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.

Hi from Texas

I created this video to introduce myself to my Romanian students and to my fellow volunteers. I also wanted to play with my Flip video camera; so far I've made a movie about my dog, about my husband, and now, about me. I much prefer being behind--rather than in front of--the camera!

Gus is the real star of the show, anyway; he's so photogenic! Summer school inservice tomorrow; Romania in 6 weeks! It's so far away, yet so close!

Nations in Transition

I read Romania by Mark Sanborne, a book that is part of the Nations in Transition series, last week. Sanborne provides a detailed account of Romania's tumultous history, beginning with the earliest Greek colonists who settled at the mouth of the Danube in the 7th century BC and culminating with Iliescu's return to the presidency in 2000. Not only is the country's history fascinating, but Sanborne's insight into the mindset of the Romanian people because of their history was enlightening.

Reading about the Ceausescu regime was particularly horrifying to me. Before I read the book I had watched several United Streaming videos that examined what Communist rule has done to Romania's economy. The images continue to haunt me--crumbling factories that pollute the air and endanger the health of workers, and imposing, menacing Communist apartment buildings, devoid of decoration, sterile, and ugly. I have to admit that I envisioned medieval castles and green, rolling hills when I thought of Romania--a pastoral paradise. They are there, of course, but I did not know that Ceausescu systematically destroyed so much beautiful architecture and replaced it with such horrors. I am astounded that one man could do so much damage to his country and to his people, and I wonder what would possess someone to destroy his own culture and oppress his own people. He must have lacked a conscience; I don't understand how he could live with himself.

I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel last night. I have no words. This is the most powerful, horrifying, painful book about the Holocaust that I've read. It is a story that everyone should read so that no one will forget, deny, or incite such acts again.

Two months from today I leave on my trip. This will be a life-changing experience, and I'll always be thankful to have this chance to grow, to learn, and to serve.

Curriculum Connections

I had a few minutes today to read and to think about the learning centers I'll be creating for 6th grade upon my return from Romania. That's one nice thing about TAKS; lots of time to read (if you're in the hallway and not in the classroom, that is! I was lucky enough to be in the hallway for two days this time around). I'm recording what I'm reading about learning centers and planning the ones I'll create at http://romaniatrip.wikispaces.com/ . I think this will be a great way to prepare before I go and while I'm there. And it will keep me on track and focused about what I need to acquire while I'm there. Now, if only I can be sure I'll have internet access . . .