1 year ago I began my adventure

Today I realized that exactly 1 year ago I began my adventure here to Romania. We left D.C. on the 28th of May and arrived about 30 hours later, on May 30th in Romania. We had an extremely long trip, full of jigs and jags, but if it would have been easy that would not have been any fun. Well needless to say this week matched and exceeded my difficult and long journey here. I don't like to complain, but I have had one heck of a week.

It all started on Monday, when I went to turn on my computer and it did nothing but beep at me with a black screen. So I took it into Botosani to get it looked at and they said that they could not look at it today, even though they said they were open, they failed to mention that there was no one there who could look at it when I called. So I left it there and then wondered around Botosani for a while. The day did turn out better however as I was able to see 2 of the other volunteers there and was able to spend time and talk with them, which is always something I like to do.

So this is how my week began, and let's just say it did not get better for a while. Tuesday came and I went to school and had 2 very bad classes. I then was finished and was able to go to my adult language class that I teach. I had some free time, so I was sitting on a bench and talking with a friend and a bird pooped on my head. So far not a good day! Now people say that a bird pooping on your head is good luck...well it did not bring good luck my way that day. So then I went inside and got cleaned up and decided to call and ask about my laptop. They told me they could not fix it because it was a problem with the keyboard and it is still under warrantee, so they promptly charged me 25 RON for doing absolutely nothing. So then I was so upset I went and bought minutes to call my family which did help me feel better, as it always does, but I did not end up teaching my class. The ladies that I teach were very understanding however and helped me immensely. I think I became a lot closer to one of them throughout this experience which is a blessing because I really enjoy talking to her. So I am still searching on how to get my computer back to either the US or to England or Turkey as there is a Best Buy store there as well. We shall see what we end up doing, I am sure it will work out it is just frustrating.

So just as you think the day could not get any worse, it finds a way. I came home to try to calm down and relax and figure out what to do exactly and I make myself some supper. About 3 hours later I become extremely sick, oh yes a case of food poisoning. I was up all night long, sick as a dog, and spent a majority of Wednesday lieing in bed and trying to regain some strength. Thankfully I am feeling 100% today, but Tuesday night I felt like I was going to be sick forever, and I hope that nobody ever feels like that. A little rest and water the next day did the trick and now I am back to resolving my problems.

So thus far the week has been better, I was able to borrow a computer from the school and I have connected the Internet as well. It took a while and 2 computers to get the Internet to work, but we got it to work. So now I can at least put up Yahoo messenger or Skype and talk to my family. So I am just glad that the week is over and I am hoping that next week brings more pleasant experiences. We shall see!

Let's see enough with the complaining. I came to an interesting realization today. I was helping some of my students today with an application they are filling out for a camp in Hungary, and was translating everything that they were saying with little difficulties. If someone were to say to me, "Sarah by this time next year, you are going to be advanced in Romanian and you are going to be able to translate simple to average texts from Romanian to English" I would have looked at them and said "You are absolutely crazy. Now, however, it is true. There are times when the language frustrates me, but I have learned how to communicate with indivduals, on a rather high proficiency level, in a year. Now I think that is something to be proud of! I am feeling a little nostalgic today, so we will also revisit the past a little. One year ago at this time I was in a hotel waiting to begin my adventure. I had no idea how close I would become to the people that I was going to spend the next 3 months with. I had no idea how strong and how quickly these relationships would form. I have formed an extremely close relationship with an indivudual whom I never would have befriended in the states, she is a great person, but I am pretty sure we would have never crossed each others paths, because we are both so extremely different. How was I to know that this person, who I did not even talk to in Washington D.C. would become one of my greatest friends. Here we however and I am very thankful to have her as a friend.

I remember when we were in Washington, and we all had a mixture of emotions. It was so great to finally meet people who were feeling the exact same things that I was. We were nervous, excited, anxious, emotional, concerned about communication, worried about the dogs, curious about the culture, and every other emotion you can put in there was most likely experienced by someone. When we finally did leave these emotions intensified, but did not become a reality for several more days as we were still kept together in a hotel. When we were separated however, things became real. Some of us faced problems, others did not, but one thing we had in common is that we all stayed strong and leaned on each other for support. This support was established so quickly, and so strongly and is very difficult to break and that feeling is something that I cannot explain in words. It is a bond that I have never felt before, but I am thankful for that bond and for having the opportunity to develop this unique connection.

Now here we are, 1 year later at our sites, preparing to end our first year of school. We endured the first few months at site, struggling with the language and different cultures. We trudged through the first school, some of us were experienced teachers, others of us (i.e. me) had to learn to teach in addition to learning how to communicate with the children. We endured a cold, cold winter, experienced the different ways of celebrating holidays, created our own Thanksgiving (thanks to the very hard work and hospitality of David and Veronica, and to Veronica's amazing cooking!) We have enjoyed the Romanian transportation system, sometimes it was pleasant, other times not so much. Most importantly we have learned the value of other cultures not by simply reading a book, but by living in the culture, which is an experience that is truly to be valued. This is something I have to tell myself often as it is very difficult to stay. I do love the Peace Corps and Romania, but there are times when I would rather be in the comfort of my parents home, living in a country where I know the language perfectly and can solve any problem at the drop of a hat without having to constantly seek assistance from others. Then again I know that if I left I would be extremely disappointed in myself and I know that some of my students would also be disappointed, so I will stay even though things are sometimes difficult, I know that it will be worth it in the end, because the influence I have and the things I will learn cannot be learned from a book and they will be lost if I do not complete this journey.

Well as you can see I am at the 1 year point when home-sickness is in full swing, I don't think the computer problems or food sickness helped either, but what are you to do. In a few weeks time I will be off traveling and in a few months time I will be seeing my parents and for that I cannot wait! Well I think that is about all for now, and my fingers are extremely tired, so I am going to do some other work that doesn't require so much typing. I hope I didn't bore you and I want to reassure you that I am fine, just had a tough week, but oh well that happens right. I am sure that it will all be resolved and it is not as bad as I think that it is. I hope you all have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend and that the end of the school year is good for all of you with kids. I am sending you all love, hugs and kisses!

Mi-a dor de voi!
Va iubesc!
Va pup!

~Pana mai tarziu
Sarah B.

Splish Splash I'm Takin' a Bath

Well not me per say, but all of the birds are having fun splishing and splashing in the puddles that are everywhere. Apparently May in Romanian means rain, rain and more rain. It is not April showers here, it is May showers bring June Flowers. It has rained everyday this week I believe and not just little sprinkles either. Today is particularly interesting. It will rain for an hour and then be sunny. Then rain for 15 minutes and then be sunny for 15 minutes, and the cycle continues. Oh well what are you going to do I guess.

So this week did not bring to many interesting things other than rain. The kids are all extremely anxious to get their vacation started, as are all of the teachers. The good thing is, I am basically done with the book, which makes me happy because now I can do whatever I want. The only problem is, I am so exhausted from the year, that I can't find the energy to come up with any good ideas. So if any of you have any good themed ideas let me know!! :)

The 8th graders at my school had their second exam this week - Math - yuck! It was never my strong subject, but I am sure that they all did well and I do know that it is an important subject. So that led me to have 2 fewer hours than normal, which was very much so alright with me, and ascension was also celebrated this week on Thursday. So the kids went to a celebration which also resulted in 2 less hours for me, which I was also alright with :) So I had yet another lazy week, which doesn't help my Spring Fever. Oh well just 4 more weeks and then freedom. I think I am going to take a nice little trip and hopefully see some friendly faces that I have not seen for a while :)

Oh I am also going to be helping out at a summer camp this year in Timisoara, I just found out my responsibilities. I have to come up with 4 70 minute sessions to entertain and educate the kids with. Two for younger kids and two for older kids. I am a little nervous as they are long time slots and a wide range of students. I am sure it will be fine, just coming up with the ideas might prove to be a bit of a challenge. At least I will get to see some more of Romania, which is always a plus! :)

My energy level for writing is very low today. Sorry folks, but one more thing, yesterday was my counterpart (Mona's) birthday and I never realized how many people I know born on May 15th. The count is now up to 5, 2 from college, 1 from a former work place, 1 PC volunteer friend, and my counterpart. The middle of may must be pretty awesome, so kudos to you all for having an awesome birthday.

That is about it for today, nothing much exciting happened this week. I hope that you are all doing well and that the end of Spring is bringing you joy and making you anxious for summer. I miss you all and am sending you hugs from across the ocean. Take care and I hope you have a great week!

Mi-a dor de voi!
Va pup!
Va iubesc!

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.

Happy Mother's Day!

So I would like to start off this blog to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there, not just to my wonderful mother. Without you we would not be where we are today and we are all so thankful that you are in out lives. Even though sometimes it may not seem that way, we truly are thankful. Now a shout out to my Mom. I love you so much, you have supported me my whole life and I am so thankful for you each and every day. You have been my rock for so long, along with Dad, and I am so thankful to have you as a part of my life. Without you I would have never been able to go to college, study something that I love, travel to Romania, or be a kind person. You have shaped me to be who I am and I am so grateful everyday. Thank you for always sticking by my side and never ever giving up on me, even though I wanted to give up on myself. You are amazing and I want you to know that not just today but everyday.

Alright now that we are all a little misty eyed, let's talk about my week. It was a fairly uneventful week, just the normal school. The week was a little bit shorter, I was freed from 3 classes because the 8th graders had to take a big test in Romanian. So the 8th graders from the surrounding villages came to our town, because it is the easiest to get to and has the biggest school. The test consisted of a 2 hour written test in Romanian, so they commandeered the school for that time frame. This test is very important for the kids because it says whether they will pass or not, and can influence their chances of getting into a decent high school. I cannot imagine being put under that kind of pressure. I mean we had standardized test when I was in grade school, but it was never the type that decided whether you would pass or fail the last 8 years of your education. I know that they have been trying to institute a high school graduation test in my state for a while and thankfully in my time it was not instituted as I am not a fan in the least of tests. I hope that all of the students did well, and with all of their preparation for Romanian throughout the year I am sure that they did fine. Next week they have another test, this one in Math. So it is not just one big test and your done, they have to take 2 big tests. After that it will be a little bit more relaxed for them. So I am sure that will help.

This week was a little bit difficult. It is so hard to keep the kids interested in what is going on inside, because the weather is really nice, so they just want to be outside the whole time. I am so happy that I am almost through the books, so then we can just have a little bit of fun in the last few weeks. Or so I hope we shall see.

I am also running into a problem with some of my students. They see me as more as a friend than a figure of authority. While this is not a problem with my 7th and 8th graders as they know better, it is a problem amongst the smaller kids. While some of the smaller kids can balance the two, those are few and far between. They always want me to come outside and play with them, but I notice that if I do so, the respect in the classroom is reduced greatly. While I want to encourage to my kids that I am an approachable person, I don't want them to think that they can do whatever they want in the classroom whenever they want to do so. It is a very fine line, and it breaks my heart to see how sad some of them are when I tell them that I can't come out and play with them, but at the same time I know that if I do there will be problems with some of the other kids in the classroom. This will not only make it difficult for me, but also for the kids who want to learn in school. I will take this one bridge at a time and we shall see how everything works out.

So I think that is about it. I don't really have any interesting or fun stories to tell this week, it was a little bit dull I guess. Oh well, not every week can be exciting right :) Well I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are having beautiful weather. I here that there was a possibility of snow in Wisconsin, after the Tornado touched down in Appleton. You just have to love how much the weather changes for us there. Only in Wisconsin can it be above 70 and snow all in the same week! Well at least we are rarely bored with the weather! I love you all and I miss you everyday. I wish you nothing but happiness and health this week and send you tons of hugs and kisses! Take care this week!

Va iubesc
Va pup
Mi-a dor de voi

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.

Happy May!

I cannot believe it is already May! Last year at this time, I was freaking out because I knew I would be leaving for Romania in less than 4 weeks, and now I am here and I can't believe it has been a year since I felt that way. In 25 days I will have been in Romania for exactly one year. This past year has brought many ups and downs, I have met many interesting people and I have experienced many interesting things. Needless to say it has been an abnormal year, just because if I was still in the States, I would guess that I would probably still be were I was, but hopefully on a track towards graduate school. I am still looking into graduate school and have 3 schools on my list and should probably find a 4th just to be safe. None of these schools require the GRE so I am probably not going to take it. This could come back to cause a problem, but I do not have the time or energy to study for this standardized test, at least not now. Maybe I will change my mind in a month or so, or if enough people tell me it is silly not to take it, but as for now my decision is to shy away from it. We will see how that pans out for me.

So while I should be preparing things for school, I cannot concentrate and since I am a day late on my posting I figured I would do this instead. I did not get a chance to update yesterday because I spent the entire afternoon at the "forest" i.e. the woods with some friends. It was so lovely, the weather was beautiful, the scenery was beautiful and I just enjoyed the fresh air. I was exhausted however when I got home so I pretty much just went straight to bed! I slept really well though with all of that fresh air. I also went to the woods on Saturday with some other friends, each day we had a delicious barbecue! I love food cooked over an open flame and hopefully we will go for another barbecue next week as well. We played some cards when we were there, the guys played backgammon, and we even played a little soccer. I am terrible at soccer but it was fun to play.

So in terms of our transportation out there, it was normal transport on Sunday, but Saturday left something to laugh at. There were 6 of us going out there and we needed a car to go in. So one of my friends called someone in town, and he came to pick us up, not in a van, but in a car with a covered cab in back. So therefore if you don't have seats in the car, you make them in the cab from blankets and tires. Seeing as I was the oldest in the particular group and the American, they let me ride up front in the regular seat. I tried to get a picture of it, but they all jumped out to fast and I didn't get a chance to get any good ones. I couldn't believe it when I saw it and it still makes me smile when I think about it! :) Then on the way back I again got the front and the youngins piled 5 people into the back of a Dacia, needless to say there is not much room in the back of a Dacia!

So that was basically my weekend, relaxing outside and going for long walks, and enjoying the beautiful weather. My week at school was not too exciting. I taught, the kids were rambunctious, I came home to chill, and I prepared for class. We did a lesson on fairy tales for the English club that I started and that turned out pretty well and next week we are going to write our own fairy tale. I hope that the kids come with their creative juices because I know that they have them! We shall see. I think that this next week will begin the start of practicing our English play that we will put on at the end of the semester. It might turn into something pretty big...or so I hope because these kids are crazy talented in many things, they just don't always know it :)

Well I think that is all that I have for today, I better start preparing for school and thinking about what I am going to do with the kids later this week. Oh the fun of lesson planning, it just never ever stops! Hopefully next year it will be a little bit easier. Who knows! :)

I miss you all like crazy and think about you all the time. I hope that the weather is being friendly to you and that you are all happy and healthy! Just think in about 15 months I will be coming home, every 4 posts we lose a month! Just wait before you know it I will be saying that I will be home in 6 months! Stay happy and healthy everyone! Love you!

Va iubesc!
Mi-a dor de voi!
Va pup!

~Pana mai tarziu
Sarah B.