Pictures of Barlad

Communist-era apartment buildings; the city is filled with them, and our sponsor lives in one of them with her husband, mother, and daughter. As Mihaela was giving us the city tour we were fortunate enough to watch a group of girls at the elementary school rehearsing for a performance that we would catch part of the next day. They were at the homecoming ceremony welcoming back the Romanian troops returning from Iraq. Their sponsor actually motioned for us to come in and have a seat, but we stayed at the gate and clapped when they were done. We watched all three of their performances. What a treat!

The first picture on the left is a building that has been restored to its pre-Communist era glory. Mihaela said that it is an example of the architecture of the city before Ceausescu era. There is a beautiful park in the city center; this is the entrance. Statues on tall pedastals abound. They're in front of every school and at the entrances to the parks.

Day 6

Today we didn't have many students. Our older students were taking the train into Iasi to go to the mall and to spend time with their friends. I think it's about two hours away. Anna and Andrea came to the museum with us before they went to train station, which was nice. Anna is hilarious; she's always finding something funny to say. We went to an exhibit of Marcel Guguianu's drawings and scuplture. He tends to like the unclothed female form. Many of his sculptures in marble and bronze capture the sense of motion and contortion. He actually went to Codrineau High School and has an apartment above the museum. Mihaela said that some days he comes down into the museum and talks to people, but we didn't see him. Later we played a few games, and I had to help Andrei with a few word suggestions for Scrabble, so he told me that he owes me one (or two, or three). I told him he owes me a paper, which, believe it or not, he smiled at and said okay. They're the most incredible young people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. They're very polite, respectful, and agreeable. They are used to being passive learners, though. I asked one of the eleventh graders, Gheorghe, about how his classes are conducted. The standard format is teacher lecture. I told him about how we try to vary activities and use cooperative groups, and I could tell he didn't really understand the concept. It will be interesting when I have them try working in small groups. They may end up liking it.

Tonight we're going back into Barlad for dinner and to pay for our trip to Transylvania. Hopefully we'll have a little time to pop into some shops. From what I've seen, the shops seem to be small and the merchandise limited. There are so many things that students can't get here or can't afford. Shipping costs are very high, too, so they can't order from the Internet like we can. I showed the students my Flip Video Camera, which only cost about $50 at Walmart. Such items are not available here, they tell me, and if they were, they would be quite expensive. Gheorge uses freeware instead of buying Microsoft Office products because he can't afford it. He bought his computer without anything on it and has installed everything from free Internet downloads. It will be interesting to learn more about the realities of life in Romania in the days to come.

Wednesday Evening at the Clinic

Every evening volunteers go back over to the clinic in two shifts; from 5:30 to 6:30, one group feeds the babies. From 7:30 to 8:30, the next group plays with the babies and puts them back in their cribs. I thought the later shift would be easier because I've tried to feed a toddler her cereal without much success. She just wasn't very interested in her food. Mihaela had left her purse in the room, and several of the girls were very interested in chewing on its straps. Once Mihaela pulled out her sunglasses, that was it. Maistra had to have them (she tore then apart, unfortunately). Anyway, I found putting the babies in bed last night was even harder. The wailing! The tears! The unhappiness! I wish I could have smuggled Ion out in my red Fund for Teachers bag and brought him back to the hotel. Above are pictures of me and Ion and my buddy, Trent, with Ion and Cristi. We have to wear masks the first week we interact with the babies because a British team got babies in an orphanage in northern Romania sick. It makes it hard to see the babies, and they're always reaching to try to pull them off.

Day 4

Some of our older students are pictured above: Alix, Teo, Paol, Paola, and Maria.

Today we went on a field trip to the zoo, and another volunteer, Trevor, joined us for the first time. Trevor is nineteen and just finished his first year of college. Did the kids love him? Of course! He rode the bus with two students, Paol and Paola, because Mihaela’s car only has room for four of us. Starting tomorrow he’ll ride the bus and Mihaela will pick him up at the bus station after she drops us off. We have some new students who are going to be freshmen this year. Most of them are very shy and hesitant about speaking English. The difference between their ability levels and that of the high school juniors is amazing. I discuss politics and analyze poetry with the juniors; with the incoming freshman, for the most part, we point to clothing, name it, and have the girls repeat the name. It is definitely challenging working with such different skill levels!
I had a great time walking with Maria, Andrei, and C0smin. They read the names of the animals to me in English and told me where they were from, how fast they move, and something they found interesting about the animal.

The zoo has a very limited selection of animals; an American alligator is their latest acquisition, and he’s a little guy who seems unhappy about having a bunch of eyes on him. Instead of trying to mimic the animals’ natural habits (they can’t afford to do that, of course), the animals are in simple, rather dirty and smelly cages. The students told me that they aren’t well taken care of, and I could see that clearly.

The most painful part of this for me was seeing the caged dogs. Yes, caged dogs—dalmations, Siberian huskies, and some that I couldn’t recognize what they were (no sign). Their cages were especially dirty and they looked so sad. Several of them paced unhappily and barked piteously; the dalmation stared at us with sad eyes and wagged her tale, longing for a pet on the head. My heart ached for them.

I had some interesting conversations with students on the way to the zoo. We passed a military flag ceremony; George said some Romanian troops were home from Iraq and that this was a celebration of that. I didn’t take a picture because I didn’t think it would be appreciated; no one else had a camera out. Also I had been told not to take pictures of the police, and there were some there, so I kept the camera in my bag. George said that the Romanian troops, poorly equipped, were given the most dangerous assignments because their commanders thought it would bring honor to their country and elevate their status in the EU. He said that American commanders didn’t object and took the safer duties. I didn’t agree, of course, and asked for evidence that he couldn’t produce. George is our sci fi, computer programming, conspiracy theory guy; he has an incredible command of English, and he likes to talk! We also talked about how hard the transition from Communism to capitalism has been, how corrupt the democratic governments have been since, and I had to tell him that our government is also self-serving and doesn’t have the best interest of the American people at heart in my opinion. He said that many of the older generations would prefer to return to Communism because at least they would be guaranteed jobs. It has been very hard on them, but it is even harder on the young people, I think, because they see what life could be like via the internet and they want that life. Anna and Andreia want to go to New York so they can shop; Alix wants to go to school in California. His father wants him to become a doctor; he wants to be an artist. Their stories aren’t really that different from those of our students, but the quality of their lives is vastly different. They have little, but they work hard, they spend their precious time this summer improving their English, and they hope they can go to California next summer for three weeks through an exchange program. They think America is beautiful; I do, too. Opportunities abound, the quality of life is excellent, products are abundant and relatively inexpensive, and life is good. I wish I could bring them home with me!

I'm writing this while I sit at a table on the patio in front of the Pensinea Raluca, shaded by an umbrella, enjoying the cool breeze and the shade, and watching cars and horse-drawn carts go by. I'm definitely experiencing things that a tourist would never experience. In fact, a woman walking by just waved at me and said hello. Pretty neat. It's amazing to get the sense that you're part of a community; this isn't a feeling you get on a vacation, that's for sure!

Day 3

I had the classes of my dreams today at Codreanu High School. Trent and I taught the first session together, then I took a group of three out of the large group to work with the second session. I found a poem by a Texas poet, Beverly Caldwell, called "And Every Town Its Dairy Queen." In the poem, she describes a group of old farmers coming to the Dairy Queen for a cup of coffee after a hard day's work. I loved the poem because I will never forget Sundays at Roger's Malt Shop and family vacations to New Braunfels, when even our dog got her own ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. The kids did a fabulous job analyzing the poem with me, and they asked to create their own slideshow to show us who they are, what they love about their town, and what's important to them. They're even going to let me bring them home with me! One of my girls, Maria, who is here visiting her grandmother, doesn't have access to digital pictures, but she's going to paint something that she feels represents herself--and yes, I get to bring it home! How great is that! (I was thankful to learn that she didn't read Les Miserables in French; she knows German, not French, but if she did, I know she'd read it in the original language!)

These students are incredibly bright and intrinsically motivated. I asked them why they were coming to the class instead of enjoying their time off from school, and Oana said she wanted to better herself. They're surprised by the lack of interest many Americans show in school (they've heard plenty from the former volunteers; I hardly needed to confirm it). To them, getting educated and doing well in school is important. Most of them want to leave Barlad, work in other countries, especially the United States, and some of them don't want to come home again. There's such an vast generational difference; grandmothers wearing scarves on their heads and long skirts, young girls wearing even scantier clothing than our young people do back home. It saddens me that most of the kids want to leave (Raluca doesn't; she wants to work in Bucharest and visit her family regularly). They have so much to contribute, but no motivation to stay her and contribute. I wonder what will happen in the future.

I learned that August is the time of year that Romanians working in Italy come home for the month (apparently work comes to stop in August) and that just about every family in Romania has a number of relatives working there. I know why going through the Rome airport was such a bad choice now! Live and learn, I suppose. I guess I can say that while I waited to board the bus to the plane that I was already immersed in Romanian culture!

Tomorrow we go to the zoo; I can't wait!

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a supermarket to buy water; I made my first purchase in Romania, a six pack of bottled orange juice for $11 lei (about $3.50 American). We also stopped by Mihaela's apartment so she could pick up a cell phone. We didn't go in, but she brought out a chicken and vegetable meatball for each of us. Her mother had just made them. Absolutely delicious! And the best part? The teachers will get to go to her apartment one day for lunch for more! What a treat!

A few pictures from Sunday

Here are a few pictures from the walk we took before going to the clinic Sunday afternoon. This is the road we take to go to the clinic. The first one is me and the clinic cow. It's a little close for comfort; she's got some sharp horns!





Most families have a small garden, some kind of poultry, and pigs. Many have their own cow. Here's a typical house with its requisite flock of geese. A woman actually came out of the house while I was taking the picture and said something in Romanian. I have no idea what she said, but it didn't sound very nice; I don't think she wanted me to take a picture of her geese. I was hoping I wouldn't get caught! She also had a flock of turkeys in the side yard.


We Americans find the numerous horse-drawn carts a novelty, but for Romanians with cars, they're a bit of a nuissance. Driving and roads in Romania? Crazy! Romanians drive fast and they don't worry too much about how much room they have between cars. And I won't even mention the potholes and the almost one-lane bridges that we crossed at the same time huge trucks did. I still shake just thinking about it.

Day Two

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was anxious about my first day at the high school. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous, though. The 13 students who came today wanted to be there and were extremely sweet, polite, respectful, and helpful. They were also incredibly gifted and excellent English speakers. One young man, Alex, has been taking English classes since kindergarten and he spoke perfect English with no accent. Most of the students said they had been taking English since third grade; many of them have taken Cambridge exams and hope to go to college in the U.S. Our youngest student, Maria, loves French literature; she's 13 and she's read--and loves--Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. I didn't ask, but I'm sure she has read it in French. Have I read it? No. And I have an MA in English.

These young people are really the first post-Communist era generation. Their parents don't speak English at all, or if they do, it's only enough to get them by in their jobs. These students speak English, and many of them speak French fluently as well. Some of them speak multiple languages. They are all unique, they all have different tastes in music (most love British and American bands, even underground bands that probably few of us have heard of), many of them are artistic, but most importantly, they share a passion for learning that I rarely see in the U.S. They seek out knowledge instead of being passive. The fact that they are willing to spend up to four hours with four volunteers from the U.S. when they could be sleeping or playing video games speaks volumes.

I didn't take pictures today, but I will tomorrow. The school was built in the 1870s; it is old, but it is truly beautiful--the floors are marble, chandeliers hang from the ceiling, pots of flowers line the main stairs, and pictures of famous graduates cover the walls of the foyer and main hallway. The sense of history and tradition pervades and perfumes and atmosphere. It is truly amazing and breathtaking to be here.

Here's the team picture (thanks, Stan!)

Day One

After six hours in airports, 14 1/2 hours flying, and 5 hours in an unairconditioned bus, I arrived at the Raluca Hotel in Tutova. Needless to say, I was exhausted. I didn't sleep on the plane from Newark to Rome, but not just because I couldn't sleep. I talked to my seatmates Preston and Bill. Preston is a military chef; from Rome he was headed by train to Naples to meet a military jet that he would join on an around the world trip. His passengers: four star generals. It was fascinating listening to him talk about his career and the many places around the world he's been. He may be heading to Afghanistan in the near future, which, of course, would terrify me. But hearing him talk about the good that our service men are doing in Iran, Afghanistan, and other places around the world--real stories about how they're helping people rebuild their communities and their lives--absolutely touched my heart. We're so fortunate to have such incredible people like Preston who are willing to put their lives on the line to serve our country and to make a difference in the lives of people around the world. He was impressed by what I am doing here in Tutova, but in all honesty, he does far more good than I will ever have the opportunity to do.

Bill is a college professor; he's traveling to Rome, Oslo, and several other fantastic locations in the next few weeks. I can't thank him enough for his kindness and his willingness to help me when I got off the plane in Rome. Unfortunately, though, I didn't heed his advice and didn't do things right. But I made it, met my Global Volunteers team, and headed five hours out of Bucharest to Tutova.

Today has been a day of goal setting, team building, getting to know the incredible people who are hear with me, and enjoying good home-cooked Romanian meals. We also got to go over to the clinic to feed the babies at 3:00 and play with them until they were changed and returned to their cribs at 4:00. I fed a little blonde-headed girl named Ionela when she wasn't too distracted to eat. The girls loved Mihaela's purse and sunglasses and competed to chew on the former and wear the latter. I held Marius while he cried, and after a little bouncing, a lot of walking, and a little pointing out the window and naming what I saw, he stopped crying and held on to me tightly. My arms are sore (not enough baby holding practice) but my heart is full. I've traveled half way around the world, I'm emersed in a culture that is so different from my own, I understand maybe five words of the language, but I know this is going to be an experience to remember. Dinner is soon, so I'll pick up my story later. La revedere!

A week and a day away

I can't believe it's almost here! Next week at this time I'll be packing my bags, visiting with my parents one last time, eating my last Mexican food meal at my favorite local restaurant, and preparing myself to say goodbye to my husband and my dog for three weeks. Leaving for three weeks , exciting as it is, is going to be harder than I ever thought it would be, I must admit, for so many reasons. I'm not the intrepid traveler in reality that I am in my dreams!

As hot as it is in Houston, I'm still spoiled by the comfortable temperatures at home and at school, thanks to a/c. There is no a/c at the school where I'll be teaching, so I've been frantically shopping for sleeveless dresses and surfing the Web for ideas about "how to keep cool" (not much luck there, naturally). I've also prepared three weeks worth of lessons that I may or may not actually use, depending on the skill level and interests of my students. I sent some of the lessons to a fellow volunteer, who told me that perhaps Walt Whitman was a little heavy for summer. We'll see; from what I read in the volunteer manual, the advanced speakers will be interested in analyzing American lit. Just in case they're not, though, I've collected some other lesson ideas, and I'll be relying on him to help me come up with some fun learning activities, too. I'm afraid the old habits of teaching AP English are still with me. I think and plan like an AP teacher, and I probably always will. At times like this, I think that might be a bad thing!

I've been saving a few books for the long plane ride to Romania that I'm excited about reading. I bought a travel memoir by a woman who volunteered in Transylvania and a romance written by a Romanian writer and set in Romania. I need to have something to look forward to; eight hours plus in a plane isn't very appealing.

My husband says I should have gone on this trip at the beginning of the summer, and I have to agree with him. I've had too much time to spend online reading airline and airport reviews and European travel advice; I think getting on the plane next Friday will probably be a relief after all this preparation and pre-travel anxiety. I think also that there comes a point when knowing too much just causes more stress. I really didn't need to know that Continental arrives at Newark on time 80% of the time when I have a two hour window to make my connection to Rome!

I've never had a problem flying before, but our Turks & Caicos trip a few weeks ago wasn't as smooth as our trips usually are. We made our connection in Atlanta and were on the runway when the pilot turned us around. One of the A/C units had failed. We waited two hours for a new plane, which, miraculously, we got, probably because fewer people are travelling this summer. The people in Turks & Caicos waiting to go home missed their connections, however; what a nightmare for them (need I mention that the airport is very small and not airconditioned?)! On the way home, we were pulled out in Customs for the special TSA bag search. We had an hour and a half to grab something to eat and to make our connection, and getting our bags thoroughly searched by a guy wearing gloves was not something we had anticipated. Fortunately, he was a nice guy who chatted with us the whole time (not that I was really listening--I was too anxious). Needless to say, that experience was a little stressful. I used to love flying; now, not so much!

My goal for the week: rest, relax, watch cheesy movies, walk in the park, and breathe deeply. Ready or not, it's almost travel time! I'm just hoping it will go smoothly this time.