Peace Corps Journals

Sports! Mi-au fost dor de voi!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

2012-02-08 13:43:00

Although I'm starting to get the hang of this teaching thing, I can't help but miss my old job in sports PR. The PR part? Meh. But the sports part? Absolutely.

Luckily, my school and town have a commitment to mișcare și sport, as evidenced by the yearly skiing contest that happened recently and our hosting a handball tournament for middle-school aged kids (the ages I teach). Alas, our boys finished fourth, but that just means they can only go up, right? RIGHT!? That's what I thought.

A few pics: First, the skiing contest. It was held last Sunday. The contest was only for the copii, but the adulți partook of the groomed slope as well. We even had a couple snowboarders, something not nearly as popular here as in the U.S. Because my area is so mountainous, skiing is a big part of the winter lifestyle, and it showed, as many of the kids appeared pretty comfortable glissading down the hill.

I, however, chose not to partake, despite being offered skis and boots. Although I've been skiing my entire life, I haven't been in a couple years, and I didn't really feel like banging off the rust in front of everyone in my village. Totuși, data viitoare, when there's a bit less of an audience.

We also hosted a handball tournament today that featured middle schools from throughout the area. Because they're mostly Hungarian, I heard a whole lotta "Mit csinalsz!?!?" ("What are you doing!?!?") from some pretty intense benches. The indoor-action shots leave a bit to be desired, but check out our two-year-old gym! It's a great asset for the school, and I'm glad they have it, especially because it was -27 (-17 F) this morning. Joi.

I knew very little about handball before today, but after four hours and a bit of tutoring, I think I get the idea and most of the rules, and I definitely want to give it a try. Why wouldn't you want to jump in the air and huck a ball as hard as you can at a guy like 5 feet away? If only I had somewhere to play...

America

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-02-07 20:37:33

Not much has really been happening lately. Other than everything freezing, life is still pretty good. I wanted to send a shout out to my friends back home. Why? Just because I miss you, that’s all. So as you all know I do random things and one of the random things I do is photoshop [...]

Moșul de Iarna

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Romaniamania

2012-02-07 17:33:00

It's Feb. 7, and I remember back in October when I put up a post about winter beginning, a bit early I might add. Well, that turned out to be a false start. The real winter only just arrived about a month ago. Not sure whether you've seen the news over here, but some pretty intense storms and bitter cold has gripped -- why do weatherman always use "gripped" for cold temps? -- all of Romania. Roads have closed, people have died. It's had all the fixins' of a pretty severe winter.

Except in Tulgheș. Here, it's been more or less business as usual. Now, we get snowstorms and subzero (F) temps too, but that's just ca de obicea in the "North Pole" of Romania. In fact, like most places famous for their cold winters -- eh hem Minnesota -- people are more likely to talk about how severe this winter hasn't been.

Anyway, for me, it's mainly meant three things: 1) Adding the outer layer to my Columbia jacket (just last week); 2) Explaining to people that this is normal for me; it's the same as in Minnesota, where I'm from. (I have this conversation about once daily); and 3) Hiking a lot and taking some pretty amazing pictures.

No. 3 is actually the main reason for this post. I'd like to share with you some of the beauty that is, Tulgheș, Romania, in the winter.

Chanting, "Snow day, snow day!"

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Mo-mania

2012-02-07 14:45:00

In my town, nothing will get in the way of education. Not over a foot of snow, bitter winds or very few students. For the past two days, I have trudged to school find classes with three, six, or zero students. I have found myself yearning for a snow day. As a teacher, I would rather have the day off and make-up the class at another time so that I could present information to all the students at once.

Benches in the school courtyard

I've given up hope of my snow day in Romania, but look forward to future winters in Seattle where we are wimpy and shut everything down with just two inches. I have five months left in Romania, but my real question is how many of these months will be winter months. Last year we had snow in May, but I am hopeful this winter will be shorter.

More Snow.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-02-06 19:01:00

As you've probably heard, (I hear it's actually on the news in the states!) Europe is getting hit rather hard with the most intense winter seen in years. This week, school has been canceled in some parts of eastern Romania and the rest of us in the west are making our way to school with snow that reaches our knees. I love Recas in the winter and the snow creates a whimsical atmosphere as I walk to classes.

Today was a huge day in Romania because after a month of protests, the Prime Minister resigned. Also the Cabinet. Stay tuned as more changes in the government are revealed and we see how/if this affects us as volunteers.

Here are some pictures I took today.

Right outside of my place.

The Catholic Church.

My little pharmacy.

A park bench...barely.

A car loaded with baskets sitting in front of the Mayor's office.

The main road from Lugoj heading to Timisoara.

Don't worry-I stocked up on wine.

Love this shot.

You are now mature.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Please Reed

2012-02-05 17:59:00

I have discovered just some of the benefits to teaching 12th graders.

One...

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Maturandusz this year. About this time of year, each high school holds a "maturing ceremony."At the ceremony each student is given a pin (I got one too! Consider me mature.) and a flower signifying their entry into maturity and adulthood. I think I am giving this way more significance than necessary. In actuality, this is what they do instead of prom. I really enjoyed seeing all of my students dressed up in their fancy clothes, and looking so spiffy. It was a good moment to be able to participate in. I haven't been here long, but I get to see these kids become... a little bit more mature. Just a little bit. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, no teachers were invited to the after party.

Two...

They have been posting their senior photos on facebook. Now I remember taking these not too long ago, and somehow ridiculous things always make their way into the photo. I understand. I try not to laugh when I see each new batch, but I cannot help it. They are too good for words, but to share one here would be mean and inappropriate.

I do love high school from this side.

Three...

Counterpart: "Did you know that the 12th graders do not come to school the last 3 weeks of the semester?"

I HAD NO IDEA! Awesome.

I asked someone to take a photo with my camera... good enough.

Where oh where has my Winter break gone?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Please Reed

2012-02-05 16:32:00

I cannot believe that it is the 4th week of the semester already. What have I been doing? Not posting about my winter vacation that's what!

To sum it up briefly... I saw some deer, celebrated the New Year in Cluj, went to a rivalrous hockey game, and through it all I carried an 8 inch plastic she-man doll around. Yep, you read that last part right.

Now a little about my day with the deer...

I accompanied my assistant director (Joe/Jóskabacsi) to his cabin in Ivó with his lovely family. Ivó is a small town at the bottom of Harghita mountain, but I was not entirely sure where it was until I figured out its Romanian name and could look it up on google maps. Izvoare, fyi. Joe is one of my favorites at the high school. I think he sees me as one of his children (they are my age). However, he doesn't speak English. He is currently in the adult English class that I teach, but we haven't quite mastered the language beyond "Good morning! How are you?" He is a nervous sort of fellow and worries unnecessarily about small things. He is always scared to talk to me and tells my counterpart "I have to tell Meg such and such. What should I say? Will she understand me? What do I do?! Here, give her this pumpkin." So when his children who speak English came home for winter break, he was very excited to be able to invite me along to their family outing. While in Ivó we visited a reserve for some deer. I believe they are special deer, but I am not an expert. Jóskabacsi was very excited to see the muflon. I did not know what he was talking about, even after we sighted them, I still have no idea. looking up the word in English didn't help either ...'mouflon'. We were lucky enough to see the mouflon from a distance. Apparently they are rarely sighted. After we went back to the cabin for some traditional Székely food. It was a kind of mushroom, paprika, and cream dish. I am not sure what it's called, but it was delicious. Another great day in the Székelyföld.

Mouflon!

With two more weeks of vacation my travels got a bit crazy as we zigzagged across Romania. First, it was off to Ocna Mures to visit Megan, then to Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár (Troy in pocket) to celebrate New Year's, then back to my town of Udvarhely, THEN to Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda for the hockey game, THEN to Filiasi to see Lindsey's sweet pad and her cat, THEN to Bucharest to welcome another PCV back to Romania after having surgery in the states, AND THEN home. Aaaaah. Winter break you were well spent.

Soft kitty, warm kitty, gigantic ball of fur...

This Gazda Life

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania A Romanian Odyssey

2012-02-05 07:33:00

Living with a gazda (host family (in this case a 45 year old woman named Maria who has two daughters and husband living in other cities)) has had its highs and lows. There's definitely been perks when it comes to fresh free eggs, chickens, and veggies. There is also a huge benefit to live with someone that speaks the language fluently and knows how things work and how to get things done. When our internet or power goes out she's the one that makes the call. When I forgot a bag on the bus to our village she called the bus station in the next village over and figured out when that bus would be coming back. She has been immensely helpful, kind, and patient with me.

I like to think that this street goes both ways, and I have done my part to help her with things she could not have easily done on her own. Her computer is set in English and most of the programs that she used are in English so every time any kind of message pops up on her computer I hear her call my name down the hall to help her to choose "yes" or "no", "continue" or "close". I also recently offered to start adding minutes to her phone via the internet which would have been impossible for her considering she owns neither a debit nor credit card. She was probably the most excited about anything I've helped her with when she got that conformation text message. That is, until I introduced her to the wonders of the can opener and the veggie peeler.

Another sort of exchange we have is over food and kitchen gadgets. At least once a week there's this amazing moment when I introduce her to a food or gadget she has never seen/ heard of before. Romanian cuisine though generally very yummy is not all that diverse and even in big cities foods from any other country, save for Italy, is extremely hard to find and usually on the pricier side and generally not very good. So it's no big surprise that when I make fried rice, tacos, and the like that they have been yet with hesitant curiosity. Though sometimes it's something simple like brussel sprouts or mozzarella. What has really gone over big and seems to be brand new to most people here is quiche. It is something my mother made all the time with a delicious yet simple recipe. It is something I make a lot here, and my gazda recently made a request that she be present next time i make it so she can learn how to make "pizza" as she calls it.

What I've really enjoyed is her teaching me how to make some of the traditional Romanian foods. My favorite, of course, being sarmale. Sarmale is generally ground pork and rice combined with spices and wrapped in either grape or cabbage leaves served with sour cream and polenta. Learning how to make it felt like a rite of passage. One of my proudest moments so far in Romania was at Christmas while making sarmale. A visiting gazda family member turned down my offer to help roll the sarmale because she figured I didn't know how. She was answered with a "Ba Da!" (But yes!) from me. The look of shock when I was rolling sarmale with the best of 'em (dare I say, maybe even better than some) was priceless.

It hasn't always been easy living with a host family. There's less privacy, there's been issues with food (usually the force feeding of it since "I'm way too thin and don't eat nearly enough" lol). Sometimes after a long day at school I just want to go home and not have to speak in Romanian because my brain is too fried to get a coherent sentences out. But I wouldn't change a thing. I get to be truly immersed in another culture. I'm forced out of my comfort zone as far as language goes. Which is a good thing. I have to use Romanian every day. That isn't the case with a lot of volunteers here. I am so grateful to have been welcomed into a new family.

Winter in Miniature

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Mo-mania

2012-02-04 18:19:00

Over the past 48 hours we have been inundated with snow as a winter storm rolls across Eastern Europe. Thus far I have been lucky to have heat, power and water, but even with the heat on drafts still sneak into my room from the unheated hall and uninsulated balcony. The weather seemed a perfect excuse to make winter treat. Roasted Brussels sprouts and pecans! The treat is two-fold. You get to eat something delicious, but you also have an excuse to turn up the oven, savor the warmth and good smells coming from it.

In Romanian, Brussels sprouts are varza de Bruxelles, literally cabbage of Brussels. I love to imagine that Brussels is a land where everything is tiny. Perhaps it's a hold over from the hours I spent as a child playing with my Sylvanian Families dolls, but this idea has enchanted me.

As I spent time huddled around the stove waiting for my tiny cabbages to roast, I was reminded of a neat photo trick that I learned about on Bridget's blog called tilt shifting. This is done by changing the focus on the imagine so it looks like a miniature. It's one of the most fabulous and totally addicting things I have done recently. Fueled by delicious sprouts I decided to tilt shift some of my photos from today.

I also even took a snap of my dinner and fiddled with it!

Weather Update

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-02-03 21:24:27

For all of you back in the states that aren’t aware of how bad Europe has been hit this winter, here is an article that will sum it up nicely. http://news.yahoo.com/164-dead-cold-snap-grips-europe-035156081.html Wood burning in the furnace: check Electric heater on: check Thick pants: check Woolen socks: check A shirt and sweatshirt: check Sleeping bag plus [...]

Snowpocalypse?

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-02-03 15:05:49

There has been a COUNTRY WIDE winter weather advisory. We are all under a code yellow and told to stay put and not do any traveling unless it is an emergency. My town has already been an ice rink with anywhere from 1-5 cm of ice covering everything. This past week the average temperature has [...]

IT'S FINALLY SNOWING IN RECAS!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-02-03 12:31:00

Which means this is the view from my window right now...

And since it's my day off, I'm watching the storm as I sip on hot cocoa in my snowman mug (thanks Kathy!) in my Redskin's Snuggie (thanks Dan!).

Happy Friday Ya'll!

A Walk to School.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-02-03 11:45:00

I hurried out of my apartment this morning, running a bit late (per usual these days-so hard to get out of bed when it’s freezing outside!) and ran into the tiniest 1^st grader I’ve ever seen. With a backpack so big it could topple him over, round Harry Potter glasses, and a runny nose to beat all runny noses, he looked at me and said, “Teacher-avem scoala astazi?”. Which means, “Teacher, do we have school today?”

I understood his confusion because just yesterday school was closed at 10:30AM because there was no heat. We woke up this morning unsure if we would even have classes-was the heat fixed? I called Vali and sure enough, we had heat so we were cooking with gas-literally.

I told him, “Da! Avem, avem. Vii cu mine la scoala.” Which means, “Yes, We have it, we have it. Come with me to school!” He looked at me, smiled, then offered me his tiny, ungloved and absolutely frozen hand. He introduced himself, then grabbed my hand and off we went.

The walk to school takes about 10 minutes and we talked the entire time. He asked me what I taught, where I was from, then when he found out I was from America he asked me about everyone from Hannah Montana to SpongeBob. He told me about every one of his classes and about how much he likes school. Then asked if I would teach his class today. I smiled and told him that no, but I would come visit sometime. We continued talking until we reached the school door-question answer, question answer.

I turned to say goodbye and he said to me, “Teacher, do you know I have a girlfriend?” “Ohhh!,” I said,…”Really?? Well that is just great isn’t it?” He nodded his little head, snot running down his face while he jumped in place to stay warm in the cold. “Yes, I do. But someday, I hope to have a nice girlfriend like you.”

He shook my hand again in a true gentleman’s fashion, thanked me for walking him to school, then ran off to join his friends.

And I smiled, shaking my head as I walked through the front doors of school and into the warmth of my classroom.

Happy birthday mom!!!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania YouTube Videos matching query: "peace corps" "Romania"

2012-02-02 17:21:04

	Happy birthday mom!!! I'm currently in Romania with the Peace Corps but today was my mother's birthday so I got my students to help with her present.	From: ThePauzaMare Views: 12 0 ratings
	Time: 02:02	More in Education

France and Underpants

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Romaniamania

2012-02-01 19:06:00

So I’ve sat down to write this blog about 12 times now, starting approximately three weeks ago, when it was still January and this still would have been borderline timely. However, each time, I had no idea what to say about my Christmas vacation.

I think I can call it epic. Four major cities. Two countries. Three weeks. I’m probably too old to use this word for anything other than a movie, but we’ll go with it.

Now that I’m physically forcing myself to get this one in the books – and by physically, I mean prying open my jaws to force down some brain juice (hot wine) – I still have no idea what to say.

It’s times like these when I thank the fates for Dr. George Keeler, my first journalism professor. Without George, I wouldn’t have the education to default to the J-100 inverted pyramid and simply begin with the most important, the most interesting, the most France-y.

France.

I had never been. When I backpacked through Europe in 2006, I had to leave before my misfit troupe made its way to Paris. To be honest, I, like many uniformed Americans, thought Parisians to be rude and have a deep-rooted dislike for us Yanks, despite never actually having been there. However, I found that not only to be untrue, but I found the opposite to be true. They weren’t only not NOT nice, they were exceptionally friendly.

And that city that everyone keeps talking about – the one in France, not in Texas; I get confused all the time too – didn’t disappoint either. I’m going to let the photo album do most of the talking, but I’ll hit some of the highlights.

First off, Paris is one of those cities – like Rome – where you walk down the street to your next tourist destination and you happen to stumble across something equally as breathtaking. However, you have no idea what that thing is. Or, I guess I’m using second person here… I had no idea what that thing is. It’s simply chock full of history and beauty, literally on every corner.

But there are a few things that everyone knows. Of course, the trip started with the Eiffel Tower, where we were fortunate enough to actually get to meet some friends under it. Call it cliché. (Actually, F-off if you just called it cliché. It was awesome.)

From there, the next four days is a haze of wine, tourism and wine. Roll the highlights.

Every night, the Eiffel Tower lights up, and every hour, it sparkles. I added some music to really up the whimsy.

Here's the old girl in all her glory.

We also went up, of course. The line for the elevator was visible from space, and the top was closed anyway, so we did it the real way: the stairs. It was also nearing sunset, so the light was pretty amazing.

Another one of my favorite parts was the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) cathedral. It's located on the highest point in Paris, so the views there are OK too.

And there was this SICK soccer player on the steps that did some things that prompted quite a few, "Wait, no. He's not... WHAT!!?"

Then there's the Arc de Triomphe.

We also saw the Catacombs, which is a network of underground tunnels where they shipped and deposited a bunch of remains from cemeteries around Paris. The result is a BUTTLOAD of bones.

And then there was the wine... Oh, man was there wine... in the shadow of the Louvre...

...on the Champs-Elysees...

...on our hostel balcony...

...and in the shadow of the Notre Dame (into which we didn't go because we were so "parched")...

After Paris, we stayed with some friends in Amiens, about 100km north. (No, I’m not going to convert that. You should know 100km.)

Not only was the company out of this world – some of the sweetest people we’ve ever been lucky enough to encounter – the town was the very embodiment of every American romantic’s dream to ex-pat to the French countryside, eat baguettes, own a small tavern, drink wine and make a crappy movie with Owen Wilson. (You know who you are. You owe me two hours.)

Anyway, the biggest highlight of this part of the journey – next to the hostesses – was the gothic Catholic cathedral. Built nearly 900 years ago, it’s the tallest complete cathedral in France. Anecdotally, I’ve seen A LOT of churches through Europe and Romania, and apart from the Vatican, I’ve never seen anything this astounding. I took quite a few pictures, but here are some favies:

After we reluctantly headed back to Romania, well, we went back to school. However, we’re not doing chronological here. We’re doing inverted pyramid. (I’m hoping this second reference has gotten you curious enough to look it up.)

Before Paris, I spent a few days in Csíkszerada. Actually, in Romanian, it’s Miercurea-Ciuc, but it’s 90-percent Hungarian, so we’ll go with the majority. It’s officially the coldest city in Romania, and the home of the beer of the same name (Ciuc), but for us, it was the seat of a pretty cool hockey rivalry.

Basically, the team from Csíkszerada is full of ethnic Hungarians, as Csíkszerada is the county seat of Harghita County (where I live), and Harghita is one of the three main counties in the Székely, the largely ethnic Hungarian part of Romania. Well, their rival is Steaua București, the mainly Romanian team from the country’s capital and biggest city. Without going too far into it – this Canadian does, in part 1 and part 2 of a documentary; fast-forward 5 minutes into part 1 – it’s one of those fantastic rivalries that runs much deeper than simply two teams from two different parts of the country. (More photos here.)

Well, since I live in Harghita County, I can say that the good guys won, Csíkszerada (4-3) although Steaua made a game out of it, especially considering Csíkszerada had gone into București and beaten them 8-0 a few weeks prior. So, when you’re an ethnic Hungarian team, how do you celebrate a win? Well, with the Székely national anthem, of course, even though I’m told it’s illegal. They were clearly bothered by this.

Before the game, a fellow volunteer and I took some time to explore Sibiu, this picturesque Saxon town butting up against the Făgăraș Mountains in Transilvania. Sibiu is a really cool place because, apart from the outskirts, it looks much more like a German city, as it has remained fairly bloc-free and communist-light. All those pics are aici, but here’s a few highlights from there as well.

Piața Mica

Turnul Sfâtului

The old city walls

So, that’s it. If you’re scoring at home, you’ll notice that we’ve hit all four cities in both countries.

Currently, I’m back at school, three weeks in and going strong. I’m still teaching the same kids in fifth through eight grades, still doing five kindergarten classes and two adult classes, and still loving it.

However, I came to the realization today that I really only update things on Facebook, and I think it’d be a shame to not have those somewhat daily nuggets documented in perpetuity. So, here are a few status updates from the last week or so:

Jan. 30: Write a story with go, run, play, sleep and dream: "One day I went hiking and run and play and sleep and dream." Gotta at least respect the brevity.

Jan. 29: Said to my sister and her boyfriend today, two TEFL teachers, on our students: "Until our graceful touch, they are indeed just animals."

Feb. 1: Just spent an entire 45-minute English club watching my students enthusiastically pore over the books sent by a couple non-profits. Quite possibly the best class I've had as a teacher. (And it's not just because I didn't do anything.)

Jan. 27: I got to say something today in class that I HOPE I get to say again: "Deseneaza 'fart.'" (FYI, “deseneaza” means “draw.”)

At long last, I can move on. And more importantly, I can move this God-forsaken “Blog_France” document from my desktop to its final resting place.

Closure.

PS: If you were waiting for something on underpants, I got nuthin’. I really had no idea what to call this, and I like rhymes. And underpants.

My Friends are Cooler than Your Friends

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-02-01 14:30:50

Why? You may ask…well, because they send me the BEST PACKAGES EVER!!!!! First off, I need to send a shoutout to my fellow PCV, Melissa because she lives in the capitol of her county and therefore does not have to travel 2 hours on a Tuesday in between the hours of 9 and 11 to [...]

-10 degrees.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-01-31 19:21:00

That is the temperature tonight. -10 degrees...in Celsius that is. For those of you back home-that's a balmy 14 degrees Fahrenheit!

I shouldn't complain as I am in the warmest county of the country. But lord...I am still freezing. The walk to school is insane in the morning as the wind whips through my jacket chilling me to my core and my nose doesn't even run because my snot is frozen. Too much information? It's the truth.

Thank God I don't have a beard.

I have a visit from Peace Corps tomorrow-just a routine site visit to see how I'm doing and to hear about my plans for the next few months. My official Close of Service conference is in April, then my group heads out at the beginning of July...I can't believe it. Tomorrow is February, winter is almost over, (I can only hope) spring break plans are being made (London to visit my sister and parents!) but honestly, as each day passes and my time is cut shorter and shorter, the thought of leaving this place breaks my heart.

Ok enough sap for now. I still have 5 months left and that is what I'm focusing on.

Over the next few months I will be working on forming a partnership with my school and the refugee center across the street, one that requires my HS students to volunteer a certain number of hours a year in order to graduate. I'm also in the process of working on a summer English camp for Timis county. I am currently teaching adult English classes at my school and community center and will continue planning activities for my students-in and out of school.

Vali and his friends have invited me on a road trip to Montenegro in a few months so I'm looking forward to that too! It looks GORGEOUS.

Montenegro.

OK back to planning for tomorrow adult classes. Hope you all are warmer than I am right now.

Ice and Lice.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-01-30 17:30:00

Oh yeah, you read that right.

So today was interesting...starting from the moment I walked out my front door. I was in a hurry to get to school (just HAD to push that snooze button a 4th time...) and I was wearing some black boots with absolutely no traction. Now you might think this is dumb for January, in Romania, but you forget that I live on the west side (pretty much in Hungary) and we haven't had any snow for weeks. WEEKS. It doesn't even feel like winter here. So I ran out of the house with my boots, cute skirt and top and thought nothing of it.

I turned the corner onto the road, jogging a bit to save some time and BAM. Ice patch. Before I knew it I was on the ground (well, after landing prettttyyy damn hard on my left knee) and I was in pain. Sooo much pain. My purse and its contents flew over my head into a mud puddle and for a second I just stayed on the ground, incredulous-is this real life!? What an epic fall.

I looked around quickly to see who might have noticed and sure enough there was a woman walking towards me from the market. "Are you ok??" she asked, eyes wide, staring at the mud all over my skirt, and the nice hole on the left knee of my tights. I assured her I was, and limped off towards school.

I always make fun of volunteers who wear those ice grip "yak tracks" on their shoes in the winter. Karma: you know what it is.

So, I arrived at school and walked into the teacher's lounge. Everyone was in a frenzy, and I listened in trying to understand what all the fuss was about. I heard the word "sick" in Romanian, then I heard "three kids", then finally my friend walked up to me and said "We have fleas."

Beg pardon?

"Who is WE? What? Where?" I stammered back.

"Ohh no, wait wait, not fleas, I'm confused with my English" he responded, and I started to breathe a sigh of relief.

"LICE! That is what they are called. We have a LICE outbreak in school. Do you know what those are??" He looked at me and scratched at his head.

Oh sweet lord...

I'm off to take my second shower of the day, just to be safe.

My students singing

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Tiempo en el aire

2012-01-29 19:31:52

My 4th graders learned a short song called “go bananas” during English class last week. There was some confusion at some point, but it doesn’t matter they ROCK! I hope you guys love it as much as I do.

Back in Moz

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Adventures in Mozambique

2012-01-29 15:43:00

Hello from the other side of 2012!

We’re all in this New Year together so let’s make the best of it: Kick some butt & take some names.

I’m back in Mozambique for my second year. Got back from the states after a whirlwind trip home that covered Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Thanks to Peace Corps who made it all possible. Thanks to Moms & Dads who flew me down to Florida and paid for innumerable meals and movies out nevermind use of their vehicles. Thanks to Jame for insisting I need new shoes and to Dad who insisted I return to the use of underarm deodorant. And thanks for all you who made the effort to make it down to Old Saybrook to see old Micah Carbonneau.

Some highlights of the past few weeks include meeting the new roommate Mac, who in this very short year has proved to be the most positive person I’ve met thus far. He is so excited to be in Peace Corps in Machanga. To quote him: “My excitement is going to explode!”

He’s a runner like me, so already we’ve hit the roads making for an unstoppable Muzungu attraction. Our first jog out, we had in the course of a 35 minute jog over 30 people join, mostly women and children. One woman had a baby on her back bouncing. Another was was a child with a bandaged foot.

Mac is huge, blond and as friendly a public relations figure as South Carolina could produce. He is gregarious and earnest and damned determined to improve his already capable Portuguese and get a handle on the local language. (he already knows how to ask: ‘Who farted?’ in N’dau) There’s a funny story how that little gem was acquired. All that and he still gets down on himself that he’s not doing enough. That’s your typical Peace Corps Volunteer for you. So, he’s been a big inspiration.

Looking back on my trip home I’d more then a few special memories and excellent dos. I gave Jesse a few baths, we all saw the Muppet Movie together and had ourselves a Dance Party to the BeetleJuice Soundtrack: “Jump in the line! Rock your body in Time! Okay! I believe you!”

I visited the Wadsworth & New Britian Musuem of Art, did Yoga in Brattleboro, VT, skied for the first time in 10 years, and saw War Horse, Tintin, Super 8, & Hugo. Mom & I went kayaking and bicycling in Florida, I ate copious amounts of pizza, and saw more n’a few good friends including the Testermans and the Roesella’s.

Some sad news: A few days before Christmas I got word that two volunteers in Mozambique were killed in a car accident. Two other volunteers were in the car with them, one was from my group. He suffered a major concussion and back spinal injuries, and the other escaped unharmed. They had hitchhiked in the afternoon, the car was new, only the driver was going too fast and didn’t make a corner forcing a roll over. The two women aged 22 and 23 were from Mac’s group and had only been at their new sites for less then a week.

Our country director went over at my group’s mid service conference last week details of the crash and its aftermath. Their coffins were draped in the flag and each step of their flight back to the states was accompanied by a Peace Corps official. The outpouring of support from the embassy, the expat community, the staff, and volunteers has been very moving. It is a tragedy but one of the risks we take. I and other volunteers who never met these colleagues could not help but be affected. We’re a pretty big family here. And it's a period of our lives that force us to grow and rely on one another a good deal. Some of the new volunteers are quite shook up. The one volunteer who survived the crash is eager to return and I understand the mother of one of the women is eager to come to Mozambique to meet her daughter's host family and see the community where she would have served.

When I was home I was asked often what I’d do following Peace Corps. An occurrence like this strengthens my belief in the organization. It forced me to consider the purpose of my mission here: to serve others and live as they do with all inherent dangers. It is nothing compared to service in the Army where death is an expected element of service.

Back home, this being my fourth year abroad, I realized I no longer identify myself as uniquely American. I’ve had four years to identify myself with a broader community of Romanians, Mozambicans, expats, missionaries, and international service workers, and it’s compelling work. I’m less certain I want to live my life in the states, but of course everything changes.

I am trying to further investigate jobs in the Peace Corps. And still I feel compelled to work in Hartford. But, if it’s between anywhere USA and abroad, I’d likely go abroad. Of course my first consideration is work and family. Fortunately, these past years I've been home to see family once a year. I doubt I could go any longer than that. Nothing is more important then family.

Rivalry

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania 27 Luni

2012-01-28 19:00:55

On a last-minute whim, thanks largely again to the insistence of PCV Aran, I hopped a train North to Miercurea Ciuc, Romania for a hockey match. Now, understandably, it may seem strange to travel ten hours round trip for a hockey game, especially when I am not even a sports fan and you would be [...]

La Mulți Ani 2012

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania 27 Luni

2012-01-28 13:00:00

With the fully content mindset to stay home alone on New Years Eve, I was ready to bring in the New Year silently cheering in my quiet school side home. However, as fate would have it my Peace Corps Volunteer neighbor, Aran, in nearby Ploiești convinced me to venture down to Bucharest with him and [...]

T.G.I.F.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Mo-mania

2012-01-27 19:07:00

Friday, Friday...

Today I am especially glad for the end of the week as it has felt like an especially a long one between the snow storm and school. The tension in my school is palpable. Next year the schools of Romania will undergo a massive change. Ninth grade will move from its current place in high schools to general schools. General schools will now house students grades in 0-9. This means that my school will be shrinking.

In the foreign language department, there will be one less English teaching position due to a ridiculously complicated situation. First, I have to start at the beginning of the school year. In Romania teachers are assigned to schools by an inspector at a county level based on the number of points they have. The points are allocated on credentials and certificates that the teachers have. Teachers with higher numbers of points can bump teachers with lower numbers of points from positions. Teachers with higher points generally work in cities, while teachers who are starting their careers with lower numbers of points tend to end up in village school where conditions can be rough (for example, a village school I visited had no running water). At the start of this school there was a new English teacher assigned to my school, in the place of the teacher I shared a room with last year. No one in the school knew who she was, but they knew that she had more points that the other teacher. However, as the school year started, she never showed up. Apparently, she elected to take a year of unpaid leave instead of teaching. At this point, it was too late to get the teacher from the previous year back so all the teachers had to divide the classes that were supposed to go to the new teacher.

Fast forward to now, as I said before, there will be one less position as we technically have four positions now, though there are three teachers doing the work. There are three English positions now (I am not including myself, as I don't factor into these discussion) and there will be three next year. However, one position has to be held for the teacher who decided to be on leave this year. Thus the three teachers who are teaching this year have to compete for only two positions. They were given the notice this week and then had to prepare their accreditation files. The board will then decide who has positions next year based on the number of points the teacher has. From my understanding, there won't be interviews just evaluations of their files. This week the teachers were rushing around like mad trying to get their files prepared, it seems they were just given a few days notice. Everyone finally got their files prepared and now the waiting begins.

Crăciun Fericit!

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania 27 Luni

2012-01-27 13:00:14

Like in America, Christmas time in Romania is very important. If for nothing else, it is an opportunity to relax with family and friends, free from the stress of work and pressures of society. Christmas is a highly anticipated time of great joy for children and guilt free full bellies for adults. Knowing that this [...]

Small Successes

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-01-27 12:38:34

To say this week was anything but utterly difficult would be an absolute lie. It was rough. From having some disciplaniry issues with some of my classes to just being overwhelmed with school work and secondary project work, this week pushed me to my limit a few times. It’s only been 2 weeks and I [...]

All is _____, All is White

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Mo-mania

2012-01-25 18:38:00

In the past 24 hours we've been hit with an epic storm. On the way back from school this afternoon I spotted some laundry that wasn't anywhere close to being dry. As I write this, I believe we have about 6 inches and there is no sign of it letting up. Unfortunately, there isn't such a concept as a snow day in Romania so I'll still be starting classes at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, but in my head I'll be imagining the snow day I would have been able to indulge in if I were home in Seattle.

Those of you watching Romania in the international news may have noticed that Romanians have recently joined the ranks of other nations currently in protest. Today is the 14th day straight day of protests in Bucharest and other large cities. Last week, the New York Times had an article about it. I have seen a few signs around town and yesterday after school teachers in my school joined others at the town hall, but beyond that I haven't seen local signs of what is happening across the country. Peace Corps volunteers are currently not allowed to go to Bucharest, but this doesn't have an impact on me as I have no immediate travel plans. I'll be staying in my cocoon of white for the immediate future.

One question will always be asked

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Tiempo en el aire

2012-01-22 10:36:41

Before I left, while living here, and once I return one question will always be asked, Why did you join the Peace Corps Andrea? I’ve always given a different answer, but it all had to do with the same thing: My passion. I am passionate about teaching, I am passionate about working with youth. I [...]

Ghiță goes to Market

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania 27 Luni

2012-01-22 08:06:47

One mainstay of Romanian tradition is the pig sacrifice that takes place a few days before Christmas each year. Fortunately, however small my network of Romanian friends is they always want to make sure that I don’t miss out on any important national holidays. Such was the case this past December when two Romanian families [...]

Grocery Shopping in a Romanian Town

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania A Blog Is Not a Home

2012-01-21 16:19:00

Last month a supermarket opened in my town. Not only has this changed what I buy and what I pay at site, but it got me thinking about how I shop for groceries here in Romania. I buy my produce from a small market near my apartment or at the weekly piata. Vegetables there are very cheap, especially in the summer, and locally grown. Specialty items, like bananas and lettuce, need to be bought at a grocery store, but produce staples are found at the piata.

I buy meat, mostly chicken, and eggs from the butcher shop around the corner. If I want to use a chicken breast for dinner or I need 3 eggs for baking, I can easily buy those from the shop at a much lower price than at a supermarket.

If I need a small loaf of bread, small because otherwise it will go stale before I can eat it all, I buy it from the bakery across the street. I know the shop ladies and we have short conversations about my day whenever I go in there.

I now go to the Kaufland if I need standards like milk or rice, or if I’m craving something a little more like home. They have soy sauce and salsa, even if the “hot” flavor is more of a “mild.” When I leave to do some shopping, I make sure I have my Chico bag rolled up in my purse to carry things home in and my 50 bani piece in my pocket to use a cart in the store. If I’m lucky I won’t be accosted by a child begging at the entrance and can just swap someone my coin for their cart with a smile and an “O zi buna” (have a nice day.)

It has become a routine for me to giggle at the amazed looks on customers faces when they see how big and bright the store is inside and to assist struggling elderly shoppers with printing out the price tickets as they try to weigh their fruits and vegetables. I’ve had much more practice maneuvering carts through aisles and efficiently loading the belt with my purchases in the check-out line.

I limit each errand to no more than my one reusable bag so that the ten minute walk home over the train tracks isn’t too cumbersome. I think about loading up a car with a dozen bags or even an entire cart full of bulk goods at Costco and I both miss it and see how I really don’t need any more than what is in that one bag.

Christmas Vacation: Suceava, Ukraine, Iasi

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-01-20 11:25:00

I wrapped up my third semester teaching with a beautiful concert of carols and Christmas skits presented by my students. We also went caroling around Recas with the choir. I think I told you last year but caroling is a very different experience here. The kids were given money (a lot!) or bags of treats and food at each location. Can I bring this tradition back to America?

My 6th grade-so cute!

I spent Christmas week with Vali, his wife Ionela, and their families in the mountain town of Caransebes. Another volunteer, Chris, came along and brought his guitar which became the hit in every home. We sang, we ate, we cooked, and we visited about three difference houses each day. I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life. Each house had traditional foods-sausages, cheeses, salads, pork-and we were told to "eat! eat!" at each one. We had an amazing time and I was honored to be a part of a real Romanian Christmas...but YES-I will be starting p90x again ASAP.

In Caransebes.

Just walking.

Vali, Ares and I posing by the mountains.

Decorating the tree!

Chris and I in the center of Caransebes.

Beautiful Caransebes.

traditional food-the meat platter.

traditional food-deviled eggs Romanian style.

Chris playing his guitar and singing carols.

After Christmas I headed back to Timisoara to host some volunteer visitors! We had a lot of fun hanging out, visiting the Recas winery, exploring Timisoara, and drinking lots of vin fiert (hot wine) at the Christmas kiosks in the center. We also played countless hours of skip-bo (thanks mom!) and banangrams. For New Years we went to a concert (Beatles Tribute Band!) and watched some amazing fireworks. I can't believe it's 2012!

pigeon catching happened.

Jovanka and I in the center with the Cathedral in the background.

After New Years I traveled around Romania, visiting volunteers in the south and then traveling together to Suceava to visit the famous painted monasteries. 6 girls, 1 boy, and a lot of churches=fun for all.

Valerie and I on the train to Suceava! <3

At the famous Black Pottery Store

Suceavita Monastery

Tara inside a monastery...don't remember which one.

Me in Moldavita Monastery.

Beautiful painted walls.

No one has been able to re-create this blue color seen on the wall.

After a four day stay in Suceava, we headed to Chernivtsi, Ukraine for a short visit. The trip started out a bit rough when we couldn't find our friend's apartment and also saw a dead man on the side of the street. No joke. I think he was homeless and froze to death in the middle of the night. His face was blue and people were standing around him and it looked like they were waiting for the police. A little unsettling our first 10 mintues into the country!

We stayed with four German girls who are also volunteers-they were amazing and showed us around the city. We went to a huuuge open air market, and then walked through the city to see the university and other historic buildings. We ate traditional bors and perogies (heaven) and even met up with some Ukrainian PCVs!

Sara and I in the open market.

I should have bought this...

Come again?

5 Americans and 4 Germans.

Christmas kiosk in the center.

After Ukraine, we headed back into Romania to the university town of Iasi. We toured the city and stayed with some Romanian friends who showed us a great time. Since it was the last night we would all be together, we splurged and had dinner at the top of a gorgeous hotel which gave us a panoramic view of the city.

The Palace

Imitating the statue. I'm on a horse.

Beautiful stained glass from the Catholic church

The largest Orthodox church in Romania!

Dinner with the panoramic view.

Beautiful Iasi.

It was a fantastic three week vacation but now I'm back at site and back to the grind! School started this week and my adult classes start next week. I'm busy developing some projects for this new semester. More to come about that in the next post because this one is entirely too long already. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Current Events in RO: Protests.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-01-19 18:57:00

I am not sure what you have heard back in the states, but here in Romania we are currently on "Day 6" of anti-government protests. In approximately 45 cities across the country, people are gathering in the streets day and night and vocalizing their concerns and frustration with the government and specifically, the president Traian Basescu. Many are calling for him to step down.

This is a few days old, but here is a good article about what is going on.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/world/europe/romanians-protest-austerity-measures.html

This is also informative: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.aljazeera.net%2F~r%2Fpodcasts%2FinsidestoryHD%2F~5%2FfaNBdokhlkw%2F665003303001_1398811953001_WEB-INSdoh-0822-18.mp4&h=zAQEiGSLSAQGLL5f3PDNqTPIfhGfx9cAei_sKRP--FkkbIA

While mostly peaceful, the protests/riots have gotten a bit dicey in Bucharest, with over 60 injured by flying rocks and debris-there have been numerous conflicts with the police. The Peace Corps has been diligiently following these incidents and have kept up posted with daily texts and emails. As of now, we are no longer allowed to travel to the capital, Bucharest, until further notice. Just today, over 10,000 Romanians gathered there to protest, and its better we just stay away for now. We have also been advised to stay out of all large cities and to be inside by dark.

Today, we also found out that some cities are holding teacher strikes-Timisoara being one of those cities. I'm not sure how this will affect me in the next few weeks but I will keep you posted. As of right now, we are attending school as usual and keeping an eye on the daily news.

Senior Pictures

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-01-18 20:41:28

So this week I am getting to experience a highschool senior staple, the infamous senior picture photo shoot! The main difference between here and the states is that the photographer comes to the school. the class that is having their photo shoot that day doesn’t have any classes and the photog sets up shop in [...]

Voroneț Monastery

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Two Years In The Making

2012-01-18 08:57:00

Some of the most sublime features in our region of Romania are the painted monasteries of Bucovina. Back in July we visited the Voroneț Monastery, built in 1488, during the reign of Ștefan cel Mare. The exterior paintings were done during his son's reign in the mid 1500s. The west wall is the most amazing, in its nearly perfect state of preservation. The paint itself is only a fraction of a millimeter thick, and the beautiful blue color cannot be exactly reproduced to this day. The recipe for Voroneț blue and the explanation for its preserved state are both deep mysteries. Some might even call them miracles.The west wall tells the story of judgement day. You can see the white, Christian Romanians going to heaven, and the dark-skinned Islamic Turks being judged harshly. In fact the monastery was built to celebrate a successful battle in the region. There are many parts of this fresco that I do not understand. There are animals who look like they have eaten humans, with body parts hanging out of their mouths. There are people dressed in something like a mummy wrap in square boxes or boats. There is a scene with an octopus and a whale, with a giant human holding a large ship. There is also a curious mixture of astrology with zodiac symbols across the top of the scene. This single fresco seems rich enough in its symbolism for a PhD thesis. Something to do after the Peace Corps?

Fieni

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Two Years In The Making

2012-01-16 17:15:00

The computer I use to edit photos has been out of service for a while, but it's back in business. Now I just have a backlog of over 6,000 photos to go through. For those of you complaining that I'm not taking enough pictures, it's definitely not that. The problem seems to be just the opposite! Here are a few new ones from our trip to București and Fieni over the winter break that we took to welcome our fellow volunteer Jon back from a trip to the U.S.

Sara Catches A Feathered Rat.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Sara in Romania

2012-01-16 13:35:00

Soooo for the last 1.5 years I have seen children catch pigeons in the center of Timisoara. I'm always intrigued by this, and was determined to get one of my own.

Well, it happened.

My service is now complete. :)

Cleaning

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-01-15 15:01:44

So, as I was cleaning the house today, I found the letter my future students at the time wrote to their new English teacher. I laughed, I cried, it was glorious. I have decided to retype it below for all of you to see how awesome my kids are Dear Sir or Madam, When [...]

Birthday In the Mountains

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jo in RO

2012-01-15 14:03:41

So it was Varvara’s (one of my English counterpart teachers) birthday on Friday and she invited me to come along to her cabin with her friends and family to celebrate. We got their around 1pm and ended up spending the entire day and well into the night there. Although its only about 12km from Singeorz, [...]

France

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jessica in Romania

2012-01-15 13:13:59

France has always held a very special place in my heart. I started learning French more than a decade ago so that I could someday live in Paris. Three years ago exactly I arrive in Paris to do just that and spent four of the most amazing months of my life studying and working in [...]

The Hostess with the Mostest, Not Quite

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Mo-mania

2012-01-15 12:39:00

When I worked as a barista in college, one of my shift supervisors used to call me Marta Stewart because I had a little too much passion for plating pastries, stocking display shelves, and experimenting with drinks (mind you, this was way before Martha Stewart did jail time). While I always publicly deflected these comments, I also secretly loved them. While I had no desire to run a media empire, I did have a desire to spend my day practicing culinary and creative arts. Today, I still aspire to the idea of being a domestic goddess and love it when care packages include issues of Martha Stewart Living, even if I can't find any of the ingredients to make recipes or do the craft projects.

This coming week I am preparing for the site visit of the Romania Peace Corps Country Director. She visits the site of each volunteer once during their two year service. The visit is informal and can be designed by the volunteer which is lovely, but it got me thinking about what I would actually like to be able to do as a hostess. This is dangerous territory for me because I love to entertain and stateside felt like I could hold my own. In Romania, I feel woefully unequipped.

The first problem comes in my apartment. No matter how much I scrub, I just can't get the floor clean. I believe the flooring is still the communist issue linoleum product that is literally disintegrating, leaving it always vaguely sticky. I have bleached, scrubbed and mopped but to no avail. I just hate that it looks like I am living in filth. There is also issue of the toilet. I won't go into this too much, but each person who needs to use the bathroom in my apartment needs an orientation on how to actually get the toilet to flush.

In my book, part of being a good hostess involves baked goods, but as noted in my previous post, my American recipes don't like my Romanian ingredient substitutes and never quite turn out right. However, on a brighter not I have been able to attain the goal of my previous post by sharing some somewhat imperfect goodies with another PCV, my landlords, and another English teacher. Today, I tested an apple spice cake for the impending visit which was an utter failure and ended up bubbling out of the pan, leaving my poor oven a mess. I still have a couple days until the visit and have one fall back recipe which may work if I can find the necessary ingredients.

I am guess the morale of this blog post is that even 21 months into my service I still feel like I am a beginner in some respects and haven't hit my stride in my Romanian life. I have 6 months left and have come to the realization that I may never feel at home here. I do know that I can survive here which is a great feeling, but I don't think Romania is a place where I can thrive and I am at peace with that.

Alden

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jessica in Romania

2012-01-15 10:13:12

The Peace Corps is an amazing program where people young and old get to travel to countries they may have never even heard of before and then integrate into that culture, speak the language, develop lasting friendships, and in the midst of all that personal growth do something meaningful for their host community and country. [...]

Mom’s Visit and Istanbul

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jessica in Romania

2012-01-14 18:40:58

A few days before Christmas, my lovely mother flew 22 hours from Hawaii (over 30 with layovers) to come see me in Romania in the middle of winter. This is all the proof I need to know she loves me. She was here for around 2 and a half weeks, spent all around the country [...]

Christmas Traditions

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania Jessica in Romania

2012-01-14 17:20:51

Christmas time in a Romanian village is a unique experience filled with traditions passed on from generation to generation. My gazda family were kind enough to allow me to partake in all Christmas has to offer with them. Here are some highlights of my Romanian Christmas experience… The most famous village holiday tradition among us [...]

Istanbul: I’ve Been Grand Bazaared

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00

Romania A Blog Is Not a Home

2012-01-12 18:06:00

After going west for Christmas, I decided to venture east, well southeast, after the New Year. I began my journey by taking three trains to get to Bucharest, via another volunteer’s site, and then a plane to Istanbul.

I was excited to visit Istanbul because it is so different from any other place I’ve ever visited. Just flying into the city allowed me to see how vast, sprawling and crowded it is. There are people everywhere. Given the travelling we had to do to get there, we decided to have an easy first day after checking into our hostel. We took the tram across the bridge to Taksim and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset from the Galata Tower balcony. This city is truly breathtaking and the Tower provides a wonderful panorama of the entire landscape.

Wednesday was our sightseeing day in the old part of the city, Sultanahmet. Our first stop was the Hagia Sophia. First, a Byzantine Church originally built in 360 AD, then a mosque from 1453 until 1931. I spent most of my visit trying to rack my brain for the date of the Nicene Council, 325 AD for those of you wondering, to know if the original Church was built as purely Christian or as Orthodox after the split from Rome. I was correct in my guess that it was originally an Orthodox Byzantine Cathedral. The building itself is mind-blowing. I could easily see how it was the largest cathedral in the world for thousands of years. The inside is a peculiar melding of Christian and Islamic elements, from the ancient mosaics in the upper gallery to the large Arabic language paintings attached to the unbelievable domed ceiling.

While waiting for the Blue Mosque to open from one of the five daily sessions for prayer, we wandered around Hippodrome Park. It was amazing to see an ancient Serpent column from Delphi standing next to an ancient Egyptian obelisk and the Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain. The juxtaposition of these items made me feel just how old this part of the world is. We had a light lunch and then found the Basilica Cistern, which is an underground water system. Of note, the mysterious upside down Medusa head sculptures. There is so much influence from Rome and Greece in Istanbul. It truly was and is a place where East meets West.

The Blue Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque, which we visited the following day, we extremely interesting since they are both beautiful historical structures as well as continue to be fully functioning religious meeting places. When prayers are not taking place, visitors are welcome to enter and gawk at the beautiful and intricate Iznik tiles that decorate the walls and ceilings. It was especially wonderful to be outside the Mosques when the call to prayer started. It was interestingly calming and surprising every time we heard it.

On Thursday, we decided to brave the Grand Bazaar and do some souvenir shopping. By this point we were pretty used to saying no to carpet sellers and we knew what we wanted to buy before we entered, ready to haggle ourselves a good deal. Aisles and aisles of scarves, rugs, leather goods, and jewelry; the Grand Bazaar is a place you can easily get lost in. After some success, we ventured to the Spice Bazaar, as we were told there were more touristy wears to be bought there. The colors and crowd of the Spice Bazaar were overwhelming and very much what I had imagined. We made some quick purchases and escaped back over the river to Taksim for dinner.

We left a major attraction for our last morning in Istanbul: Topkapi Palace. Once the residence for Ottoman Sultans, now it is a museum where you could spend hours closely examining tiled and painted murals, the royal jewel collection, and a collection of royal garments, all on the beautifully manicured grounds of the palace. I could have spent all day there exploring. My favorite highlights included the tiles of the Circumcision Room and Baghdad Kiosk in the fourth courtyard, which also displayed beautiful views across the Bosphorus to the Asia side of the city. Another favorite was the Privy Chamber which housed many holy relics including Moses’ staff and Joseph’s turban; the cynic in me questions the legitimacy of both these items.

This short visit to Istanbul was enough to whet my appetite for the region. I would love to explore more of Turkey and its intricate and varied history and culture.