27 Luni

As requested, here are a few common words that I’ve learned in Romanian, with the proper accents.  For more, please ask or go to translate.google.com

The following letters sound roughly like this:

ţ : tz

ă : uh

ş: shh

c followed by e: ch.  For example, the name Cesar is pronounced Chezar.

Good Morning: Bună Dimineaţa

Good Day: Bună Ziua

Good Night: Noapte bună

Bye: Pa

I’d like tea: Aş dori ceai

I’m hungry: Mi-e foame

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer: Sunt voluntar la Corpul Păcii

How are you? Ce mai faci?

Please: Vă rog (Formal) Te rog (Informal)

Thank you: Mulţumesc

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten:

unu, doi, trei, patru, cinci, şase, şapte, opt, nouă, zece

The first day of PST wasn’t at all unlike my first day in elementary school where I was undoubtedly escorted by my mother and with a packed lunch.  Since I had no idea where the school was my Gazda mother actually had to walk me there, and since I don’t have my own kitchen, she also kindly packed me a brown bag lunch.  Biggest difference: in the former event my mom added the finesse of a Spiderman Lunch Box.

Though we had our first formal Romanian language lesson today, we still managed to spend a lot of time on administrative tasks that I thought were largely behind us.  The final medical information was passed along, we discussed the detailed schedule for the next ten weeks (our official call of service will be on July 4^th, talk about ironic) and details about how to handle certain political situations in a diplomatic manner.  The language lesson was nothing short of incredible.  This first week we have been broken up into four groups of approximately ten students each (later the groups will be smaller) and we had two instructors tag teaming the group (where in the future we’ll have one at a time).  Peace Corps uses the “Communicative” approach to teaching language where the Professor(s) do not use any of the native language (in this case English).  This, I’m told, is the same method we trainees will use as volunteers in the field.  The instructors introduce a word or concept by showing a picture or acting it out, while speaking the associated words.  Once the concept is clear, the students are asked to repeat after the instructor to ensure proper pronunciation.  For more complex situations like dialog, the students role-play with the instructor as a group and then alone as pairs, then in front of the class and then with members of other classes in the hallway.  I won’t pretend that I had it all down right there on the spot, but you are certainly provided with enough to practice the lesson on your own.

The school is an old communist era (for lack of a better description) block style building.  It’s made mostly of concrete and cinder blocks, with few by the way of amenities.  The bathrooms are coed though they do have full doors for some measure of privacy.  Toilet seats are few and far between and toilet paper is of the “bring your” own variety.  Though Peace Corps does furnish our floor with this luxury.  The toilets flush by pulling what amounts to a rusted coat hanger that is tied to a water reservoir above head.  The classrooms are small, and the desks are clearly designed to be age specific, as, even with my moderate height, I don’t quite fit.  This is an active school for students in the area, however an entire floor has been dedicated specifically to the Peace Corps.   We’ve been outfitted with several small classrooms, a student lounge complete with refrigerator and couch, wireless internet and a couple of offices for the staff.  There is a map of Targoviste on the wall and a bulletin board for providing us with regular updates.  The school isn’t much by American standards, but it will certainly more than suit our needs.

Shortly after returning this afternoon at about 5:30 and starting to complete my homework, my Gazda mother came in asking if I was hungry.  Since the sandwich she made of smoked cheese, ham and obviously bread for lunch was plenty for me I wasn’t quite ready for dinner.  I naively communicated that I was a little (putin) hungry but wouldn’t need/want dinner for sometime.  Moments later she brought in a bowl of chicken soup (ciorba) with a whole chicken wing in it, and a loaf of bread.  Figuring this was dinner I saw no harm in digging in early.  No more than ten minutes later she unexpectedly brought in an actual dinner; two plates full of sautéed ham, sausages, mashed potatoes and more of the cabbage rolls from Saturday night.  This is more food than I would eat in two full days let alone one sitting.  In an effort not to offend, I cleaned my plate(s).  Thinking that was the end of it I sat down to write out this blog post.  Guess what happened next, that’s right, dessert.  Gogoasa (donuts), three to be precise.  In discussing the differences between the American circular donut with the customary hole in the middle versus this tube shaped version, she mentioned they often come with chocolate.  Next thing I know I not only have three donuts in my hand but a jar of Chocremo, a Nutella like product, too.  Think that’s it?  Nope, as I worked through my third donut she brought three more, as I type they are sitting on the coffee table next to the Chocremo staring at me.  I’ll say one thing about my time in Romania I certainly won’t go hungry.

This day was probably one of the fastest that I’ve ever experienced.  I have a feeling this ten weeks is going to fly by incredibly fast.  Should have internet at home with in the next few days, and perhaps a cell phone depending on if the “modification” to my iPhone worked.

P.S.  Typically the Romanian words I place above actually have accents, so they are not actually pronounced the way you may think.  Feel free to look them up on Google Translator for the actual spelling.

Some would say that to become a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) takes sacrifice; one gives up many typical amenities associated with life in the United States, two years of income, not to mention lost opportunities with state-side family and friends.  However, matching this with unencumbered generosity are the numerous host families that voluntarily bring PCVs into their homes for the three-month duration of Pre-Service Training (PST) and sometimes, the full two-year tour.

Introduced to my host family (Gazda) just today (Saturday), I was instantly welcomed into the family.  The English speaking young brother met me at the Hotel Valahia after lunch this afternoon.  All 39 of the Peace Corps Trainees  were ushered into the main conference room of the hotel and directed to sit at one of many long rows of tables in front of a two-sided name tent.  On one side was the name of the trainee, first name followed by last, and on the other side was the name of a Gazda family member, surname first, given name second.  As the Gazda representatives were brought into the room a still and nervous silence gave way to a roaring flurry of brutally butchered versions of the Romanian language.  Many students having practiced all morning to deliver their choice words: “Buna ziua, im pare bine domnle. Ma cheama … , ce mai faceti?, ” most vocal attempts came out completely unintelligible in any language.  Having been briefed, the Gazda knew what to expect, and in my case, piped up with nearly perfect English.  My Gazda young brother happens to be home for the weekend from a university in Brosov where he studies Engineering, and was nominated (as the best English speaker in the immediate family) to pick me up.  As it turns out, I am their third Peace Corps Trainee to be welcomed into their home.

In a whirlwind of an afternoon, I was introduced to several members of the family (one of which is an adorable 18 month old girl), given the block style apartment tour, tested out the newly installed standard issue PC water purification system and kindly escorted around town in search of the best possible deal on a wireless router so they could share their internet connection.  The best price, in the end, turned out to be online, COD….no kidding.  As a side note, I’m told that Romania has the second fastest Internet speeds in Europe, faster than the US.  My Gasda brother and I had a high-level compare and contrast discussion between Romanian and U.S. governmental politics, turns out that some frustrations are global, with U.S. politics pale in comparison to the complexity of the Romanian system.  My Gazda mother, couldn’t possibly be more attentive.  She thoroughly and routinely has ensured that I’m comfortable and that I have everything I need.  For instance, she phoned her last Peace Corps Trainee who is currently serving in another part of the country, so that he could introduce himself.  Chris unnecessarily reassured me that this was a great family and that he continues to keep in regular communication with them.  Icing on the cake is that the apartment is within five minutes walking distance of the PST school.  Perhaps to put the level of this families generosity into perspective; they have temporarily converted their living room into a private bedroom to accommodate Peace Corps home stay requirements.  The living room, complete with pull out couch, dinning room table, temporary stand-up dresser and multiple bookshelves (already full of Romanian novels), also has a private patio, loaded with plants.  This room easily represents a large part of their total space and is possibly larger than any other single bedroom in the apartment (never mind it houses their television).  Finally, when asked about laundry facilities, Doina’s response: “I do the laundry, and you study Romanian!”

Dinner Saturday night was a traditional Romanian dish, Moussaka, which is seasoned ground meat rolled into cabbage leaves.  On the side was Mamaglia, a traditional polenta like dish, and two different kinds of cheese.  One of which can apparently not be bought in the stores, as individual sheep farmers make it in the mountains, and its unpasteurized.  I’m technically not allowed to eat it (due to PC regulations), though I didn’t know the details until after the first delicious bite.  My Gazda sister-in-law made a phenomenal chocolate cake with walnuts on top, and has only asked in return that I make pancakes (she was made aware of my culinary school background), though what I gather from further explanation indicates she may really be looking for desert style crepes.

The whole idea of learning language through immersion is serious business and potentially very effective.  Once my Gazda brother goes back to school Monday I will be the only English speaker in the house, which means I will either have to sink or swim.  Today my conversations responses to Doina, largely consist of “Da, Nu Inteleg, Va Rog, and Multumesc.”  Though, based on my exposure to several PCVs, the training team and the amount I have already learned in the past couple days, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.   Peace Corps certainly seems to have every possible base covered and is doing everything they can to ensure the success of each Peace Corps Trainee.

The first real day of training begins on Monday, during which time I will have Internet (until the router arrives at the apt) and should be able to post this entry.  In the meantime “noapte buna”

After a whirlwind of activity, the first few days are coming to a close. Based on what I can tell, the weeks to come could prove just as intense.

Tuesday basically consisted of an all day orientation, with lots of activities geared towards introducing us to each other and to what we can expect as volunteers. We performed skits demonstrating the core values of the Peace Corps, drew diagrams outlining Peace Corps’ three goals and participated in various ice breakers. All and all the day was a success; many of the group’s concerns, fears, and apprehensions were addressed in a serious but fun environment.

Wednesday and Thursday were largely travel days. Take approximately 20 hours in transit door to door, add a seven hour time difference and you end up with one seriously jet lagged group. All and all the traveling was smooth, though there were a few small snafus. The following are among my favorite. One volunteer lost her brand new Peace Corps passport at the airport, miraculously recovering it from a competing airline’s front desk, another volunteer realized after boarding our MUC to OPT flight that he left his laptop at security, and topping the list, was our JFK flight being delayed by almost an hour because Air Force One needed to come in for a landing. Perhaps most ominous of all was the fact that our flight departure from New York and arrival to Munich were shrouded in super dense fog. This is the type of fog I wouldn’t want to drive in let alone fly.

After arriving at Henri Coanda Airport in Bucharest, and quickly getting through customs, a large contingent of current Peace Corps staff and volunteers greeted us, including the Country Director for the program. She had memorized each of our names based on the passport photos we submitted months ago. The rest of the staff was very warm and welcoming as well, offering us bottled water and fresh made pretzels for the trip to our training post in Targoviste. We loaded our luggage, close to 160 bags in total, on to the bus (outfitted with a trailer) and honked our way through traffic to the hotel. This trip afforded us the opportunity to get our first glimpses of the Romanian country side, dotted with farms, derelict houses, and cinderblock electric pools.

Once at the hotel, we were given some time to roam around, and then reconvened for a group meal. Four courses, including fish, salad, beef and a desert bread roll. A few new friends and I sat with the Director of Program Training and Development, successfully picking his brain on the many questions we had come up with during our travels. The Hotel Valahia is reminiscent of a typical Hostel, low on amenities, unresponsive staff, stiff towels and an old, dingy decor, but for tonight and tomorrow night it’s home.

Off for one more errand before bed, vaccinations…

About two months ago, a member of my Peace Corps Romania Group 28 created a Facebook page. This has been an invaluable resource as we prepare for service. The page connects new volunteer trainees with existing two, three and even four year volunteers, while also building the sense of community among our fellow newbies. Early on in the page’s infancy someone posted an icebreaker which encouraged us to introduce ourselves by addressing a few simple questions, among which was this: What are you most and least looking forward to as you embark on Peace Corps service? The posts correlating to the first part of this question “most” were, perhaps, what you might expect; excitement, adventure and the opportunity to help those less fortunate while also learning a new language. In reading the responses of my peers I found the latter topic focusing on “least” to be most interesting. The typical response sounded something like this: “I least look forward to leaving my friends and family behind.” This of course makes sense, we are after all a social people, but admittedly these sentiments caught me somewhat off guard. I had been so focused on preparation, packing, and the upcoming adventure that I had given the subject little thought.

Today, I am on the last leg of a multi-city trip to say “Goodbye for now.” Richmond, Boston, Durham, Fayetteville, Boulder, San Jose, San Diego, Cabo San Lucas (unexpectedly), and Baltimore. This itinerary is a testament to how lucky I have been to meet and know so many fine people. Each of which will make leaving for service both difficult and easy. Difficult, because it will be hard migrating from a network of people who care for one another, to a tour largely defined by the solitude of the unfamiliar. Easy, because I am able to draw on their support and the strengths I have developed as a result of such positive exposure with this eclectic group of people. So rather than focus on the downside of leaving behind (temporarily) these fine folks, I choose to focus on the upside: Who is coming to visit in Romania!

As anyone likely to be reading this blog already knows, I will be shipping off for a twenty-seven month tour with the Peace Corps; serving in the Eastern European country of Romania. Many of you have expressed an interest in being kept abreast of this adventure; thus 27 Luni has been born (Thanks to Tim for your assistance in making this possible).

The intention of this initial post is to lay the ground work for this blog and to set some expectations. 1) I offer no guarantee of frequent posting, though I will endeavor to post, at minimum, monthly. 2) This blog is not intended to be a literary work of genius. Though I promise to run a quick spell check before publishing, I will inevitably have grammatical mistakes. Please shoot me a quick email if you see any egregiously bad English. After all, my Peace Corps charge will be teaching English as a second language. 3) The purpose of this blog, in my mind, is to chronicle the events of the next twenty-seven months (luni). Although I hope you find some value in the future content of this blog, I offer no promise of any true inspiration, just the facts and some analysis of the experience. 4) Please feel free to email, or post questions. If there are particular aspects of Romanian life or culture that you are interested in learning more about, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate your request in a future post.

Okay, on to some actual content. The best way I can think of to introduce this blog is by addressing one of the most commonly asked questions about this endeavor: “Why are you doing this?”

As Daniel Craig’s character, Mr. X, says in one of my favorite movies, Layer Cake: “That’s an expansive question.” There are many reasons that have commingled to influence this new path I’m taking. I won’t pretend that there is some singular, enormously selfless or altruistic drive influencing me to drop everything and volunteer my time to save the world. Though, I do believe in the Peace Corps’, first of three, missions; to “Help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.” Having said that, there are a lot of events taking place that I find to be unsettling; Americas involvement in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya, the growing divide and ineptness among our politicians in the United States, the worsening reality of our education system and the sensationalism of today’s media, just to name a few. As Mahatma Ghandi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” These contemporary challenges, though daunting, won’t change themselves. Only through education and action on the part of the populous can we hope to improve things. It’s my hope that through Peace Corps service, I can have a small positive impact on the less fortunate and to help improve America’s global image.

On another note, put simply, I needed a career change. In Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, the author notes that the purpose of life is a life of purpose (Thanks Ashley for the lend). Although I’ve had a rewarding career as a Sales Professional and met a lot of great people, there is very little positive moral impact to the world in selling widgets. The thought of spending the rest of my life in a claustrophobic cubicle making cold calls was more than I could bear. So what better way to launch a new career than by starting on the ground level of foreign service in the Peace Corps.

Two weeks from today my plane will land in Bucharest and this new adventure will finally get started. I hope you’ll join me in spirit and through following this blog.