A new start

So I am finally able to sit down and get back into the swing of things. This summer did not provide me a lot of opportunity to sit and write blogs. Believe me I have wanted to, but I have been on the run all summer long. In addition to this I did not have steady access to the Internet, or to a computer as my laptop did not get back to me until my parents came to visit me. However that was alright as I saved a lot of money on shipping! Yay to that!

So let's see, since my last entry I participated in my 3rd and 4th of 4 camps this summer. Each one was different from the rest, which made it very interesting. My 3rd camp was held in the city of Onesti. It was a nice city and fun to see a different part of Romania, that was also in the Moldovan region. This camp I think was my favorite. The students were of high school age and had just about perfect English. It did not matter what task was given to them, they put a lot of energy and creativity into it which made it a great experience. We also had a barbecue at the end of the camp and we put an American spin on it. While it was traditional Romanian food (chicken, mici, tomato and cucumber salad, french fries, and fruit), I thought it would be fun to have a little contest. So we had some games that are traditionally played at barbecues in the United States. We had a 3-legged race, water-balloon toss, leap-frog race, scavenger hunt, potato sack race, and several more. The kids had a great time with it, and the prize was a homemade trophy filled with candy, which they thought was super cool :)

The forth camp was interesting and different as it was held at a cabin of sorts. The students were from a wide range of ages (1st-7th grades) and the surroundings provided interesting challenges. I was outside all the time and it was usually chilly and I was supposed to teach them English. I was not expecting these surroundings, but it ended up alright. We had fun and learned some new games and I think it was good in essence.

It was also interesting at the camp because it was in the mountains. So we would take hikes in the afternoon and we went to a couple of towns nearby. We went to a fortress and also to a waterfall, both of these provided quite a hike, but it was a fun time. Since it was in the mountains, it also happened to be very cold. Every night they started the heaters, thats right the heat was on in August! I couldn't believe how cold it was.

After that camp I went straight to my mid-service training in Sibiu. It was nice to be with friends again, and to see some of the other volunteers who I had not seen for a while. Then I visited with some friends and stayed in the Transylvanian region for a few days, from where I headed down to Bucuresti to meet my parents! That started the next adventure through Romania and Italy. I was able to take my parents to see 2 castles in Sinai and Bran, to see the older and traditional parts of Brasov and Sighisoara and to see some of the squares in Cluj. My favorite part however was our trip to Rome. We were able to see so many things there, including the Vatican and St. Peters, the National Museum and Forum, the Colloseum, The Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain. the Pantheon, St. Angelos Castle, and so many more things. We were able to go to some markets to do tourist shopping, and ate lots of pasta, pizza and gelato, and drank delicious Italian wine. While it was extremely hot, I feel it was better to be hot than rainy because at least we could go outside in the heat, whereas if it had been raining we wouldn't have been able to see as much. We were there for 5 days then came back to Romania for a few more and then sadly I had to say goodbye to me folks. While we fought like a typical family when they were here, it was still nice to be with them and extremely hard to say goodbye.

After I said goodbye I had to hurry my way back up north to pack my things up and move down south. That is right I was granted a sight change, and this year I am in a small city in southern Romania. The population is about 15,000 and is on the outskirts of the mountains, so it has some nice scenery. I am looking forward to starting a new and fresh year, and to meet new and interesting people. So far things are going really well and I have met a lot of great new people. I am very spoiled here so far, and have a very nice apartment. My favorite part however is the washing machine. At my last site I did not have one, and let me tell you washing clothes by hand is very tough, especially in the winter! I am more excited however by the school. The teachers are all so active within the school and I am looking forward to working with them and doing projects with them this year. I think I will be kept very busy, but I think it will be good, I work better under a little bit of pressure and if I always have something to do, I will get things done and I think that it will be a very productive and good year :)

So I think that is about all for now. I have given you all a good chunk to read. I will not get back into a schedule and will post every Sunday like I used to do. I felt bad not reporting all of the things that happened this summer, but circumstances prevented me from doing so. Now however I have my computer and steady access to the Internet so I no longer have an excuse not to update! I hope that everyone is happy and healthy and there are only good things to report. I miss and love all of you very much and will be home before you know it.

Va pup
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.