VAC stands for Volunteer Advisory Committee and is a group of volunteer representatives who work closely with Peace Corps staff to provide volunteer input and ideas. I was nominated, but wasn't selected as a representative. The process taught me a lot though, not only about the other members of my group who had been nominated (all of them very talented and would have done a superb job!) but also about myself. It's important to frequently evaluate why we do what we do, why we're volunteers with the Peace Corps.... what we hope to achieve and how we plan to go about achieving it. I hope that in some small way I can make a positive impact.

An update from Nils:

I thought I would drop another bit of news about how things are going for us here in Braila. We are currently in our new home and city for the next two years, Braila, Romania. I guess some of you have already talked to us since we got here last week, but nonetheless I thought I would tell some about our new home. It is the 10th biggest city in Romania, but it has kind of a small-town field despite the well over 200,000 people who live here. In the past few years 15 supermarket stores have opened up, making it easy for us to buy anything we need. There are also several open markets which are available every day (in some places it's only on weekends that they're open) and provide anything we would need in terms of food, clothing, household items, etc. It is a great place to be. On Sunday we went to the city of Galati, which is about 12 miles to the north. The closest Mormon church is in Galati, but it is very small and generally only 10-20 people attend. There happens to be another Mormon Peace Corps Volunteer who is serving in Galati, Marie. Incidentally, she also went to Westminster College, though she started after I was there. However, we know many of the same people and she lived in the same apartment building I did (on the same floor as a matter of fact). She will be here for 2 more months before going home.

Sunday May 11 (Mother's Day) at Marie's house (another Volunteer leaving in July) along with a senior missionary couple Bro and Sis Bryson, Brother Peterson, a farmer here from Idaho doing consulting near Galati (he's been all over the world), and Cynthia, a volunteer from our group visiting from Mastacani (a small village north of Galati)

Galati is slightly bigger than Braila, and is much more fast-paced, with bigger buildings and everything. They have a big "tower", kind of like the space needle in Seattle or something similar. We have not yet visited that, but are thinking we might give it a try if we get a chance on a clear day sometime. From Galati to the north is a region known as "Moldova" (not to be confused with the neighboring country of Moldova) which consists of everything north of Braila and east of the Carpathian Mountains. There are a few other Peace Corps Volunteers in Moldova that we know, so we will probably get a chance to go and visit the other cities nearby. Also, we are hoping to visit the Republic of Moldova (yes, the other country) maybe early next month. Apparently the capital Chisinau is quite a nice place and I want to visit that, as well as Ukraine in the not so distant future.

The past week we have been getting familiar with our organizations and with our apartment. Yesterday I killed a bunch of flies who lived in our bathroom. We have been buying things we need a little bit at a time and putting them in our apartment, making it more and more comfortable as time goes on. We definitely have room for visitors, with a full-sized futon and space on the floor if we need to get an air-mattress and put one down. So, the time is here to start planning your trip to Romania. I would recommend fall or spring, as the seasons are pretty nice. Although, you might want to bring an umbrella if you come in the spring. If you come in summer, you don't need to pack any clothes, because apparently it is hot Hot HOT. It is on the horizon, and we are bracing ourselves for the next wave of global warming to cook us. Then again, summer is when things really come alive in Braila. We'll see if we can send some enticing photos and stories so that you might want to come in summer afterall!

Catching up on our first Trip to Braila

We have been working hard wrapping up our training.... taking Language tests, finishing up projects, and frankly just relaxing for once! Two weeks ago, we took a trip to Braila (our soon to be home starting next week) and we wanted to catch everyone up on our first impressions before we move there. We were very impressed with the 10th largest Romanian city of approx 218,000 people. The side-walks are wide and clear, trees line the streets, and the city center is filled with plenty of interesting things to see and do!

On the way to Braila from Ploiesti (which means city of rain by the way, and what do ya know.... it's raining here today!) by autocar (one of those tour buses) we had a chance to see some of the countryside. (These are pictures taken from the bus)

Upon arriving in Braila we were shown to our potential house (if we like it, which we do) which belonged to the family of one of the founders of my organization. The organization generously offered this nice place already furnised and ready to go! How lucky are we!!!

So, we were in Braila from Thursday afternoon to Sunday morning and got to see quite a bit of the city. On Friday Nils and I met with my organization (both organization coordinated the schedule so we could meet each organization together... nice, huh!). My organization (CDIMM) is an NGO designed to help small and medium size entrenpreneurial ventures in Romania get the training and technical assistance they need to get off the ground. They have worked with PC volunteers before in 1994 and unofficially in 2006 so they have some experience with the Peace Corps. Everyone at the organization is great and I look forward to learning more in the next few months.

Nils' organziation was our Saturday activity. Pro Democracy is an organization designed to provide education about citizens' rights to vote and encourage youth to involve themselves in local and national politics. They work primarily with youth when it comes to volunteerism and involvement, but their impact reaches far more. Pro Democracy has several clubs and chapters throughout Romania and are becoming more widely-known, establishing for themselves a good reputation. Here's a picture of some of the team leaders from the balcony of their office...

Nils and I are very excited and look forward to providing more insights into this beautiful city! Below is just a bonus picture I really liked that I took from the same balcony of Pro Democracy... the top of a beautiful church (a trademark of the city) across the street. Nils' place definitely has a nice view!!

Basketball Tourney

The hub school's gym teacher decided to challenge the girls and the guys of the Peace Corps to a little basketball. Nils and his group of guys started practicing Saturdays to give the middleschoolers some serious competition. It was a good game to watch. The middle schoolers seriously almost "schooled" our guys but luckily the CP (Corpul Pacii) team pulled ahead by one point by the end of the game. At one point, the middle school team was ahead by 15 points. Now that's a Jazz-like comeback!

For us girls, we didn't even know who would be playing until the "day of". But come on! The kids are only in middle school. No big deal, right? Uh, unless the coach plays.... That's right! The coach had played on a professional women's team back in the day and had a great time "spanking" us all. The end score was 44-16 (I think)... I made a 2-point basket though!

The guys played first, so here's a picture of my team warming the bench. We did a little cheering, and of course lead the WAVE :)

New Looks

Okay, we were out on the town celebrating a trainee's birthday when suddenly someone said it would be really cool to have all the guys in the group grow a mustache for the swearing-in ceremony. A few girls were behind the idea and they even went to the trouble of asking my permission for Nils to grow one. So Nils started growing his. After a few days, it was looking pretty good, but every guy tends to say how much they hate mustaches, how creepy they look, while secretly harboring a deep love for them. Definitely one of those complex "love-hate" relationships. So here's what Nils looks like with a -stache....

As a note, Nils also got a really nice hair cut. Cost him all of 7 RON. Great price and a nice job.

For me... I thought I had lost my glasses at the hotel. Luckily the Peace Corps requires you bring a second pair, so I wasn't too bad off. When we made a trip to Bucuresti later, I had the chance of picking out a new pair. Peace Corps gives you up to one free pair of glasses. Here's the new pair. Lilian, one of the staff at Peace Corps helped me pick them out. I like 'em. They're trendy and something I would have never thought to pick out myself.

Even in Romania....

Nils and I enjoyed General Conference this past Saturday and Sunday. Of course, we watched it at 7:00pm so it felt kinda funny leaving the church building when it was dark outside. But I am so grateful we were able to watch it, even in Romania.

Romania is a truly wonderful place of opportunity and learning. There were several talks that reinforced a lot of what we've been learning here. The talk by Cheryl Lant about traditions reminded me that there are many precious traditions pass down in families that are worth preserving. It's important to respect and learn from others' traditions. Elder Wirthlin talked about leadership; how leaders should be concerned for the ONE as much as they are concerned for the WHOLE. He celebrated diversity and reminded us that we shouldn't try to all be the same, but appreciate differences. I especially liked how he said sometimes the "slowest" end up going the "farthest". It made me think of language classes.... It's not always about catching on and being able to speak perfectly as much as it is being creative and connecting with people. I was filled to the brim with the beautiful messages and feelings of joy and peace.

The Everyday

I thought to take some "everyday" pictures just to give you all a taste for classes and school. Below is a picture of Emily's teacher of last week Simona (center) [We get new teachers every week. I would include a picture of Nils' teacher, but we attend different classes/schools].


Here is the "HUB" school, Nicolae Iorga, where Emily goes to school. Nils comes to join me a few times a week in the afternoon, and sometimes all day! The school serves for children ages ~7 - ~15 (I think).

Here's what a lot of the blocs look like. This is on Emily's way to school. Nils and I go in different directions, so we don't often get to walk together. :( But when we do... it's so nice!!!