six flags romania

it's been forever since i posted something. truth is i really haven't had much time or energy to sit down and write my thoughts. lately life has just been a rollercoaster of constant ups and downs that have left me pretty exhausted. i feel like i have so much to say and update you on, but all i can really concentrate on are the things that have happened most recently.

i am writing to you now in the dark. since the time change two days ago the sun now goes down ridiculously early and we are at pitch blackness by 5:45. it has also gotten extremely cold here lately which makes evenings at home quite miserable. my heat is sporadic at best and if it wasn't for this little electric unit brought to me by peace corps staff a week ago, i would not be able to write this...seeing as how my entire body would be buried in my subzero sleeping bag. they warned us that the winters would be pretty miserable here and to prepare ourselves. oh so much to look forward to!

on a lighter note, i had a great experience this weekend helping out at this halloween charity ball. it is hosted by an ngo here in romania every year to raise money to promote children in school. it wasn't exactly what i expected but i got to see many volunteers that i haven't seen since leaving targoviste and got to feel like i was working for something that gave me immediate gratification. it's the small things, but hauling boxes and arranging candles on tables was quite a pick-me-up. we also got to explore the parliament building and it's grandeur. not to mention the guest of the evening was nicholas cage! yep totally got to see him and his family, which was pretty cool. here is a link to a video online. kind of crazy because around 0:07, my friend aron totally does a scene steal. you can see another volunteer as well...we just can't hide with those hideous orange tees lol! http://videonews.antena3.ro/action/viewvideo/61564/Nicolas-Cage-a-iesit-cu-familia-la-Balul-de-Caritate-de-Halloween-din-Capitala/

another highlight of the weekend was getting a haircut in the bathroom of the hostel. it was much overdue and a lot of fun...even came out looking pretty good if i do say so myself.

so thanksgiving is coming up which is something i think i'm looking forward to. we are having a dinner on the saturday following (because it's not a romanian national holiday, we do not get the day off from school). we are also encouraged to bring our locals with us and my counterpart is really excited about the whole thing. i'm hoping that being with other volunteers and people in our communities will give us that sense of family that we'll all be missing around the holidays. 

life has been hectic for me lately. traveling. change in my school schedule that still hasn't been worked out. housing issues. school issues. i decided that it was just time to take a break from it all. take things one step at a time and do only what i can do. take a little control over the things that i can change and just figure out the rest later. i feel like i've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. so i'll be staying at site for the month of november (aside from thanksgiving dinner)--the longest amount of time i have spent here thus far. it'll be a personal challenge but one i know i'm up for. it's time for some rest and shut the world out for a while. it will give me time to reinvest in the people here that have been so eager to spend time with me, and time for myself to just sit in my apartment (cozied up to the heater) and read a good book. december will be crazy with the traveling and emotional strains of the holiday season. i'm not looking that far ahead yet...

that's about it. i've tried several times to insert some pictures. EPIC FAIL. don't know what's going on...but hopefully next time :)