6 months at site...1.5 years to go...

6 months at site ?s

As of today, 13-2-15, i have been at site (Vasilcău) for 6 months! Below are Stesi and my ”6 months at site ?s”:

Compare and contrast how you thought your service would be by this point, and how it actually is.

I tried NOT to have a lot of expectations when i decided to join PC. Stesi and i read a lot of RPCVs' books, articles, etc., so i feel like i was pretty well prepared with expectations, or lack thereof. That said, I DID think i'd be better with the language by now...which is quite the bummer to me at the moment.

What do you do in your free time...if you have free time?

I don't have a lot of free time because i have to write A LOT of lesson plans every week, and they're NEVER-ENDING!!! But, when i can, i try to read (i'm waaaaaay behind in our book club), write letters, write in my journal, watch church on-line, watch NetFlix...

How has "integrating" into the community been going?

Hmmmmmm... integrating into my community is a tough one for a couple reasons: 1) the forever and ever language barrier and 2) even when i try to speak the language, the conversation doesn't go far, cuz i suck, so i end up spending most of my time in my closet writing LPs.

If you have any type of media, what do you watch, read, listen to, etc?

At night i usually try to read a little (trying to catch up on the book club) and then i veg out (for 1-2 hours) on NetFlix. I'm currently watching "House of Cards", but i mix it up with movies here and there. I also listen to music EVERYDAY from my computer or iPhone for sanity. 

Do you have any new hobby's?

It's a surprise...

What's at least one thing new that you've learned since being at site?

Mama-G taught me how to clean, prepare, and start a fire in my soba (heating thingy), and i actually like it! It's kinda cathartic for me!

What time do you usually go to bed?

It varies. Since i'm already in my closet for most of the day anyway, and the sun goes down around 6p now, i try to go to sleep by 10p...but i've been having trouble sleeping lately, so there are many nights of little to no sleep.

What do you typically eat everyday? - what do you "still" like and what are you sick of?

Breakfast: 1) instant coffee 2) usually oatmeal cooked with milk, with raisins (sent from home) and brown 

     sugar (sent from home)

Snack: 2 soft-boiled eggs and a piece of fruit (apples right now) and more instant coffee

Lunner: usually with Mama-G and it varies, but commonplace are vodka (for "good health" and "many years", of 

     course), zeamă (chicken soup) and bread

I still LOVE my oatmeal and fresh milk!! 

I'm completely over frkn zeamă!

What does your typical "work" day look like?

1) wake up between 7-8a (7a for my 1 class a week that starts at 8:15a)

2) drink coffee & pee

3) get dressed for school (yup, i wear a skirt and blouse [that's a weird word...blouse] every day)

4) say "La revedere și o zi bună” ("Goodbye and have a good day!) to Mama-G

5) leave house and say hi to Nicolae, our dog

6) walk to school

7) teach health ed

8) return home, say hi to Nicolae, put on pj's, eat breakfast, drink more coffee, and write lesson plan for next day

9) eat snack

10) back to lesson planning...

11) eat lunner with Mama-g

12) go back to room and try to finish lesson plan

13) finally get frustrated, tell myself i'll finish it tomorrow, and read and/or write

14) watch NetFlix

15) try to sleep before it starts all over again...

What are you so over, but you still hafta do for the next 1.5 years?

- lesson planning in Romanian!

- only bathing occasionally (like every 2 weeks)