Megan and I get in trouble for singing too loud...I mean really, how can you sing Rent quietly???
• Then we all took the LONG (and un-air-conditioned!) train trip down to Sinaia for our Peace Corps conference.

At the mall!

Touring

View from Grant's kitchen window

Abbey Road

#1 un-air-conditioned train

View from the train

#2 un-air-conditioned train

Sinaia is a tourist city in the mountains and it was beautiful.  Unfortunately, we spent the majority of our time stuck inside the hotel at the conference.  We were there with all the other current volunteers from the group before ours.  Part of the conference was beginning to plan what our “legacy” will be for the country.  The other part was all about teaching English.  Gordon and I presented a class on Classroom Management.

Views from my hotel balcony

This is what happens when you hang with 20+ year olds!

I don’t know if it was just a long trip or what, but I found myself a bit melancholy while in Sinaia.  I guess it was one of those “dips” we’re told to expect.  I felt homesick and really missed being with people who totally “know” me!  I missed my family and friends a lot - more than I probably had since I got here.  To top it off, there was a Procter & Gamble party going on in one of the restaurants I went to...how rude of them to remind me of my past when I was being sad!  ;)

After the conference Grant and I headed to Targoviște to visit our Gazda families.  It was so nice to see Cami, Cezar and Vlad...they had a huge meal prepared for me and we visited for the afternoon.  Fellow PCV’ers John and Abbey live nearby and Grant and I stayed the night with them.  Then it was off to București!  (Phew...I’m getting tired just typing about this trip!)

Both Grant and I had medical appointments in București and decided to get a little touring in while we were at it!  What a wonderful city!  So full of contradictions:  old/historical buildings next to communist era buildings next to modern/sleek buildings, graffiti everywhere but then beautiful parks and fountains on every street corner...I loved it!  We spent our first day there walking around the city for 9 hours...we were exhausted!!!  

The Palace of the Parliament (contains both chambers of the Romanian Parliament). The Palace was designed and nearly completed by the Ceaușescu regime as the seat of political and administrative power. Nicolae Ceaușescu named it the House of the Republic, but many Romanians call it the People's House.  It is the world's second largest building after the Pentagon!  It was HUGE!!!  It took forever to walk around it.

After the long walk around the People's House we found the Contemporary Art Museum...it was awesome!

Grant is just like Stephen when touring...nose ALWAYS in the travel guide! 

Seriously fancy street lights

One of the many city parks

An amazing covered alley full of restaurants

Graffiti like this throughout the city

This one's for you, Mom!!  ;)

The next day I had my medical appointment:  my neck had been bothering me for the past few weeks and since I have a history of a herniated disc the PC doctor wanted to have an x-ray done.  Turns out the space between C5/C6 and C6/C7 are too darn close together...nothing herniated, but certainly worrisome.  Also there is some strange bone growth on each area as well.  So, I had two days of physical therapy and now have a daily regiment of shoulder and neck exercises.  It still hurts - I think I’m going to have to break down and spend some money on a really good pillow.   Getting old sucks!!!

I got back home 5 days ago and must admit to not doing much since then other than making and freezing tomato sauce like a mad woman and slicing my thumb in the process (ouch!)  School meetings have started, but I have not had to attend yet.  I assume I will hear more this coming week as school starts on the 15th.  I hope I can actually get my text books a little in advance to start planning!  I'm now fretting over all the lazy days I've had and feel that I should have been planning more...I hate realizing things late in the day!!!

So...you are now caught up.  As I was typing this I was remembering the specifics of my recent traveling (way too much to write about!) - the fun I had, the laughing, the silliness, the singing (gotta love showtunes and Carpenters!), the sights...along with the homesickness, the worries about language, the anxiety of school starting - a lot of emotional roller-coasting in the month of August.  Lots of highs, and some lows.  But, the people I have met here - both in PC and Romanians, the friends I have made, the places I have thus far traveled too and seen... all worth it!

Rock Climbing(!), Baia de Arama & Ponoarele, Școala, Tirgu Jiu, and Plaja Drobeta

It’s been a combination of busy and relaxing the past few weeks...which is just how I like it!  I am settling into my new digs and am trying to create a routine, but it’s hard since I don’t yet have a set schedule.  So, I tend to just go with the flow and do whatever comes my way.  

Recently, what came my way was, of all things, indoor rock climbing!  My counterpart, Simona, does both indoor and outdoor rock climbing and invited me to come along.  There is a youth center nearby that has one of those walls you can climb.  First we had a strenuous workout (which I have not done in AGES!)...I was a dripping mess by the time it was over.  Then I watched the others climb, including two young children.  They made it look pretty easy and I thought to myself, “Hey, if two KIDS can do this, I certainly can!”  Wrong!  It is ridiculously hard!  I finally managed to climb the “kid” wall, with much struggle.  I could not do the slanted, “real” wall AT ALL!  What can I say...I have weak hands!  I informed the group that I would be back...as God as my witness, I will climb that damn wall before two years is up!!!  (Notice, there are NO pictures of my feeble attempts!)

This little girl was soon climbing to the top with no help!

I swear she is a spider! 

Seriously...hanging upside down and climbing at the same time?????

The family that fed me so very well in my last blog entry invited me on a day trip to the mountains.  Last Sunday we piled into the car and proceeded to drive up winding, twisting roads towards Baia de Arama...a lovely little town perched high in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains.  The preceding morning I had proactively gone to the pharmacy and in my deficient Romanian was able to request medicine for motion sickness 

“Aș dori medecamente pentru burta pentru când in mașina sau autobus” (then I made twisty motions with my hands!) This sadly translates to: “I need medicine for stomach for when in car or bus” -  pretty sloppy, but I got my point across!  :)

This was a necessity as I have found driving through the curvy mountains to be very straining on my weak constitution!  Finally we arrived at our destination which was an amazing rock formation called, “Podul Lui Dumnezeu”  or the Bridge of God.  It was a beautiful, natural rock bridge...which actually has cars driving over it!  There was also a cave, “Peștera Podului” near the bridge.  We only walked a little distance into the cave and it was amazing how the temperature dropped...it was a cool reprieve from the outside heat!  I actually, for the first time, understood why people might want to venture further into caves.  I was very curious as to what way around the curve.  Alas...I was told to do that I had to have “equipment”...so, no caving on this trip!  Afterwards, we went to a restaurant owned by their friends and had another amazing meal!  I told them that I had eaten more the two times with them than in the entire last month!  On the drive home we all fell asleep (sans driver!) in heat and food comas...what a lovely day with wonderful people!

The past two weeks I’ve had “day camps” at each school.  It was an opportunity to meet some of the kids and do some activities together.  Școala #3:  I had about 8 kids show up each day and we played word games, map games, watched a movie and just “hung out” with each other.  Școala #14:  I have actually met with this group of 10-15 students three times.  We had great sessions on family, sisterhood/brotherhood, friendship and trust.  I showed them “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (with Romanian subtitles) and afterwards I gave them a pair of jeans I had bought which they are now passing around and decorating with their own summer activities...they seemed to really have fun.  I also was taught how to make “friendship bracelets”...which, I’ve always wanted to know how to do!  Overall, a good beginning!

Making nametags

Sporting my nametag!

How cute is he???!!!

Last Thursday I took the bus about two hours northeast to visit my friend, Gordon, another PCV.  He lives in Tirgu Jiu, a city a bit larger than my own.  It was good to be with someone with whom I could just talk with and not be “on” all the time!  His apartment is too small for 2 so I got to stay in a fancy-shmancy “pensiunea” or Bed and Breakfast.  It was like going to a spa...I loved it!  And, amazingly only about the equivalent of $44!  Unfortunately, it rained almost the entire time I was there, but I did get some great pizza!!!!!   It was also a good opportunity to figure out the bus situation...it’s pretty easy and totally cheap...just 25Ron for the trip (one way)...the equivalence of about 8 bucks!

A park near Gordon's home in Tirgu Jiu

Gordon sitting at the "Table of Silence"

Yes...bumper cars in the middle of the park...go figure!

A huge Piața

A lovely art museum showcasing Romanian artists

Yesterday I decided to head to the Plaja Drobeta (the beach!).  It’s a man-made beach right on the Danube.  I had driven by it a few times and figured it would be good to check it out...plus it was a beautiful morning!  I took a taxi there for about 12Ron and had to pay 5Ron to get in.  I must admit to being a little under-whelmed.  I imagine when it was first made it was awesome, but the sand was pretty much hardened and more little rocks than sand.  But, there were lots of recliners, umbrellas and a place to get drinks, etc.  So, I set up camp, plugged in the iPod, popped open a soda and hunkered down with my Kindle to enjoy the sun...which promptly disappeared behind clouds and never returned.  So, sad!  I stayed about two hours anyway as there was an amazing breeze and it was so relaxing...of course, I got sunburned, which is amazing since the sun was nowhere to be seen!  Ugh!  

My view from the beach

Next week Gordon is coming to visit me, then we will travel together to the other side of the country to visit Grant...he’s over in the Moldova region.  After our visit there we all head south toward București for a Peace Corps conference... then it’s back just in time to start planning for school...time is FLYING!!

Alimentare şi mai mult! (Food and more food!)

The other day I was told that a family of one of my students wanted to visit with me today (Sunday the 24th) and I could either go to their home for lunch or to a restaurant for dinner.  I thought that lunch at their home would be better as I didn’t want them to have to spend money on me.  Well...they must have spent a fortune on the lunch!!!  They picked me up at Noon today and brought me to their home.  From the street all you see is a narrow wall, with two windows and a gate.  Once inside the gate it was like the garden of eden!!!  After walking past the very long, lovely house, there was a flower garden bursting with roses of every color and every imaginable type of other flower.  It was a hidden oasis!  A lovely table was set outside, under an awning, with the bright blue sky above and a cool breeze in the air - it was perfect!  The grandfather was in the kitchen doing all the cooking!  The grandmother was talking to me in Romanian, a lot!  The parents were trying out their English and cracking each other up.  Their 14 year old son was being totally embarrassed by the whole thing!  

Let the feast begin!  First was a wonderful eggplant salad - basically like a baba ganoush - with fresh tomatoes on top, and fresh bread.  Then a roasted salad with eggplant, squash, red peppers, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes - and of course more bread!  After that came the ciorba - a wonderful soup with vegetables and meatballs.  (During these courses we have țuica, wine and, thankfully, some water!)  After downing the soup, it’s onto the sarmale - stuffed cabbage leaves - and some wonderful cabbage in a tomato sauce on the side.  (The grandfather was upset because he forgot to make the mamaliga!) At this point, I was pretty full, to say the least.  But we weren’t done yet!  Placed in front of me next was a plate full of roasted pork loin and fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and another salad of tomatoes and cucumbers.  Good grief...will it ever end???  The problem here is that it is all SO GOOD that you want to just eat and eat!  So that’s exactly what I did!  After chowing down some pork, et al, it was time for desert.  Out came an enormous plate of fresh fruit:  apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and apples.  Then a HUGE piece of a two layer cake:  one layer with a chocolate type moose, and the other with a nectarine moose - covered in whipped cream and a chocolate sauce - it was heaven!!  And, of course, you have to have a big bowl of strawberry and chocolate ice cream with this, right??  I was ready for a nap at this point!  Instead we went for a drive!

We drove to Orșova, which is about 26km away, to visit the Monastery of St. Ana - as I believe it was her Name Day.  I had already been there, but was glad to go again...it is so beautiful and peaceful up there!  Afterwards we stopped at a little cafe right on the river and had a beer!  After arriving back at their house it seemed to make perfect sense that we should have ANOTHER huge piece of cake and ANOTHER bowl of ice cream.  Insane!!!  Finally, around 7pm I arrived back home...a little tired and a lot stuffed!  

Flori had called me earlier in the day to say we were going to meet for a walk at 9:30pm, so I took a small nap and then met the ladies outside, thinking I was going to walk off some of that ridiculous lunch I had eaten.  No such luck.  Instead we met up with some of their other friends and went for pizza - at 10pm!!!  Good Lord!  I ended up eating about half of a deep dish pizza and drinking yet another beer.  It’s not like you can just say, “enough!!”  This gentleman was treating and everyone pretty much expects you to eat...and eat...and eat!  The Romanians are so very generous, you just can’t say no - even if your pants are about to split!  So...I never did get that walk.  Tomorrow I shall fast!

Vladimir - a future 7th grade student of mine

The grandparents

Part of the beautiful garden

Vladimir and his parents

Our view from the cafe

More view... beautiful!