It has been very interesting around here, in a good way. I am pleased with what I am doing although it may not be the most glamorous thing. Tomorrow I’m heading into the past for a new adventure! Oh my, Homecoming at Trinity, this is me. I come from a strange place and so shall I go. I can’t anticipate all that might happen, but perhaps it’s best not to always be able to do so. It’s nice to have the day off and stay up late – ha!
Tonight I attended a dinner party at my boss’ house. It was a get together themed around Romania, being that her neighbors recently returned from a 17 day package holiday there. We planned the night to consist of purely Romanian food and drink. I made a vat of my famous cauliflower cheese soup, and she made Hungarian chicken, both straight from Pofta Buna (the Peace Corps Romania volunteer generated cookbook.) In addition, we started the evening with a shot of high quality Romanian plum brandy and accompanied the meal with wine imported from Romania (yes, a label that I’d never heard of, but from Romania, is available in Freeport, ME.) After a delightful meal I presented an updated slide show of my Peace Corps experience. It was enjoyable to make the presentation both to my boss and this couple, the latter of which had some particularly insightful comments due in part to their extensive pre-trip reading and limited exposure to the country. When I showed the iconic picture of the town in which I worked, they both immediately recognized the “palace of culture,” a national landmark.
They visited the house of Elie Wiesel (something I was not able to do,) and were impressed with my reports on Jewish life (both past and present) in the country. I guess part of me just liked being teacher, or presenter, again. It’ s enjoyable to have such social events, and I recall fondly the man telling me that he enjoyed living in Brunswick because there was a whole mix of people, not just old folks. Although I grouse about the state of American culture, it is good to see community thriving in some places.
Had a great weekend. Went down to Portland which is a really gay friendly city. Met some guys and went out to the club there, fun! The next day I went with J to Camden where we saw a speech by Jim Hightower which was sponsored by the Maine Civil Liberties Union. Camden was beautiful and I was really excited about my company. After the show we left town (too expensive, but cute) and stopped by Augusta to visit another friend. The whole day entailed a bit more driving than I would have liked, but was well worth it; it’s great to get to know people elsewhere and broaden one’s horizons, after all, I’m no local boy 😉 I have also added a new photo gallery, so check it out and get a feel for Lewiston.
Hi folks, it’s been a long time, but I am still here. Where am I? Well, that depends on when you read this post. For the next few days I’ll be at home in MA and then I’m up to Maine next week. For the past month I’ve been doing quite a few things. Most important to me has been visiting family and friends. My first loop was to see family in both New Jersey and New York – though I didn’t see everyone, I hit up most. Highlights from Jersey included: BBQ at my cousin Bette’s place, Asbury Park’s 4th of July parade with my Aunt, a big family brunch at a diner with Gram and the frozen drinks poolside at the Empress Motel. In New York, I spent some quality time with my Grandparents where I learned more about my Grandfather’s time spent during the Second World War.
After a few days back I did another loop, this time visiting some friends. Thanks to all of you who put me up, and to those I didn’t see, let’s make it happen next time. Highlights from that loop included: seeing the facial expressions of Dan and Trishan upon tasting some of my famous Romanian plum brandy (tuica,) dinner with James at Tisane, the sports bar at Buckland Hills with Rick, beers with Jude and Andrew, Longwood Gardens with Melissa and intense conversation with Jon.
At the end of this second loop I was lucky enough to attend the wedding of my two dear friends Kate and Nate. The event was held at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers, which was the perfect venue for their big day. After the ceremony we caravaned to Revere Beach for ice cream which was just perfect! Meanwhile, I’ve been going to Walden Pond a bit, contemplatin’, eating well, and enjoying my down time.
My next batch of posts will be from Maine where I will be working as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for Campus Compact. Of course, more information will be forthcoming as I learn the ropes there myself. I do hope to have myself situated soon so that I can host visitors. You can now find the final photo album and some videos from Peace Corps Romania in the photo gallery. Thanks for sticking with me during the past two + years, and I hope that I can continue to deliver for this next one… onward!
… for a while. But I’m still here, thinking of a re-design and good stories to tell.
(correctly identify this location and you could write a guest-post on any topic here at workingdefinition!)