This is from June, 2011 Today marked the last official day of school at Constantin Brancoveanu and marked my last school year as a teacher in Romania. It was bittersweet. So much to look forward to. So much to … Continue reading →
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So, back in March I was asked to give a speech about how British Culture is celebrated in the United States. A bit of an awkward topic, but anyway. Here’s the transcript of that speech for your reading and viewing … Continue reading →
Where oh where has Chelsea gone? Where, indeed! I appologize to those of you out there in cyberland who follow my blog. I’ve been without internet for about 5 weeks now. This summer has been a whirlwind of camps, festivals, … Continue reading →
Two weeks ago I had to set out for the little town of Beius to help with the Peace Corps 20/50 celebration build with the Romanian Habitat for Humanity. Now, Beius is no where near where I live. I was … Continue reading →
It’s been a beautiful springtime thus far. The grass in knee-high and kelly green. The tulips are in full bloom and turn their bright yellow petals toward the sun. The cows are out to pasture. I’m sneezing my head off. Yup, it’s spring. There is a lot of down time in the Peace Corps. I’m [...]
For some reason or another, I was awake early this morning. This is a miracle if you know me. I’m not a morning person in any way, shape, or form. I turned on the trusty lappy to check my e-mail and Facebook before I left for school. I signed into Facebook and what do I [...]
On why I write, why I don’t write and on communicating my Peace Corps experience. Artists, photographers, and sculptors usually have some sort of statement of purpose describing the theme of their works and why they have created them. You could say that writing is an art form, so why shouldn’t bloggers have a statement of purpose? [...]
I would like to send out the most heart-felt and sincere thank you to everyone who donated to my recent Peace Corps Partnership Project. Three days ago it was announced that the project is fully funded! We did it! We did it together! Thanks to everyone to donated. Because of your generous contribution, our 4-H kids will be [...]
Moving, traveling, running, scurrying, skipping from here to there. That’s all I’ve done for the last month. I’m tired. I want to rest. I want to stay put. But that’s not an option that I either want or can choose. But all this travel is making me a little bit dizzy. Someone keep the boat [...]
I composed this poem and read it last night to our group during our COS dinner. Silly, yes, but it’s the best I could come up within 15 minutes. A silly and poignant Dr. Suess style look back at our two memorable years of service. An Ode to Group 26 at COS From D.C., to Amsterdam, to [...]
It’s finally springtime in Horezu and I couldn’t be happier. The weather has been absolutely glorious these last few days. Tis the season for lingering outside, sitting on park benches, soaking up the sunshine, going of evening walks, going roller skating and drinking fruit flavored beer. Last weekend, I went to Cabana Balota with some [...]
This is a note that I cross posted on Facebook about a project I’m working on. Please enjoy the note and if the spirit moves you, donate some money to a fantastic project! Howdy Y’all, As hope most of you know by now, I’ve been living and working in Romania for the last two years [...]
Here in Romania we have just begun “post”, or the Lenten fast. Here that means no eggs, no dairy, and no meat until Easter. It’s definitely a more hardcore observation of lent than my former Catholic self is used to. Sigh, I’ll miss my sour cream, lard fried eggs and pork… says the reformed vegetarian. We are [...]
Tomorrow, in Romania, it is Women’s Day. A day celebrated with much fanfare and flowers. I wanted to take a brief moment to thank all the amazing women in my life who have made me who I am today. From my amazing mother to my Nee-Nee, from my grandmas to my aunts, from my future [...]
Oh Sweet Irony! I was approached by the English Department today and was asked if I would help with the upcoming English Language Spelling Bee. Of course, I obliged. I lack the ability to say no and a spelling bee sounds like fun. Next week we will begin putting together categories of words, grade levels, [...]
I am Switzerland! I’m all for the over extended metaphor, hence the picture. Anyway, I am a little island of neutrality poised between two warring parties. I won’t go into details, because I don’t find it useful. Two people who I love and deeply care about and are on opposite sides of the same unfair [...]
I know I’m way behind with blogging. So much fantastic stuff has happened this month. I’ll just give y’all a short update. I promise a longer blog is coming soon. First of all, I spent 4 glorious days in Istanbul, Turkey with the fabulous Miss Sarah at the beginning of the month. The 4 days [...]
As my group, group 26, approaches our COS (close of service) conference I wanted to take a brief look back at some of the things that have happened since our last group gathering. Since our last Peace Corps conference I have: Lost my best friend in Peace Corps due to his medical separation from service Traveled [...]
I must confess I’m as biased as all get out. I do have a favorite class, or more like three favorite classes. I see all of them on Tuesdays. Aside from being long, Tuesday is my favorite day of the week. Allow me to introduce you to a typical, well actually, a not so typical [...]
There’s a lot to be said about the power of music. It has the power to transcend language barriers, the power to uplift the spirit, the power to evoke spontaneous dance, the power to bring people together, the power to stop time, the power to just be. I’ve loved music my whole life. I have [...]
Today was the annual 4-H Christmas Party. We made a mess and had a great time. It’s not an event planned by me unless an unholy mess is made. Because of the weather and the Romanian tradition of cutting the pig, our attendance was a little thin. That made things much less chaotic! It’s not [...]
Ok. This is a scenario that has played over and over again ever since I was picked up in Targoviste and driven to my site for the first time after the Counterpart Conference back when I was just a lowly trainee. I’m now 17 months into service and I’m a little tired of it. First [...]
We are now thoroughly entrenched in the holiday season here in Horezu and I’m definitely enjoying it. I love Christmas! On Wednesday, some of our students organized a holiday craft fair at school. It appeared to be quite a success, as the main hallway of school was crammed full of people for several hours. Unfortunately, [...]
On December 1st we celebrated Ziua Nationala here in Romania. On Nov 30th, the students had prepared some activities to celebrate, since we’d have the first off for the national holiday. Vale told me that some of the students were going to have a debate later in the day and that it might be interesting [...]
Warning: This blog contains crude language. I am not superhuman. Holy crap, this must mean that I’m vulnerable to the same human frustrations, defeats, and failures of everyone else. Yeah, it caught me by surprise too. At least once time during Peace Corps service, you will hit a wall. A point of insurmountable frustration and [...]
Another Halloween party has come and gone. I’ve decided that I’m allowed one fuck-up a year and for some reason, it always seems to be Halloween. It’s not a catastrophic-world ending f-up. More like an extreme miscalculation on my part. I love all my kids and I don’t like excluding anyone, so I invite everyone. [...]
It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I know, I know, shame on me! The weeks are flying by and we are already in the firm grasps of November, Thanksgiving is on the horizon, and I had my first country director visit. One of the most exciting things to report is that my counterpart [...]
A distinctive chill has settled in and the leaves have begun to change. This can signal only one thing, my favorite month is now upon us. October, is by far the best month of the year. Today, Vale and I made the first announcements about our second annual 4-H Halloween Ball. Last year was a [...]
Hello faithful readers! It may seem as though I’ve fallen off the face of the planet. I guess you could say that is true. I’ve been somewhere between extremely busy and incredibly lazy. The end of summer was a whirlwind and things have finally settled into the normal chaotic pace. I decided that it was [...]
I’m definitely not a city girl. Many of you can attest to that fact. I used to avoid Bucuresti, our lively capital, like the plague. It was just too bright, too fast paced, too crowded, and too noisy, for this country girl. I love the laid back beauty of my home too much. Anyway, I [...]
So, many people wonder where my super positivity comes from. There’s the short answer and the long answer. This blog certainly isn’t the place for the long answer. The short answer is that I don’t dwell on the negative things in life. I spend my time reminiscing on all the good things, all the things [...]
Here are some pictures from my most recent travels to the fantastic Apuseni Mountains in Alba County, Romania. Quaint mountain villages, golden haystacks, crisp mountain air, and beauty abound! * Please do not re-post or publish my pictures with out my consent. Thanks. Life is Beautiful- Viața Este Frumoasa.
It has been a long, rewarding, exhausting, adventurous, sleep-deprived, celebratory, and migratory three weeks or so. I left my home to participate in numerous projects, adventures, a conference, parties, and more. My wallet is ready to burst open, as it is stuffed with eight train tickets to and from different destinations and numerous bus and [...]
I feel like I was complaining in my last entry. I guess the boredom got to the best of me. My last few days at home have taught me some valuable lessons. Namely, that happiness is what you make of it. For the last few days after sitting on the front porch steps and savoring [...]
It’s hot. Too hot. Too hot to move. Too hot to walk. Too hot to sleep. Now firmly in the grips of the summer, I finally find my feet solidly at rest. I have been traveling since mid-May, jumping from visitor, to vacation, from project, to project. I have finally stopped moving. And at the [...]
Hello everyone out there in cyberland, I have a favor to ask of you and it doesn’t cost a thing. I ask that you all keep my counterpart and a good friend of mine in your thoughts or prayers (depending on your spiritual persuasion). They are scheduled to take a very important exam shortly. This [...]
The Fourth of July. What can I say. Despite my lack of patriotism, I still enjoy the 4th of July. Any national holiday that is celebrated by barbecuing on the grill, backyard bashes, and explosives is worth celebrating in my book. Back in The States, 4th of July was a time for my family to [...]
As I stated in my previous post, Kyle and I are engaged. He chose one of the most beautiful places to propose. Welcome to Valeanu, Romania. This beautiful highland forest and pasture is approximately 20km from Horezu, the place I now call home. The first picture is a view from the cabin that we called [...]
The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of chaos and excitement. Kyle came to Romania for two weeks to spend his hard-earned vacation with me and experience a small snippet of the simple, beautiful life. While the awesome adventures abounded, the most exciting news to come out of our two weeks together was… wait [...]
Life in Romania is a whirlwind of color, beauty, and music. The days are rushing by. It seems like almost yesterday that I arrived in this beautiful and fascinating country. That was one year ago, almost to the date. I am now celebrating my one year anniversary and a new group of volunteers has just [...]
For the last week I’ve been on the go. The days and time have been swirling past and now that my world has finally stopped spinning, I’m a little dizzy. I was up before the sun last Tuesday morning to make my way to the city of Ploiesti. It was 5:15am when I left Horezu [...]
I haven’t updated in a while, but the weather outside is so beautiful. Can you blame me? I spent last weekend enjoying the sun and the snow of the mountains, but that is for another post. I’m still recovering from one of the worst sunburns that I have had in over 5 years. When I [...]
This weekend has been one of those very rare occurences when I had absolutely nothing to do for two whole days! Two full, glorious days to myself. Well needless to say, now that the weather is fantastic outside I desire more than just lying around on weekends off. On Friday afternoon, I talked to Vale’s [...]
This is for anyone who sends me packages or letters. Please make sure that you are spelling my address, town name, and county name correctly. There is a new lady at the customs office. Please double-check that you have the correct spelling. The friendly customs lady will greatly appreciate it!
Chelsea Marshall
Strada Mihai Eminescu 4 [...]
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