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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