A Little More of My Hood

As with everything, just when you get used to things, things are likely to change. Such is my life in Romania. As I have finally settled into my Peace Corps training things are about to change. In three weeks training will come to an end and we will be sent off to our individual sites in Romania. I thought before I leave my current locale I would post a few more pictures of my daily life here.

Chickens on my walk to school.

The watermelon stand on the corner across from my blok.

The view from my bedroom window of surrounding apartment blocks.

One of the many churches near my blok.

This weekend we had the counterpart conference where we met that teachers that we will work with and split classes with for the next two years. My counterpart is Violeta, Vio for short, who told me she loves teaching because it keeps her young. I was excited by her genuine passion for working with students.

Tomorrow I will go with Vio, to visit my new city and school. I am nervous, apprehensive and excited. A lot of my thoughts in Peace Corps are occupied with balancing expectations and realities. It's so weird be about to visit my home for the next two year and see the flat that will hopefully feel like home one day. For some reason in my head I keep picturing my freshman year dorm room. I really hope it's not quite that small!

I have become more excited about starting my service and working in my school after talking to my counterpart and some current volunteers. They have told me about the challenges that a lot of students at industrial school face in Romania. Many students are in these schools because they did not do well in previous school and this is where they ended up placed. Also, they face extremely long commutes to school and may have parents working in other countries because they can't make enough to live on in Romania. I also understand that I may face many disciplinary issues when school starts, but I feel lucky to have so many experienced teachers in my friends and family. Ginny, Eric, Emily, Astrid, Ona, Mom, Melissa, Laura, Katie, Al, Emily, Amy, Diana and everyone else I will be pestering you in the coming year! Many thanks in advance!