tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73083620939464136122011-11-08T01:21:09.209+02:00Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-22343590346177248642010-10-28T05:54:00.006+03:002010-10-29T07:04:19.962+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-21793097444888302332010-01-06T23:35:00.020+02:002010-01-07T12:17:17.471+02:00

Some of the best things in life are the unexpected. During my time in Romania, I have learned how to throw plans out the window and fly by the seat of my pants. Being unprepared does not settle well with me for I do not excel when put on the spot. But at some point, I had to realize that you can't always be prepared for life...there's always going to be that element of surprise. Awkwardness

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-86308959100957906382010-01-04T00:56:00.006+02:002010-01-04T01:17:39.915+02:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-40801710902482580802009-12-29T23:17:00.002+02:002009-12-29T23:21:49.078+02:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-70381623101319858882009-11-06T19:51:00.005+02:002009-11-06T20:04:30.229+02:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-21816490064075814332009-10-28T23:52:00.004+02:002009-10-29T00:13:17.359+02:00

Life is a lot like walking through the streets of Campulung...if you focus on tip-toeing through all the shit on the ground, you miss the beauty all around.

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-47872054481528455662009-10-27T22:03:00.003+02:002009-10-27T22:24:27.743+02:00

Recently, David Sasaki from Rising Voices, the organization that funded our Blogging The Dream project came to visit Cȃmpulung Moldovenesc. He met with some of the blogging participants and furthered their technological experience; teaching them how to interview someone and then make a video. The highlight for me (and my parents who were here visiting) was observing the "democratic" voting

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-17930474126420151772009-10-21T20:43:00.004+03:002009-10-21T21:27:19.062+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-38181558176331193532009-10-15T00:20:00.000+03:002009-10-15T00:20:02.802+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-13470670348469798012009-10-14T22:22:00.001+03:002009-10-14T22:22:56.177+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-71023576380716442972009-09-23T14:00:00.001+03:002009-09-23T14:08:04.140+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-30107764398332700942009-09-20T21:39:00.009+03:002009-09-20T22:09:09.288+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-12731556895201017022009-09-04T23:16:00.001+03:002009-09-04T23:20:14.375+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-22764449790662143472009-09-03T19:10:00.000+03:002009-09-04T23:01:37.868+03:00

After the disgruntling pageant loss of 2004, I realized that my answer “and to solve world peace” had been amiss. In fact, it had never been the right answer. Although it’s always been the default response in the interview portion, I’ve never truly believed in this mentality or even considered it to be a logical approach to life. So when I finally hankered down and opted to commit myself to

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-82579865126912789892009-08-30T13:25:00.011+03:002009-08-30T14:11:07.241+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-17118302649985701782009-08-13T03:20:00.009+03:002009-08-13T11:09:17.100+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-14479287444051766672009-07-18T02:24:00.006+03:002009-07-18T02:41:00.423+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-51036774802488268872009-07-08T01:11:00.003+03:002009-07-08T01:25:48.915+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-84216918183269829942009-06-05T17:05:00.008+03:002009-06-05T17:39:30.181+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-78494068983654647082009-05-31T23:18:00.003+03:002009-05-31T23:22:31.252+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-40821116019467606522009-04-21T16:44:00.007+03:002009-04-23T00:00:41.249+03:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-43718645390019963432009-04-20T16:34:00.006+03:002009-05-30T22:09:04.762+03:00

Spring has arrived. All long underwear layers have been shed, bathing is more frequent (or at least I entertain the thought) and I put my jazzercise class on hold as I hit the dirt roads to resume running. Having a year under my belt, I figured I’d have the running “situation” under control. You know – I’ve more or less grown accustomed to the blatant staring, chickens no longer tweak me out,

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-41211758470616359762009-02-20T03:50:00.015+02:002009-02-20T06:45:30.914+02:00

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Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-68560025070371578612009-02-06T00:02:00.006+02:002009-02-17T00:29:26.652+02:00

Of all the weddings, holidays and events I’ve missed this past year, being away for the birth of my first niece has been by far the hardest, for I will never get to hold her in my arms as a miniature pipsqueak. Georgia Elizabeth Grant was born (as a baby) at 2:43pm on Monday February 2, 2009 tipping the scale at a whopping 8 lbs and 17 ½”. My sister promised to call as soon as she was on her

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-91697196472569149372009-01-30T00:30:00.001+02:002009-01-30T00:34:25.235+02:00

For the first time in my life I have become conscious of how a "lady" should act and ironically find myself abiding by these societal norms when in view of the Romanian public. Obviously back home I was well aware of how a "True Lady" should behave but always scoffed at the old school traditions that I have always viewed as ridiculous and slightly demeaning. In turn, I have constantly attempted

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-88259889967917698542009-01-21T01:33:00.016+02:002009-01-21T02:12:48.669+02:00

Like almost everything else I’ve experienced in Romania, Christmas somehow just seemed to fall into place. In the weeks leading up to the big day, I attempted to fill the void with my own make shift holiday preparations but still found something to be missing. And then it happened…someone flipped the switch. With three days to go, it finally started to snow and Campulung Moldovenesc morphed into

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-25034952361616566762008-12-13T02:19:00.012+02:002008-12-13T02:58:16.250+02:00

If there was any lurking possibility that I would feel compelled to take in a stray animal, this past week has sealed that door FOREVER. I had the glorious experience of watching my sitemate’s dog, who was conveniently neutered a few days prior to my start date. When I first went to get the dog it was dressed in a black toga to cover the wound. Now…the idea of walking a dog, not to mention on a

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-22983621835269549262008-11-22T16:00:00.007+02:002008-12-12T14:47:35.140+02:00

What a glorious day! As soon as I woke up it began to snow and within an hour the ground and roof tops were covered in a white blanket. It's so beautiful to see the trees bedazzled - I've been waiting to see this for days. My counterpart even called to see if I was finally pleased because apparently all I've talked about for the past month is when it was going to snow. It's strange how much a bit

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-87183594708132056402008-11-18T10:53:00.010+02:002008-11-18T18:14:22.866+02:00

After being in Bucharest for a couple days I arrived home at 5:30am to a nice temperature of 44 degrees Farenheit inside my humble abode so I immediately stoked up the soba. Five hours, two cups of coffe, a hot chocolate and now a tea later, I'm still bundled in my down jacket and sleeping bag. Despite the chilly interior, it still has not snowed in Campulung Moldovenesc and frankly I'm growing a

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-57500535232649371442008-11-11T23:33:00.008+02:002008-11-20T13:23:50.345+02:00

Regardless of where I am, I always seem to get a sense of nostalgia around this time of year. The time when fall gradually fades into winter and culminates with the holiday season. For me, it has always been about reviving the essence of family.One year ago today, my godfather was driving back from working in Alaska and died unexpectedly. Finally, when his life had come together, it was taken

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-21624662539451988232008-10-12T21:16:00.005+03:002008-10-12T21:47:33.813+03:00

There are few things that I find to be greater than a beautiful fall day. Fortunately this has been the third one in a row and I can’t help but bask in it…even if that does mean running the risk of getting pelted by a falling walnut, protecting myself from Felix (the Landlord’s cat) and being sprayed by Alma’s (the Landlord’s dog) sudden sneezing attack that seems to be lingering for an obscene

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-38229164845018527342008-10-01T20:45:00.000+03:002008-10-12T21:15:03.049+03:00

Yes, there is a town named Turda in Romania. The name itself has been a great source of entertainment for myself on several accounts, so clearly I’m not about to miss attending the festival and the opportunity to get a t-shirt that states Turda Fest. Possibly my favorite Turda discussion stemmed from explaining to my counterpart why hearing Turda simply makes me smile. Speaking in English, I

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-35276747074503058672008-09-21T16:25:00.000+03:002008-10-12T20:45:00.548+03:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that I love riding in trains. Although you can’t blare the music and sing at the top of your lungs as you can on a road trip, it’s almost worth the trade of not having to worry about navigating yourself and thus being able to completely lose yourself in the passing scenery. That is of course until the anxiety of trying to figure out when to get off kicks in. It really

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-54972443261384096442008-09-17T23:23:00.009+03:002009-01-30T01:17:50.526+02:00

Strangely, summer is over and I realized that I did not get to swim once. Growing up in Minnesota you really do take for granted the endless bodies of water that you can submerge yourself into on a hot summer day. Nevertheless, I deeply miss being on and near the water, there just seems to be an automatic calming effect. However, I do not feel this way about the ocean. That beast just scares me,

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-2590879383911232922008-08-31T18:54:00.003+03:002009-01-30T00:48:12.936+02:00

Lord knows who, sometimes I wonder if it really is real. This past week I contracted the black lung and it just could not be solved. Finally, I was able to receive an actual real prescription from the Peace Corps Doctor, so I asked my counterpart to go to the pharmacy with me to ensure I was not given testosterone pills or something of the alike. She gratefully accepted but first wanted to stop

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-5187811608777797262008-08-28T21:33:00.003+03:002008-08-30T21:42:55.075+03:00

As I walked home this evening through my own little town of Bethlehem, I saw a woman running laps in the caged in paved soccer field in the dark. I couldn’t help but do a double take and stare in awe. All this time the locals have forced me to feel like nothing other than a freak of nature when going on jogs. If I only knew my self-esteem could have been protected by a cage amongst the darkness

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-64915154228504308262008-07-13T20:48:00.011+03:002008-07-27T15:04:03.668+03:00

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… I will be living with my Gazda for another month because I cannot move into my little house until August 1st. A bit disappointing because I’m anxious to get out on my own, as I have been living out of a suitcase since February and it’s hard to be entirely at ease when you are a guest in a stranger’s home. However, “Beast” is a nice lady and an excellent cook (it has

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-84026505158333805572008-07-07T22:44:00.004+03:002008-07-07T22:59:26.087+03:00

In attempt to fill the void of the annual boat parade on Upper South Long Lake and the infamous Brainerd fireworks, which just doesn’t display the best mullets Minnesota has to offer, I thought I’d try a whole new kind of parade. Much like Christmas morning I awoke with great anticipation because today was the day I got to pick up my package from home, which has been waiting at the Posta since

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-80783534002232055902008-06-08T19:47:00.004+03:002008-06-08T19:56:12.578+03:00

As they say in the old country, “April showers bring May flowers.” And then there were more showers. The last week of May brought much discouragement and longing for folk back home – being an outsider was no longer enjoyable. Prior to the ending of my honeymoon phase, I was able to go to Onesti, the hometown of ole Nadia. There was a Viva Moldova gathering as well, so I had a great time

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-12587342735155396132008-05-23T13:49:00.000+03:002008-05-26T14:06:53.780+03:00

Despite my original beliefs that my new gazda’s name was Beast (which much to my dismay is not), she is actually yet another kind and hospitable Romanian. I have been in my new town for 2 weeks now and have already grown quite fond of this little diamond in the rough. Technically, it’s probably the rough in the diamond, for the Bucovina area is absolutely gorgeous. Any direction you look,

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-59274779737297082402008-05-18T13:29:00.001+03:002008-05-26T13:48:45.370+03:00

We have officially been sworn-in as actual Peace Corps Volunteers. After 10 weeks of training and holding up our right hands stating a quite stern (and frankly kind of intense) oath, we have morphed into genuine white doves. Thus far, our group, the 24th group of volunteers in Romania since 1992, has maintained all individuals – no men down. Our ceremony was held in Bucharest at the US

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-4597028562839357462008-05-01T16:56:00.005+03:002008-05-06T17:32:57.433+03:00

And frankly, it’s been quite warm. This just must be the time of year for all mother dogs to bear more friendly vagabonds for if Gaylord Focker were here…he would not only be milking the cats.Additionally, this past weekend was the Romanian Orthodox Easter, Paste, which is their most important holiday and they go all out. Ladies of the household spent all last week preparing and cooking food for

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-81216005832097008702008-04-24T17:24:00.005+03:002008-04-24T18:12:15.351+03:00

Well, you guessed it…the Romanian BM disease finally got the best of me. I was out of commission for a couple of days and leery to travel (or simply leave the house) for a couple more. On several accounts it was quite a cultural experience. My gazda mother had all the right cures. By far the greatest being a simple shot of whiskey. Despite her confidence in grandpa’s cough syrup; I just couldn’t

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-63286924618862258752008-04-02T15:46:00.006+03:002008-04-02T16:48:43.583+03:00

Well...needless to say, the basketball challenge against the 8th Grade Girls did not go well. We lost 48-18. Not too bad since most of our team had never played before. Also in our defense, their Coach Katinka Gadovananana played and she was a beastly All-Star (please see photo album for actual images). There was not a player on our team who went home untouched by Ole Katinks. Although we did not

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-44874284365063304802008-03-30T19:17:00.007+03:002008-03-30T19:56:08.655+03:00

On the left is from a trip to Sinaia I took a couple of weeks ago. This is a picture of Peles Castle, the home of Romanian's King Carol I until his death in 1914. Peles is considered one of the most beautiful castles in all of Europe. Construction began in 1873 and the masterpiece of German new-Renaissance Architecture was completed by 1883. It was the first castle in the world to be fully

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-61770582378064424502008-03-25T16:37:00.005+02:002008-03-25T18:21:29.202+02:00

It recently occurred to me that this 10 week training program just might not be preparing us to integrate and work within Romania but to potentially put us on the road as an international freak show. Considering the number of presentations and skits that we have already had to do in 5 weeks, I am truly starting to believe that we are simply here to entertain the Staff. However, as the following

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-3397767447250119012008-03-07T01:45:00.001+02:002008-03-06T20:10:48.756+02:00

As of today, I have officially been in Romania for two weeks but it feels more like 2 months. Peace Corps has kept us far busier than I could have ever imagined. Between taking in the new experiences of living with a Romanian family, going to language class and working with a local organization, I have had no time to practice my new floor routine, let alone find the nearest gymnastics

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-29476958203560906142008-02-12T03:45:00.000+02:002008-02-12T03:52:53.884+02:00

Here's a brief description of what type of work I will be doing after my initial training period;"ID Volunteers initiate efforts to strengthen the organizational and management skills of related NGOs and governmental agencies dealing with institutionalized children, abused children, minority issues, HIV/AIDS prevention, and of agencies focused on youth development and information technology.ID

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308362093946413612.post-25008410501446000642008-02-08T10:30:00.000+02:002008-02-08T20:02:22.150+02:00

Despite my vigorous training on the uneven parallel bars and best efforts to pack by process of elimination, I'm still not quite ready to leave physcially. Regardless of what I've already done, there always seems to be more. However, mentally I am more than ready. I've been waiting to flee the country for a year and a half, and frankly I'm pretty damn excited to get this show on the road. Then of

Betsyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11571272289025190448noreply@blogger.com12