Waiting

While September signals the beginning of the school year, that hasn't been the case for this Peace Corps Volunteer.  The Romanian education system is in a flux this year following the results of the end of year baccalaureate exams last year.  The Economist covered the results last July saying, "...the results of the Romanian school-leaving baccalaureate exam were released. They did not make for pretty reading. Following an anti-cheating initiative that saw CCTV cameras installed in schools, pass rates plummeted. Over half the students taking the exam failed; just two years ago, the pass rate was over 80%. In some schools, not a single student passed."  This has lead to different start of the school year across Romania with students now having to take initial tests in each subject to try to help establish a baseline of student's ability.  

For me this has meant that I haven't been able to do anything in the classroom yet.  There has been intense pressure on the teachers in my school to create the initial tests, review the previous year with the students and give the tests.  My counterpart told me that all the reviewing and testing needs to be done by Romanian teachers; so it's easier if I am not in the classroom.  

I took my queue and have been engaged in other activities.  The second week of school I learned that I will have a new classroom this year so I spent time clearing out the old one and decorating the new one (I'll get some new photos eventually). The nice thing about having done this once before I feel quite a bit more calm about the process.  

Outside of school, I have also been cooking a fair amount. I enjoyed the bounties of the late summer harvest making peach pancakes and then started right on fall produce making apple sauce and roasted butternut squash.  I also enjoyed the bounties of a care package from home using cranberries and walnuts from my parents to make cookies to take to the NGO where I volunteer.

Peach pancakes

Roasted butternut squash and pasta

Cranberry walnut oatmeal cookies

Next week looks like I will finally start working in the classroom.  The end of this week we should have the results from the initial tests.  I still do not know how this will play out in terms of what I will be teaching, but I am learning patience is a necessary virtue, especially as a Peace Corps Volunteer.