So with Thanksgiving approaching, I thought I would dedicate this blog to all of the things that I am thankful for starting with the obvious
1.) Family -- I am so blessed to have an extremely supportive and wonderful family. No matter what I do, or what adventure I want to pursue next they are always supportive of me. They have always loved me and always will. I am very lucky to have such a special bond with my parents and brother, and to have a wonderful sister-in-law, two fabulous nieces and an adorable nephew who I cannot wait to meet.
2.) Faith -- My faith in God has helped me so much throughout my life. I am so thankful that it is a part of my life and that it has never left me, even in my darkest hour. I am very lucky to have something so supportive and strong in my life that will always comfort me and provide me with hope for the future.
3.) Education -- I am so grateful that I have been able to have had such a blessed education. Working here in Romania, the school systems are good, but sometimes are not super supportive. Again this depends on the area that you are in. My current school is very supportive, but I have seen schools that just don't have the means to be as supportive as they want. I not only was able to get tutoring outside of school if I wanted to, but my school had books in good condition for everyone, computers for use when necessary, reliable heating in the winter, and special education classrooms for those who needed it. Even though I might feel animosity towards my education at times, it still was good and I am very lucky to have it. I am also very lucky that I was able to pursue a college degree and will soon start my adventure of a masters degree.
4.) Kindness and Support -- I feel these to things are intertwined as one leads to the other. I not only have support from my family, but from my friends, colleagues, the Peace Corps, and my community. People who know nothing about me here in Romania, are willing to support and help me when necessary, that kindness baffles and awes me. I am so grateful that these people are willing to provide me with such kindness without expecting anything in return and without asking. It makes being far away from home and all things so much easier when complete strangers are willing to provide you with such kindness just to make you feel welcome in their community. I also experience a feeling of warmth whenever I am able to spread that kindness to others. To make someone else feel happy just by being kind is a feeling that I cannot express through words it is so wonderful.
5.) Love -- Without love I do not think the world could go round. I have so much love in my heart for my family and friends and I know that that love is extended back to me. Without it I would feel empty, and sad, but I never have to feel that way knowing that there is love out there for me to receive and I have lots of love to give back.
6.) A home -- I am so grateful that every night, I have a roof over my head and heat to keep me warm. There are so many people in this world who do not have this blessing, and I am so grateful to be this fortunate.
7.) Food -- Everyday I am able to go to the store and buy what I need to keep me healthy and well-fed. Again there are so many people who do not have these blessings and I only hope that this blessing will find them soon and remain with them through the help of kind and generous souls.
8.) Clean running water -- As a Peace Corp Volunteer, I never dreamed that I would be living in an apartment or that I would have constant access to clean running water. I always imagined myself in a small village in Africa and having to wash my clothes in the river and sleep on a mat in a small hut. I am so fortunate to have this blessing, and it is not just running water, but hat running water. I am also grateful for this, because I do not have to worry about disease being in my water. I see the poor souls in Haiti, who have already been through so much suffering and yet it continues as they do not have something as basic and necessary as access to clean drinking water.
9.) Electricity -- Without the gift of electricity and Internet here in Romania it would be much more difficult to communicate with my family. While we could do so via letters, I would have not had the opportunity to see pictures of my newborn nephew, or to see how my nieces have grown. In addition to this I would not be able to share all of my pictures of my experiences with my family. I am grateful for this invention and grateful that I can share this experience with my family.
These are just a few of the things I am thankful for in my life. Without these things I would not be able to be the person I am, working here in Romania. I am so grateful for this opportunity to give to another country. I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving and never forget the things in life that you have to be grateful for. I love you so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Mi-a dor de voi
Va pup
Va iubesc
Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Beauty of Fall
Oh it was a beautiful week here in Romania. Today we saw temperatures in the high 60s. Yet if I was still in college I would have been experiencing the first snowfall of the year, and it would have been a doozey of a storm. Ironically however, I am missing the cool weather that typically is experienced during November. I am even anxious for a little bit of snow. I didn't think that was going to be possible, considering the dislike I developed for snow two Decembers ago when we had a snowstorm every other day and had a slight accident involving my parents vehicle. Yeah that's right mom and dad, still never going to drive the truck again :) I am sure the snow will be here soon enough and then I will be praying for the sunshine and beautiful weather again.
This week was a very nice week, I started to watch a new movie with my film club. I decided upon Remember the Titans because I figured that most of them would have never seen the film, and it teaches a lot of great things. For example, acceptance of others regardless of appearance. This is something that I think we all need to learn, because in general we all have some prejudices towards others, even if we don't want it. I do however truly believe that everyone is capable of goodness and we can fight these feelings and discover new and interesting things about people and form new friendships where we least expect it if we just let our guard down and get to know people we wouldn't normally talk to. So far the kids are really into the movie, and I hope they enjoy it as it is one of my favorite movies of all time. No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old and I always enjoy it and discover new things about it.
We also started to write the plays in my 6th grade optional theater class. These kids have an enormous amount of creativity and I think that we are going to have some pretty good plays to present at my towns annual Special English Evening. The kids are working hard, and I love that they are able to express themselves through their creativity, but it is also very interesting at the same time. Watching several of the plays and certain things they have incorporated into them gives me a different idea of what they have seen growing up than what I saw growing up. For example, several of the kids had scenes where they portrayed someone smoking (which we instantly discouraged and would not allow), but this is something that they see everyday. Smoking is extremely prevalent in Romania, and it is likely that a majority of their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and maybe even older siblings participate in the habit. While it was something that I saw on the street growing up, it was always something that was avidly discouraged, and that is just not the norm here. Also there were certain students who choose to portray drunk individuals. Granted these were not included in any of the written versions, but were done in some of the impromptu things we asked them to perform. These kids are only 12 or 13 years old and they have been in contact with people who were excessively drunk, when I was that age I don't even think I knew what it meant to be drunk. They are just more exposed to this and it is something that you can see on the streets. Not all the time, but it does happen. I do have to say though that Romania has an excellent policy regarding driving and alcohol, it is one chance and you are done, whether it is 10 drinks or 1 drink, your license is gone. Maybe if we enabled that law in Wisconsin there would be less of a problem. I do want any of these comments to be see as the norm in the entire country, or the norm for Romania. I do not think that this country sets bad examples for its children, it was just an interesting observation that I made. It also shows just how attent children are and how much faster they are growing through each and every generation.
School was great this week as well. My classes went well, the kids paid attention for the most part. I did not need to yell too much, they did their homework. It was a good week. I am looking forward to this week because I feel that I have some pretty interesting lesson plans to offer my students. I hope they like them as I put a great deal of thought into each one of them.
This weekend was also lovely. I started writing my rough draft or my career goals statement for my primary choice for graduate school, UW Stout. They have a great Marriage and Family Therapy Program, and I hope that I will be lucky enough to be accepted into it. I do however have other schools that I am applying too, including Edgewood College in Madison, Kansas State University, and North Dakota State University. I hope that I am lucky enough to be accepted into at least one of them, so I can pursue my desire of becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Only time will tell.
My Sunday was extremely filled as I joined my counterpart in a neighboring village to meet her in-laws and have a nice lunch. We had delicious chicken grilled over a fire, mashed potatoes, and a delicious meatball soup. There were also tasty apple bars to enjoy for desert. After that I went to another neighboring village where I tutor a boy from another school. He has learned so much since I started working with him, and I hope he can continue to learn and catch up in his class. He is still at a beginning stage, but he definitely has improved. For tutoring him they tend to give me homemade things such as zacusca (a stewed vegetable spread that is put on bread and is just about the most delicious thing I have ever had) as a thank you. I can tell you it sure makes me happy because they are tasty and I do not know how to make that deliciousness. I also enjoy going out there because they are an extremely kind and generous family.
Well that is all that I have for this week. I hope that you are all doing well, and if it snowed by you I hope that it did hinder your day at all. If you were snowed in I hope you enjoyed it with a nice mug of hot cocoa and maybe that you made some delicious homemade cookies to warm up the house. I love you all very much and miss you as well. Everyday is a day closer to me coming home, but everyday here is such a wonderful experience so it makes the time go by much quicker. I hope you are all healthy and happy and I look forward to seeing you this summer!! Wish me luck during my application phase, lets hope at least one school is kind enough to take me!! ;)
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi
Va pup
Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.
This week was a very nice week, I started to watch a new movie with my film club. I decided upon Remember the Titans because I figured that most of them would have never seen the film, and it teaches a lot of great things. For example, acceptance of others regardless of appearance. This is something that I think we all need to learn, because in general we all have some prejudices towards others, even if we don't want it. I do however truly believe that everyone is capable of goodness and we can fight these feelings and discover new and interesting things about people and form new friendships where we least expect it if we just let our guard down and get to know people we wouldn't normally talk to. So far the kids are really into the movie, and I hope they enjoy it as it is one of my favorite movies of all time. No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old and I always enjoy it and discover new things about it.
We also started to write the plays in my 6th grade optional theater class. These kids have an enormous amount of creativity and I think that we are going to have some pretty good plays to present at my towns annual Special English Evening. The kids are working hard, and I love that they are able to express themselves through their creativity, but it is also very interesting at the same time. Watching several of the plays and certain things they have incorporated into them gives me a different idea of what they have seen growing up than what I saw growing up. For example, several of the kids had scenes where they portrayed someone smoking (which we instantly discouraged and would not allow), but this is something that they see everyday. Smoking is extremely prevalent in Romania, and it is likely that a majority of their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and maybe even older siblings participate in the habit. While it was something that I saw on the street growing up, it was always something that was avidly discouraged, and that is just not the norm here. Also there were certain students who choose to portray drunk individuals. Granted these were not included in any of the written versions, but were done in some of the impromptu things we asked them to perform. These kids are only 12 or 13 years old and they have been in contact with people who were excessively drunk, when I was that age I don't even think I knew what it meant to be drunk. They are just more exposed to this and it is something that you can see on the streets. Not all the time, but it does happen. I do have to say though that Romania has an excellent policy regarding driving and alcohol, it is one chance and you are done, whether it is 10 drinks or 1 drink, your license is gone. Maybe if we enabled that law in Wisconsin there would be less of a problem. I do want any of these comments to be see as the norm in the entire country, or the norm for Romania. I do not think that this country sets bad examples for its children, it was just an interesting observation that I made. It also shows just how attent children are and how much faster they are growing through each and every generation.
School was great this week as well. My classes went well, the kids paid attention for the most part. I did not need to yell too much, they did their homework. It was a good week. I am looking forward to this week because I feel that I have some pretty interesting lesson plans to offer my students. I hope they like them as I put a great deal of thought into each one of them.
This weekend was also lovely. I started writing my rough draft or my career goals statement for my primary choice for graduate school, UW Stout. They have a great Marriage and Family Therapy Program, and I hope that I will be lucky enough to be accepted into it. I do however have other schools that I am applying too, including Edgewood College in Madison, Kansas State University, and North Dakota State University. I hope that I am lucky enough to be accepted into at least one of them, so I can pursue my desire of becoming a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Only time will tell.
My Sunday was extremely filled as I joined my counterpart in a neighboring village to meet her in-laws and have a nice lunch. We had delicious chicken grilled over a fire, mashed potatoes, and a delicious meatball soup. There were also tasty apple bars to enjoy for desert. After that I went to another neighboring village where I tutor a boy from another school. He has learned so much since I started working with him, and I hope he can continue to learn and catch up in his class. He is still at a beginning stage, but he definitely has improved. For tutoring him they tend to give me homemade things such as zacusca (a stewed vegetable spread that is put on bread and is just about the most delicious thing I have ever had) as a thank you. I can tell you it sure makes me happy because they are tasty and I do not know how to make that deliciousness. I also enjoy going out there because they are an extremely kind and generous family.
Well that is all that I have for this week. I hope that you are all doing well, and if it snowed by you I hope that it did hinder your day at all. If you were snowed in I hope you enjoyed it with a nice mug of hot cocoa and maybe that you made some delicious homemade cookies to warm up the house. I love you all very much and miss you as well. Everyday is a day closer to me coming home, but everyday here is such a wonderful experience so it makes the time go by much quicker. I hope you are all healthy and happy and I look forward to seeing you this summer!! Wish me luck during my application phase, lets hope at least one school is kind enough to take me!! ;)
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi
Va pup
Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Happy Fall
The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler....well maybe not yet. In some parts of the world the weather may be getting cooler, but not here where I am. It has been so wonderful at my site all week. I cannot believe that it is November, it feels like September. I remember times when I was growing up and it would be snowing and cold on Halloween. Fred and I would be all bundled up Trick-or-treating and mom and dad would take us door to door in the car so we wouldn't get to cold. That surely is not the case here, I think that if they did trick or treating here, they could go without a jacket!
The trees however are changing, and I love to look out my window at the hills that are across the street. They are covered with trees that are gold, orange and red and are a true beauty to behold. It will be hard when they barren and brown for a few weeks, but then will be a little better once they are white. The only down side will be that it will then be cold. Good thing I live on the 5th floor, heat rises, and I only have a 5 minute walk to school!
Ah school, this week I had an easy week, I was down from my normal 21 hour class load to just 14 hours. I had so much extra time, I did not know what to do with myself! Now why did I have this extra free time you may ask? Well this week the little ones (1-4th grade) had the week off, so that took away 7 of my classes. That however gave me time to go into Targoviste to do some shopping and to pick up my package that had been waiting for me from my parents. I scored big time however in Targoviste as I found Taco seasoning, whole grain pasta, and brown rice! I haven't tried any of these things just yet to see if they are in fact the real deal, but I am looking forward to doing so.
This week did not bring anything out of the ordinary. I taught, I walked around town and enjoyed the weather, I spent some time with my landlord, and I took some time to relax, since I will be back at 21 hours this next week and will be exhausted. Now I know you don't think that 21 hours sounds like a lot, but when you are teaching a language in a foreign language and you have to grade papers and tests and prepare for class, it really turns out to be a lot more than that. I am so exhausted by the time I get home, I now have a completely different respect for teachers and realize that coming up with and executing ideas is extremely difficult and draining.
This weekend I was able to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the weather. I read outside in the park and took a nice long walk to the neighboring town as I tutor a boy in the 6th grade from another school. It was about 2 miles each way, but the weather was so nice I arrived there in no time. The last time I went there it took me 45 minutes and this time it only took me 30 minutes. It is amazing what good health, beautiful weather, and music can do to put some speed in your step. I hope to be able to take many more long walks outside before the weather gets too cold and I can only take short walks. I am hoping since I am further south now, I will have weather that is just a little bit warmer, but who knows we shall see.
Well that is all that I have to say today, just a short little post, but I hope that it is enough :)
I miss and love you all so very much and I think about you every day. Just think 9 more months from now and I will be home, we are less than a year away from it! I have already been in Romania for 18 months! I am 2/3 of the way done, crazy huh!
Va pup
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi!
Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.
The trees however are changing, and I love to look out my window at the hills that are across the street. They are covered with trees that are gold, orange and red and are a true beauty to behold. It will be hard when they barren and brown for a few weeks, but then will be a little better once they are white. The only down side will be that it will then be cold. Good thing I live on the 5th floor, heat rises, and I only have a 5 minute walk to school!
Ah school, this week I had an easy week, I was down from my normal 21 hour class load to just 14 hours. I had so much extra time, I did not know what to do with myself! Now why did I have this extra free time you may ask? Well this week the little ones (1-4th grade) had the week off, so that took away 7 of my classes. That however gave me time to go into Targoviste to do some shopping and to pick up my package that had been waiting for me from my parents. I scored big time however in Targoviste as I found Taco seasoning, whole grain pasta, and brown rice! I haven't tried any of these things just yet to see if they are in fact the real deal, but I am looking forward to doing so.
This week did not bring anything out of the ordinary. I taught, I walked around town and enjoyed the weather, I spent some time with my landlord, and I took some time to relax, since I will be back at 21 hours this next week and will be exhausted. Now I know you don't think that 21 hours sounds like a lot, but when you are teaching a language in a foreign language and you have to grade papers and tests and prepare for class, it really turns out to be a lot more than that. I am so exhausted by the time I get home, I now have a completely different respect for teachers and realize that coming up with and executing ideas is extremely difficult and draining.
This weekend I was able to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the weather. I read outside in the park and took a nice long walk to the neighboring town as I tutor a boy in the 6th grade from another school. It was about 2 miles each way, but the weather was so nice I arrived there in no time. The last time I went there it took me 45 minutes and this time it only took me 30 minutes. It is amazing what good health, beautiful weather, and music can do to put some speed in your step. I hope to be able to take many more long walks outside before the weather gets too cold and I can only take short walks. I am hoping since I am further south now, I will have weather that is just a little bit warmer, but who knows we shall see.
Well that is all that I have to say today, just a short little post, but I hope that it is enough :)
I miss and love you all so very much and I think about you every day. Just think 9 more months from now and I will be home, we are less than a year away from it! I have already been in Romania for 18 months! I am 2/3 of the way done, crazy huh!
Va pup
Va iubesc
Mi-a dor de voi!
Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.
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