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.