100 Days

Over the weekend Julie and I celebrated 100 days left in Romania.  We decided to treat ourselves for the occasion by going to see a movie.  We took maxi-taxis to meet up in Bacau which is a hour and fifteen minute ride from each of our sites.  Our maxi-taxis arrive at the same bus station 15 minutes apart; my maxi-taxi got stuck behind a train so we arrived about 3 minutes apart which was even better.  We were super excited because The Hunger Games came out in Romania at the same time as it did in the rest of the world.  We both read the trilogy last winter as the series circulated through the volunteer community.  Most movies in Romania are subtitled in Romanian (not dubbed) so it's even more cushy for Americans. It was a lovely spring day.  I felt a little silly going inside to see a movie, but we walked slowly and stopped to get lunch along the way, so were outside for a good part of the afternoon!

The movie was a great adaptation of the book!  We didn't realize that the movie is over two hours long so we had to hustle to get the maxi-taxis back to our sites, but all in all it was a great way to celebrate getting closer to the end.

Springing Forward

During the past week in Romania there was a lot of celebrating.  The first nine days of March is Mărțișor, where the coming of spring is celebrated, also March 8th is Women's Day.  During this time women and girls receive charms, called mărțișoare, that have a red and white string tied to them, the string symbolizes the changing of the season cold to hot and also the cycle of life, white for life and red for blood.

On March 8th, two of my 12th grade classes brought me flowers.  One class sang me "Happy Birthday" in English which was very cute.  There is a common confusion because the song that is the Romanian equivalent of "Happy Birthday," called "La Mulți Ani" which translates "to many years" and is sung for pretty much every celebration: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and baptisms.

Flowers from 12A and 12B

For my own celebration of Mărțișor, I baked cookies at the beginning of the week and brought them to the teacher's lounge.  On the 8th I baked scones and filled them with raspberry jam.  I gave half the batch to my landlady who often brings me food.  We trade baked goods and scones are the one thing she asked for the recipe of.  I brought the other half to the foundation, as Angela, Saskia and I had a coffee date in the afternoon to celebrate.  I had been sick the past couple weeks and not teaching English as I didn't want to risk getting anyone else sick so we had a lovely time catching up.  

When I returned home I discovered in my e-mail inbox that we had been awarded the grant we applied for in February which was a great surprise.  We applied for a VAST (Volunteer Activities Support and Training) grant from Peace Corps to purchase additional educational supplies and a laptop for the spring sex ed programs that the foundations runs in all six high schools in my town.  With these funds the program will be a more interactive and technologically advanced.  It's a small grant, but it will go a long way, helping to educate over 500 students!

This weekend, Julie came to town to visit.  We always like to share when we find more unique ingredients and she had found coconut milk in her town.  I had some green curry, so we combined them and made Thai Green Curry Coconut Sauce, which, in my opinion, was quite possibly the best food we have made in Peace Corps. 

Also while Julie visited, she helped me change out one of the filters in my water filter.  Filters are supposed to last for three years with regular cleaning, but mine simply struggled.  The PC medical office was nice enough to have a filter couriered to me. You are supposed to be able to scrub off the outer layer dirt to make the water flow better, but the dirt and metals got so absorbed into my filter that even after cleaning, water barely trickled out.  The filter on the left is my old filter, after being scrubbed.  Yuck!  Julie holds my new filter on the right.  Yay!  This filter should happily clean my water for the last four months of my service.

Old and new water filters

Side note: while I did title this post Springing Forward, daylight savings time has not actually started yet in Romania.  While it did start in the United States today, it doesn't start in Romania until March 25th so now is the funny time of the year where I am nine hours ahead of Seattle, instead of the typical ten.  Anyone for a Skype date as we are a little closer in time?

My Life: Report, Party, Report

I haven't had too much to blog about recently.  Last weekend I spent a lot of time writing the report for the Volunteer Advisory Committee (VAC) Annual Survey.  Each year the co-chairs of the committee send a survey out to all the volunteers in the country to get feedback about their service.  This information is then presented to Peace Corps Romania staff at one of the VAC meetings.  This year, as one of the co-chairs, I have been weighing through the data and making all sort of bar graphs and pie charts.  To be honest, I enjoy being able to deal with easy things like number and percentages.  I love having definitive answers unlike teaching, where it seems there is never a clear-cut answer.

After finishing the report I then looked to the week ahead which included Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day I had parties in the three 11th grade classes I teach on Tuesdays.  I especially enjoyed the parties in 11A and 11B as this is the second year I am teaching those classes and I have gotten to know them quite well.

11A

Dancing in 11A

11B giving Violeta a giant valentine they made he

Pingino!  (Yes, it's really the bunny hop)

Group hug!

As the week concluded I realized that in the midst of celebrating I had procrastinated on the Volunteer Report File which is due on Monday so I am headed back to the computer this weekend.  The Volunteer Report File is a document that each volunteer must fill out around the world each trimester showing their activities and how many host country nationals.  It can be a little daunting the first time as you count the number of students in each class and activity, but as I realize I only have a couple more to do I am feeling more hopeful.

Snow and School Celebrations

Snow finally started falling in Romania during our last week of school before winter break.   It was nice to get a little bit of white before the holidays set in.  Although, most afternoons it warmed up so that most of the snow melted away.  I did have a good view on my walk back from visiting the Catholic kindergarten last week. I cut through the park which was quite deserted.

snow in the park

During the final week of school, my school held their traditional carol (collinde) singing.  A few teachers get groups of students to perform.  This year's event was smaller than last year, we had just two groups sing and one group perform traditional dances.  As it was explained to me, carol sings are a traditional way for students to celebrate the start of the holiday season and to thank the teachers.

Group #1 - from 13th grade

Group #2

Four of the five boys in the dancing group are in one of my tenth grade classes and one of the girls in one of my eleventh grade classes. 

It was great to see some of my students performing traditional dances. I took a couple videos, but unfortunately I can only get one to upload to this post.  Here is a short clip of the goat dance.

My school has challenges when it comes to having events; we do not have anything close to an auditorium. We have a space that can maybe fit 1/5 of the school which has over 1,200 students and 100 staff members. Thus when events are held late in the afternoon; most students choose to leave rather than stay for events; some teachers also choose to leave.

 

the audience

To me, it's always depressing because very few people get to see our students perform; especially their peers.  I see so few opportunities to showcase their talents or passions.  I think of all the high school assemblies, concerts and events I attended growing up.  I loved seeing my peers perform and was always instilled with such pride with what my classmates could do.  I wish my students here could experience some of that.  This being said, I believe some Romanian schools do have lots of events, but industrial schools like mine do not.

Holiday Beginnings

Recently, I spoke with a former volunteer who said that she feels that the spirit of Christmas really comes from the heart so that one can feel the spirit no matter where they are.  I both agree and disagree with this.  While I believe you can feel the spirit of the season radiating from within, for me Christmas doesn't really begin until I get to spend time with family and friends.  The joy of the Christmas season is gathering with those I love. While I don't get to see my real family this year for the holidays I have been able to start the holiday season with some friends and students here in Romania. 

My holiday season started last week in school when I started doing carols with my students.  I see half of each class once a week so it takes me a full week to see all nine of my classes once.  Last year I learned the lesson that although we have class until the end of the week before break classes pretty much stop on Wednesday therefore, I knew that if I wanted to get all my classes to be able to sing carols I needed to start early.  I did carols with my 10th and 11th grade students (the 12th graders were giving final presentations).  I chose "Jingle Bell Rock," "Silent Night," and "Little Drummer Boy."  Some classes were more into it that others, but it was fun to share some new carols with them.  I also told the story of the little drummer boy which doesn't exist in Romanian (at least not that any of my students knew) and was my favorite carol when I was little.  I should note that although I teach at a public school there is a state religion (Romanian Orthodox) and all students take religion as a class unless they get a waiver.  I do have one student who is Adventist, but all my other students are Romanian Orthodox or Catholic.

For over a year now I have also been teaching an English class for some of the mothers that use the services at "Together in Life's Path" (the foundation I work with).  Angela, whose home I visited last week, runs the foundation with Saskia, a volunteer from Holland.  This summer I also started teaching an English class for kids there which I have continued into the school year.  Angela and Saskia have been my biggest cheerleaders in Romania.  They have been advocates and friends; they helped create the sports camp which was one the highlights of my summer.  Being able to go to the foundation twice a week has been a blessing.  Thus I was thrilled to be able to celebrate with them at their annual holiday party (last year my school schedule conflicted with the party).

Some of the mothers from English class

Mothers and children came to part.  As is a Romanian tradition, each child who was old enough had to recite a Christmas poem or sing a song to get Mos Crăciun (which literally translates to old man Christmas or Santa) to come.  Below is a video of a student, Danuț, who was very nervous reciting his poem.

Maia and Miruna, two students in my kids class

waiting for Santa

Santa was accompanied by a choir from a local high school who performed for everyone gathers.  Then each child got a present from Santa.  Who unfortunately terrified a few of the kids.

Maia and Mos Crăciun

It was a lovely was to start my holiday season.  My students also bought me a lovely sweater which I will be wearing for Christmas.

Pork

Last Saturday I got the chance to experience a unique part of Romanian holiday festivities.  It's something that people talk about a lot, but one that I thought I might not get to see as I live in a large city without any livestock in it.  Luckily, my dear friend Angela invited me to her home in a village so that I could experience it before my time in Romania comes to an end.

At this time, I would like to put a disclaimer that if you do not like the sight of blood, this blog post isn't for you.

Julie also joined me on this expedition which started early in the morning as we trekked out to the village which is about a 45 minute walk outside of Onesti.  We were headed to see a traditional pig slaughter.  Families in Romania usually have one pig that they kill a little before Christmas.  The meat is used for the holidays and smoked to last through out the winter.

The pig in question on Saturday was raised by Angela's mother-in-law.  It was actually one of a pair that she raised.  The first pig was killed last year so this pig was two years old and weighed in over 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

We started the morning by visiting the pig which was resting in its stall.  The men then brought the pig out of the stall and bound its feet.  Angela explained that if you have compassion for the pig that it makes it harder for the pig to die so it was best if we went inside.  She and her husband, let her father-in-law and some neighbors deal with the killing. We went inside to the sound of pig screams (which were terrifying) to wait until the pig was deal.  Inside, we found Maia, Angela's youngest daughter, crying on her dad's shoulder about the death of the piggy.

After staying inside for a bit we went back outside to see the butchering process.

First, the hair and top layer of skin are torched. 

Torching

Next, the burned skin is scraped off with a knife.  After the whole pig is scraped it is washed and scrubbed with hot water. 

Scraping

Maia recovered from her initial grief and joined Julie and her older sister, Anda, outside to watch the butchering.

Maia, Julie and Anda

Removing the limbs

After the pig was cleaned, the girls took part in another tradition.  They sat on the pig to bring them luck in the new year.

Sampling pig skin

The pig was then cut along the spine and the fat was separated from the meat.  The fat will be smoked to make slanina which is a traditional Romanian delicacy.

After getting to the meat, a few samples were taken out to be brought to the domestic animal vet in town.  The meat is tested to make sure it is safe to eat.  We got the all clear and Angela then started working on lunch.

butchering

the family cat was very happy

Angela making lunch

lunch

For lunch we ate sauteed fat and meat with garlic sauce and mamaliga (polenta with a course-grain cornmeal). It was delicious, but better than that was getting to share the day with a wonderful and open Romanian family experiencing their traditions.

P.S. Maia decided that she wanted to model her Christmas outfit for us.  Here is a photo of us from the day!

Building

Two weeks ago I was lucky enough to participate in a great project with fellow Peace Corps volunteers and Habitat for Humanity.  To mark the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps globally and the 20th anniversary Peace Corps Romania, volunteers worked to raise $30,000 to build a home and then got the majority of the construction of the home done over the course of a week in a blitz build. 

The house in Beius

PC volunteers from across Romania came together with the Habitat Beius staff and the family to build the house from the foundation up over the week. PCVs came in shifts of two or three days from around the country to work on the job site.  I came for the last two days of the builds so this meant plastering, sanding, painting, and installing flooring.  The Habitat staff were incredible.  Not only were they incredibly patient, hard-working and knowledgeable, but they were also very fun people to be around.  

During our visit we got to visit the studio where the Petrus family currently lives.  They have a tiny space for family of four with an incessant black mold problem (you can see photos and read more about the family here).  It was a stark contrast to the two bedroom home that we were building together. 

my hometown sign

Zamfir hanging up signs

On Saturday we had the dedication ceremony.  The home was blessed by a priest and we put a plaque up to commemorate the build.  It was a very moving experience that I can't do justice to in words.

 the dedication ceremony

 Jocelyn, Valerie, Becca, and Justin handing over the plaque

Life in Slow Motion

Over the past couple weeks I have been trying to be a bit domestic.  I have been making granola and planting things.  This week I can happily report that my granola recipe is getting tastier (read less burnt) and that the plants in my kitchen window are sprouting.  I am hoping to have basil, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro by summer.  I am still using my flannel sheets and wearing my down coat some days, but I think summer is around the corner.

As I approach a year in Romania, I want to take a moment to reflect on things happening outside of Romania.  To me, one of the most challenging aspects of being in Romania has been missing events in the lives of family and friends.  My greatest joy in life comes from spending time and sharing experiences with family friends.  Beyond the standard holidays and birthdays, I have missed some momentous occasions too.  Two important new people came into the world; Benjamin, my nephew, and Cecelia, the daughter of my close friends Eliza and Daniel. While I have yet to meet them in person, I do cherish Skype dates with them.

I have also missed celebrating new engagements, but I am very excited for Corona & Josh and Margaret & Kevin.  My awesome sister-in-law, Astrid, got her Ph.D. Go, Dr. L! There are also new babies on the way who births I will miss this summer, but I can't wait to meet the new littles ones from Megan & Andrew, Robin & Andy, and Mariclair & Bill when I am back in Seattle.  Also, my brilliant cousins are graduating this month; Emily is getting her Ph.D. in Management and Simone is getting her Master's in Public Policy. Anyway I am cheering for all of you from Romania!

Upcoming Events

Many times in life I am not that good at looking forward, I tend to over-analyze events long after they occur. I try to figure out the perfect thing that I should have done or said.  Sometimes this can help me acquire clarity, but recently it's been weighing me down.  I have been revisiting lackluster lessons and challenging interactions with students, but have been unable to gain addition insight.  This week I have decided to try to make a conscious choice not to focus so much on the past, but to try to look ahead more.  I have two exciting happenings in the near future that I am looking forward to.

The first is that next week is spring break in the Romanian school system and I am headed to Scotland to visit my friends Sarah and Dan and their darling daughter, Hazel.  Sarah and Dan moved to Scotland last summer a few months after I arrived in Romania so it's been fun comparing notes about adjusting to life in a new culture.

with Sarah in 2009

The next event won't take place until the beginning of June, but will be quite the celebration!  This year marks the 20th anniversary for Peace Corps in Romania and the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps globally.  The celebration committee for Peace Corps Romania has elected to mark this occasion by trying to do something different and big!  We are working to raise enough funds to build a house through Habitat for Humanity and also gather together with locals to complete the house. If you already donate to Habitat, please consider allocating your donation to the Beius project, or if you would like to make a one-time donation to the project you can find information about how to do that here.

So in June, I look forward to traveling to Beius to help build a house for a deserving family! If you would like to learn more about the family that will receive the house you can do so here.  

Hip-hip-hooray!

My dear friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Megan, got married last weekend. Megan is in her third year as a volunteer working in the environmental sector and has had a special project this year, planning a wedding! This has actually meant planning three wedding ceremonies; one at the city hall in her fiancee's town, one at a Romanian Orthodox church and one stateside. I was lucky enough to get to attend the first ceremony last Saturday.

Megan married Relu, a native of Oneşti, on a perfect spring day.

Getting ready for city hall...

Relu and Megan, gearing up for the ceremony!

The ceremony only took about five minutes and was conducted by two women from the primărie (city hall). The crowd clapped when Megan said "da," yes in Romanian.

The second ceremony will take place in a Romanian Orthodox church after Easter. The Romanian Orthodox Church is in Post (essentially Lent) right now so no wedding ceremonies are performed until after Easter.

Cheers to the happy couple!

With the bride and groom!