Director Tschetter Visit

Today we had the honor of meeting the Director of the Peace Corps, Ronald Tschetter. It was nice to be reminded about why we are all here and of the general mission of the Peace Corps. For those of you who don't know...the Peace Corps has 3 main goals. (We've gone over them many times over the last few weeks)

1)Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2)Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3)Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

These goals represent the primary purpose of the Peace Corps which is obviously the international promotion of peace and friendship. Director Tschetter stated that the Peace Corps is the "gold standard of volunteerism." While I am in no position to declare what is the best...I'm proud to be a part of an agency that is well-respected and genuinely concerned with the well-being of the collective world.

With that being said, it was great to meet Director Tschetter. It was even better to get some free shwag...even if it is just a Peace Corps patch and pin.

Tomorrow Romania plays it's first game in the UEFA (Union of European Football Association). I can't wait to watch it. I think I'm slowly starting to become a fan of soccer...especially since most of the guys are so hot! haha!

Constant state of awkward.

So you know that one part in Forrest Gump where he’s sitting on the bench and he tells the lady that just got off work that her shoes look comfortable; and in return she says “my feet hurt.” Well I have been having that conversation in my own head over the past few days. Just thought I’d mention this to invoke some sympathy from one of my avid readers… (haha I know there’s like 3 of you!) I’m not sure conversations actually happen on park benches in Romania because all I see people doing is making out! I am not used to this much PDA!

Funny things happen everyday and because this morning I woke up and felt like I’d rather be getting a root-canal at the dentist or being lowered into the pit of snakes in Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, I needed something to brighten my day. Luckily our afternoon classes had a British man named Simon... Needless to say he is pretty entertaining, and I learned some more classroom activities to add to my million I've gathered over the last 6 years.

It’s a little tense at my gazda’s right now (you can almost hear the egg shells crack when I walk into the apartment)…but I’m starting to realize that I don’t know the daily struggles and stresses of my gazda. I need to be understanding and empathize a little with their situation because they have been so supportive of me. There are cultural differences that I can’t comprehend yet. Consequently, I kind of just hang out in my room during the week…I’m trying to study more, read my Bible, and write in my journals. I feel like I’ve been in Romania for months rather than weeks. I really do enjoy it here…I’m just struggling a bit with my gazda and their insistence on treating me like I’m 14. At least I’ll be out and about all weekend. This weekend the Peace Corps Director Ronald Tschetter is going to be in Romania. This is a very big deal, and I’m both excited and nervous to meet him. I’ll write more about all that in my next post.

All of you at home…I miss you so much! I miss everything about Indiana and Wells County. (I'm picturing the opening shots of Hoosiers as Norman Dale is driving through the countryside toward Milan). I miss driving through Bluffton with my windows down and people waving at me. I miss Sunday dinners at Grandma’s after church. I miss Bummies, JBG’s pizza, and El Camino! I miss the smell of fresh cut grass after mom’s mowed. I miss watching the church softball games, playing softball w/ the girls, cookouts, golf, bonfires, Trevor’s baseball games, hanging out with my little brother…I even miss my car (Turtle). So keep that in mind while you are enjoying the comforts of home and the joy of having the ones you love around you. I am jealous, and you better believe I’m gonna live it all up when I get back! For now I’m enjoying adding to my own story and the surprises that come with living in a foreign country…I serve a mighty God and he shows me new things everyday…I hope you can see the big and small blessings in life!

For future info…in August I’ll be posting an address where I can receive mail/packages. If any of you would like to (which would be much appreciated I promise) there are a few things I’ve thought of that I would like.
-DVD copies of movies/tv shows
-Magazines
-Twizzlers, other candy, taco seasoning, and a box of Chef Boyardee pizza
-Pictures or postcards from the U.S.
-A Bluffton News Banner so I can take a picture of myself and be in the paper!! haha
-Letters and stuff!

Pictures

Due to the insane number of requests I've gotten for some pictures...here are a few to tide you over for now!

PST Week 2

So this week is going well, but it's a little intense. The director of the Peace Corps is coming to Romania so everyone is busy preparing for his arrival and subsequent travels around the country. Besides that language class and teaching stuff is taking up the majority of my time...that will always be the case I'm afraid until August 1 so bear with me.

Sunday some of us had a little Romanian dance party with Jessica's gazda (host family). It was a fun time! I've been exploring Ploiesti, and I hope to get out of the city and experience more of Romania very soon. I have been a little lax about taking pictures so I'll have to get better with that. For now I'll post a couple pictures of my walk to the bus and my bloc. I'm definately starting to notice some cultural differences, but I need a little more time in order to articulate them fully using multiple examples. One thing all of us Americans have noticed is that people here will not smile or make eye contact with you on the sidewalk/street. It's also not acceptable for a woman to lock eyes with a man on the street...it's seen as an invitation. It's hard to get used to! Well that is all for now...I'm sorry this isn't longer but I really can't think of much because I'm tired and my whole like is dominated by PST. I promise it'll get better eventually! Until next time this has been Tara, your friendly Peace Corps volunteer (trainee actually) from Romania!