A Big Year

Yes, Peace Corps Romania just turned 20 years old on Monday. And Peace Corps itself turns 50 in March. Please visit our Celebrate Peace Corps Romania website to keep up to date on our anniversary activities.

Rich Brown

...and his friend Sassy Red.

Snow day/sick day here in Tulcea. So that also means soup day...in this case, red lentil dahl. With my two best friends.

Addendum:
Better 'n Boullion also makes mushroom paste. Necessary for The Mushroom Thing: put your cooked Lundberg rice mix in the casserole pan, lay some slices of vegan protein on top, such as tofu, tofu steaks, sliced tempeh, or sliced tofurkey (oh yeah baby), then pour on the fabulous mushroom gravy you just made. Bake til bubbly and well integrated (maybe half an hour), take to Thanksgiving dinner and watch the carnivores weep with joy. Mushroom gravy is one of God's many gifts to vegans. Enjoy.

Rest in Peace, Sargent Shriver

Break mirrors, Sargent Shriver advised graduating students at Yale in 1994. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “Shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other. Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own.”

Sargent Shriver died yesterday at the age of 95, following a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. Sarge is known for starting the Peace Corps (among other great works) fifty years ago and making concrete the loose thoughts that President Kennedy had for a new kind of international service. Through all of the Corps ups and downs, it remains one of the great legacies of the Kennedy era.

Shriver’s wife, Eunice, sister to John F. and Robert Kennedy, was a shining star in her own right, founding the Special Olympics. She died about a year and a half ago.

What a great pair, what great lives. As the Peace Corps prepares to celebrate 50 years in March, we are particularly reminded to look back and honor those who had the vision to develop this great, if sometimes frustrating, agency. It does what no one else does. We do what no one else does. Thank you, Sarge, for your creativity, your dedication, and your unfailing belief in service.

Stefan...(sigh)...(smile)

I think I met the dreamiest man in Romania today. For now, let’s set aside the fact that he is ridiculously good looking. Let’s set aside the fact that he agrees with me about my least favorite person in Romania. Let’s set aside the fact that he’s a talented and sought-after veterinarian in our area. Let’s just focus on the man, the horses, and the children.

Stefan (the man in red) runs a local horse stable where Mary and Cristina often take kids for riding adventures (not sure we could call it lessons, really). Cristina has told me before about the dreaminess quotient of Stefan. But I foolishly discounted her opinion. We took two groups of kids there today, not for riding but simply to meet the horses—mostly kids who hadn’t been there before, many of them with disabilities or quite young.

The first thing that struck me was how calm the horses were. Mary asked me to take pictures and Stefan assured me the flash wouldn’t bother them. Of course we plied the horses with carrots and apples, but obviously they are trained to be bomb-proof, ie child-proof. The dogs too. And so sleek and healthy.

The second thing that struck me was how amazing Stefan was with the kids. He showed the kids how to feed the horses, then made sure each one had a personal interaction with the horse. With his encouragement, many of the children allowed themselves to be placed on the horse. He definitely capitalized on that thing, that magic, that happens when kids are around horses. Mary told me later that he got one girl talking who usually communicates in no more than grunts. Later with the little kids, he had them each sign a calendar that Cristina had made for him. Then they had balloons for all the kids.

With winter school break soon approaching, Cristina is arranging riding for many of the children. Perhaps they need a chaperone…

Doris was my favorite. She was very sweet and patient with us.

Stefan had a great staff too. I did not catch this man's name.

I can't imagine growing up without animals. Even a little exposure is wonderful.

The little kids wanted to use my camera to take pictures of each other (and me). They did a great job!

At the end, they brought out the very fuzzy pony to drool and spit on us. Lovely.

Me and The Beatles

I really have very little in common with John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Except now I too have been to Hamburg.

I left Romania on Monday, 21 December, hoping to arrive Ithaca late that night. After a weekend of snow storms that shut down much of western Europe, Monday promised an easier trip of it. Munich, my connection city, looked overcast but without precipitation. Good, this should work. Alas, we proceeded to sit on the runway in Bucuresti for over two hours as we dealt with a fueling issue. The Lufthansa pilot assured us that we would be taken care of. Asta e. And actually, I was not concerned. I had a bit of a time buffer:

Plan A: arrive Ithaca late Monday. Bus to NYC Tuesday to see Chiemi, overnight NYC. Wednesday I bus back to Ithaca as Chiemi and Jared fly away for holidays.

After arriving in Munich, we all waited in an extremely slow-moving line to be reassigned flights. The slow-moving part was more a result of the still-existing weather-delayed reassignments than any part of the people working there: they simply had so many people to process and no flights on which to put us. They brought around sandwiches and snacks to appease us. It worked. Then after much anticipation of a night in Munich, I was sent to Hamburg for the night because the morning’s Hamburg-Newark flight had a spot for me. Yay.

Of course my backpack had a different adventure, so I shacked up in Hamburg with the aid of a free toothbrush and toothpaste and some two-euro deodorant. I was reminded in the airport hotel of the glory of a good down comforter and a German hotel breakfast. Lordy, the Germans and their bread…heaven.

At the Hamburg airport the next morning, there was a small problem in that I had been listed as standby and I didn’t have a seat. Finally, one of the gate agents made the assignment and put me in a very spacious exit row. Great flight to Newark and on to plan B: arrive Newark Tuesday mid-day, go straight to Chiemi’s. Home to Ithaca on bus on Wednesday.

Since my bag did not arrive in Newark, I went looking for the baggage office. I asked a baggage handler for directions. The dear friendly man considered this for a moment, then led me there through a maze…to some ridiculously friendly airline staffers. They advised me what I needed to do (no point waiting for the Munich flight), then suggested I go to the nearby outlet mall. They were incredibly nice and we shared holiday wishes all around.

I did not go to the outlet mall. Instead I got on the shuttle into Port Authority. From the window of the bus I could look across the sunny day and catch the top half of the Statue of Liberty. Yes, I had tears in my eyes. You have no idea… well, maybe you do. I have a better understanding now…

From Port Authority I got the subway down to 14th street and met Jared at the apartment as Chiemi was still at work. We chatted awhile, then I went out for undies, toiletries, and to stand in awe in the middle of the 6th Avenue Trader Joe’s. Welcome to America! I also enjoyed a very large decaf coffee with soy milk. Later, Jared and I went to the grocery store for fish and vegetables which Chiemi, as usual, turned into a spectacular dinner. She had put out some morbier, one of my favorite cheeses. We spent a wonderful evening together. In the morning, we ran out for tea and bagels.

Then I was gone, in a cab uptown for the bus. My Pakistan-American cabbie and I chatted about Istanbul, updates of NYC, and the status of immigration. In the end, I did not play Shea Stadium or appear on Ed Sullivan. I sang Christmas carols at the soup kitchen and appeared at dinner tables all around central New York. But I could not have been any more in love with my native country. The TV is horrible, but people are friendly and helpful. More than that, there is a vibrancy. Part of it was landing in New York and experiencing that city’s unique energy. Were I a poet, I could write a love poem to New York City, which alas would always end with me leaving, but still in love nonetheless. But I think when I return to America I will not be leaving. Vacation, yes. Service projects, yes. It's important to get out into the world. But it is so, so sweet to come home.

Gifts

As it was Christmas, I received some wonderful and thoughtful gifts when I was at home. Melody and I each got a copy of the Ithaca Farmers Market Cookbook, a treasure of stories, pictures, bios, and recipes from the well-known and long-running market. While you know I loved this, the gift was even better for my sister who lived for years in and around Ithaca and introduced the rest of us to the wonders of Saturday at the market. I also received the below-mentioned Stabilicers which I appreciate more and more each day that I tromp around in the weather. My dear mother and sister each included a small gift--calendar and magnet--from our summer trip to remind me of our happy time together. My sister got me started on my future fiestaware collection with a pitcher and a salt and pepper set (which she blessedly left in Texas and brought me a picture). And dad and Donna started us off right with giftcards to the Ithaca bakery. Oh, and much more. For my part, I brought home the very fun game that I play often with Aurelia and Gabi. Although there are many little rules, we enjoyed it immensely and we each had a turn at winning. More than any gift, of course, I savored the time I got to spend together with my family and friends.

The gifting continued last night as I saw Aurelia for the first time since I returned. And by the way, staying out til 2 a.m. playing games with the crazy Moldovans may not be good for jetlag, but as always it was a heck of a lot of fun. I gifted Aurelia the yummy tea shown below and she gave me a box of candy from Moldova. I've had some of her Moldovan candy before and they often feature exotic fillings like smoked plum. Trust me, it works deliciously. Then I broke out the big gift, really more of a new year's thing (which, naturally, my dear Mom and sister ordered for me in the States):

As you may remember, Daruma dolls are a Japanese tradition from a story about a monk named Daruma. Evidently he sat so long and intensely in meditation that he lost his arms and legs. Now Daruma can help us focus and achieve our goals. The papier-mache dolls come without pupils in their eyes. The holder of the doll makes a wish or sets a goal and fills in one eye. When the goal is achieved, the other eye gets filled in.

My goal for 2011 (not my only goal, but the one that requires the most focused energy) is to finish my thesis and obtain my Masters. Aurelia's wish is to become a mother. I told her it was not enough to wish to become pregnant. We want a healthy baby! Now my little Daruma sits on my desk with me, keeping his one eye on my project.

Another delicious gift I shared were the little maple sugar leaves Mom gave me. Maple products are not common here, occasionally available at the Kaufland. So they are a real treat. We had those for dessert after a spot-on pasta dish Aurelia made from the Pioneer Woman cookbook (a gift that keeps on giving, if ever there was one).

All the while, Aurelia's visiting brother beat us at every game we played (Gabi was out of town). There is definitely some competitive gene that Aurelia and I don't have, whether it's gender-based or simply maturity. But who wouldn't want to lose to Sasha? He enjoys it so. That was our gift to him. ;o)

White

I woke up this morning (yes, indeed, I did wake up during morning hours) to a world of absolute white. Got in late last night on the train to a Romanian winter wonderland. As I spent much of my traveling (still) reading War and Peace (Moscow has now fallen), I’m definitely in the frame of mind for winter. So by all means, let’s have the pretty part of winter—the frost covered branches, the expanses of clean, white fields, the children with sleds on hills.
Today I have spent unpacking, doing laundry, getting organized with new calendars, electronic plugs, stationery, and so on from America, and going to the grocery store. Related to the theme of snow, I got out my new traction devices for use in the snow. Last year we received free from the Peace Corps (who evidently received them free from the manufacturer) yaktrax. Now I must be grateful for the thought, because as I’ve mentioned we don’t really practice snow removal here, as evidenced by my Christmas 2009 fall on the ice and subsequent trip to the hospital for stitches. However, I found the yaktrax to be an inferior product which worked acceptably but tended to slip off and did not hold up well. This year, I wanted something better. After seeing what Erik sent Veronica, I had a product in mind. Wanting to shop locally, I tried out Famous Brands in Watkins Glen, Eastern Mountain Sports in Ithaca, and Dick’s Sporting Goods in Ithaca. Nope. Sorry, I don’t want yaktrax. So I went to REI.com and got the goods, the Stabilicers.I am happy to report that they work great. The velcro (excuse me, hook and loop fastener system) makes for easy on and off and customized fit. They are very aggressive in the snow (can eat yaktrax for breakfast, thank you very much) yet lightweight and easy to use. And when the metal cleats wear out (because I walk across cleared asphalt streets) I can replace just the cleats.

So now I’m home from the store with food, settling in to winter in Romania. I have lots more to tell from my trip, but for now imagine me safe with my winter walking system, warm with new tea from McNulty’s on Christopher, with projects and Russian literature* to see me through til spring.Chiemi and I had a great time shopping for tea, finding both tins and boxes with this great artwork. Turns out the tea is delicious too. I'm enjoying it today, fittingly, in the ingenious loose-tea-draining mug Chiemi sent me last year as part of a sweet tea package.*Picked up Anna Karenina at the used book store on the Commons. Ack!