I am still alive!

I apologize for the lack of posts since late October. I will write a long post soon but suffice it to say, I have been a busy person and will detail my travels to you soon.


Ciao!

This week in Chris

Life here is pretty much the same as the last time that I updated. Things really don't change in small towns like Ciacova, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. On Friday, October 20th, the high schoolers had their Freshman Ball. It was held in the school gym with a long line of tables for the profesors şi profesoaras to sit and partake of the culinary delights that are presented there while the schools stand on the other side of the gym. After a bit, there was something like a beauty pageant where the freshmen girls where paraded around and then judged on various things by a panel of teachers and students; different things like dancing, knowlegde, etc. When that finished, the dancing began. Of course, the seniors girls, loving me as the great teacher that I am, wanted to take pictures of me with them. They then dragged me out on the dance floor where, I will have to admit, I danced for a long time. I left at 1 AM with the dancing still going strong.

Teaching is going pretty well. I am getting into the rhythm of what level I should teach certain classes and how to keep their attention. Just like back in the States, there are great students and the not so great students but I do my best to impart my vast level of knowledge to them and they are appreciative.

Not really much to say. For the most part, I am doing well. The little problems that I have with my apartment continue and there are a couple extra that have popped up but they can be dealt with. Sometimes I get a bit lonely but there isn't really many people my age here and so I spend a lot of time reading and listening to music.

Ceau for now!

An example of what I (sometimes) go through here in Romania

So, I am sitting at the internet cafe on a chilly October night here in Romania. I am sure, what pray tell, is he doing out and about when it is chilly outside and there are things that are needing to be done inside. The reason for this is exemplery of my struggle with my apartment.

As you have read, I had some problems with the single electrical plugin in the kitchen, so when I need to use the hot water boiler, I have to unplug the refrigerator and re-plug it in when I am done. I have a few dishes to do tonight so I thought I would waste a bit of time in doing just that. Haha...

I unplugged the frige and when I started to plug in the hot water boiler, sparks flew from it and the whole place went dark. The times before when this has happened, the lights didn't go out so we could see what we were doing. Therefore, I did the usual thing that I have done in the past when fuse blew, I called my counterpart Judith.

I told her the trouble and she said that though we knew what to do, since it is night time and dark, it was impossible to tell what the problem is, and that I should just go to sleep and we would fix it tomorrow. Now, is this just me or can a flashlight be used to see what to do so the the problem can be resolved? I mentioned this but was told that it didn't matter.

So here I am. I took a nap this afternoon so there is no chance of sleeping at this precise point so I came out to use the net and rant a bit. I am also lucky that it isn't too terribly cold out tonight because I will not have heat and I am in for a cold, cold morning tomorrow. Ok, enough ranting for one night. This is the Peace Corps and I knew that stuff like this would happen but it seems to me like something that can be solved just like every other time this has happened at night throughout the world.

On a brighter note, I don't work tomorrow but I will be taking the morning bus to Timisoara to get some more pots and pans for the kitchen. The school is having their Freshman Ball tomorrow evening and I have been invited to come and view the festivities. The kids (and teachers) are excited and are willing to come because the school has got Fornetti to come and make their little sweet delights for the evening.

Ok, ceau until the next exciting episode of,

Chris Bennett and his life in a (former) 2nd world country!

Update:
Just after I finished typing my rant last night, my "unofficial" counterpart Romeo, and the local electrican found me at the internet cafe and we went to fix my eletrical problem. Afterwards, I went and had a beer with the electrician, Puio, at the local watering hole and hung out with some other locals. This mroning, Pulio took me to Timisoara so that I could buy some pots and pans and other things. It is things like this that keeps my opinion of Romania and it's people high. I have met people that have gone out of their way to help out and without any monetary assistance, though I have tried to give it to them.

Wish List

As promised, here is my wish list for those of you who would like to send me things during my sojourn in Romania. I will make the list into things that I would really like to have, things that I would like to have but can live without, and things that I would love to have but I realize that it is mostly a fantasy. If you want to send me something from the second or third group, just let me know so that I can cross that item off the list. Thanks and here goes:

1st Group
-pancake syrup (regular or maple)
-macaroni and cheese (in a box)
-Hamburger Helper or anything like that
-oatmeal!
-cream of wheat
-brown sugar (can't find it here)
-candied pecans
-spices such as red chile powder, curry and other good things like that
-plastic squeeze bottle of mayonnaise (Duke’s or Hellman’s)
-can(s) of LeSeur baby peas
-can(s) of other yummy vegetables
-can(s) of Campbell's soup such as chicken noodle, tomato, cream of mushroom, etc.
-bags of pinto beans and/or black beans
-all-in-one chili packages
-chipotle-en-adobo (that is in a can)
-Sriracha chile sauce (it is the one with a rooster on the bottle)
-flour tortillas
-brownie and cake mixes with icing (no peanut butter please!)
-tea (Republic of Tea makes awesome tea, especially their blueberry)
-dried blueberries
-packets of ranch dressing
-any kind of good book that you have seen lately and you think that I would like to read
-sudoku booklet(s)
-food magazines that I can cook recipes out of
-other magazines that I can read and use in my classes
-anything and everything that you think I would enjoy or take pleasure in

2nd Group
-oven thermometer
-a good chef’s knife
-potato ricer
-casserole dish (make sure it is packed so that it isn’t broken when it gets here)
-a power adapter for an Apple Computer Powerbook G4 (1.5 Ghz); it is having problems
-european plug adapters
-metal tongs
-a few pie pans to show Romanians what really good pie is like
-an American flag

3rd Group
-enameled Dutch Oven (Le Creuset or similar type)
-cast-iron skillet (Lodge makes the best type)
-a brand new Macbook (haha, kidding about that one)

This is going to be a permanent feature in the sidebar of this blog over the next couple of years. I will be sure to update it when I am wanting something that I cannot get here. Thanks!

Hello all. Life is starting to settle in here in Ciacova. I am (slowly) building up the arsenal of things that one usually has when they move into a new place; pots and pans, furniture, and the like. It has started to get colder here at night, one night was 2 C. That means I have got to test out the heater that the PC gave me. Lest you think that this is an ordinary space heater, you would be mistaken. It is a Whirlpool radiator with seven individual compartments that in little time puts out enough heat that I have to turn down the dial to stay comfortable. That is another excellent feature that the heater has; the dial on it is like that of a clock, you can turn it from naught to sixty and everywhere in between.
That said, I have had a myriad of small, little problems that are in various stages of being solved. The electricity went out for a while a couple of days ago. I bought here in town a multi-socket outlet plug because there is just oen plug-in in the kitchen that I would like to be able to run the hot water there as well as the refrigerator. This was not to be with my new purchase. When I plugged in both at the same time, poof, all the sockets in the apartment where without electricity. We got an electrician to look at the fuses here (they are different here than in the States) and figure out which one was the problem. All of this taught me a valuable lesson to me; buy anything involving electricity in Timisoara, which I did just that yesterday. I bought two multi-socket outlets there and I am happy to say that I still have electricity.
I am hoping that I am buy a dehumdifier here because the apartment stays a bit damp and towels do not dry in the normal amount of time. I also need to buy a rack to hang my laundry from while they dry. This is but a sampling of the things that I need (or want) to get in the near future. The bad thing about this is that to get these things, I need to go to Timisoara and that usually means that I go by bus and am limited by what I can carry and the relatively high costs of consumer products here in Romania. I will keep you posted on my adventures.
School is going pretty good at the moment. As well as teaching, there is a project that I am going to have going on over the course of the next two years. The library does not have a single English book in it and I am going to start having people from home send in books that they wish the school to have. There will be more about this on here soon. I promise.
I am coming up with a list of things that I would like to have but I am still in the phase of determining what I can get here. There will be a future post soon on just what I would like the wider world to send me here in little Ciacova.
Overall, I am pretty good. Things here are a lot like home when I was a child. The only difference is that I don't have the family and social network that exists at home and and I am pretty sure (for the moment) that I will not me able to get the net in my apartment; at an internet cafe at the moment.

Ceau!

New address!!

Here is the addy for my apartment that I will be moving into next week. Now that I am permanent here in Ciacova, I expect those of who I know to start mailing me and maybe even sending a few packages here and there.

Bennett Christopher
Str. Cetaţii, nr. 2
Ciacova
307110
Jud. Timiş
Romania

I will be posting a list of things that I might want, things like brownie mix, hot sauce, things that I cannot get here in Ciacova or in the rest of Romania.

Ceau!

The way things are

Life is good.

I arrived in Bucuresti on Saturday afternoon, took and cab to the Peace Corps office and then to the hotel and promptly fell asleep. I awoke to my surpise at 2 am in the moring, stayed up until around 6 and then slept until 10. Jetlag is a bitch. Sunday was spent doing much of nothing except waiting for my train to leave that evening. Most of that time was spent at the PC office playing on the internet.
One note of advice about buying train tickets here in Romania. Do not wait even until a couple of hours before the train leaves. I wanted to buy a ticket on the Intercity (IC) train that runs from Bucuresti to Timisoara at 3:45 pm but that was not to be. Instead, I had to buy a ticket that left Buch at 9:45 and would arrive in Timisoara at 8 in the morning. The problem about this train is that instead of taking the normal route through the southern sector of the country and then cutting north, the train went straight into the mountains and went north of Arad and then cut south of Timisoara. I was nervous for a while that I had taken the wrong train but I was reassured by the other man in the compartment that indeed, the train was bound for Timisoara.

I was picked up by the school driver and taken back to my gazdas house where I promptly again fell asleep. I can't really sleep on trains. I slept until that evening and then spent time with my family here in Romania.

The next morning, Tuesday, was my first introduction to the school, its teachers and its students. I met with the director of the school and then went into the teachers lounge where I shook every single persons hand and introduced myself to them. After that, it was time for the students. Professor Romeo (haha, he is a funny guy with a funny name) took me around each classroom in the school and I told each class a prepared piece about me. After all of that, I sat in a class that my counterpart, Judit, teaches and discussed different things about English and about me. I only had to teach one class that day. I would like to tell you that it went perfect and everyone was engaged. That was not my experience. Much of that class was the students just staring at me and me trying to think of things to say. Luckily, I was prepared for this by the second time I taught and the subsuquent classes I taught where much more lively.

On Tuesday, Roxana (one of the TEFl directors) came by one her route of making sure all of the TEFl volunteers here in Romania are okay. Most of the time, she expects to sit in a class but luckily she understood that I am running around like a chicken without a head and we jsut talked. After that, we all sat around the table, talked about different issues that are going on. We then discussed the matter of my housing here in Ciacova.

An apartment has been found for me here in Ciacova. It is in the center of town, above the post office. I will have two rooms, plus kitchen and bathroom. The only problem is that the apartment has not been lived in in a long time and the place reflects that. In what will be the beroom, the wooden tiles have got wet some time in the past and rotted so that is in the process of being replaced. In the lack of being lived in for a long time, there is the expected dust, spiderwebs and all around mess that will be cleaned up. The water heater in the bathroom is bad and is being replaced. There isn't a servicable refrigerator or stove in the kitchen and newer ones that work will be provided for me. Speaking of that, there isn't furniture in the place so Caritas, a service organization that has a branch here in Ciacova is providing this for me. Outside the door of the apartment was an open area to the roof of the building that pidgeons have over the past years roosted in and therefore shat all over the place. Thank goodness that has been sealed off and been cleaned of detrius. And now for the coup de gras, ladies and gentlemen. The heating system in the building is controlled by the post office downstairs and at night and on the weekends, they turn it off. Unfortunately for me, that means there isn't heat provided when I will be needing it most during the winter. Thank God that Roxana had a portable heater that they were going to give to another volunteer and she reappropiated it for me. :) It won't be cold enough at night for a while for me to actually start using it but I probably will starting sometime in late October or early November and will have to learn how hot it gets and how much electricity the unit uses. The Peace Corps provides us with extra money during the winter months and if we go over that, I think there is a rembursement form that I can fill out to cover the expense. Needless to say, there might be some cold nights here in Romania and I am thankful for the massive amount of winter clothing that I just brought back from America. I think I might need it. Over all though, I am really excited about getting my own place (even though I really like my host family here) and hope to get settled in either this upcoming week or the next.

I went to Timisoara on Friday to have photos taken for my legitimata. That is basically the national Romanian ID card and all Peace Corps volunteers are required to get one. I have heard that it takes a lot of paper work and even cost quite a bit of money, but the PC remburses us for that too and I hope it won't take too much time or headaches to complete.

Ok that is all I have to say. I got a camera when I was back in America and will taking many photos of my life and travels here. I am really appreciative of the notes of condolences and of encouragement that you all have given me and that really helps. Take care for now and have a wonderful day.

Ceau

Back!

I have returned to the land of cabbage and vampires. When I get settled in Ciacova, I will tell more about my travels.

See y'all.

No Title

I just thought I would pop in and fill you in to just what I have been up to during my sojourn in the States. This is not an all inclusive list but an overview:

-eating all foods that are Southern and fatty. But hey, the food in Romania is just as fatty
-experiencing the cold and rainy weather which is a hallmark of the Appalachian (pronounced app-uh-LATCH-an) Mountains
-randomly running into old friends at college football games
-the circle
-cheese
-playing with Bailey, my little sister
-driving on curvy mountain roads
-coffeeshops and free WiFi
-american football
-people that sound like me
-did I mention food?

I really don't have that much to say. I love being home but I am starting to get restless again and I will be glad to get back to the craziness that is Romania. On that, Ceau.

An Update

I want to thank all of those who have sent me messages via MySpace or other ways about the loss in my family. It was an adventure getting to the States. I left Bucureşti at 8:45 AM to Vienna. The flight was about 1:30 min. After a short layover in Vienna, I was on another flight over the pond. The Austrian Airlines flight took just over 9 hours but luckily the food that was served was quite tasty. Here is the worst part: I had an 7 hour layover at Dulles Int'l Airport in Washington, D.C. After wasting time there being bored out of my mind I was finally on the last flight to Charlotte. It lasted 1 hour, 15 minutes but I really don't remember it because I was exhausted and slept the whole way.

It is good to see home but I really wish it didn't have to be like this. My father had been sick for a while; his heart has had many problems in the past and mom had just set up Hospice at home when he died. They said that his heart just got weaker and weaker and then on Friday morning, it just stopped. The lady who was there at the time said he had a peaceful look on his face. This is good to hear because there are far worse ways to go.

You should have seen the amount of food that was brought to the house. Whole casseroles of lasagna, biscuits filled with sausages and with egg, lunch meats, et cetera. After the funeral, our church had lunch for us, which was a good thing. On the subject of food, this happened just before the Bennett family reunion so I got to gorge myself on the foods that all of my family. Foods are the things that I have missed the most in Romania.

It is kinda surreal to be in the States so soon. I have heard that it is even more so when you have finished your service in the Peace Corps, so we will see how that is in two years.

Ok, I will be back in Romania on Saturday, September 23 so I will see all of you there in a while.

Ceau

It is with a heavy heart....

I am writing this post from the Peace Corps office here in Bucuresti. The reason for this is that on Friday, my father passed away. I was adopted by my paternal grandparents when I was a child and have always lived with them so I definitely consider them my parents. I will be returning to the States to grieve and my with my family and friends over the next couple of weeks. It will be good to see home again but I did not want it to be like this. I would like everyone who is reading this blog to pray (or think good thoughts) for my family and for me as we go through this period.

Thanks.

Food

There isn't really all that much to tell about my life at the moment. We are in the doldrums of August, waiting for the period that teachers go to school two weeks before the kids do here in Romania. I spend most of my time doing the following activities: sleeping, eating, spending two or so hours on the internet at the local internet cafe, watching the travel channel or other English language shows on Romanian TV. So as you can imagine, I have gained a bit of weight; 3 kgs to be exact. I am not too keen on this development so I am glad I have free time to workout and run and that is exactly what I am going to do. Admittedly, , the food here in Romania is very fatty and loaded with pork so I am really looking forward to living by myself and cooking a wee bit more healthier.

On the theme of food; foods from home are really the number one thing that I miss about the States. The choices in cheese here are a bit lacking; most are in the form of a salty fresh cheese or a non-descript, white pressed cheese. Another major thing that I miss about the diet of Romanians is that they rarely eat beef or drink milk. Both are for sale here but beef is fairly expensive and milk is sold in single liter containers. I have a feeling that I will be splurging for cow products every so often. You can't get Cheddar cheese here and I have only seen mozzarella and ricotta once when I was in Ploiesti so I will have to do some exploring in Timisoara.

Ok, just thought you would like to know what is on my mind. Now to get off the net and go eat. Haha

a voice from the wilderness

I have returned to the wide world of the internet. I am thinking everyone must be wondering what has Chris been doing in his first days at site. Well, I am here to tell you that I have been having a blast. My, new, gazda family are very cool. There are three in the family; father, mother and son. I have a really big room with a TV in it and, the best part, I get to stand up to take a shower. I love it! Now I know that all of you have been dying to send me letters and packages so here in my new addy.

Bennett, Christopher
Str. Closca, Nr. 21
Ciacova, 307110
Jud. Timis
Romania

School doesn't start for over a month so I will have plenty of time to start integrating into the community. So far the people that I have met are really cool but this being a small, small town, I do think that I will be watched like a hawk. We will see.

Send me mail!

Ciao

The End of the Beginning...

Finally, after many trials and tribulations, I am officially a Peace Corps Volunteer. The ceremony, which lasted from 10:30 to 12:00 was the normal sort of things that you would expect but there was a photo sideshow of all of our doings which was pretty cool. So now we just have hours left until our Band of Brothers/Sisters will depart for our divers sites and there are many that I will miss a alot. Indeed, the worst time for newly minted PCVs is the first three months, when we lose the support of our fellow comrades and really have to start adapting to the culture. Here's to surviving that part!

Tonight we have a little something goin' on; we rented the second floor of a restaurant and we will this evening commence to "have a good time". Luckily I will not have to leave until late the next day, so there is plenty of time to recover and pack.

This is the last time I will be able to use my computer to post to the blog for a while. I won't have internet access in my 2nd gazdas house but there is an internet cafe in the town so I will, at least, be able to connect with the wider world. I am hoping I will be able to get cable internet.

One of the first things that I am going to do on site is buy a fan. It has been extremely hot, especially considering my pale Scottish skin and my love for all things cold, and having a fan will go a long way in alleviating my suffering. I will be glad when it cools down to even 27 C (81 F).

Ok, talk to you from Ciacova some time next week.

Ciao ciao!

Less Than A Week to Go...

As the heading says, my time here in Ploieşti is just about up. I have had a good time here, learned a good amount of limba romana, and made some great friends that will last the rest of my life but in many ways, I am glad it is time to move on. While life in Ciacova will be much, much slower than many of my peers in larger towns, I am looking forward to trying to integrate into the community and meeting all kinds of new people.

On Monday, we all start taking a test that allows the PC to gauge our retention of Romanian. It is basically a conversation with someone who is trained to make this judge about many normal things; like our favorite movie and what it is about, what is our daily routine, et cetera. We had a trial run at this last week and I scored Intermediate Low, which isn't all that bad considering I have been here for just over two months but I think I could move up to Intermediate High. We will see.

And last but not least, on Friday, we all have our Swearing-In. All of our gazda families are coming and then after that, we all have rented out the 2nd floor of a local restaurant that we have just found and party it up. The next day, we all have to be packed and hit the open road or in my case, the train to Timişoara and then the school car to Ciacova.

Ok. As soon as I get my new address and the school's address in Ciacova, I will be sure to let you all know so that you can all send me the glories to the great West.

For now, ciao!

Two Months

I just thought you would like to know that I have been gone from home exactly two months today. Mom and Bailey saw me off on May 15th. It has been a whirlwind two months since I have came to Romania and the volunteer part of my Peace Corps experience is yet to happen. Some times I miss home but I have experience in being homesick so I will be fine. I will depend on you at home to send me packages of books and mis. stuff to keep me from going crazy in the winter.

That is all I have to say

Ciao

things on my mind

Well, I am back from Ciacova. It is a nice town and I think I will be happy there when I get settled in. I spent three days there. The train ride from Ploieşti was uneventful since it was a night train and I slept most of the way. We were picked up in Timişoara by the school car and after taking a short nap, some of the students that I will have (12th grade) gave the short tour of the town. It is a small, small town and they took their time showing the things there since there isn't a lot to show. My 2nd gazda family there is really nice, they grilled some chicken and mici that night and kept pouring beer into my cup. The next day, my couterpart and I went to the school to check it out and meet another teacher that I will be working on projects with. Not much to talk about that day. The last day I was there, my counterpart, gazda mom, and I took the bus to Timişoara. Before I go on, I have a funny story to tell. While waiting on the bus to a arrive, I noticed a truck go by with the Confederate battle flag in his window go by. I think I laughed out loud for 10 mins. Anyways, Timişoara is great. The parks are green and there is very little trash on the streets. I have a feeling I will be going there often. On the last day, I had to get up at 4:30 so that I could be taken to the train station before the train left at 6 AM. The train didn't reach Buchareşti until 2:30 so you can imagine how sleepy I was and I still had to take another train to Ploieşti.

Overall, while my site isn't a big or nice as most of the other volunteers site, I think that I will be happy where I am at. There are a lot of travel opportunities that I can take advantage of and being in a small town will allow me to develop my Romanian skills. I left my camera at my site so I don't have any pics to show you but when I go back there after the 28th, I will be sure to post many pics of where I will be living at the town around it.

Ok, ciao ciao

Ciacova

After many trials and tribulations, I have finally found out where in Romania I am to be placed. I will be in the sleepy village of Ciacova. It is located in the most westerly portion of Romania, an area called Banat. Ciacova has a population of 5000 ppl and one high school, which I will be teaching at. At first, I was kinda stunned because I wanted to be in a place that gets cooler weather and some kind of mountains but that was not to be. Ciacova is in the Hungarian Plain and that means it is flat as a pancake. Oh well. Luckily, just to the north of Ciacova lies the city of Timişoara. I hear it is a great city to go to and there is a ton to do there. I am glad that I know how to handle small town life because I have a feeling I will have a lot of free time there. There isn't a Wikipedia article, yet, about Ciacova so I can't give you a link on there to learn about my future home but there is a link on there about the county I will in. Judeţ Timiş One other good thing is that since I will be living in a small town, my Romanian language skills will be forced to improve. Also, I am really near the capitals of Serbia and Hungary so I am definitely going take advantage of that.

Ok that is all for today. Tomorrow we start our Counterpart Conference where we will meet the person that we will have the most dealings with over the next couple of years. In the case of TEFL, my counterpart will be the other English teacher in the school. I am jealous of many of the other volunteers that got great places but my place might turn out to be pretty cool.

Te pup bitches

Lord Bennett

Johnny Pumpkinseed and How I Got Sunburnt

So sorry about the delay. I went to Braşov the weekend before last but that will be the subject of a future blog post. So this weekend, a bunch of use went to a city called Piteşti to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. So a bunch of us got together after the last day of my teaching practicum to go on the train there. We thought we asked for the fast train to there but oh no, that was not in the cards. Instead they sold us a ticket to Piteşti on the tren personal. That meant that instead of taking a fast train to Buchareşti and then on to Piteşti, we took a very slow train. The ride to Buchareşti was uneventful except for the fact that we ended up at the podunk train station so we had to walk a ways to a Carrefour where there was a McDonald's. Haha! After spending time at the station we finally got on the train to Piteşti. There were already people on the train so we didn't have a place to sit but hey, it is the Peace Corps so I am not one to complain. So in the middle of nowhere on the way there, a hundred people got on the train where there was room for maybe 30. Needless to say, we were absolutely squeezed. So about Johnny Pumpkinseed. My friend Mark was standing at the window with no room to breathe when this random Romanian man tapped him on the shoulder and offered him some pumpkin seeds. Mark didn't want any but the guy didn't want to hear that and he repeating kept trying to stick the seeds into his mouth until Molly, another friends with us, told the guy that he was allergic to pumpkins and he left him alone. We laughed our asses off. In the mean time, we didn't have room to breathe and people kept trying to walk down the little hallway on the train. I was glad when in another stop in the middle of nowhere, almost everyone on the train got off. After that, we all had a train compartment to sit in and laugh at each other in. After getting there, we walked to the hotel and past out.
The next day. We all had to be up and ready at 8 AM when the bus would come and take up to the work site. After a complimentary breakfast, we got on and went to a place in the middle of the countryside. There, we broke into three groups. One would work on demolishing a wall in a building, The rest of us would work on ditches on the outside. One group had to extend the ditch that a previous Peace Corps had dug the weekend before. The rest of us had to dig through a small rise so that the water would flow into a drainage ditch beyond that. All of this would be filled in with a pipe but we were free labor. After a while, all of us guys said fuck it and took off our shirts because we were sweaty and it was the manly thing to do. :) Unfortunately there were two things wrong with the ground. One, over the past decades, people living at the site had buried their trash in this area so we found tons and tons of trash and had to deal with getting that out. The other problem was the the little hill has mostly clay so we had to deal with that. That meant that one person would take a pick-axe to the ground and then the rest would come at it with shovels. Now this is tiring work, so we took turns doing all of that until we got the depth of the trench to the liking of the foreman and broke the wall that was holding water from the rains of the night before and it all flowed out. We were all excited that was we done was worth something in the end.

After that, we all went back to the hotel and I took a nap. When I woke up, my shoulders hurt like shit from the redness that I had on them from not having a shirt on, even on a cloudy day. I am still hurting from that. That evening we had real Italian food for the first time since being in Romania and it was SO GOOD. We went out that night and then sometime that night, I passed out. The next day, a bunch of us rented a maxi-taxi (small private van for rent) to take us to Ploieşti. I was wore out and after lunch, I passed out.

That is all the stories I have of Romania at the moment. On Wednesday, July 5th, we finally find out our permanent site and I will be sure to let you all know about where I am to spend the next two years of my life and how you can send me plenty of mail and packages.

Ok with that,

Pe curând

Practicum and other useless information

I really hate mosquitos.

We TEFLers have just finished our first week of practicum and man I am glad that we have a few days to relax before it starts all over again. My teacher partner, May and I have been teaching a 9th grade class from here in Ploieşti that is truely amazing. Everthing May and I taught to them they picked up instantly. Their English skills are almost at a fluent level and they are just in the 9th grade.

We find out where in Romania will be going to on July 5th. We are filling out a questionaire about our preferences and dislikes and on Monday, I have an interview with the heads of TEFL on Monday and from a week of Monday, we will be FINALLY finding out. I am excited.

Ok that is all for now. I can't leave the window open at night due to the swarms of mosquitos that attack me at night so I will just sweat it out. And yes, the sweating part is literal due to the 90+ degree weather that we have been having lately.

Pa.

There isn't really a reason why I am making this post except to say that I am in the only wireless cafe in Ploieşti and it is so good to use a Mac once again. I can function in a Windows world but I do not like to. Anyways, there isn't a lot to say. We start our practicum on Monday. We TEFL trainees will be teaching a two week course to students in Ploieşti who signed up during their summer break to listen to Americans and glean English language skills from us. We will see.

Pa

Life

Life is good.

Seriously, life is good.

Last week my gazda family and I went into the mountains to a town called Buşteni. The place is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. We went by car since Rodica was going with a friend of the family to a city in western Romania called Timişoara. Christie, Gena, and I hiked for a while on this road until we reached a restuarant type place. We ate breakfast and then I was told to go hike on the mountain. One note on trails here in Romania. There has not been introduced the idea of a switch back in trail maintainance. Therefore the first part of the trail was a 40 degree slope and it took me a while to get where I was going. Even so, it was beautiful and I got many great pics from the experience.

I came back down and we went to start the barbeque. As you can see from the pictures, we basically set up on the side of a logging road and used one of the tree stumps as a table. It was great. The only bad thing that I experienced there was the amount of trash that ppl throw into the streams or on the sides of the trail. Luckily, most of the younger generation do not litter like the older ones so there is hope for the future.

We took the train back from Buşteni to Ploieşti. We rode on the tren personal of which I have few words of praise so I will be silent on the matter.

Truely, life is good.

Buşteni

Buşteni, originally uploaded by ionntag.

A typical village street in Romania

Our table

Our table, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Another view. The father and I rolled our "masa" from the wood pile to where it is in the pic

My Gazda and our "table"

IMG_0997, originally uploaded by ionntag.

My host mother and father on the "table" that we used when we cooked out in Busteni

Crucifix Mtn

IMG_0996, originally uploaded by ionntag.

This was pretty cool

More mountains

More mountains, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Mountain Top

IMG_0983, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Can you see the snow?

Creek

IMG_0980, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Creek near the mountains

IMG_0979

IMG_0979, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Peas. pork, and bread. Can't get better than this

Ciorba

Ciorba, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Ciorba is a thick soup. This type doesn't have meat in it but it does have pork fat. Mmmmm...

Kitchen

Kitchen, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Rodica, my host sister, cutting slices of Romanian bread for me to eat with my dinner

Barbeque

Barbeque, originally uploaded by ionntag.

Barbequeing mici (pork sausages) and chicken wings at the park

Ploiesti picture

I haven't posted any pics of Romania yet on here but I did find find a picture of Ploieşti on Wikipedia. The building on the right of the pic is the hotel that we first stayed at here. Enjoy!

First Romanian wedding (or something similar to that)

Yesterday afternoon, my host sister Rodica was asked by her parents to go to a wedding as a favor for an old friend of the day and I told her that I would go with her, since she didn't know anyone is the wedding party except for the grooms parents.

So this morning, we both got dressed and took a taxi to the government office. To understand how a Romanian gets married, you mus tunderstand the bureaucracy. Before the ceremony, the soon-to-be married couple and all the parties that are in the wedding must go in front of a representative of the government so that they make sure that they have paid the fee to get married to be sign the marriage license stating that, in fact, they are married.

So that is where we went this morning. There were crowds of other wedding parties there since most people get married on Saturday here. We carried flowers to the ceremony; only in odd numbers to a the superstition that if you bring an even number of flowers to something other than a funeral, it is bad luck. You also carry the boquet upside-down for some reason. After the official signing of the marriage license, everyone in the crowd must give their flowers to the bride and kiss her while saying something like la casa piatra (stone house), I think that is what I said anyways, Rodica was the one that told me what to say. You also kiss both cheeks of the groom, and while I am definitely American in my ideas of male to male interaction, it is a common thing here. Kinda like how they do on The Sopranos.

After that, we went out the park just across the sidestreet to the building and had pictures taken. I am sure that many years later, they will wonder who in hell is this strange person doing in their pictures. After that was over, Rodica and I left to go back to the apartment. The wedding then continued at the church where a priest will marry them in the religious sense. I will be going to a wedding of a friend of Rodica's so I will tell you all about it when it happens.

Tomorow, my host family and I (except for Rodica) are going to a town in the Carpathian Mtns called Buşteni. I will take loads of pictures and get them on here as soon as a I can. I miss you all very much and love hearing from everyone, including random people that are viewing my blog. Rodica isn't coming because she is going to visit her brother in a city in the western part of Romania called Timişoara. She is excited because it is a beautiful city, from what I have heard and I am some-what jealous of her.

Ok, pa for now. Week 3 of PST starts on Monday. We TEFL's hav team teaching Tuesday and Thursday with two other of us in a very upscale school here in Ploieşti. I will let you know how it goes.

P.S. I had Ţuică for the first time yesterday. It is a privately made liquor, on the lines of moonshine made out of the pressings of plums grown here in the region and man, is it strong.

Whew

Posting today from and hot and sweaty internet cafe. Today and yesterday, we have been observing classrooms in Ploiesti, both middle school and high school. There are a wide variety of teaching methods here in Romania, both old school and new methods of teaching. We had a be dressed a bit nicer than what we are used to and the weather has been sunny and hot. Oh well, it is the Peace Corps.

This weekend, I broke down and got a mobile phone. Email me if you want it because I am not gonna post it on here for all to see. On Sunday afternoon, my host parents and a friend of theirs went to a park that is near Ploiesti called Parcul Bucov, literally translated as "the park Bucov". We grilled mici (pork sausages), some kind of fish, and chicken wings over a charcoal fire. I consumed massive amounts of meat and bread and they kept on offering me beer and some kind of homemade brandy that was pink. I had to refuse after a while because I was starting to get sleepy and would have passed out if I had not.

Speaking of food, I had my favorite, so far, food in Romania yesterday for supper. Genia, host mom, prepared sarmale for us this weekend. Sarmle are a mixture of rice and ground pork meat wrapped around either grape leaves or cabbage. We had it with grape leaves. It is served with smantana (a little like sour cream) and bread. I ate all of that up and even had seconds.

Language classes are going well. They broke us up from the group we were in the first week and placed us with different people and a different teacher, I guess based on our learning abilities and how well we are doing. The bad thing is that in the past couple of days, we have learned a ton of new verbs and I really need to sit down and memorize all of the conjugations; not a easy thing to do.

Ok time is about to run out here. I will be very glad when the summer is over and we are in our permanent sites but we are all nervous about where in Romania we will be placed.

La revedere

Quick Update

I am posting from the computers that the Peace Corps has set up for us at our training site so this will be brief due to the others that are waiting to use it. Everything is going good but man, PST is tiring. We have 4 hours of language a day (except this Friday, w00t) and then in the afternoon, we have sessions in our sections (TEFL for me). By the time the day is over, I am wore out. I go home, someone there fixes dinner, I study Romaneste and then I go to sleep, sometime aroudn 10 PM. I then get up at 7 AM to do it all over again. I will write longer posting from my computer and then upload them with my flash drive in the future. I miss you all terribly but I wouldn't give up this experience for the world.

La revedere

Chris

here!

From the emailsent to my family:

4Hey everyone! After a long and tiring trip, we are finally here in Romania. My flight was delayed for 40 minutes on Monday because the cargo-old door had a four inch crack in it (eek!) but other than that, I arrived in Philadelphia safely. Everyone in our group (Romania 21) is awesome and I have made plenty of friends already. There are 71 of us from all over the United States. Two others are from NC. One of them, a guy named Eric Halsey actually went to Western Carolina the same time that Tim Walters did and there were in the same fraternity. Small world! Anyways, we had session after session about what to expect from our Peace Corps experience, what to do, and what to not do. I had an authentic Philly cheese steak. It might have been that we went to the wrong place but I was not impressed with the sandwich. Ohh, the hotel we stayed at is one of the nicest hotels I have every seen. Someone said that the price for one hotel room that we had was over $300! On Wednesday morning, we boarded a bus to drive from Philadelphia to JFK Int’l airport in NYC. I got to see the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty again while on the bus. Our flight left JFK around 6. We flew Lufthansa. It was pretty nice. After a short layover in Frankfurt, Germany, we landed in Bucharest.

Let me tell you, I can already tell my experience here in Romania is going to be one of the best experiences of my life, but that is skipping ahead. We got into the airport in one piece, even though some people had luggage that was delayed a day but that did not happen to me. We took a bus from Bucharest to our new home here in Ploiesti. The Peace Corps put us up in the Hotel Central in downtown Ploiesti. We spent the couple of days in even more sessions dealing with Peace Corps Romania, from what to expect from our gazdas (host families) to what to do in case of an emergency and about routine health policies. I had three different vaccinations: MMR, Hepatitis A & B, and TB. It wasn’t that bad since I had allergy shots while as a teenager. Speaking of allergies, so far, I haven’t had much of an allergic reaction to the trees and flowers here in Romania. I am cautiously hopeful that this will be a continued trend.

Today, Sunday was the big day. We met our host families for the first time. Like all of the other PST trainees, I was very nervous about what kind of family I would be placed with and how we will interact. It turns out that my fears were greatly unfounded. My host family consisted of a husband and a wife with their daughter who is my age. After getting my luggage and checking out of the hotel, we took a car to their apartment. I will post pictures later of what my new home looks like but I am pretty sure that I lucked out. My bedroom is very large with a desk and a large closet to place my clothing. Speaking of that, we get to wear our normal clothes that we would wear in the States to training. Back to the gazda. My host-mother, who I will post her name later because I have forgotten due to the massive amount of information that we have had thrown at us, had dinner waiting for me when we arrived at their apartment. I had some kind of corn dumpling in a broth, carne de porc over rice pilaf and a couple slices of cake. After that, we went to the grocery store near here on the bus to get food supplies. We then spent the rest of the day talking about our lives, what Americans know about Romania, and about my family. I think that I am very lucky with my host family. If any of you have heard about the outbreak of the avian flu virus, H5N1 in Romania, do not be concerned. While we are close to where the chicken farm was, there isn’t a chance of us being exposed. As of right now, the Peace Corps has forbidden our host families to cook chicken until the threat of exposure has past.

I miss you all very much.. As I get my bearings here, I will get in touch with you and let you know how I am. Ok, we have class starting tomorrow at 9 AM; four hours of language and an introduction to Romania.

Pa

Chris

The ground rules

Buna ziua, fellow bloggers and blogettes. As this is probably the last time that I will post before the grand adventure, I wish to inform you in how this little blog of mine will work.

First of all, The opinions expressed herein are not representative of those of the U.S. Government or the Peace Corps and should not be interpreted as such. (the legal portion of today's entertainment)

Secondly, I will keep it tame for the little boys and girls out there (if you want details about all the juicy stuff, send me an email).

Thirdly, if you don't like what I post here, well I don't really care.

Fourth, I will post as many pictures as I can on here but check out my Flickr site for more pics and also see my family for pictures there too since I will be mailing my family discs and discs of photos.

Ok. Now for some information.

My email address ionntag@gmail.com

Training address until August 2006:

Christopher Bennett
Peace Corps/Romania
Str. Negustori, NR. 16
Sector 2, Bucharest
Romania

I will announce my site address when I find out where my site will be.

Training city: Ploieşti, Ţara Românească.

Start of Peace Corps service: May 15, 2006
End of Peace Corps service: August 2008

Phone calls: For those select few that I talk to in real life, feel relieved that there are plenty of ways that you can speak to me. The first will be that of the land-line of my host family. It is free (for us in Romania) to receive calls from the States. The second way that you will be able to get in contact with is a cell phone. Thats right kids, everyone from the eldest bunica to the youngest toddler in Romania has a cell phone these days and I am almost positive that I will have one as well. The thrid option that I have in my disposal is that of VoIP. For those with a computer, an internet connection, a microphone, and a little program called Skype, you will be able to call me for free on your computer. The best way, I think, to get in touch with me is send me an email telling what time you want to talk and I will get in touch. The numbers to dial me will be forthcoming.

Packages: During my PST time in Ploieşti, I cannot receive any packages. I can only receive letters. The reason for this is that the people at Peace Corps headquarters can't be dealing with packages coming in all the time and getting them to us at our training sites. Rest assured, when I am placed at my permanent teaching site, I expect each and every one of you to send all kinds of American delights, books, and magazines.

So I would think you might be interested in what my itinerary will be. I fly from Charlotte, NC to Philadelphia, PA, on Monday, May 15, getting there around 11ish. I will be there for a couple of days doing what is called Staging, which is basically orientation and getting to know the other PSTs. We then board a bus to JFK airport in NYC to board a flight. We fly from there to Frankfurt, Germany on United Airlines. After a very short layover in Frankfurt, we then board a Lufthanasa (sp?) flight to Otopeni In't Airport in Burcharest, Romania where the adventure will begin!

I will miss you all and please, please keep in touch with me. I am sure my sanity will be needing it.

La revedere,

Chris

tentative DVD list and misc.

Here are my picks to take the jump over the pond to the land of vampires and sarmale.

1). Braveheart
2). Dances With Wolves
3). Fight Club
4). The Last of the Mohicans
5). Led Zeppelin Live DVD Set
6). The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring
7). The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
8). The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
9). The Matrix
10). Animal House
11). Old School
12). Saving Private Ryan
13). Snatch
14). Star Wars: A New Hope
15). Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
16). Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

This is definitely a provisional list. The CD case that I am putting all of these in has room for twelve more movies. I have a ton more movies in my collection (over 100) but I need to pair those I want to take to those I really, really enjoy watching. I might add the first two The Godfather movies, we will see. Batman Begins is also on the maybe list.

In other news, volunteers in Romania created a CD-R of information about what to expect in the Peace Corps in Romania and different things to think about going there. They had a great packing list that I am adapting mine to fit within the list. My older list is almost the same with a few tweaks here and there.

After freaking out over my thesis deadline, I stayed up all night Thursday finishing my thesis. I gave my thesis committee the "draft" version to go over. If they accept my thesis as is, I will be able to defend it either Monday or sometime next week. That option will allow me to receive my diploma in May. If my committee give me back my thesis to edit/elaborate more fully, I will work on that until sometime in early May, defend it, and my diploma will be mailed to me in August instead of May. That is no biggie because I was thinking there for a while that I would have to wait until I return from Romania in 2008 to turn in my thesis. To say I was stressed Friday morning is an understatement, to say the least.

Peace Corps Romania gave us a list of emails of the people going with us. My impression so far is that the Ro 21 group is a broad cross-section from every corner of the country. I am looking forward to meeting them all and having mad adventures in the wilds and not so wilds of Romania.

Pa, pa.

the event draws near

Today I got an email with a listing of all the trainees that are going in our group to Romania. There are quite a few, seventy-one is all. That number includes TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), Environmental Education, Community Economic Development, and Institutional Development. The problem from my end is that for some reason, the Peace Corps Romania office either lost my email address or forgot to send any messages for me because I had to write them saying that others were receiving the messages but not I. It is straighten up now.

Last week, I saw the films V For Vendetta and Syriana. I've heard that they were quality but i was really impressed. V For Vendetta is based on a comic series that was written in Thatcherian Britain about a dystopian, police state England and the avenger so fights to bring down those who did this to England. Syriana is a movie in the vein of Traffic (excellant) about oil, politics, and the intricacies of the relationship. Suffice it to say, I was not feeling too good about being a soon-to-be federal employee but I will survive.

I saw Meaghan and Meg for the last time this weekend. I went and had lunch with Meaghan and her friend Mackenzie at Black Cat. Yum. We then went to a student film festival to see a friend of ours, Sarah, primiere her documentary about her life and the craziness of it. I have to say, I laughed my ass off. Props to Sarah! I won't get to see Meaghan again because she is about to leave for London to participate in the BUNAC program. It allows Americans to live in the UK and work there for up to six months. I did it back in 2003 and i really miss the vitality that is London. And I will miss Meaghan.

Meg came up the mountain on Sunday to celebrate her birthday and to hang out with the old peeps. We hung out at Ashley's and then went hiking at Hebron Rock Colony on the Boone Fork River. We climbed all of the rocks and laid in the sun and had a blast. We went back, had some food, and just chilled with some yellow cake with chocolate icing, my favorite cake by the way. I might get to see her again if I go down to Winston-Salem to visit her but we will see.

I am in the midst of finishing my thesis. If I do not finish it by April 15, I personally grant all of you to beat the shit out of me and make my finish. I will be so glad when I am done with this thing.

Ok. Pa, pa.

Not that much to say

I am still in the doldrums leading up to my imminent arrival in Romania. I've got around three weeks to finish my thesis so that I can give it to my committee and be doen with the thing. I had a very exciting weekend; I burnt all my info into some DVDs and reformatted my hard drive, it freed it a lot of room. I need to buy insurance for my laptop and camera; I also need to get a new backpack to take with me. I found my old Mountainsmith backpack, I am considering taking that as my primary luggage, we will see. We have had a cold spell of late but the end of winter is finally here. After having a virulent cold last week, I made some homemade chicken soup, it was damn good. I am thinking of making some meatloaf and mashed potatoes this week, been craving it.

The Aristocrats

Last night, we watched The Aristocrats. I want to preface that this joke (arguably the filthiest joke ever) isn't for most people and would offend a good portion of the population. Needless to say, I laughed my ass off. The movie was basically a documentary of all of these comedians, famous and not, telling their versions of the joke and the variations that they have heard. It has been a while since I laughed that hard. Anyways, here is a link to the boys of South Park telling the joke.

I want to emphasize, if you are offended or squeamish at all by a filthy joke, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK!!! For all the rest of you out there, enjoy!

South Park The Aristocrats

Addendum: I bought Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Wererabbit for my little sister and I think we are going to watch it tonight. I hear it is very good, but in a completely different way from The Aristocrats.

Potpouri

Thanks for all the input. I actually have a concrete idea of what area I want to go to, mainly a small town that is fairly near to a larger one. This is mainly so that I can integrate (I think a small town would be better for that) and near to a larger city for the cultural opportunities, but like I have heard, you are placed where the Peace Corps needs you to be.

Ok, on to other issues. I have just found a new site that is pretty cool. You Tube is a site that allows you to upload your own videos and post them on your blog, etc.

Here is my little sister dancing last spring. You have to tilt your head (I can't rotate the video for this).



Pa, pa

aspiration statement

After accepting your Peace Corps assignment, the Peace Corps requires Invitees to complete an aspiration statement and a resume to be sent to the country desk of where you were invited to, Romania in my case.

The following statement will be submitted in the next couple of days:

Expectations…

Expectations are just like any other thing that you plan on; some of which will occur but the vast majority of my experience will not be expected. I know that life in Romania will have its ups and downs and I also know that being a Peace Corps volunteer will be among the most difficult and rewarding years of my life. I expect to be challenged by the language and Romanian culture. I expect pre-service training to prepare me with a foundation on which I can be an effective volunteer in my community. I know that I will not make a difference immediately but with time and patience, I will plant the seeds of success as a teacher in the community. Finally, I expect my Peace Corps service to be more rewarding than I can imagine.

Strategies for adapting to a new culture…

The first strategy that I will employ in adapting to Romanian culture begins at home; reading about the culture, familiarizing myself with the language, and reading PCV blogs in Romania and other Eastern European countries. I understand though, that I cannot accept anything to be what I expect it to be. I will rely on flexibility and being able to listen to advice when given to help me adapt to the community. I will rely on my language, cross-cultural, and technical training to allow me to be effective.

Personal and professional goals…

My joining the Peace Corps is not based from a decision over what I want to do with my life after college. Instead, it is rooted in my firm belief in contributing to the good of the world in a setting that will help develop my own skills. That said, my personal goals as a Peace Corps volunteer are simple; to be adept enough in the language to function with others around me, participate in cultural events around me and to complete my service. Professionally, I hope that my Peace Corps experience will assist me further developing a skill-set that I can use throughout my life. Whether I pursue a path working as a teacher in the United States or in the international community, pursue a path in the State Department, or some unknown path, I plan on using the knowledge and experience that the Peace Corps provides to be a better person at home and in the world.

Ugh

This weekend has had it's ups and downs. Friday, Jon and Kindal invited us all to their house for some lasagna and other assorted goodies. We all hung and and stayed in Boone that night. Well, about 3 or 4 in the AM, I woke up and had to vomit. This preceeded to happen seven or eight times over the course of the night and the morning.

I stayed at Jon's until early in the afternoon since I was pretty sure that I did not have the energy to make the one hour drive from Boone to home. Ever since, I have been very weak but I am finally starting to get my energy back. To say the least, this has been a trying weekend. I have not been this sick from a stomach virus in over a decade.

In other news, UNC lost to Boston College in the ACC tourney. I was sad but they are playing much, much better than I thought they would this season. There is still the NCAA tournament but I am realistic about the chances of that happening.

Not much else here. Next week, I plan on working hard on my thesis, hopefully writing at least a chapter or more. I really need to get on the ball on but but luckly, I have always written my best work under the crunch so we will see.

Pa, pa

Post Script: I have 9 weeks, 1 day left in the United States!!

The Guardian has published a list of 30 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I have read a few of these but I am seriously lacking in suprising ways. Ok here are the books, the ones that I have read are in bold.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Haper Lee
The Bible
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
1984 by George Orwell
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
All Quiet On The Western Front by E M Remarque
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Tess of the D'urbevilles by Thomas Hardy
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenhitsyn

I haven't read many of these since high school so I need to reread them to refresh my memory. I found this list and (once again) I thought I would share it with you.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

I really like this poem. It was originally written by Max Ehrmann in 1927, not in the 1600's like many plaques say. I just thought I would share the nugget of knowledge with the world.

thinking ahead

I am going to try to put together a "preliminary" packing list for my sojourn in Romania. I am sure that this will be changed in every way by the time I will actually leave my mountain lair.

1). Apple Powerbook G4 (I've had my laptop for almost two years and I love it)
2). Canon Powershot S70 (I love photography!)
3). luggage (probably two rolling suitcases with a backpack to transport things in on site)
4). winter coat
5). boots
6). work clothes (I assume that teachers in Romania are well dressed but I guess this depends on the situation on the ground)
7). Chacos (great sandals)
8). favorite t-shirts (got to have clothes to relax in!!)
9). sweaters
10). toiletries
11). prescriptions
12). Leatherman
13). thermal underwear (I know cold winters)
14). iPod Nano (flash-based memory so that the songs will not be lost if it is dropped)
15). swimming trunks
16). tennis shoes
17). wool & other assorted socks
18). waterproof jacket
19). sleeping bag (maybe)
20). large supply of underwear

Ok that is a working paper of what I think I will need. The Peace Corps only allows new volunteers a limited amount of weight that you can bring with you, i think it is around 100 lbs for Eastern Europe. I know that I will be able to get many of my supplies in the country so my primary concern will be being able to transport my stuff from point A to B. I will be glad to receive any (constructive) criticism on how I can improve this list.

La revedere, Pe curând!

the days keep on coming

Buna seara

Temperatures is rising finally. There are the tale-tell signs of spring all around; the trees are budding and the easter lilies are poking their heads out of the ground. I love this time of year! The colors are at their most intense and I love being outside after being couped in all winter.

My car likes to play tricks on me. I thought that the battery might be bad: nope. I thought the starter needed to be replaced: negative. It turns out that the battery cable had a short in it and just needed to be replaced and the garage charged only $10 to fix it. Rock on!!

I printed out the form for the "no-fee" passport today. I have to send in the materials soon so that the DOS can process the passport in time.

On Saturday, I saw off two friends that are volunteering in the Peace Corps program in Morocco. I think they are in the public health program there. I am very excited for them and will miss Hattie and LB.

I've been going over Romanian lately. I have found a program on the net where I can hear Romanian words spoken and what they look like. I really want to learn the language quickly when I arrive so that I can assimilate into the culture as fast as I can.

Ciau

Piece of Sh*t Car

Adam Sandler said it best. That is all I have to say on that subject.

I step into the fray

Well, it is official. I called the Peace Corps Placement Office to confirm my acceptance to the Romania TEFL program. If only that was all I had to do before I get on a jet plane. Yea, no. I have to update my resume and write an aspiration statement for the Peace Corps Romania Office. This is basically a telling of what I bring to the program and what I expect about the whole experience. I also have to apply for a "Peace Corps Passport" on top of my regular passport. It is pretty easy but all of this just takes time and patience.

So my car has serious problems. Sunday, I tried to start my car but the motor would not even turn. I have tried charging the battery to no avail. Therefore there is one of two problems that I have; 1). the battery is no good and I have to buy another one soon or 2). the alternator is gone bad and my car is in need of seroius help. I am hoping for option 1 or a way to charge my existing battery.

Ok, I promised you I would post more resources concerning Romania but I haven't had the time to look seriously into it. Here is something that you can view in the interim.
Romania
Wikipedia is an awesome site if you just want to learn basic information about a particular subject.

Ok take care and I will see you on the flipside

La revedere

Romania info

I will add more as I find it.

My Invite Came!

After much impatience and worry about just when my invitation would come, the mail delivered for me! I went out and did a few things and when i got back, the packet was waiting. I took it in the back and opened it up. All my hopes for were my post would be cam true. I have been invited to go to Romania!

Now I have two main goals for this spring. First, I have to finish my thesis! That is my main priority and I will work on it all March and April. The second is I will need to read and learn all I can about Romania so that I will be able to better assimilate into the society. I am soo excited! Ok that is all for now, I will post more infor about Romania later.


La revedere

Once again

No mail today.

I spent the day being constructive. My grandpa had a doctor's appointment (his cough has been really bad lately) and they gave him some antibiotics, a chest x-ray, and told him that basically his condition is just a bad case of bronchitis. I then got a call from my mom asking me to go get Bailey since she was supposedly sick (not really) but I got her and we came home. I cleaned out my car (it was seriously overdue) and washed the dishes. Overall, I got a lot done and I am a little sleepy.

I hope my invitation comes in the mail on Saturday. If not, it won't be until Tuesday before I get a chance to get the packet since Monday is President's Day. Oh well.


Vale! (Latin)

Oh yeah...

I forgot that I got some pretty good news. For Christmas, I took some of the money I received and decided to participate in the Genographic Project. In a nutshell, the Genographic Project takes a DNA sample (Y-chromosome in men, mitochondrial DNA in women) and analyses the genetic variations in the population to see what your DNA says. Well I got back my info and here it is.




Your Y chromosome results identify you as a member of haplogroup R1b, a lineage defined by a genetic marker called M343. This haplogroup is the final destination of a genetic journey that began some 60,000 years ago with an ancient Y chromosome marker called M168.
The very widely dispersed M168 marker can be traced to a single individual—"Eurasian Adam." This African man, who lived some 31,000 to 79,000 years ago, is the common ancestor of every non-African person living today. His descendants migrated out of Africa and became the only lineage to survive away from humanity's home continent.

Population growth during the Upper Paleolithic era may have spurred the M168 lineage to seek new hunting grounds for the plains animals crucial to their survival. A period of moist and favorable climate had expanded the ranges of such animals at this time, so these nomadic peoples may have simply followed their food source.

Improved tools and rudimentary art appeared during this same epoch, suggesting significant mental and behavioral changes. These shifts may have been spurred by a genetic mutation that gave "Eurasian Adam's" descendants a cognitive advantage over other contemporary, but now extinct, human lineages.

Some 90 to 95 percent of all non-Africans are descendants of the second great human migration out of Africa, which is defined by the marker M89.

M89 first appeared 45,000 years ago in Northern Africa or the Middle East. It arose on the original lineage (M168) of "Eurasian Adam," and defines a large inland migration of hunters who followed expanding grasslands and plentiful game to the Middle East.

Many people of this lineage remained in the Middle East, but others continued their movement and followed the grasslands through Iran to the vast steppes of Central Asia. Herds of buffalo, antelope, woolly mammoths, and other game probably enticed them to explore new grasslands.

With much of Earth's water frozen in massive ice sheets, the era's vast steppes stretched from eastern France to Korea. The grassland hunters of the M89 lineage traveled both east and west along this steppe "superhighway" and eventually peopled much of the continent.

A group of M89 descendants moved north from the Middle East to Anatolia and the Balkans, trading familiar grasslands for forests and high country. Though their numbers were likely small, genetic traces of their journey are still found today.

Some 40,000 years ago a man in Iran or southern Central Asia was born with a unique genetic marker known as M9, which marked a new lineage diverging from the M89 group. His descendants spent the next 30,000 years populating much of the planet.

Most residents of the Northern Hemisphere trace their roots to this unique individual, and carry his defining marker. Nearly all North Americans and East Asians have the M9 marker, as do most Europeans and many Indians. The haplogroup defined by M9, K, is known as the Eurasian Clan.

This large lineage dispersed gradually. Seasoned hunters followed the herds ever eastward, along a vast belt of Eurasian steppe, until the massive mountain ranges of south central Asia blocked their path.

The Hindu Kush, Tian Shan, and Himalaya, even more formidable during the era's ice age, divided eastward migrations. These migrations through the "Pamir Knot" region would subsequently become defined by additional genetic markers.

The marker M45 first appeared about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago in a man who became the common ancestor of most Europeans and nearly all Native Americans. This unique individual was part of the M9 lineage, which was moving to the north of the mountainous Hindu Kush and onto the game-rich steppes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and southern Siberia.

The M45 lineage survived on these northern steppes even in the frigid Ice Age climate. While big game was plentiful, these resourceful hunters had to adapt their behavior to an increasingly hostile environment. They erected animal skin shelters and sewed weathertight clothing. They also refined the flint heads on their weapons to compensate for the scarcity of obsidian and other materials.

The intelligence that allowed this lineage to adapt and thrive in harsh conditions was critical to human survival in a region where no other hominids are known to have survived.

Members of haplogroup R are descendents of Europe's first large-scale human settlers. The lineage is defined by Y chromosome marker M173, which shows a westward journey of M45-carrying Central Asian steppe hunters.

The descendents of M173 arrived in Europe around 35,000 years ago and immediately began to make their own dramatic mark on the continent. Famous cave paintings, like those of Lascaux and Chauvet, signal the sudden arrival of humans with artistic skill. There are no artistic precedents or precursors to their appearance.

Soon after this lineage's arrival in Europe, the era of the Neandertals came to a close. Genetic evidence proves that these hominids were not human ancestors but an evolutionary dead end. Smarter, more resourceful human descendents of M173 likely outcompeted Neandertals for scarce Ice Age resources and thus heralded their demise.

The long journey of this lineage was further shaped by the preponderance of ice at this time. Humans were forced to southern refuges in Spain, Italy, and the Balkans. Years later, as the ice retreated, they moved north out of these isolated refuges and left an enduring, concentrated trail of the M173 marker in their wake.

Today, for example, the marker's frequency remains very high in northern France and the British Isles—where it was carried by M173 descendents who had weathered the Ice Age in Spain.

Members of haplogroup R1b, defined by M343 are the direct descendents of Europe's first modern humans—known as the Cro-Magnon people.

Cro-Magnons arrived in Europe some 35,000 years ago, during a time when Neandertals still lived in the region. M343-carrying peoples made woven clothing and constructed huts to withstand the frigid climes of the Upper Paleolithic era. They used relatively advanced tools of stone, bone, and ivory. Jewelry, carvings, and intricate, colorful cave paintings bear witness to the Cro Magnons' surprisingly advanced culture during the last glacial age.

When the ice retreated genetically homogenous groups recolonized the north, where they are still found in high frequencies. Some 70 percent of men in southern England are R1b. In parts of Spain and Ireland that number exceeds 90 percent.

There are many sublineages within R1b that are yet to be defined. The Genographic Project hopes to bring future clarity to the disparate parts of this distinctive European lineage.

No news

No news, in my case, is not good news! My letter hasn't made it's way to Little Horse Creek, but it will be here when it will. In other news, the door on my Explorer was fixed; a woman hit me and I needed a new door and new paint job on it. The guys that did the job did a great job and the cost of fixing it was quite below what we had figured. :)

My goals for tomorrow: after taking my grandpa to the doctor for a checkup, I am going to clean out my car, do some laundry, and do the dishes. Not the best things in the world but they need to be done.

Ok, I will be sure to let you know when I receive my news.


La reverede

pics

I have posted many of the photos from my time in London and my week in Barcelona

Click here

Enjoy

so close, so close

Well, when I woke up this morning, I had received an email from the Peace Corps. I am officially in but I do not know yet where or when I will be leaving. The Peace Corps udated my tool-kit, in which they changed my status from a nominee to an invitee. I am now at the will of the USPS, hopefully they won't lose my invitation! The kit was mailed either today or yesterday so I should receive it an about a week. My placement officer called yesterday just to make sure I could handle teaching a whole classroom of kids since my volunteer experience was mostly with one or two immigrants at a time. I am crossing my fingers for Romania but we will see.



Ciao (or Ceau in Romanian)

A Wintry Day

A Wintry Day
Originally uploaded by ionntag.

Here is a pic of the snow that we got today. Sorry if I haven't posted in a while but there hasn't been much to talk about. Well, scratch that, I did found out from my Placement Officer that I am better suited to be invited to the May 2006 program instead of the original April invite. She said that I will be invited "shortly" but that was the Thursday before last, so who knows. I think that I will be invited either to Romania or Moldova.

Ok, I will be back soon....

Hey Hey

Long time, no update. Christmas was good. I asked for stuff to aid me when I am in the PC and I was not dissapointed; a headlamp will be a good thing to have when I am going to the outhouse at 3 AM. We had a family-wide get together and for the third year in a row, we played the game where you can pick a gift or steal someone elses gift. Always a fun time.

I've been medically cleared for the Peace Corps! I could not believe that it only took them one week from the time to receiving the packet until I was dentally and medically cleared. Like I have said before, I will be sooooo glad to get out of this area, I will that I am just wasting time and opportunity, but I guess patience is a good thing. I am now in the placement phase of applying, which basically means that I get to wait some more. Speaking of that, I need to send an email to my placement officer telling him that I will not finish my thesis for a couple of months and definitely do not put my invitation until after February or early March.

I've started going to the gym again. Haha! It isn't that I am not fit but it is always a good plan to aim to be better fit, that is at least my take on it. Plus it puts me on a schedule and that is a good thing since I feel like I am sitting around here all the time.

Adam decided that he is going to come visit me around Christmastime in the PC. I am sure that I will be quite glad to see a friendly face.

Ok that is basically it. I enjoy all the people that come and read this blog. Welcome to all the Myspace people who come here to read this and to all the others out there.

Ciao.