Where to begin … my party last Saturday was phenomenal. Thank you so much to the people who helped put it together and thank you to all who were able to show up and make it a huge success. The following day was Easter, which was fairly low key, which was totally fine with me. That next day I spent out with Mom picking up some things here, there though there are still a few items I will be purchasing in Lei.
That Monday night I slept for oh … an hour and a half. No, it was not nerves or anxiousness, fear or second guessing. It was packing. To anyone who plans on traveling abroad, pack early and sleep first. Nevertheless, I arrived in Philly that afternoon mostly asleep. Slouching at the baggage claim with my monster pack on my back and a large suitcase in hand, a fellow volunteer introduced himself as Kevin, and together we ordered a shuttle to the hotel. While waiting we met a few other volunteers (one of whom was from Braintree!), but they turned out to be serving in Guatemala. Good luck Guatemala volunteers!
Staging was excellent. We had orientation for a number of hours (I forget how many), which wasn't exactly thrilling but well done and a good introduction. Meeting my group was great and because of our prior organization on facebook I recognized most faces. That night some of us went out to dinner. I should say that my group is fantastic and I am super pleased to part of this new family.
The next morning we boarded a bus and drove two hours to Queens where we departed JFK at 5:45 pm to Munich. I really wish I had fallen asleep on that 8 plus hour flight, but it was really out of my hands as my height and general difficulty sleeping most places kept me wide awake. After barely making our connection, we landed in București two hours later.
Exhausted but happy to finally be at my new home for the next two years, my excitement level began to increase; that was until I arrived at baggage claim. That's right, they lost my bags. Oh, not just one of them, both of them. Another volunteer had both her bags lost too. One of mine landed in Vienna and the other one was still unaccounted for (as I look at Lufthansa's site, both have been received and are apparently en route). I am optimistic but still a little bitter about this joy ridding experience.
Oh yeah, I'm in Romania! It immediately looks like a beautiful country. On the bus ride to Târgoviște (Tughr-GO-veesh-tay) I chatted with some PCV leaders who have been serving here for years already. The leaders made me feel very comfortable and I am very happy they are here to support us. Târgoviște is beautiful; a few volunteers and I walked around the city center and checked out some shops. I made my first purchase in Lei of a massive bottle of water. That night we had a large dinner: fish, pork, beef, potatoes, salad, veggies. I don't remember passing out that night. It is now the next morning and I have to meet downstairs soon. Stay tuned.
