first weeks at site

Settling In
In my first few weeks at my site or as I have come to think of it PCV central because it has more volunteers in it than anywhere else in the country. In this small city of about 65,000, there are five volunteers, two TEFLers from Group 25, and two others from Group 24 and me, a TEFLer from Group 26. This makes it an interesting site to be in since not only are there five of us here now, my site has had PCV's here for I don't know how long. Because of this I get to hear about failed projects, like the SPA grant funded mini golf course sitting unused in the town's central park, as well as the successful ones like the numerous projects being done by Rob of Group 24. As the last of group 26 to get out of Tragoviste, the new training site, I have spent almost three weeks in my site and I have accomplished little so far. I have settled in and the settling in allowance was spent and then some. This does not mean I have been extravagant it just means I need more than a single pot, a few plates and eating utensils. First off my one room apartment had two glass shelves and one in the dunlap (armoire, standing closest). This meant that I spent close to a 100 lei buying 3 sets of plastic shelving units for the dunlap, the kitchen cabinets and the display cabinet. Note the display cabinet is not being used as a display cabinet as it contains my books, clothes, and whatever else is not luggage or kitchen utensils. Next, I need cooking wear to cook and that means a frying pan, two different sized saucepans, two different sized baking pans, a medium size chopping knife, wooden spoons, spatula, small ladle, mixing bowls and storage containers, among other things. The settling in allowance does not cover all of this and I am doing without any kind of small table near my sofa/sofa bed or any rugs. In addition, I needed a large fan to cool the place and keep the bugs away and a desk lamp. So a note to group 27 your settling in allowance may not cover everything you need. I have recorded everything and will put it down in the report we have to fill out but I am told it is normal to go over the settling in allowance.

Shopping
You've got to love summer in Romania at least as far as food shopping is concerned. The piaţa is a cheap place to get food. I get honey and veggies there, a kilo of carrots and potatoes for 1.5 lei and much much more. I can spend less than 5 lei getting a week's worth of veggies. The place I lose money is the Carfor a French supermarket chain nearby where I have to buy meat, eggs and other stuff. There is also the magazine or small store across from the apartment where I get sodas and snacks and a few other things. These magazines are all over most cities and towns in Romania and can be useful for a variety of things. I don't know what the prices are like in winter but I hear the selection is not great.

School
I get asked how school is going and I have only one thing to say, "I have been to one meeting that was in Romanian and Hungarian. This means I know very little about anything concerning my school. Also the school is being renovated and I have barely seen it. I do know this about the school, since it is the Hungarian school in town few people know where my school is and a few have never heard of it. I will return to school on Monday for the opening ceremony. Until then I know nothing else about it."

My Life at my site so far
My apartment building is not bad, I have to press a button to turn on the hall light when I leave or come back. The place is crawling with children, running up and down the halls and playing outside of the entrance, and throwing apples as those who tell them not to play with matches. I go to the piaţa, and the market, I experiment with cooking, I take the cat to the wilderness park up the street, I play on my computer, I try and write lesson plans and play with my crazy kitten. This is my life in Romania so far. The only changes have been going to dinner at a pair of suitemates' apartment, going and talking with the director of the library at my site and going out with another suitemate and some of his Romanian friends, which included my next-door neighbors.