Holliday Season Arrives!

It doesn't feel like Christmas, yet, or even December. Today the sun is shining, and the grass in the Border Police (Politia Frontiera) soccer field next to my apartment looks like it should be cut. You can still even find flowers blooming, though it did frost once. Other parts of Romania are freezing-ass cold and snowy now, but here it's still pretty nice. I've heard it is going to snow soon, though. I haven't quite caught the holiday bug, but I did find a good airfare so I can go to Germany to spend Christmas week with my son Peter and his family in Munich. I was afraid if I just hung around here, I'd be so homesick I'd want give up and go back to the States. I hope I'll be able to see my granddaughters, but I know for sure I'll see my baby grandson. Being an absentee grandma has really been difficult for me. Fortunately, except for Zarah's horrible illness in March, everyone else seems okay.

Here are a couple of photos from this month. First at the University, and then at the local television station where I was interviewed with a colleague about the University's American Corner library where I teach, and Peace Corps volunteer work in Romania. It was an interesting experience, for sure. The American Corner is one of eight libraries in Romania that are funded by the American Embassy, and this is the only one that is located in a University.

The American Corner library-classroom:

The local television station morning show (Heavens, I look old! Who is that woman?):

and the studio:
(you may recognize the backdrop as Constanta's famous Cazino building which is down at the waterfront)

I was asked to be a judge for the Constanta NGO (non-governmental organization) Volunteer of the Year awards last week, and it was great to see so many young people excited to be volunteers. This generation of Romanians is clearly blazing a new path to a bright future for this country. Of course, everything was in Romanian, so I was glad to have the help of my friend Cosmin, another NGO director and fellow judge.

--the judges--
this event was held at a bowling alley-arcade in Mamaia, and it was open at the time, so people were bowling and playing the machines while our activity was going on.

I was pleased to participate in a meeting last Friday with county officials at their regular quarterly meeting with NGOs held at the County Prefectorate offices. It is great that the governmental officials want to get updates so they know what these community service agencies are doing, in order to coordinate their efforts and make future plans.

Living next to the Politia Frontiera's training field affords me a clear view from my apartment, so I really appreciate the open air and space, except for those times when it becomes a helicopter landing field.