Well, it has been quite a while since the last update, so there is much to report.

First of all, I feel that I’ve not really been saying much about Romania. In all honesty, for the first few weeks here, I was not really here, instead still very much in Uzbekistan. But it has been over a month, and though its been difficult, I’m now more ready than ever to commit myself to Romania for two years.

I am writing this post from inside one of the two schools at which I will be teaching. This past weekend, all the volunteers from this group gathered to meet their counterparts. Just yesterday, I traveled with them to what will be, beginning August 5th, my new (new new new new …) home.

Here is a map breakdown:

The first map should be helpful because is shows Romania in relationship to not only the rest of Europe, but also Central Asia. The second map shows exactly where my new city, Targu Mures, is located. As you can see, the city sits right in the middle of Transylvania. The pictures of the schools should give you and idea of how old they are. I’ve heard from many people that these two schools are the best in the city and well respected throughout the country.

So really, pretty much everything here is different than Uzbekistan. Let’s start with the banal – weather. Whereas in Uzbekistan, summertime meant no rain, here it’s rained nearly every day. And I’m not talking about a drizzle, but intense rains. In fact, yesterday, once I arrived at what will be my host family for the first two months here, it hailed. Sadly, this has meant that much of Romania is flooding, causing huge damages.

Culturally, Romania is also very different from Uzbekistan. I am going to need more time for a thorough analysis of this issue, but what I can say is that there are a lot of different influences flowing through this society. For instance, although most of the country is made up of Romanians, there is a substantial Hungarian minority. In fact, in my city, the breakdown is about 60-40. This means, on a larger scale, that I’ll get access to not just one, but two distinct cultures, and, on a smaller scale, that I’ll have to learn a little Hungarian in addition to Romanian… There is also a large Gypsy population throughout the country. I will write more about the Gypsies here later.

In regards to language, Romanian is complex but logical. For instance, all nouns have a gender, and plurals follow only loose rules. But, my Latin background (4 years in HS) is giving me a bit of the boost; it’s hard, but for the most part, it makes sense. I have higher expectations of myself regarding learning this language than I did in Uzbekistan.

What I can say so far is that this country is full of extremes and contradictions. For instance, the other day when I had to go to the train station with another volunteer from my training town, as I opened the gate to my house, I saw here coming up the street in a carutsa. A carutsa is a horse drawn wooden carriage – and a common site outside of most of the major cities here. Just the previous day, though, I was taken shopping with my family. We went to a place called Sellgros, which was on the outskirts of a nearby city. The store was much like a Costco or Sam’s Club; it had everything (including an impressive liquor display,) and everything was in bulk. It was packed with not only products ready to be consumed, but also consumers.

Walking down the streets, everyone looks amazing – funky outfits, gelled hair, the latest, greatest, and most annoying cell phones. But we’ve been told by numerous people, that often this exterior glamor comes at the cost of a poorly stocked refrigerator at home. So it’s difficult to understand – how much of what I see really is? and where does priority lay for different individuals? I hope that as I explore the history of this place (and man, there’s lots of it,) that I will better come to understand where this society is now, and in what ways it views its future.

As the general English level here is much higher, I’m beginning to feel that my work will be more rewarding for me as a teacher, and that I’ll be able to get into the complex issues, debates and modes of artistic expression that help shape an informed modern citizen. Though I must admit, the immediacy of need here does not feel as great, and I still think of the young Uzbeks who have few if no alternative avenues to learn about the world beyond their borders. But life is a trade off, a compromise. Here I am and I can do it.

From Romania,

Quick update. Today we started practicum, so I got to stand in front of some kids and teach. It went quite well, but I can’t fool myself. The students who come for this practicum have voluntarily decided to forgo two lazy summer weeks and take English classes. Though it isn’t as accurate a representation of school life as the UZ practicum (we had practicum during the school year,) it is nonetheless fun. The students in the high school aged group mostly were very good in English. I had them interview each other and present to the class. It was my covert method of finding out what they are interested in. I’ve found that blanket questions addressed to the entire class, such as, “what do you want to study?” tend to produce nothing but blank stares. I’ll also be able to view my new colleagues as they teach, which should be fun – hopefully I’ll pick up some new methods for round 2.

Also, I was able to speak to another transfer volunteer today. His situation was an evac from China because of SARS after 1 year of service. It was so great to finally talk about transfer specific issues and get some support. What’s even nicer is that he decided to come himself, and wasn’t at all prodded by PC. Still it is a bit of a drag, but whatever, I’ve just got to keep going with it. Email updates keep trickling in from other former UZ-18’ers, and though the disappointment is still palpable, it does not seem like anybodies life has come to a screeching halt; in fact most have been re-assigned, are going through PST again, or have moved on with life.

This past weekend I went hiking with some of the other volunteers at my site. It was about a three and a half hour hike (after a 45 minute loop…) to a small resort ski town. It was a perfect day for the hike, cool, with the sun coming in and out of the clouds. The surroundings here are so different than Uzbekistan and are more like back home. The forests are tall and dark and dense, just beautiful. Once we arrived at the town we had some mici (grilled meat) and beer before hiking it back. I can’t wait till the winter because this is a skiing country! Now the problem will be finding the money to do so 😛 Just doing little things like that are proving to be very beneficial. I think we have some in country trips coming up, but I’m not sure. The more to do the better.

The previous entry was a little morose and confused. Although I certainly do not want to back away from that… it was genuine, I think it time to post an update. The past few days here have seen things get better. There is one story in particular that I’d like to share.

I brought a lawn chair outside to read a book. As I was sitting there I hear a scratching noise by the main gate to my host (gazda) family’s house. I didn’t think much of it, and ended up going to the store and buying a few things. Well later in the day I’m back to the book and again I hear the noise, scratch scratch on metal. This time I want to get to the bottom of it so I head over to the gate and locate the source. From what I can tell, some kind of animal had become trapped in the gutter pipe. So I bring my flashlight down from my room and prop the ladder up to the roof. I shine the light in the pipe and… nothing! The animal had obviously retreated in fear of my presence. But I knew it was in there and trapped. So, luckily without my gazda family seeing, I dissasemble the pipe. I give it a little shake, and out from the bottom comes a little bird. It flew away chirping.

This little incident had a great impact on me. If I had not been there, that little bird would most likely have died in the pipe.

That and the fact that things have been improving on other fronts. I feel like I’m more part of the group – if not the entire group than at least those individuals in my satelite town. Language is difficult, but conceptualy it makes perfect sense. It’s finaly becoming sunny and the weather is delighful for a beer or two in a nearby outside cafe with some of the group. In a week, I’ll again start teaching (the practicum,) so perhaps with that I’ll feel even more like I’m doing something positive.

So all in all, I think I’ll stick it out. Don’t be fooled, though, it’s not yet completely right and I’m not here 100%. But, I’m here more than I was a few days ago, and I think I’ve reached a level at which I can continue throughout PST #2. This is a big step forward, and I can only hope that things continue on track. Thanks you all,