Wow, it has been awhile!

I have to again apologize for my delay. Things around here have been busy with IST, and the end of the school semester before vacation and now with the holiday season! I couldn't believe how fast time has gone!

Well I believe I left you right before I left for IST. Well IST was fantastic, it was so great to see everyone again, I really did truly miss a lot of people and it was so nice to see their faces and to talk with them again. There were some people that I had not seen or even spoken to since PST, so it was wonderful to catch up again. While IST was fantastic...the ride there was less than satisfactory. While I had taken this route before and had an excellent experience as it was a nice big bus that was not crowded at all I was convinced that that would be my experience again. Well I was wrong, it was a crowded maxi taxi which was hot and uncomfortable. This time I at least was not alone and my colleague and I could complain together. Oh well it is just something we can go on to laugh about :D

When we did arrive in Predeal however, it was lovely and since I talked to the driver ahead of time he dropped us off right at the driveway to the hotel so we did not have to wonder around Predeal. I probably wouldn't have minded though because it was absolutely beautiful there. We were right in the middle of the mountains, and I was able to see just a glimpse of the beauty that Romania has to offer, it was absolutely fantastic and if I have time and money I would love to return!

While I was in Predeal we were able to take some language classes, and I actually took a LPI (Language Proficiency Exam) as well, and thankfully my language has improved! I still have a long way to go, but my conversation skills are a lot better, but with time and practice I can only get better! That is what I like to think anyway!

So then it was time to go home and finish up the semester, which was nice and just ended up being us singing Christmas carols with the kids. It was fun. I know I probably should have updated then...but I forgot! Sorry everyone! I did however get a chance to run into town because I had a package. It was from my former Kwik Trip co-workers! I was so excited, it was an awesome package as well! So heavy though, I cannot imagine how they got it to the Post Office! The man at the customs office handed it to me and it had broken open in transit, but was always in a big ole post office bag and was kind of like "Here ya go" and I am thinking "How!". Thankfully however he allowed me to borrow the bag since I could barely lift this package and actually ended up dragging it most of the way home in the fresh snow. Thankfully it was there!

Oh the trip home is another story! The maxi taxi driver decided that he was going to pick up every person along the way, who had the most baggage in the world. I thankfully had a seat right in front, but I just wanted to teach this driver the word no! We were squished in there like sardines, I am glad that I was not one of the people standing or sitting in the back, that must have been extremely uncomfortable. Oh well what are you going to do that is just life and in the end I made it to my destination safely :)

Let's see after that I ended up spending some time with some of my students. It was actually really fun and nice to get to know some more people in town. I learned some new card games and taught some new card games, went sledding and went on a sleigh ride, it was fun and I am glad that I did the snow activities while the snow was around because starting on Christmas it began to rain! I could not believe how warm it was, but the snow stayed around for Christmas, so it was still white :)

After that I traveled to Botosani to pick up my friend Carly and do some shopping as well. It was fun and interesting. It was interesting because we went to this traditional dancing event and waited outside in the freezing cold for at least an hour, until our other colleague Deborah spotted the woman how runs the shows at the cultural center so we were able to wait inside for a while. Yet when the parade finally arrived it was less than satisfactory and long, and we couldn't see a whole lot because we were inside so we stayed for a while but then decided to leave. However we could not leave out front because that is where the show was, so we decided to leave out the back, but when we got back there, there were a lot of dancers in the back room and we were again locked in by people. However Deborah being the persuasive person that she is somehow convinced the people to put on a show and start dancing, so we basically got our own private show of traditional Romanian dancing. It was crazy but very interesting!

So I spent some time in Botosani and then returned home with Carly where we relaxed, watched movies, I made cookies, ate some good food, hung out with some friends, waited for Joslyn to get into town, then ate some more food, met with some more local families in my town, and just spent some time talking and hanging out. It was really nice. We only stayed in Trusesti until the 26th and then Joslyn and I made our way down to Bucuresti, which is where I am now. I am currently visiting an old friend from who I met in college. She is a native Romanian who was studying abroad at UWEC. So it has been very nice to see her again and to catch up and to see what her life is like (which is absolutely fascinating to hear about!) and just to see Bucarest from the eyes of a someone who grew up here. She knows all of the interesting places to go and how to get around, so it has been a really interesting and worthwhile experience.

Then tomorrow Carly will arrive in Bucureti and we will spend the day in Bucurest and then leave for Braila where we will spend New Years with another volunteer. After that it is back to reality and I will begin my second semester of school. I am looking forward to this semester and hoping to make it better and to learn more this semester, so we shall see :) Well that is all for this post. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and enjoyed your time with family and friends. I missed you all very much and just thing in 2 Christmases I will be home for it! I also hope that you have a Happy New Year and that you bring it in with a bang! Just think I will be there to bring in 2012 with you, which really isn't that far away. I love and miss you all and hope and pray that only the best comes your way. May all your hopes and dreams come true and may your New Year be full of only the best. You will hear from me again in 2010!

Voi iubesc si va pup!

Mi-adore de toate lume!

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.