It's Been 10 Weeks

It's Been 10 Weeks

Wow, the first three months have flown bye. All the teaching seminars and language classes and yet I still feel like I am stepping into all of this unprepared. I wish I had gone home and studied the language or opened one of the hundred books given to me on different teaching methods. Too late now, in a week I will be instructing my first set of pupils.
How strange it was to leave my family in Costesti. I didn't realize how attached I grew until I finally had to say "la revedere" knowing I wasn't going to wake up the following morning to Svetlana yelling "vrei se mananci?" At least in Costesti my host sisters were excellent English students and if we got into a rut they could help translate. Here in my new village my host sister claims to study English at the university in Chisinau, but my youngest host sister in Costesti speaks better English, by far. So, it looks like now I am FULLY immersed in the Romanian language.
My host family informed me that they don't speak "clean" Romanian. This means it is mixed with Russian. In fact, they are mixing three languages, Romanian, Russian, and the newly created Moldovan languages all together. I have only been schooled in Romanian, which is mostly dead here, having been replaced by the Moldovan language. It will be interesting, to say the least.
Yeah, I am homesick. I didn't think it would be this tough leaving PST and entering the world full of unknown people who spoke a completely different language. I wasn't this sad or emotional leaving my family in friends in America. Sorry, but I wasn't. I guess I wasn't emotional because I knew, that for a least a little while, I would be with people who I shared the same language and culture with. Even a 25 minute call to a fellow volunteer put me in a better mood, if only for the evening.
I am taking things one day at a time. Probably the stress of not having textbooks yet, not really knowing what classes I will teach, not knowing the schedule until the first day of school and even then it will change for the next month, planning for the hectic-ness of the first month and teaching classes not knowing what is going on, learning the language, finding a tutor, understanding people when they speak....
Phew, but it is just one day at a time here.
I have had a lot of time here at my new site. I have read a lot and spent a lot of time trying to prepare activities for my students, not knowing their abilities or the grade level. Also, I have compiled a list of things I would like to have. A sort of Wish List, if you will (and I will). So if you get bored or want to give to charity (that charity being me) here are a list of items that are in great need (great and need sort of exagerated).

Lip Gloss (Lip Smackers or MAC)
Sin City DVD
Granola Bars
World Map
Mr. Sketch Markers (the smelly ones, if you find them and send them I will love you forever and try to name a street here after you!)
Flip Flops (size 7.5-8)
Cute Winter Hats/Gloves/Scarves
Holiday Items (for decorations and what-not)
Cheesy Tabloid Magazines (for reading and using in classroom as visuals, so they can be old)
Menus (from restaurants to use as visual aids)
Socks with the little spaces for each toe
A Wrap (like one of those shawl things)
Stickers (for classroom)
Beads and Jewelry Making Items
Books (children books, short chapter books...books)

Also, I changed my email address because I have had problems with accessing my hotmail account. My new email address is gypsyrockerr@yahoo.com. How similar, maybe it won't be so difficult to remember, huh? So write to me, and I will write back when I find a computer with the Internet. It isn't as regular as I hoped it to be, but I will deal. That is what Peace Corps is about, right? Right!