in the news: Biden and PCRO
Just a quick shout-out… Joe Biden was here in Romania… and met with PC colleagues. Word. http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=1497 text AND picture!
in the kitchen: happenings
So a few updates on happenings in our Romanian Kitchen… Apple Butter: I tried this recipe with mixed results. Of course, I didn’t have frozen apple concentrate or apple brandy, so I substituted apple juice. It ended up soupier than we wanted, but that became a mixed blessing. After putting it through a strainer, we […]
in the community: Dealul Plesului & Monumentul Eroilor
Saturday we decided to be productive around the house (while monitoring our centrala) and then explore the hills around our town a bit more. From the main street in town, you can see a monument in the hills and we’ve been itching to find our way up there. After a looking at a map a […]
on the road: weekendul lui old peeps
So this weekend, a small group of old peeps PCVs descended upon our hamlet to see what we had to offer. Well, that entailed a castle (cetate), monasteries, cheap Moldovan wine and whine, and some red beans, rice, and carnati. Hopefully a good time was had by all. (Note: As David and I had been […]
in the community: a new friend. . .
Just like in small-town America, being the local priest/preacher in a Romanian town means you know everyone. Fortunately for us, we’ve been befriended/adopted by a local Orthodox priest — Parinte Vasilescu. He’s also a retired French teacher and the father of one of David’s counterparts. I made the mistake of telling him that my mom […]
in the news: Peace Corps anniversary
From the PC Press Release: “At 2:00 am on October 14, 1960, then-Senator John F. Kennedy spoke to a gathering of the students at the University of Michigan who were waiting for hours to hear the presidential candidate speak in Ann Arbor. On the steps of the University of Michigan Student Union, President Kennedy challenged […]
about romania: sarut mana
Sarut mana…. means kissed hand literally. It’s said to women by children and men as a sign of respect. I LOVE it. It’s a tad chivalrous, touching (in a non-demonstrative sort of way), and old-fashioned. Plus it makes me feel quite feminine. During training, while achieving my goal of getting Romanians to smile, I often […]
in the kitchen: canning & baking & sharing
On Saturday, I was quite domestic. I canned salsa (made from Gretel’s recipe). Handed one can off to Melody when she visited on Sunday. I made cookies and brownies. (Cookie recipe is OK; Brownie recipe is quite tasty.) Then I shared the goodies and played cards with the kids from the bloc. Good eats, good […]
on the job: finding my niche
So I’ve been having some challenges on the job recently. I keep telling myself that I haven’t even hit the 2-month mark at site. And, really, when have I known what I’m doing at any job that I’ve had only two months? So yes, plenty of bumps in the road. Right now, in my relationship […]
anecdote: amazing tale from a craptastic day
Yesterday was crappy — craptastically crappy on just about every front. Some of the crappiness I’ll say is part of the Peace Corps rollercoaster experience and existing in ambiguity. The other part is just crap. Rather than spewing all the crappiness, I just want to share one bit that had me looking at plane tickets […]