Camping in Bezid

My first weekend as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) was a fun one even if I was treated a little like a kid because they think I can‘t speak as much Romanian as I actually can. Camping was interesting because of the diverse group of people: Relu and Dana, my community mentors, and some of their friends including a couple that only spoke French. It was beautiful in Bezid. Bezid is a lake situated in the hills about an hour away from Tarnaveni. When the water level is low you can even see the steeple of a church from an old town that now lies at the bottom of the lake.
We went swimming, fishing, and cooked-out! Cooking out is different here…they seriously prepare entire meals from start to finish right out in the open. Generally speaking, in the States, we do most of the prep work before leaving and then just put stuff together at the campsite. I officially ate pig fat for the first time and it wasn’t too bad. We grilled chicken and mici (the Romanian version of a burger I guess is what I’d call it) and had a delicious dish with peppers, potatoes, onions, and sausages! It was nice spending more time outdoors because over the past few days I’ve had to stay home waiting for the cable and internet guys to come.
Although camping was fun…there were lots of moments that made me miss home, and I realized that I am more homesick than I thought. Don’t get me wrong, I like it here; but I have nothing to do in August so that gives me a lot of time to think about what I’m missing out on at home! Relu even told me that I looked like he did when he first went to the US. The hardest parts were when we were sitting around the campfire…I have lots of fond memories that start out that way even if some of them involve being pelted with marshmallows or having cop cars flying through cornfields toward us. Haha! Good times! Anyway, I’m creating some great new memories and stories to share with you all; just don’t forget about me. I want to hear your stories from home too even if you do think they are boring! Well that’s enough for this post I guess. Here are some pictures of Bezid for you to enjoy. Notice the Cadillac with Michigan license plates...that's the vehicle we took camping! Small world ehh!?