Last entry

Hey all,

This will be my last entry into this blog. I started it when I joined the PC to talk about my experiences here. Now that my service is coming to an end, I think it appropriate to end this as well. Thanks to all who have read and commented-weather you agreed with my thoughts, options and experiences or not.

Two posts ago I wrote about the top 10 things I won't miss about Romania. I intended to write one about the top 10 things I will miss about Romania, but never posted it. I regret that because it looks like I have a negative view of the country. That is not the case. In fact, I never posted it because I couldn't narrow the list down to 10 things. There's so much I'm going to miss. Here's a short list:

The lady who sells ice cream on the street corner for 1 leu. It's really good, and cheap!

2 liter bottles of beer. Good, cheap and huge!

Fast Internet connection. Seriously, this is the fastest connection I've ever had.

A lot of the traditional foods-not everything obviously, but a lot.

Most of my students.

My co-workers.

Being able to hitch-hike.

Sleeper car trains. I love them!

The Peace Corps network.

Being able to download stuff from the Internet.

Palinka.

Pizza King-a restaurant here in Zalau.

Festivals

Colorful money.

Mostly though, all the friends I've made. Last night I got together with a small group of friends to say goodbye. Some Americans were there, some Romanians where there-even two Brits were. We spoke in a melody of languages about various topics. It was a lot of fun. I am really, really going to miss my PC friends. Romania's a large country in Europe, but compared to the US, it's still very small (roughly the same size as Oregon). Even though it was tough to travel around, it's going to be a lot harder, and more expesive, to travel to visit everyone once we're back home. Lauren's going to be in Portland, Steve's going to be in D.C., Scott's in Hawaii, Noelle's in Alaska, Tim in Omaha, John in Texas...you get the point.

So...I leave tomorrow. My apartment's already cleaned out and emptied out. All I have left to do is pack and clean the fridge-both are tasks I've been avoiding. So long Romania, you've been very good to me and I'm going to miss you a lot. Thanks for these memories.

Budapest and Amsterdam

My trips with the Sphuns.

About six years ago I was an exchange student in Germany. While there, I lived with the Spuhn family. Jürgen and Inge have three kids: Johanna is my age, Elisabeth is two years younger than us, and Martin is three years younger than Elisabeth. During my time there, the Sphun’s became my second family, and I love hanging out with them.

About a month ago, Martin was taking a group of students on a trip around Europe. I decided to meet up with them in Budapest, Hungry for the couple of days they were there. It was great, we had such a great time. We saw the Chain Bridge, the Parliament, the Central Market hall and all the other tourist attractions.

Because we only had one full day in the city, everything was done at whirlwind speed.

BUT, just today I got back from Amsterdam, Holland where I spent a week with Johanna. She moved there about six months ago for a job. The first day I was there, I got into the city around noon. But Johanna didn’t get out of work until 5:30, so I had a few hours by myself. I put my bag in a locker at the train station, and set out on foot. I had never been to Amsterdam before, and didn’t do any research previous, so I just started walking. If a street looked fun, I walked down it. I somehow ended up in Dam Square, near the Royal Palace. There was a carnival going on in the park, so I just sat down and people watched. I got a new book from a fellow passenger on the plane, and read that for a while. (By the way, Water for Elephants is a great book!) Around 5:00 it started to rain, so I went back to the train station and read some more until Johanna got off of work and we went to her apartment.

For the next couple of days, Johanna still had to work, so I slept in and then rode her bike into town everyday and saw the sites. I went to the Anne Frank house, and saw where Anne and her family hid for about two years. It was right downtown, about three blocks from Dam Square. The only door in and out of the hiding place was built behind a movable bookshelf. Eight people lived in a place, never leaving, that’s only about the size of my apartment here. It was all very moving.

I also went to the Van Gogh museum. There they had about 200 paintings made by Vincent, along with drawings and sketches he did. My favorite pieces were some of his earliest work, a series called “The Potato Eaters.” Van Gogh wanted to show the lives of peasants, without making it look too happy and fun-because that wasn’t the way it really was.

On the weekend, when Johanna didn’t have to work, we traveled to a nearby town called Koog-Zaandijk so we could see the village Zaanse Schans. It was set up as a traditional Dutch village, complete with a cheese factory, windmills and cows. It was a lot of fun. The day was beautiful, so we took our time and wandered around soaking up the sun. We went to a pancake restaurant, and I had one with cheese and bacon. It was delicious! That night, once we got back to Amsterdam, we walked into the city so I could go souvenir shopping. Somehow I convinced Johanna to go on the giant Ferris wheel with me, even though she doesn’t like rides or heights. But it was a lot of fun to see the city from up high.

The next day, Johanna and I went to the zoo. It was great. It was another beautiful day, so walking around looking at all the animals was great. They had a great turtle/tortoise exhibit, which are my favorite animals. And we got to see the sea lions being fed, and the little show they put on as well. It was great. Later that night we went out with a friend of Johanna’s from Australia. It was fun.

Monday, Johanna had to work again. The only thing I ended up doing was walking to the grocery store to stock up on goods I can’t get here in Romania. I bought packets of tortilla shells, Heinz ketchup, German chocolate and trail mix. Sadly, my ketchup was confiscated at the airport customs. I guess it’s illegal to travel with it. Oh well. Everything else made it.

And that was how I spent my spring break.

Click here to see all my photos from the trip to Amsterdam.

The top 10 things I’m NOT going to miss about Romania:

The top 10 things I’m NOT going to miss about Romania:

10. Mămăligă. Bleech! This is a traditional Romanian food that I just can’t stand. And that’s too bad because it’s very cheap and filling, so at the end of the month, when I’m running dangerously low on money (like now) it’s a staple in most PCV diets. Mămăligă is corn meal mush. You may know it as polenta. Usually you eat it with cheese, sour cream and pork fat.

9. Stray dogs. This country has a serious problem with stray animals. The people here are pretty religious, and they believe that euthanizing old, sick or unwanted dogs is a sin. They also believe that spaying and neutering them is “against God’s plan.” So there’s a large amount of dogs and cats wandering the streets. It breaks my heart to see a flea ridden puppy digging through trash for food.

8. Manele. This is a style of music that cannot really be explained in words. Please refer to the YouTube video for an example.

7. Teaching. I love my students, but I was not meant to be a teacher. I don’t have the patience to answer the same question over and over again.

6. Not being able to understand everything. Though I understand a fair chunk of Romanian, sometimes things just slip over my head.

5. Body odor. Older Romanians don’t shower as much as I would like.

4. Getting asked the same questions over and over. See the previous post for more details.

3. Personal trains. Here there are several different types of trains. The IC, or Inter-City, is the very nice, very fast and very expensive train. It only stops at the big cities and is air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter. Very nice. Next is the Rapid train. Still nice, fast and expensive, but a step down from the IC. Then comes the Acclorat, and then, at the bottom of the food chain, is the Personal. It stops in every city, town and village on the way. Usually they’re old, rusty and very dirty. And they smell. BUT, they are cheap!

2. Getting gum or candy as change in a store. Sometimes, if a cashier doesn’t have enough change in the till, she’ll give me a piece of gum or candy as change. Gum is usually 10 bani (the coin change is called “bani”), candy is 15 or 20. And on very rare occasions, small packets of tissues are 50 bani.

1. Cockroaches! My apartment is overrun with them. I coat the floors and walls with a bug spray that is supposed to kill them, but I’m pretty sure they’re immune to it by now. Every morning I wake up to two or three just waiting for me in the hallway. And just recently, they’ve migrated to my bedroom. A few mornings ago I woke up to one on my face.

Romanians and American policy

Whenever I travel in Romania, I’m marked as a foreigner. Little things always give me away; the way I wear my clothes, my hair cut and style, the way I walk, my shoes. Even after almost two years in-country I’m still very obviously an outsider. When I talk, Romanians/Hungarians hear my accent and always ask the following questions:
1. Where are you from?
2. Why are you here?
3. You mean you work for free?
4. Are you married?
5. No? Do you have a boyfriend?
6. Would you like to meet my single son/grandson/nephew/neighbor?
7. What do you think of Mr. President George Bush and his war in Iraq?
(Until recently, this last question was not a part of the normal line up.)

I’ve been an international traveler for almost 10 years now, and I’ve never been asked so many questions about American politics. Nor have the locals ever been so well informed. Yesterday one of my fifth grade students asked me if I was going to vote for Obama or Clinton. He said “I think you’re not republican, so not for McCain.” This 10 year old boy, who only talks about pizza, skateboarding and cartoons held an intelligent conversation about foreign politics in his third language. Robi made me feel dumb.

But this isn’t to say that all the conversations I have are glowing reports of the USA. Most of the people I talk to dislike America and what we’re doing in the world. Bush and “his war” have tainted many people’s view on Americans. One guy even told me that my presence in Romania wasn’t needed or appreciated. Romanians needed to stop leaning on others for support and learn to take care of themselves.

I’m glad I’m here, along with my fellow PCVs. The second mission of the PC is “To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.” Talking to these individuals does just that. This American-hating guy who not-so-kindly told me that Americans were not welcome in his country was also shocked that I, as well as the other PCVs I was with at the time, all speak Romanian. He just assumed that we “arrogant” Americans where here without bothering to learning anything about the culture we were living in. It was nice to prove him wrong-even if I couldn’t change his mentality towards us.

Life after the PC? Fact or fiction?

Hmm, life after the PC. What am I going to do? That's the million dollar question. The answer is: I'm not completely sure. My sister bought a house in Grand Rapids, Michigan and she says I can live with her, rent-free, until I'm on my feet. So I'll go there and see what it has to offer. I'll look for a job, hopefully working for a NPO (non-profit organization). I like working with kids, but I don't want to teach anymore. Maybe I'll go to grad. school. Indiana University has a program that I'm interested in and great scholarships for Returned PCVs. It's called "The School of Public and Environmental Affairs."

I’m not too excited about leaving Romania, to be honest. In my two years here I’ve accomplished a lot, but I still feel like I have a lot left to do. Just in my personal life I have many places I still want to visit. Romania is surrounded by five other countries (Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldavia, and Bulgaria). I wanted to see all of them while I was over here, but I’ve only made it to Hungary and Bulgaria as of yet.

Plus I’ve made some absolutely wonderful friends here; both PCVs and HCNs (host country nationals). Once this is all over, we’re going to scatter all over the world. Most of the PCVs are going back to the US, but some are talking of re-joining the Peace Corps in a different country. And some of them will take teaching jobs in countries like Turkey or China that really want Americans to teach English.

It will be nice to live in a place where I don’t have to translate everything in my head. And I can get things like Oreos and Dr. Pepper and Mexican food. Just today I was catching myself longing for a library with an English section. Seeing my family on a regular basis will be wonderful; and I’m excited to get a pet. So both sides have large advantages. It’s a toss up.

Reading in the Peace Corps

My life in the Peace Corps is, to be perfectly honest, is kind of boring. Really. On some weekends I go visit a friend in a different city, or have a friend come visit me. But that leaves my weekdays, and some weekends, wide open. For my first year here in Romania, I didn’t have a television. Now I do, but I’m never really interested in watching Romanian talk shows or Spanish soap operas. So, the TV is normally turned off.

I was always an avid reader before, but it’s as though I had a “turbo” switch that was turned on when I moved here. I read, on average, a book a week. Also every week, the PC office sends all of us volunteers a Newsweek. But, giving a PCV one magazine a week is like giving a pro football player a piece of bread for dinner. It doesn’t last long, nor is it very filling. Most PCVs have also amped up their reading, and we’re all very good at sharing books among us. In the Peace Corps office, in Bucharest, they have two shelves filled up with books. Whenever you go to the office, always make sure to bring a bag of books that you’ve already read and are ready to pass on. Then you can re-fill that bag with books you haven’t read yet. There are some books that are so good, there’s a waiting list to get a hold of it.

Jonathan Sanfran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated is one of those. It’s about a young American Jew who travels to his grandfather’s native country, Ukraine. He hopes to find the woman who helped his grandfather escape during the holocaust. I think it’s been such a hit among us PCVs because Ukraine is one of Romanian’s bordering countries and so some of the situations this American finds himself in are similar to the things happening around, and to, us. Such as trying to explain what a vegetarian is and trying to find something to eat on a meat-leaden menu. A 2005 movie, staring Elijah Wood, does a good job of re-creating the story on the big screen.

Another book I’ve really come to enjoy is Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. Greg is an American climber who, after trying to summit K2, finds himself lost in a Pakistani village. He falls in love with the land, the people and the culture he finds there. He promises the village chief to return and build a school for the children. While trying to keep his promise, Greg discovers a true need for schools throughout the whole area. To date, Greg and his associates have built 52 schools in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. It’s a very inspiring book, especially for me as I’m trying to stay motivated in my teaching position here in Romania.

I’ve also read and enjoyed T.H. White’s The Once and Future King. Now, at 688 pages this book can seam a little overwhelming. But don’t worry; it’s actually four books in one. The Sword in the Stone tells the story of how a boy named Wart became the king of England, with the help of a wizard named Marlin (yes, very similar to the old Disney cartoon.). Next The Queen of Air and Darkness talks about the same king, now called by this proper name of Author, and how he rose to be a legend. The Ill-Made Knight discusses King Author’s right-hand man, Sir Lancelot. It also talks about the other knights of the round table. Finally, the last book, The Candle in the Wind, talks about the last few weeks of Author’s reign.

So, as you can see, I read a lot! While this might not be the most interesting blog, it does talk a lot about what I spend a good chunk of my time doing.

Other good books I’ve read here are:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; The Aquitaine Progression by Robert Ludlum; Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein; Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet; Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon; Centennial by James Mitchner; The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow; Dracula by Bram Stroker; The Giver by Lois Lowery; The Godfather by Mario Puzo; Harry Potter (all 7) by J.K. Rowling; Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amor; Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards; The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto “Che” Guevara; On the Road by Jack Kerouak; The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Shogun by James Clavell; A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas; Wicked by Gregory Maguire; and The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus.

MLK Day in Romania.

Coming from a different culture with different beliefs and traditions often means I celebrate different holidays than my co-workers and students. I always like to try and teach something about home to the kids. This past Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and I thought that was a perfect topic for a cross-cultural lesson plan.

Tuesday morning at 8:00 AM, I walk into my seventh grade class ready to talk about Civil Rights and MLK. I have vocabulary words to teach, a cross-word puzzle to do and I even brushed up on my history in case the students had any questions. I write the vocab words on the board and start to explain them. “Segregation” is one of the words. I get about half way through an explanation when I realized I was talking to a segregated class. In my school the Hungarian students and the Romanian students are separated. Each group has their own building, own teachers even own principals. Mr. Babylon is the Hungarian principal while Ms. Ana is the Romanian one.

In parts of Transylvania there is still a lot of hostility between the two groups of people. I have a group of Hungarian friends that I hang out with, and a group of Romanian friends who I hang out with; the two groups rarely interact. Last Spring Break I went to Egypt with a group of teachers and students-all of them were Hungarian. I do not speak Hungarian at all beyond the very basic phrases. “Szia” means hello and goodbye; “igen” means yes; “nem” is no, etc. Even though everyone on the trip speaks Romanian fluently, I was asked not to. They would rather speak to me in broken English than Romanian; it was less insulting I was told.

On the same trip I asked a friend about this phenomenon. Attila is a history teacher and gave me a lecture about the history of Transylvania and the historical hostility between the various different peoples. I asked him what his family would say if he dated a Romanian girl and he said his mother would probably disown him.

So, this is one lesson that taught me more than it did the students.