I am now speaking the language well enough that people can understand my simple sentences. I have traveled a little bit as well. I have gone to Brasov, about 3 hours away by train into the mountains, where I spent a weekend with volunteers my age. We stayed in a hostel, had our own room and took over the kitchen for dinner. The city is beautiful and reminds me of one of the German towns. It was much influenced by German architecture.
I then went to Sibiu which is in the heart of the highest Carpathian mountains. It was beautiful. It reminded me of the Smokey's as the coulds were rising from the trees, but yet the mountains with snow are more like the Rockies.
I will be staying in Ploiesti for 2 years working with the Environmental Protection Agency. I will be working with kids in schools and we have yet to determine other projects. I have some ideas and my counterpart at the EPA also has some ideas that we need to discuss at a later date. I will have another Peace Corps volunteer with me in the city. He teaches English and has one more year here.
In this country, there are a lot of Roman ruins. I went to the first Capitol of Dacia, which was basically Romania in the time of Christ. The ruins date back to 100 B.C. Children run on top of the ruins. It was quite a shock to me that you can touch them and walk on them. There are also many old cathedrals with beautiful frescoes painted on the outside. I have also been to medieval castles and then newer castles. Many of their rulers came from outside Romania--with some being German.
The educational system is much more formal here. Children stand when a teacher comes in the room. Children do not speak unless spoken to. When you let them know that it is ok, they really open up. I had a great time on a school trip with kids. They asked me questions in English and I answered those questions in Romanian. At first it was hard for them to correct my grammar, but once they saw how much I needed it, they had a great time. We both enjoyed comparing our countries. I will try to post some pictures from my travels, but we will see how it works. Come visit me, it is a beautiful country.
