Sometimes things keep me up at night. I'm one of those people that can't really turn off the brain when head meets pillow. I've never minded this much. More often than not it has been a sign that I need some one-on-one time with God. I don't make time for meditation and prayer as I should...sometimes it takes my spirit stirring at 2 in the morning to get me back on track. God meets me right where I am, and I'd wager the same is true for you whether you know it or not. Currently you'll find me sitting on my bedroom floor, reading Romans, swatting mosquitos, and listening to Romanian dance music from the bloc next to mine.
On this balmy, August night while reading through Romans, I got the wake-up call my soul has needed. The challenges for my 2nd year of Peace Corps have quickly been presenting themselves. I wasn't prepared for them; or rather I had prepared myself on my own accord rather than on God's. I guess I'm telling you all this because I need some accountability. I know the next 11 months are going to go fast. In some ways I welcome this because it brings me back home all that much sooner; however it also means I only have a short time in which to help my community. It'll all be okay. I know that...it always is. I just need to "lean not on my own understanding"...you know what I mean.
Romans 8:28 & Romans 12:1-2
Friday, August 28, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Summer is almost over
I heard this the other day, and I wanted to share it with you to give you a tiny idea of the size of Transylvania. Transylvania is a geographic region of Romania, east of Hungary, approximately the size of the state of Indiana. That's right! Go Hoosiers!
It's been a great summer for me here in Romania. I've lived the village life, hiked in the untouched landscape of Transylvania, working a summer camp, learned a bit of Hungarian, spent time with my fellow volunteers, learned a few things about myself, and much more.
One of my favorite parts of the summer was visiting another volunteer who works a farm in the center region of the country. Even though it is the heart of Romania, 90%+ of the population speaks Hungarian. I went out to get to know some of the volunteers from Group 24 I hadn't met yet. It was a blast! We worked alongside some British conservation volunteers on a work holiday, and we went out to the Vârghis Gorge to camp with them for a few days. I helped mark some trails, built an outhouse door, saw a newborn baby foal, swam in what I think was the Mures River, and generally enjoyed communing with nature. It was nice to experience the food, culture, and surroundings with people that haven't been here in Romania for an extended period of time. Sometimes I forget just how spectacular it is! A highlight would have to be the first night we were camping out in the gorge, A few of us volunteers, the British volunteers, Hungarians, Romanians, and Rroma (gypsy) all gathered around a campfire during a beautiful meteor shower. We sang along with people playing the guitar and banjo. We drank some palinka. It was amazing!
School doesn't officially start here until the middle of September. I'm not sure if you all remember that from last year or not. I'm a little nervous about it because I know once school starts my Peace Corps service will quickly, maybe even frantically, come to an end. However, I am ready for year 2 and for the challenges, failures, and successes!
It's been a great summer for me here in Romania. I've lived the village life, hiked in the untouched landscape of Transylvania, working a summer camp, learned a bit of Hungarian, spent time with my fellow volunteers, learned a few things about myself, and much more.
One of my favorite parts of the summer was visiting another volunteer who works a farm in the center region of the country. Even though it is the heart of Romania, 90%+ of the population speaks Hungarian. I went out to get to know some of the volunteers from Group 24 I hadn't met yet. It was a blast! We worked alongside some British conservation volunteers on a work holiday, and we went out to the Vârghis Gorge to camp with them for a few days. I helped mark some trails, built an outhouse door, saw a newborn baby foal, swam in what I think was the Mures River, and generally enjoyed communing with nature. It was nice to experience the food, culture, and surroundings with people that haven't been here in Romania for an extended period of time. Sometimes I forget just how spectacular it is! A highlight would have to be the first night we were camping out in the gorge, A few of us volunteers, the British volunteers, Hungarians, Romanians, and Rroma (gypsy) all gathered around a campfire during a beautiful meteor shower. We sang along with people playing the guitar and banjo. We drank some palinka. It was amazing!
School doesn't officially start here until the middle of September. I'm not sure if you all remember that from last year or not. I'm a little nervous about it because I know once school starts my Peace Corps service will quickly, maybe even frantically, come to an end. However, I am ready for year 2 and for the challenges, failures, and successes!
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