End of Tour

Yesterday I left my site as I have completed my tour. It

is always a bitter sweet time, nostalgic and dreaded.

Despite the initial hardships of integrating, 

new language and adapting to different customs, it

is those challenges that have made this experience a rich one.

I must say at this time that I prefer the way that people

left while I was in Senegal. Those who were leaving usually
would get away around 4 or 5 in the morning. I did this
and it was easier as I walked out alone with my thoughts.

But here in Romania people like to say goodbye ... which is
really great but ... it is also very emotional. Saying goodbye
to the friends I have made and shared so much with over

the last 2 and a half years is difficult. I have a lot of good
memories from my time here and they are the reason why.

As I have mentioned in other blog articles, for me it is not
the end. It is said as one door closes another one opens.
In my case the door on Romania is just about shut.

So as this door closes the thoughts of a new one opening

is ever present. With a new open door comes visions of

meeting new friends and encountering new challenges. It

will seem that in no time the call of Africa and Namibia

will be answered.

I would like to thank the people who came to this blog
over the last few years. As mentioned the Namibian blog
will begin in earnest sometime around the beginning of
March. Hope that you'll consider spending the next
few years reading about some of the new adventures.

Befitting an end I thought it appropriate that

I should post a picture of a Romanian sunset.

.

I am kind of happy

As I mentioned in many other prior articles, I've

been participating and interested in the town's

Roma Dance Troupe.

I really pushed for the Roma Community to have a full

time active dance troupe. From my other experiences

in the other countries I knew that more important than

the activity itself ... was participation.

When I arrived no one in the Roma community

wanted to get involved in anything of that nature.

The poor Roma man that I've worked with must have

wanted to kill me as almost daily I would bug the

heck out of him ... we need a dance troupe

... we need a dance troupe.

Finally after being persistant the Dance Troupe

organized and now they are pretty much full time.

They don't practice consistently but they are

available as the events continue to trickle in.

I must say with pride that the town's Roma dance troupe

is one of the better ones' around. I could just imagine if

they would practice 2 or 3 times a week without taking

time off. But I don't want to push any more as they need

to manage it themselves at this point. I am seeing that

the Troupe is getting regular invitations.

At the moment they are in the middle of practicing

to go on the 6th of December to Hungary to participate

in a minority festival.

For me, as I go to watch the practice session and with

two weeks left here in town ... well ... I am happy to see

that the Troupe has come along. I see that there is a

person willing to take the responsibility of running

the Dance Troupe. I see dancers who've come a long

way during the last year. They have not only improved

their dance skills they have a new 'air' of confidence

and willingness to participate. This is exactly

what my goal was when pushing for the Troupe.

It wasn't just the dancing, it was to find a person willing to

take the lead. It was also to develop the young dancers

confidence and character that only comes with getting out

and seeing new places and meeting new people.

I am very lucky to have been able to see this before leaving.

Time is winding down

  Well, there's three weeks left in Romania. At this time

in the Peace Corps service it is very bittersweet. 

  I'll be leaving new friends behind and in my case, going 

on to meet new friends in another country. It is at this time

that I usually take time to sit with the people

that have been a big part of my life over the past two and

half years.

  There are also surprises right to the end. One in case 

happened just this morning. 

  When I arrived I would go faithfully to this one coffee shop.

I stopped going there about a year ago because the people 

predominately spoke in the Slovakian language (which I 

haven't learned) ... so I would just sit there while people would

have their conversations. The people knew that I couldn't 

understand and I felt (it was pretty obvious) that they didn't

want me to participate in their conversation.

  So, I decided, what ta heck, there are other coffee shops. So

I tried out a couple until finally deciding on one where the people

would speak to me in Romanian. 

  To me, this wasn't a problem at all. If people want to communicate

... good ... if not ... good. 

  This morning on a whim I decided to go to the coffee shop that I used

go to. While I was there I saw the usual group. One of the friendlier 

guys asked me how long I had left and I told him ... two weeks left

in town. So, we started making a conversation while the other 

people were there and somehow in the conversation it came to 

the point that ... I mentioned that all I ever wanted and tried to do 

here was to be open and friendly. 

  The craziest thing happened after that ... everyone spoke in Romanian.

They spoke in Romanian about all topics. I was kind of surprised 

because for two years they spoke Slovakian only when I was around.

  I know that it is the end here but ending with a gesture like that 

makes me feel good. It isn't a big deal, but I like leaving on a high

note.

 I am feeling that Namibia should be better than them all.
I think that all the experiences and things that I've learned
and take with me will make my time there ... the best yet. 

  But, despite the tendency to look ahead I still have the feeling

of leaving some friends behind. But I am happy to have the melancholy 

that comes from it because to feel that way I have had to have made

some connections. 

  Thank goodness to the internet and technology we will stay in touch.

  But, it is about time to close the curtain on Romania. 

  It has been a good time.

It may be a little early to start thinking about this ...

I am talking about a calendar for 2009 that is.

What I did was make a down loadable calendar for
2009 using some pictures of the Roma Dance Troupe
we have in town.

So if anyone is interested in downloading it and printing
it up for 2009 click here.

Get one and I almost guarantee that you'll be just about
the first and only one on your block that has it.

Do you believe in signs?

  If anyone has ever watched the movie ' Fools Rush In'

... there is a part in there that gives importance to signs 

and how they are put there to aid us clarify the path 

in life. 

  A few weeks ago on a Sunday the next door neighbors 

were having a little informal cookout in back of the house. 

It was small, only about 7 people including me. It was 

a beautiful day and as you can see they were cooking 

kebabs ... which was only about 25% of the total menu. 

  So I was hanging out with the people making general 

conversation and the people knew that my time here 

in Romania was winding down. They asked what was 

next, I told that as of now, the plan was to return 

home for a couple of months then off or actually, back, 

to Africa. One man asked me if I knew where in Africa. 

I told him that I would be going to Namibia. 

  He says "you know, I've been to Namibia" ... I was kind

of taken by this. Why would I be? I have to say that after

all my years of life and of all the people that I've met, 

he is the only person that I've met that's been to Namibia. 

  About 15 or so years ago he was a fisherman and the boat

he was on fished off the coast of Namibia or at least they 

would enter Namibia through the port city called Walvis Bay. 

  As the heading of this article refers to ... signs ... I am taking

this as one. Yeah, we interpret things in our way and I know 

that I am probably magnifying this to suite myself ... but ... 

I find it kind of crazy that the only person that I've ever met

to have ever been to Namibia was sitting right in back of my 

house and is a resident of this town in western Romania. 

  This has to be a sign that confirms the path to 

Namibia was destined to be.

This article is not for vegetarians ...

When there is 3 months or less left in
my tour I try and spend the majority of time with
the people who've been a big part of my life.
This means hanging out, and with
two years of the language under my belt, it's actually
fun to sit around, make conversation (important
things or not) and share in the local activities.

My next door neighbors have a farm they work
with the normal lineup of animals ... cows, sheep,
chickens, turkeys, pigs and so on.

Yesterday, Friday the 19th, I was in my house when
the next door neighbor came by to ask me if I smelled
the cooking that was going on. In fact I didn't, the
reason being that the weather is getting cold and I
had the doors and windows closed.

So I went to see what was going on. What I saw was
a pot of goulash (click here see prior article on how
they cook it) in the middle of it's preparation.



I asked, how come you guys are making this goulash?
My neighbor answered that it was the result of the
passing away that day of a 500 kilo (about 1,100 lbs
or so) 13 year old cow from the farm. They explained
how it died ... it swallowed a spike/nail.

So for that reason they had to cut it up and prepare
or sell the meat that day.

I kind of thought ... what better way to spend one
of my last Friday nights in Romania, than to hangout
with my neighbors and experience what one does
when their cow becomes late.

The best part about this is the scene. Here we are sitting
around a pot of cooking goulash
with the remnants of the cow hanging out with the rest of us.

I mean it was really ... literally the remnants of the
cow hanging with us as we cooked the goulash. Here is
what I am talking about ...



You can see that I wasn't joking concerning the cow
hanging around with us. Those are the cow's lungs.



I really don't know what this is, other than it was
explained to me that it is something that's part of
the lung/breathing system. That's all I know about it.



This is supposed to be the spleen.



This picture could be called ... Have a Heart.



This is the cow's tongue.

I am wondering after writing this article if anyone
who has read this article will return to this blog.

But this is a point that the Peace Corps asks us at
our pre-selection interview. The question is ... are
you capable of accepting sacrificing of goats in
your honor or situations of that nature.

Over my years in the countries, I've seen
all kinds of things like this. It comes down to being
capable of accepting people's cultures, their right
to practice their daily cultural habits in their
own countries, without criticism.

I have found that my experiences have opened my
mind to alternative ways to do the same thing ... live.

I guess without getting out of our comfort zones we
never do get the chance of seeing
life from other peoples perspective.

I really like the fact that I am understanding this, and have
to say that my world has gotten and continues to get
bigger as I eliminate the borders that come from the
mind's perception of what is correct in the way of passing
one's life. The results ... there are fewer ideas that bring
thoughts of judgment. There are fewer situations
where a thought of judgment could exist. And with that
comes the gift of eliminating ideas that bring stress in
one's life.

That's one thing I've always said during my time in the
Peace Corps ... I wonder if I've helped the people as
much as they've helped me.

Today is the kids' favorite day of the year ...

Or is Christmas the most anticipated day of the year?

What am I talking about? Well, the first day of school of
course. Maybe I should rephrase this a bit and say that ...
the first day of school is most probably the parents most
anticipated day of the year.

But after all that, that isn't the point of this article. The actual
point is that of a new progressive change is teaching methods.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer we are called on in many diverse
situations to participate. My counterpart is a high school teacher
in the big city which is about 45km ( 30 miles or so ) from this
town. As is usual, bigger city people are more apt to be open
minded.

Almost from the first day I arrived here in mid 2006 my
counterpart has spoken about how in her opinion, teaching
methods are a bit outdated. Right from the beginning I've
been explaining to her that with today's technology it

doesn't have to be that way.

Last year she worked part time in the town's school system and
together we used video (with the 5th grade students being the
teachers) to try and make the students more interactive and
participatory in the classes. We made a few little movies
concerning plants, parts of plants, photosynthesis ... etc. What
happened was the fellow teachers were critical and mentioned
that all it was, was playing. The majority of the teachers in town
are still using their lesson plans from 20 years ago.

I am not writing this article to criticize these teachers. I just
want to describe the situation as it is now. We all know that
to have change it takes effort and getting out of one's comfort
zone.

So, fast forwarding to mid summer 2008.

Over time my counterpart has been thinking about using
technology in her classes. So, during the summer I went to her
house and showed her some of the tools available ... things like
basic podcast (audio clips), filming the most difficult lessons
that the students never seem to get and so on.

So for the last month or so we've been filming lessons of how
molecular formulas react. You know, this hydrogen with this
oxygen gives you this or that. We've put these on a DVD that
will be distributed through the classes. In fact these are really
nothing more than a copy of the lectures that they will receive
throughout the year. The idea being that if they didn't get it the
first time, they can just go to the respective video and
see the lecture again and again if necessary.

Also there are audio clips/podcast that she's put together
which the kids can put on their MP3 players and listen to 

while they are on the bus ... etc.

Each audio clip and film are connected to a certain lesson.
She has the program setup with which film-podcast goes
with which. It is up to the kids to study.

But what is really satisfying for me is what could be (not in town
but in the bigger city). My counterpart's principal is also one
with an open mind. The principal saw what my counterpart was
doing and called a meeting with some of the other teachers
to have her demonstrate.

The result is that there are about 5 younger teachers who
are willing to try these new methods. Each one with a
unique idea of their own as to how they could use the
technological tools.

For those who read this from other parts of the world that
have been using these techniques for a while, this probably
doesn't seem all too exciting. But for here (western region
anyway) this is all new. No one has seen or heard of it before.

Also, thanks to the forward thinking of my counterpart's
school principal they are putting this into the category of 

'pilot project'. With that, it is allowing the budget to buy 

about 60 MP3 players for the students.





One of the original challenges was to have this technological
direction inclusive for the poor kids whom didn't have or couldn't
get the money to buy an MP3 player. But now that is solved and
it will help even the playing field ... so to speak.

Another result ... which I believe will go far ... is that the small
group of younger teachers and my counterpart will meet weekly
or bi-weekly to share their ideas and experiences. Best way to
describe what I think about that is with the analogy ... two
heads are better than one.

How this affects me as a Peace Corps Volunteer is that it always
seems that these things happen at the end of our tours. I've found
that we don't always get to see the result of our efforts. In my
case, I have less than three months left and they are just
today starting to implement this new strategy. As I told my
counterpart, there will be ideas that don't fly and that is part

of beginning anything new. But after changes, tweaking this, 

getting feedback from that and so on, it'll be fine.

But I do know that things happen after we're gone.

An example is from my time in El Salvador and Senegal. There
I was in the agroforestry sector. At times trying to get trees
planted was a little difficult. At one point I would settle for them
planting anything at all.

So like any other Peace Corps Volunteer, I had to come up
with something to convince them to plant trees.

Senegal and El Salvador are exactly the same lattitude 15 degrees,

so the trees that would grow were similar. There was this tree

called 'Flor del Fuego" in El Salvador and 'Flamboyant' in Senegal

see below ...

It is a flowering tree (around May when the rains come) and the
people were saying to me ... why should we plant this tree ... it
doesn't give fruit and it's not even a great wood to use for cooking.
I replied ... the reason why I'd like you to plant this tree is because
every year in May you'll see the flowers and remember that I was
here.

I am lucky that I was in contact with the volunteers that
replaced me and they mentioned that when the trees flowered
(I didn't get to see them flower because it needs at least 2 or 3
from seed to flower) that the whole village was talking about me.

To me, this is just an example of how things happen after
we're done with our tours. And just as those trees have
grown and flowered, I know that so have the effort of
all the volunteers who've ever been wondering if they've
done any good.

So again, I hope that this project with my counterpart will
develop and flourish. I think that I'll have an opportunity this
time to see how it is progressing. We'll stay in contact after
I leave.

To finish this article I will mention that in an egotistical way
I am feeling good about myself because I was able to help
get this new thinking started. If it works, it could help change
the teaching methods (or at least open minds to alternative
methods) and how could that affect the future of the kids
of Romania?

Where else could an simple old guy like me be a part of
something that could bring such an impact?

It's time to get the ingredients ready ...

As you can see by the drying hot peppers

below ... it says that it's getting that time

of the year when the words 'Nădlac Sausages'

are in the air.

That is only less than 20% of the actual amount of

peppers that are needed to be dried and stored for

the upcoming sausage making season. It's really a

pretty thing to see in person.

For those of you who haven't seen a prior article

from 2006 that explains the sausage making

process just ( click here ).

In the past they explained to me that it was
more expensive to make their own sausages
as opposed to purchasing.

All the ingredients are natural, as is the feed
grown organically for the pigs, the type
of meat used for making these sausages.

That was last year, as the price of food increases,

it is actually becoming less pricey to make their

own. They grow the pigs from birth, plant the feed

and except for electricity and fuel for the tractors

and harvesters ... the farmers are almost
self-sustaining.

My sister visited last year and brought a

Nădlac sausage home with her.

As they say, a picture speaks a 1,000 words ...

so the best way to describe the delicacy that is
a Nădlac Sausage ... would be ... by a picture

of my sister's friend Kathy below.

That picture says it all !

An Anniversary

On the 5th of September will be 8 years since I
entered the Peace Corps. It was the 5th of September
2000 that all my bags were packed and it was off
for unknown experiences and adventures.

It has been more than I imagined it could be.
 There has been extreme lows and
highs. If a person loves and needs challenges.
Then this is the place to be.

I thought a little bit about this article before beginning
to beat on the keyboard. At first I was going to
go into story after story.
One of success followed by one of defeat. I realized
that to try and put 8 years of living in three
different countries with 3 different cultures and
all the stories that come from that into a blog
entry would be impossible.

I just don't know how I ever would have been
able to be where I've been, seen the things
that I've seen, if it hadn't been for the Peace Corps.

The advantage is living in a community for a
few years. It allows you to really know people and the
bonds that are created, are the prize.

I just feel so blessed to be able to be with the people
when they are talking about their thoughts and dreams.
All this in other countries and other languages.

I thought that I would show you some of the people
that's been a part of my life over these years. Each
one unique and special and they all have a place
in my heart. They've been my friends and accepted
me as Paul ... which is all I want.

So without further adieu ... I'll start with the
people from El Salvador ...

This is Osmin and he spent 8 years in the Salvadoran special
forces during their 12 year war from 1980 to 1992.
He was the unofficial village leader, a good man who cared.

Above is Mr. Jose, he was my best friend and had a little
tienda (grocery store) where I used to hang out and drink
coffee. We would talk all the time and he was also a fun
guy to hang with.

Next from Senegal is ...



Demba, my village counterpart ... the village doesn't know
how lucky they are to have him. When a lot of capable
people head out for Europe and more money, he stayed
to fight for his village. He is a tireless worker.

And below is Demba's wife Fatoumata ...



In the Pulaar - Fulakunda language they have a word ...
'kalabante' ... which means - kind of a wise guy/wisecracker.
Fatou was all of that and more, this lady is as funny
as can be. She loves to laugh and ... man ... what laughs
we had.

Then now from Romania is ...



Ioli my counterpart. She is really an incredibly open person
who is progressive thinking. She told me many stories of
the life here in town during Ceaucescu's time.

And the last person is ...



Stefan Farkas the Roma man that is involved with
the Roma Dance Troupe. If you've read some of the
more recent articles you'll recognize him and the
activities we've been working on.

Well, these have been the main players over the years.
There have been many many more. From villagers
in El Salvador to Senegal to the town people here.

One thing they all have in common, is together
we fought for the bettering of their lives.
From standing in the fields at night with Osmin and
watching millions of fire flies while discussing solutions
to the most pressing problems ... to ... fighting against
health problems with Demba in Senegal ... to ...
fighting to develop new teaching methods with Ioli
in Romania ... to ... last but not least, the battle to 

establish the Roma Dance Troupe with Stefan ... it 

has  been one battle after another. But these people 

are all fighters and assets to their people.

There has also been equally as many Peace Corps
Volunteers I've met over the years ...
all wanting to make a difference.

As for me ... it has been such an intense time in 

my life. Everyday there is a new challenge and 

something new to learn.

At the time of this writing I have a little over three
months left here in Romania and I am looking
forward to going to Namibia early next year.

I am ready.

Dance Video

Here is a video clip of the Roma Dance Troupe
on the 29 of August 2008.

The beginning and end are cut short by 5 seconds.

It was taken at dusk as you can see so it is a little
dark and the angle was so - so. It was the best
location available at the time.

Hope you like it.

Never Easy

Well, the mini-Roma festival and Nadlac days was
held. Here's what happened.

In prior articles posted this month, I mentioned that we
were going to have a little Roma festival on the Friday
night right before the yearly 'Nadlac Days'.

Also, it was going to consist of 4 dance troupes and one
musical group.

As the heading of this article states 'It's almost never easy'
... well ... it wasn't easy this time either. What happened was
one group showed up and that's it. The others ... of course ...
waited to the last minute to cancel or in one case ... didn't
answer their phone. The head of the musical group said that
they couldn't come because a friend got into an accident.

Despite that, they trekked on and of course, it was a bit
shorter than planned. The two dance troupes danced great and
... in the risk of being bias ... our dance troupe danced with
heart and showmanship. They could use a little more practice
but they have that showmanship that one can't teach.

Stefan, the Roma man in charge was disappointed, and rightly
so. He worked hard to organize the festival. But nothing is lost
as there are always things to learn for the next time.

Fast forwarding to Saturday.

The town's dance troupe was slated to be part of Saturday's
extravaganza. There were flyers placed throughout town
with the list of events. There were at least 10 dance troupes
(Slovakian, Hungarian, Romanian, German and Roma) and
musical groups to perform that day.

The activities began with a parade from the Mayor's
office to the central park.

Upon arriving and after a speech or two, the entertainment
began.

From the time the parade arrived in the park to the time that
the Roma troupe was supposed to perform was 4 hours. It was
becoming cold and I actually ran home to get a jacket between
performances.

All the time I can see the Roma dance troupe inch up for their
chance. I see that they are next in line and then all of a sudden
... where did they go?

Immediately in my mind came ... no, this couldn't have happened.
All the positive things that have happened to these kids could
be destroyed in a matter of minutes.

Like I mentioned in one of the prior articles ... after their trip to
Constanta ... they were transformed. They were self motivated, and
they practiced hard to be ready.

The mayor (to his credit) helped the troupe out by donating money
for these skirts for the girls. See picture below ...

What happened was that the man in charge of the events (he's
the man that's the boss at the town's cultural house) told Stefan
(the Roma man) that they would go on an hour an half later than
the original schedule. That sounds normal at events, sometimes
things like that happen. But ... and there's always a but (in this
case it was more like ... butt ... with two TT's).

The Roma troupe was supposed to go after the German Dance
Troupe. They were lined up and ready to go. They had been waiting
for a total of 5 hours at that time. It was cold they were hungry and
in a matter of minutes ... they would have done their 6 minute
dance routine ... then finished.

But no, the Butt that's the head of the cultural house told them
that they couldn't dance at that time and maybe if they waited,
in about an hour and a half more, they could.

As I was waiting for them to dance I looked around and saw
many, many Roma people from town in the crowd. When I
realized what had happened, I noticed that almost all of them left.

The part that angers me a bit is that ... they were the only ones'
put out of order. The rest of the acts went on on schedule.

What I am really concerned about is that the kids may lose their
ambition. It would be normal. What do we adults teach our kids?
If you work hard, you'll go places in this world.

And here and now ... what ... what do you tell these kids? I went
to their practices and I'll tell you, they worked hard. My heart
kind of cried for them.

For their effort what did they get ... second class treatment.

Tell me how do you convince them to continue?
These are impressionable kids, they are good kids too.

I have to say at this point that it is only the work of
one man ... the cultural house man.

Personally, I don't care about him, I care about those kids.

I went to Stefan's house and he was discouraged. We talked for a
few hours and I have to say that I know how he feels. For me this
isn't the first time I've seen this. I saw things like this in El Salvador
with the campesinos and in the village in Senegal with the Fulbe.

I know that the only way to overcome these things is to persevere,
stick with it and to continue to carve one's place in society.

But in the world of the impressionable young ... all it takes is one
instance like this to make them want to quit.

I am telling you that this Roma dance troupe has potential. They made
such a transformation in just under a month. They have natural stage
presence and energy that only the town's award winning
Slovakian Dance Troupe has.

I am going to use everything I can and know to encourage them to
continue on. I know that in time all these things will be in the past.

It's for these kinds of challenges that I continue on in the Peace Corps.

A big day

Tomorrow is the big day for our first Roma mini-festival.

Everything is pretty much set and again the program
will be four Dance Troupes. Three from towns and
cities named ... Santana, Pescka and Semlac.

There will also be a traditional Roma band consisting
of eight musicians and singers.

As mentioned in a prior post it will be the first such
event of it's type in this town. It is a smallstart. The hope that it will be the beginning and base
of experience for more yearly festivals of it's type.
Despite the fact that the festival hasn't taken place
yet there is discussion as to expanding it next
year.

I almost forgot to mention that the festival was
given a name ... in the Romanian language it is ...

Inima de Tigan - 2008

actually the word 'Tigan' wouldn't be considered a
politically correct word but it is what they used.

'Inima de Tigan' is translated into ...

Heart of the Gypsy or The Gypsy Heart.

There is a plan to have someone video the event
and if it is possible to receive a copy, I'll place a
link so that you'll be able to see some of it.

A volunteer's dream

I doubt that I will be able to communicate my feelings
about what I've seen yesterday. Of course those of you who've
read some of the articles in this blog can agree with me that
I am not a master of the English language.

With that in mind while thinking about how I would put this
article together I realized (well, at least in my limited
vocabulary skills) that I can describe sadness and pain and
negativity easier than happiness. Maybe I need to hit the
dictionary but it just seems that the only way to put it is ...
simple like.

I am happy at what I saw yesterday, a rare claim for us
Peace Corps volunteers. Throughout my years at this
I've heard that statement (I'm happy) ... humm ...
not too often.

What I saw was the Roma Dance Troupe practicing
with a totally new attitude.

Before the trip to Constanta it looked like they were just  

going through the motions.

But ...

Yesterday it was as if they were different people. They
were happy and having fun but also serious about the
new routine that they were as a team

 putting together. Before it was just a ...
yeah, yeah, yeah style of practicing.

When I saw that I was totally shocked (happily).
At first Stefan (before leaving for the trip) mentioned
that he thought that the dance troupe's tour to Constanta
wasn't anything special. I explained to him that I thought

that the experiences that the kids would get,
was real the goal. The dancing was just the
medium to make it happen. I hoped that the dancers
seeing other troupes would make them think. They
just needed to get out of this town and see new things.

 Well, it worked, and 50 times better than in my wildest dreams.
I thought that there would be some change but nothing so
quick and drastic. I could see that they took a part from
a dance routine of one of the other troupes and added some
imaginative ones of their own.

A few of the girls got a bunch of bottle caps and hammered
them flat and made holes in them, then they attached them
around their waists. When they dance it gives the sound
of something similar to little symbols of a tambourine,
what an impact it adds to their dance routines.

They also saw the dresses of some other girls and realized that
their dresses were too tight and not flowing enough. A few
went to the market place last Thursday looking for a
flowing skirt. A few must have went through their mother's
wardrobe and brought a couple to the practice. It is just
positive energy and great to see.

Here is why I am happy. Throughout the years I have
evolved an opinion on development and change. I have
found that money thrown around wildly isn't the solution.
The crux of the problem is stagnant cycles.

What I mean by that is that ways of life are generally
handed down. Kind of depends on the ancestors/influences.

I am happy about the dance troupe's transformation.
As a result of their trip, they were thinking in a positive
way. The only sustainable thing I've seen so far is that
of the mind and what it learns. If these kids are thinking a
little differently, it isn't only limited to the dancing.
The changing of the mind and the positiveness will
hopefully be revealed in some of their choices in life.

It is similar to my time in Senegal. There it was problems
with health and with basic infections. When I arrived, not
one treated their cuts, infections would set in. This
would lead to workers missing days in the fields.
When you are substinence farming, missing days had an
impact (eating or not) on how the next year's harvest will be.

So, we began a program of teaching the kids how to treat
cuts by cleaning ... etc. I knew that it was a success
(also I was very touched) when a young girl of 6 brought
her 1 year old brother (who was tied to her back) to
my hut for treatment. He had a cut that produced about
a drop of blood. I really couldn't see where the cut
was. But, the thing most incredible about it was that
she did it on her own. I asked her mother if she sent
her daughter with her baby brother to me for treatment.
The little girl's mother said that she didn't know
anything about it.

At that time I knew that changing cycles work. The little
girl will become a mother one day and teach her kids
about treating cuts and the results of that will go on
forever.

A small example but just as relevant as the Roma dancers
acquiring their new outlook and I want to believe ...
pride in being Roma.

Yeah, once in a while things go just they way they're
planned or how a volunteer would want it to be.

As I was sitting there watching the dancers and their new
energy, I had a little attack of nostalgia and thought
about the last 8 years and the little successes here
and there. I thought that I must be blessed to be able
to have seen the things I've seen and received the
unique experiences I've had.

In the end it can sure make a volunteer happy to see
some results.

Roma Dance Troupe returns from Constanta

As was mentioned in this blog's posting ( August 07, 2008 )
the Roma Dance Troupe was making an excursion totally
across Romania to participate in cultural events in Constanta.


( Black Sea - Constanta )

They returned 7 Monday morning after an all night mini-bus ride.

In the afternoon I went to the Roma man's house to get
the scoop on what happened. All week I was thinking
about how they were making out.

So here is the story as it was told to me from the Roma
man (whose name is Stefan) and I will refer to him by
name throughout the remainder of this entry.

Also, I must prelude this by stating that none of
the dancers have been further than 50 km
(city called Arad) from their town.

So at about 8 o'clock Sunday evening the 10th they put all
their bags and baggage on the mini-bus and off they go
across Romania on their first big adventure.

The trip went well and it took them about 17 hours to arrive
in Constanta. They were also traveling during the peak
vacation time in Romania and all of Europe for that fact.
Those familiar with Europe know that the month of August
is vacation time. So they experienced bumper to bumper
traffic for much of their trip.

Of course we all know that no trip of this nature goes
without some problems or drama. The dancers and entourage
( to include the mini-bus driver and his wife ) arrive at where
they were going to stay the first night. It was a hostel with
one bathroom/shower. So the mini-bus driver sees this and
immediately says that if they don't give him and his wife a
normal room, he's out of there in 5 minutes. They didn't
even have time to take their bags off the bus yet
and this guy is complaining.

Also, without him, the dance troupe didn't have any
transport home. So after Stefan making a few calls to
the organizers of the event, they got it resolved.

At this point everyone is dead tired, hot and basically standing
in line to take a shower ... they get a call that they are supposed
to get ready to dance in an hour or so. Here's what they
looked like after the all night trip.



But after that first night they got better accommodations.

The festival was actually an international one with dance
troupes and musical groups throughout Europe ... Italy,
Spain, Hungary ... etc.

Here is where another drama comes in. When they planned
the festival someone forgot to put time in for the Roma
( Gypsy ) dance troupes and musicians. Stefan told me that
the man from the Ministry of Culture was basically
upset and threatened to call the European Union minority
rights section and other places that work with human rights.

But that was resolved and the Roma got their time. In all
there were 12 Roma dance troupes. Here are some pictures
of a few of them ...



Don't know where these two groups are from
( above and below ) other than there are from the
east of Romania.



I wasn't there to take pictures and these actually came from
a cell phone.

But here are a few of the dancers practicing near their
hostels the first day.



Below ... they are from our dance troupe.



The little guy is from the dance troupe of Hunedora
which about 5 hours drive from us here in the west.



We have a little guy dancer in our troupe too. They told
me that our little guy was better than the little guy above.
Ours does a cartwheel as he enters the dance routine.

The schedule was a daily parade through the city and
Stefan told me that the people were kind of surprised to
see a bunch of Roma dance troupes marching through
the streets.



But in the end it was a great time and a tremendous experience
for the dancers. They met dancers from other parts of
Romania and became friends. They exchanged contact
information and probably made lasting friendships.

Throughout my time here I lobbied for a Roma Dance Troupe
because I felt that it was important for our Roma community.
Our Slovakian and Romanian communities have had their
cultural dancers and musicians for 20 and 10 years
and counting, respectively.

For the Roma to integrate I felt that they needed to take their
place in our town. No one was going to give it to them. But it
is a two sided coin. Both sides must do their part. For the
Roma to be integrated they also need to try.

With this dance troupe I am thinking and hoping that it will help
bring cultural pride and a ... we belong here too attitude.

But most important is the Roma kids. I saw that all they did
was sit around all summer with nothing to do. Throughout
the world kids need activities so they can develop.

The dance troupe was the chance to bring some of those
Roma kids together and when you have a group, there
is something to work with.

Because of the dance troupe, someone in town contacted the
people in Bucharest and through that ... they received their
invitation and the adventures of their lives ... up till now.

Our town's Roma dance troupe saw that the troupe from
Hunedora was the best. Now our troupe wants to practice
more. Isn't the best motivation, one's own pride?

I've talked to the kids who went on the trip and they're all
animated and really not the same. They've had an experience,
their minds have been opened a little. Hopefully it is the
beginning.

In the end, there is nothing better that could have happened
to these kids this summer. I am so happy for them.

But this didn't just happen without people helping out.

I want to give those people their due ... without financial support
by our town's mayor and from Bill ( in picture with dance
troupe ... blog entry 07 August 08 before they left ) ... it
wouldn't have happened.

The package for the dance troupes were room and board
for a week in Constanta. That was without transportation.
With the collaboration of the mayor and Bill it happened.
Again, they deserve a huge thanks.

To end this article I put a picture of Stefan and his wife Daniela.



I can't wait to see the town's mini-Roma Festival
next week, hope it goes as well as Constanta did.

Explaining the two clocks

As you probably noticed, there are two clocks
on the right hand side and above the Archive box.

One is labeled ... 'Time left in Romania' ...
self explanatory. Originally the date scheduled
for departure from Romania was the 28th of
July. Due to my request for an extension to
Namibia being approved, I will be staying here
until approximately the middle of December.

That clock is counting down my time left in Romania.

Likewise the 'Countdown to Namibia' clock is
counting down the time until arriving there.

I will continue blogging during the 2 years there.
I will also have a new 'blog address'.

I will post the new address in the
last article I post from Romania.

That time of the year again



When the wooden barrel comes out it is that time of the
year again to make the moonshine (tsuika) and wine.

The barrel needs to be soaked with water so as to close
the joints. The water makes the wood expand.

It has been extremely hot and dry this summer here in town.
In fact this week we have had a stretch of 95 to 100 degree
weather throughout, rare for here.

Also, it has hardly rained at all this summer and
the first thought that comes to mind is
that Global Warming has a hand in this.

We all know that Global Warming is not good but what
it does do for the grapes ... through the dry weather

.

... is make them naturally sweeter.

In a few weeks they will pick the grapes and fire
up the still and begin the processes of making the
wine and moonshine. It is a time of great happiness
and I am suspicious that maybe the tasting is the
reason for this.

I think that the customs of making homemade wine
is one of those customs that shouldn't be forgotten.
It is more than just making wine it is a social event,
a positive one at that.

I will post some pictures of this year's wine making
as it unfolds, stay tuned.

Roma Dance Troupe heads to Constanta

The town's Roma dance troupe ( seen below with Bill )
received an invitation to participate in a national cultural
festival in Constanta.
They will be representing the Arad region.

The festival will have 10 Roma dance troupes from
throughout Romania.

For many of the kids it will be their first time traveling
across country.

Constanta is a tourist city on the Black Sea. It is located on the
opposite side of Romania, it will be a trip of approximately

900 km or about 560 miles.

They will be spending the week there and it should be a huge
adventure for them. The kids are just nuts with excitement and

it is an incredible thing to see how happy they are.

Hopefully they will have a bunch of stories to tell about their new
adventures and a few pictures to show. I'll pass them on as soon
as I get them.

Personally, I am very happy to see these kids get such a chance.

Three weeks till the annual Town Festival

August is the time of year when people begin to speak of the
upcoming yearly festival. It's habitually held during the last weekend
of this month.

There will be the usual activities of Slovakian and Romanian
cultural dance troupes and singers.

This year there are plans to add one extra cultural activity as a part
of the usual town festival, which also would be new for this region.

It will be a mini Roma Festival consisting of dance troupes and
a professional Roma musical group. Above I mentioned that it
would be new for this region of Romania. It is thought that it
will be the first one of it's kind because no one has ever seen
or heard of anything similar ever being held before.

This mini Roma festival has resulted in motivation for two of the
other participating towns to organize brand new dance troupes.

It will be small to start as there will be three towns sending
Roma dance troupes. With our own dance troupe there will be
four presenting their routines on the cultural house stage Friday
evening of the 29th.

So far so good as the invitations have been sent out and as it will be
the first edition of this mini Roma festival ... no one knows for sure
how well it will work out.

Return to this blog at the end of the month and I hope to have some
pictures and hopefully an entry describing how successful it was.

The utility poles in town aren't only used to hold up power
lines. They are also used to support nests off the ground
( as you can see in the below photo).



We have an approximately 100 hectare fish farm
right outside of town. So it appears for this reason
we are graced with the presence of these birds.



I have seen 6 such nests throughout the town (there
is probably more). At this time the babies are starting
to poke their heads out of their nests.

It's a pretty cool thing to see while walking down the
street.

The 411 despre ... Shaorma

Shaormas are a pretty popular thing here and I am
going to explain what's needed to make one.
Of course for people who've never heard of a Shaorma,
just continue reading and you'll see a work of art unfold.
I have seen other spellings of the word 'Shaorma'.
I am using this version because it is written on the wall
of the building where I go to get one of these babies.

This is where you start ...

Add (in this case) chicken ...
(If a vegetarian ... ignore this step)

Then a few french fries ...

Pop it in the microwave for about 3 minutes ...

Add some onions and cabbage ...

A few tomatoes ...

Then some cucumbers and lettuce ...

Place some yogurt on top ...

Then ketchup ...

A little mayonnaise ...

Then some cheese (they used a yellow cheese) ...

Then just fold it ...

They put it in aluminum foil ...

There you are ... a Shaorma ... it was told
to me that it is of Arabic origin.

As they say in Romanian ... Pofta Buna
or Bon Appetit.
Also, please ... do this at home !!!