Of Pumpkins, Frost and...Giant Burgers?

As I steam full-speed-ahead into my second (second!) autumn in Romania, I've long since realized that for a Peace Corps volunteer, there's no such thing as a dull day -- with the possible exception of those hours of standing in line to pick up packages at the Customs Office. Which are well worth it, incidentally...

But at any rate, October was as rich, active and colorful as ever, filled with those moments large and small that continue to remind me of what a extraordinary gift it is for me to be here, doing this. The common conception of the Peace Corps may abound with heroic images of building schools, walking on water, and stopping speeding bullets with a single, charitable glance (all of which do happen). But I often feel that the true nature of the Peace Corps is often best expressed in a series of subtle, ephemeral, all-too-easily-overlooked moments: a sidewalk conversation with a Romanian neighbor, a stroke of face-paint to a child's face, the sharing of a meal. A few days ago, I stopped along my jogging route to help a local farmer push a loaded wagon out of the road into his driveway. It would have been easy to overlook the moment as meaningless, and only later as I puffed home did I realize that it is often through "meaningless" little moments like this that mutual respect and understanding -- on the personal level and on the global level -- is truly established, even when little is said. One of our primary roles, as volunteers, is to help our home and adopted nations (both of which we love) to understand more about each other, celebrate our differences, and recognize all that we have in common. And this task is accomplished equally well in the line at the grocery store as at the office.

One of this past month's most enjoyable experiences was taking part in the American Festival organized by my friend and fellow volunteer Dan Tirrell and his mayor's office, in the town of Jimbolia (about 1.5 hours from me, on the other side of Timisoara). The roughly 20 of us PC volunteers who showed up were given the job of representing what we feel to be important elements of American culture to local school children, through a series of stations (American sports culture, American and Romanian history in parallel, opportunities for volunteerism in the U.S., etc.). The two-day event was attended by students, the Mayor and representatives of the local town hall, local media, and town residents. Romanians learned about Joe DiMaggio and Kerri Scruggs, a volunteer read from Walt Whitman, and a local food-kiosk owner specially prepared a 75-kg (150 lb.) cheeseburger that blew everyone's minds! In other words, a fun and educational time was had by all.

Following the festival, I returned to my hometown of Recas to accompany my host family and family friend Zeno on a wagon-ride through the hills northeast of my town. The air was crisp, the changing leaves were resplendent, and I came away with a newfound appreciation for work-horses and the people who take care of them. As I've written in the past, horse-drawn wagons (called a "caruţă" in Romanian) are still commonly used by Romanians in rural communities for transportation and load-hauling. And you'll often see them ambling along the shoulders of major roads and highways. Oftentimes, particularly in poorer communities, a horse-drawn wagon is the only affordable mode of transportation, given how expensive even second- or third-hand automobiles are for many families' incomes. When it rains, you and your horse (and whatever you're hauling) get wet! But anyway, a wagon-ride is a wonderful way of enjoying the stunning, traditional Romanian countryside that still blankets the vast, vast majority of this country. Electricity was a promise the Romanian government made (and largely kept) to its large and small communities during Communism, but much otherwise in these rural villages still points to a previous age. Many people, for instance, still go without centralized heating or plumbing, as in my town. When I ask particularly older Romanians about this situation, they will typically just shrug their shoulders and get back to what they were doing. "Modernity will arrive when it arrives." And too many promises have been made and broken in the past for them to get their hopes up.

In conclusion, it has been a terrific Fall thus far, and the coming weeks and months promise much, with the approach of the holidays. Will we treat our Romanian friends to a deep-fried turkey at Thanksgiving, like last year? Will I be singing American gospel music at Christmas with my local church choir (which was sent over by my saintly mom)? Will we organize a town Christmas Festival, as I hope to do with my coworkers?

Stay tuned and find out. In the meantime, enjoy the photos, and don't forget to make the most of those fleeting but beautiful moments that we all experience in our lives -- that reaffirm our commitments to ourselves and to one another. Happy November!