My daily schedule here is to wake up around 7 or 7:30, shower and make a lunch.  My breakfast has consisted of water, tomato juice and crepes with homemade jam.  I walk to PST (preservice training) over an active trainyard with 8 tracks, something that would never be allowed in the states.

PST is located on the top floor of a high school.  At the school, half the students love us being there and the other half dont really care for us.  We have 3 hours of language, an hour for lunch, and then either an afternoon session on Romanian culture, Peace Corps Policy or our practicum assisgnment.

Practicum is small group assignments to help us learn how to work in Romania.  My group was assigned to city’s urban development office.  We have four weeks to work on a project and the office said we could do pretty much anything we wanted.  We decided to hold a public workshop to rethink uses for the central park.  They do not have a very good concept of how to work with the public and it seemed that we were a little over our heads so we are now working with a small team of design students from the local highschool.  Our plan is to meet them at the park this saturday and talk about existing conditions of the park.  Then the following saturday hold a design session where we will draw out some ideas to present to the head of the urban development office.  Nothing will actually get built, but it will be a good excercise for the students to learn about designing space, the city to learn the importance of public involvement and us to learn how to work in a different culture.

After PST, I usually go to a terasa with a group of other volunteers and share a beer or coffee.  I pretty much have to stay out until I get hungry because I know when I head back over the tracks and into my bloc, my mama gazda is going to feed me silly. 

Dinner usually starts with a round of palinka (very strong moonshine) to help with “digestion.”  Another habit I’ve picked up here is eating green onions raw.  I was so used to chopping up the green stems for cooking and throwing away the white bulb.  I have been playing the fool.  Dip it in a little salt and it is delicious.  I prescribe 3 onions per meal.

I hang out in the kitchen with my mama and brother practicing my Romanian and drinking coffee until around 9.  Then I read in my room for a bit, then pass out.  Noapte buna!

-alannesti