after a hurricane comes a rainbow

"firework" by katy perry. i don't know what else to say about it. if you haven't heard it, you should immediately go and give it a listen. oh yeah and look up the lyrics while you're at it. it has been a lifesaver for me and my closest peeps lately. at any moment when one of us is down we just bust it out and it reminds us that we got this. we can handle anything and come out on top. i have learned that one of the most important aspects of this service is making sure that you have a good support system behind you. i don't know what i would do without the amazing ladies in my life that keep me afloat when the storm comes...this is my shout out to them. I LOVE YOU GUYS :) [you know who you are]

so sticking to the topic of fireworks...i specifically ended my trip in the states in time to make it back for my first romanian new years eve. can i tell you that the lack of pyrotechnics was sooo disappointing! needless to say it did not meet my high expectations. there wasn't even a countdown at midnight! talk about a bummer when you look down at your phone and it's 12:02 :( but i did have so much fun hanging out with friends and new people i was fortunate enough to meet so i guess i can't really complain. all i have to say is that i want to do it big next year. it's crazy to think that at that point, i will be only months away from ending my service here. wow! it definitely puts things into perspective and makes me want to live each moment in the now and enjoy every second of it...

chelsea and i at this outdoor concert happening right outside of our hotel

our new romanian friend, mihai

somewhere around 12 [give or take]

so i had a trip back home to the good ole us of a...i realize that the entire time i was gone i was comparing everything back to romania. it's a strange concept. even if it was just in my head, i would be thinking "oh well in romania we don't do it this way" or "you wouldn't find this in romania". i have a feeling i vocalized this a lot, and i hope not too much, but i guess just living a certain way of life for so long makes it mark on you. i tried to share some of romania with my family, like making my very own salata de vinete and it was a hit! i also took the opportunity to soak up as much america as i could while i was there. it was so nice to drive a car and eat all of the foods that just don't exist here. i feel like all i did was eat and sleep. not to mention toting back 50 lbs of stuff, a lot of which was for other people. all in all, it was very tiring but i am so grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with my family, especially for the holidays, although i am looking forward to a traditional experience this year. i can't wait for my family to come here and experience romania in a few short months :)

the fam and myself sitting around the table at cheesecake bistro...yum!

christmas tree cakes [sent from heaven] and some traditional romanian candies that i brought for them :)

i have to say one of the best imports from the states has been my Scrabble game that i got for christmas. i have played it in all my classes this week. since it's the end of the semester and all grades are in, i figured i'd give my students a much deserved break. little do they know they are using their brains and practicing their english skills all in the clever disguise of a fun game. they love it and i love that they love it!

so things are really picking up. peace corps paid me a little visit last week, and now i feel like everyone is on the same page (my school, peace corps staff, and myself) which is a good place to be. i realized how important it was for the expectations to be out on the table for everyone. and communication is key. so there are some much needed changes happening for me in the next few weeks and i am pumped about it. i am also having high expectations that it will make my service more beneficial to not only me, but to my community as well.

i'm off to my friends house tonight to make some cartofi prajiti (fried potatoes) with some tony's no doubt. on thursday i head out for my semester break. nice trip to cyprus! i will be sure to not drag my feet on updating when i get back. i will make sure to take lots of pictures of all of my adventures :) count cyprus as country number 2 visited!!!!!! wooot!