One Year Later

 Almost a year ago, I headed to Bucharest with Julie to officially end our 27 months of Peace Corps service. We spent two nights in Bucharest, got our final medical check-ups and completed mountains of paperwork. It was a whirlwind completing our close of service checklists. We returned the smoke detectors and water filters which we had lugged from our sites, closed our bank accounts and turned in all our grant paperwork. At the end of the day we had checked off all the boxed on our pages of forms and we were officially cleared to leave Romania.

 I felt ready to go.  I turned in my grades, I had cleaned out my classroom and apartment, I said goodbye to people in Onesti, I had donated everything I wouldn't be taking with me, I packed my bags, I checked out of Peace Corps.  I felt both excited and nervous about my future back in the States.

 What ended up being one of the hardest things was saying good-bye to my friend and fellow PCV, Julie.  After two years, countless trips on trains, buses, maxi-taxis and automobiles, one apartment flood, two Christmases together, one pig killing, one Hungarian adventure, and many other adventures Julie became one of my best friends.  Even though we only saw each other every three weeks or so, Julie was the constant in my life in Romania.  She was the one I called when I needed someone to talk to, had witnessed something ridiculous or felt unsafe. Julie was headed straight into grad school in DC after Peace Corps so although I knew she would still be a phone call away, I knew I would miss all of our adventures.  However, we did promise that if we can ever get selected as contestants on The Amazing Race we could make the best team ever!

 I went from straight from Romania to Norway to meet up with my brother, sister-in-law, niece and to meet my nephew for the first time.  I was very excited to reconnect with family that I hadn't seen for two and half years.  I spent a week and a half in Norway before finally arriving back in the states in the middle of July.

Checking Things Off My Romanian Bucket List

A while ago my dear friend Saskia asked me if I had done everything on my Romanian bucket list.  We chatted about what I had and had not done in Romania and she asked if I had been to a sheepfold.  I said no.  She said, "Don't you know any shepherds?" 

After I explained that I don't know any shepherds and haven't seen any sheep around my block she realized it was a bit of a ridiculous question, especially as I don't have a car to get out to any sheepfolds.  Thus today we set out in her car to mark this off the list.  

I was an awesome afternoon, full of animal goodness!  We visited shepherds tending to 100 goats and 350 sheep, not to mention 15 baby pigs and a giant mama pig, plus 2 litters of puppies.  I got to try my hand at shearing a sheep and milking a goat, although the verdict was that I don't have a future in either. The highlight of my afternoon was cuddling a 2 day old goat.

Shearing sheep

Learning to shear

Saskia and the adorable baby goat

Sheep being rounded up to be milked

headed to the fold

Ready for milking

Milking station

milking time

Trying to learn to milk

fresh goat milk!

piggies

The Beginning of Goodbye

Today I am finally admitting that the massive allergies I've had lately have just devolved into a cold.  I am stating my apologies in advance if I am not the most coherent as my head is a bit cloudy.  However, as I have just three weeks left in Peace Corps, I feel that I should blog as much as I can while I am still here. 

In English class I discovered that three of the mothers in my Monday class are also sick so something must be going around.  I detest starting summer out with a cold, but it seems that I have no choice.  After having lots of rainy and cold days it's finally turned hot and each day seems to be getting steadily hotter.  Over the weekend temps were in the low 90's. It feels wrong to be sitting in my apartment sipping tea, but I am hoping if I lay low I will recover faster!

Doamna Horonica calls roll for 12D for the last time

Last Friday was the last official day of school for the 12th graders.  This week they start their Baccalaureate exams.  Friday morning, my school had a promotion ceremony, closing four years of classes for the form teachers with their classes.  It's quite a sweet ceremony. Awards are given to top students and each form teacher gives a short speech and then calls attendance from their catalog for the last time.  One teacher couldn't even make it through her whole class list, she got so emotional.   After all the attendance is called, the president of the 12th grade hands the key of the school over to the 11th grade class president.  All the students are then wished lots of luck on their exams and  everyone drinks a glass champagne.

The interesting thing is that I only saw a handful of parents at this event (this is the closest thing to graduation in Romanian high schools).  While this event is on a work day morning, to me, this emphasizes the strong bond between form teachers and their classes.  It was sweet to see form teachers have this moment with their classes.  This also got me thinking about the closing of my time in Romania.  I have already said goodbye to 2/3 of my classes and while I have not been emotional at all, I imagine on my final day I might be.

The interesting thing about my role here is that I have such a tiny amount of interaction with my students each week.  To them, I am just someone they see one hour a week, one of eighteen different teachers they have.  However for me, my students have been my world for two years.  They have consumed my thoughts and been the cause of great joy, overwhelming sadness and frustration.  In the end, I wish I could have had more time with them and that I felt like a made a difference to them.