Disclaimer: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
I've been working on this post for a while and I saved it to my stick so I could post from the office when I actually have internet access - so take the time to read it PULL-EASE!!
Coming soon - Photos of New Years Eve in Deva!
In 2007...
Did you do something you thought you would never do?
I don’t know. I never thought I’d do anything like Carpathian Challenge and I set a goal to do it in summer of 2009. I thought I’d never learn a foreign language and be as good as I am with Romanian. I’m not great but I’m pretty proud of myself because I almost didn’t join the Peace Corps because I didn’t think I could learn another language. I certainly never thought I’d speak on the phone in Romanian or give a speech in Romanian to 75 people.
Did you keep any New Year's Resolutions?
Not New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I think I resolved to play more drinking games and, sadly, I have not honored that once in 2007. I’ve been resolving to keep a better journal for the last four years, but I have kept to my personal goal of doing yoga every morning and training exercises for Carpathian Challenge. Not very intense training exercises but exercises nonetheless.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one so close to me I can think of it right now, so no.
Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandma Rogers
Did you visit any countries?
Just Romania.
And the international airport in Frankfurt, Germany but I’d been there before.
What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
More projects and people willing to work on them with me. More knowledge of how to speak Romanian. Maybe more structured time. More communication with friends from home that I miss.
Will any date from 2007 stay etched in your memory forever?
Maybe the day we were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. In May.
What was your biggest achievement of 2007?
I ate a raw onion like an apple. No I didn’t really do that. I just wish I did. I have gotten really good and chopping onions though. These Transylvanian onions used to make me cry all the time and now they barely make me tear up. As I write this, I have just accomplished an entire bottle of wine by myself but that’s not really an achievement. I want to say that at our in-service training conference Mihaela said of the Peace Corps volunteers that the fact that someone would leave their country and come to work in Romania for two years makes her believe that humanity can’t be as bad as she thought it was. This is my biggest accomplishment so far but since I accomplished it just by coming here and by doing nothing else, I will say that at Special Olympics I gave an impromptu speech in Romanian in front of 75 parents. This is the thing I’ll say I’m most proud of.
What was your biggest failure?
Not making more Romanian friends or not speaking Romanian well enough to engage the people who might be my friends. I’m pretty OK alone in my apartment and I’m fantastic in my apartment with my cat, so it hasn’t really hit me that I need to get out more.
Also I could be a lot better and finding out more about what’s going on with my primary organization and what their needs are.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
My worst illness was when I had no symptoms other than my lymph nodes swelling up painfully, becoming hard and making me fear that I had cancer and that I'd get sent home and I'd have to orphan my cat. Other than that I haven’t been any sicker than the cold I got in January when visiting my friends in NYC. My worst injury probably happened at the Habitat for Humanity blitz build. I don’t remember any injuries but I remember bruises.
What was the best thing you bought in '07?
Kwarou my laptop computer, but technically I bought it in December I think and it arrived in January, I’m not sure. I would say my kitten but I didn’t buy her she was given to me, so I’ll say the second best thing was a share of a cow from Heifer International.
Did your behavior change over the year?
Definitely. I think I’m more confident. I’m able to present my opinions, more subtly – or maybe I just think so. I also stopped eating lunch and I’m able to get up at a consistently early time in the morning whether or not I have any plans for the day. I’m better at structuring my time and holding myself responsible for things. I think I’m more positive and maybe a little more inspired. I definitely don’t let things get to me as much.
Where did you spend most of your money?
In the piaţa and the pet supply store. Definitely the piaţa here and in Ploieşti. And the grocery stores.
Are you happier than this time last year?
I don’t know if I’m happier. I’m more fufilled, less expectant. At this time last year I knew I would be doing something like this in 2007. I just didn’t know what it would be like.
What song will remind you of 2007?
It Comes Around by Justin Timberlake. Maybe also Feelin’ Good by Michael Bublé.
What do you wish you would have done more of?
Made plans for vacation or for visits from friends. Now I feel a lot of pressure to have awesome vacations but I can’t really plan them till I know when and if people are coming to visit. And I wish I’d spent more time with my friends before I left but considering I left in February I think I did pretty good. I should also have spent more time studying Romanian.
What do you wish you would have done less of?
I always wish I had done less worrying about money. I wish I spent less time worrying in general. I wish I spent less time discussing weight and clothing or less time listening to other people talking about what they eat and what size they wear because I really don’t care.
What did/will you do for Christmas '07?
I’m visited Micah and his friend and his host family in Ocna Mureş. We baked cookies, ate huge breakfasts and watched movies – most importantly the Muppet Christmas Carol. It was a great time!
Did you fall in love in 2007?
No, not exactly.
Did you get your heart broken in 2007?
No, not exactly.
Favorite TV program of '07?
The West Wing and Jack and Bobby because it was on TV for a while in Romania or else The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, as always.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yes. I have reawakened a hatred for this guy I went to college with. I don’t remember his name. I think it was Eric? He was president of the campus Republicans in 2000 and he made these comments about Edward James Olmos when he came to speak at our campus. Clearly he couldn’t understand or try to understand the viewpoint of someone who isn’t white. Edward James Olmos for crying out loud! You listen to him and listen good! But that’s not why I hate him. I hate him because he was trying to date my roommate and coming on really strong. He just “decided” that they were going to go on a walk together one day so she got out of the room to be away when he called to make plans because she didn’t like him. But I stayed in the room and he called an woke me up from a nap and he was really rude that my roommate wasn’t there so he couldn’t do whatever he wanted like all things must come to him, Mr. White Male Privilege. What a dick. He didn’t even say sorry for waking me up! Anyway, that-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-remember is a jerk. I just remembered him one day and remembered I have hatred in my heart for him.
What was the best book you read and/or movie you saw?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I’ve seen many good movies in 2007 but the number of movies I saw in 2007 that I hadn’t already seen before 2007 is very few. So the best new movies I saw in 2007 were The Simpson’s Movie and the Battlestar Galatica miniseries.
What was your greatest discovery?
Not everyone makes it a goal to watch the entire Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy once a year and that Americans love to eat and talk about eating Mexican food where ever they are in the world – you introduce two Americans who don’t know each other – they start taking about Mexican food. I also discovered what a huge difference having a pet makes. I lived alone before and didn’t think it was stressful to live just me alone in an apartment and in Romania wasn’t any different. And then I brought home my kitten and it is such a huge change for the better to have someone waiting for you when you get home. I don’t know how I ever got along without her.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
The day I turned 27 I watched Lord of the Rings with two friends who came to visit me and found out my computer hard drive didn’t have to be wiped and rebuilt. We ate my favorite homemade pizza and Schwepp’s Bitter Lemon. The next day we visited Hunedoara castle, went out to lunch, watched The Princess Bride with my colleges from work, made another delicious pizza and served it with yellow cake and homemade icing – then stayed up late talking. It was a great birthday!
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Two things that would have made my year immeasurably more satisfying would be 1) a complete and effortless understanding of Romanian language and grammar and 2) on at least two occasions – waterproof boots!!! Oh, I don’t need waterproof boots, huh? Well you walk around in Reşitia for a week with wet socks. Now (although it’s January) the ground is covered with icy slush and guess what? My boots have holes in them! So there’s nowhere I can go without getting freezing cold wet feet!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2007?
Dru’s hand-me-ups. As she loses weight she passes her clothes on to me. I’ve gotten more than six pairs of pants and some nice skirts – a lot of cool outfits this way and it saves me the trouble of shopping for clothing my size in Romania. Her clothes are all really nice and I appreciate it and everything, but sometimes I feel like I’m dressed like Dru and not like Laura. You know, it would be like (if we were the same size) I gave all my clothes to Sam and that’s all she had to wear. Sam has her own style and it’s not the same as Laura’s style. But most of the time it works out.
Who are you most thankful that you met?
Probably Micah because I have a feeling if we didn’t meet in Peace Corps we would have met some other way since we have so much in common. Probably not literally true that we would have met some other way but it "feels" true. Truthiness.
Who did you wish you did not meet?
That guy in the park in Ploiesti who was masturbating but I didn’t really meet him, he was just standing there looking at me. Other than that, maybe the one rather rude older gentleman but I don’t want to say too much.
Who was your best friend?
My best friends have been Bella the cat and Micah, other than that Andy and Nicole as always.
Who was your enemy?
My enemy was the Dark Lord, He Who Must Not Be Named
Who do you miss?
I miss my family, “The Family” and Harry, Ron and Hermione. Sorry, but it won’t be the same now, after 2007, guys.
Who will you never forget?
I’ll never forget my first gazda Lumi, gazda sister Tina and my second gazda mother Miluta. I’ll never forget Scott Bruner and Jason even though they went home. They’re cool guys I’m glad I met them. And I’ll never forget those who gave their lives in the final battle against the Dark Lord.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007
I learned you can spend a lot of time wishing someone pain and not be happy when they get it – in fact when they get it you can still be utterly miserable for them. Seems self evident but when it happens to you it takes you by surprise.
What will you always remember about 2007
PST in Ploiesti, being sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer, my flight to Romania, meeting my new friends, learning to speak Romanian and my first Christmas without my family. I’m sure there’s plenty of other things that I’ll always remember but I’ve forgotten them right now.
Aspirations for 2008...
What do you want to do in '08 that you couldn't in '07?
Successful projects! Training for Carpathian Challenge ’09! GLOW Camp! I feel like I’m in a position to finally get started. Maybe I could eventually become really busy…but I’ve felt that way before. Either way I’m eager to get going!
Any resolutions?
I’ve resolved not to add honey to my green tea, anymore. Well, this morning I forgot and added it, but I’m trying not to add honey to my green tea. Notice I didn’t say anything about not adding honey to my black tea, my chai tea, my cinnamon apple spice tea, my chamomile tea, or my medicinal teas – because honey is really good for medicinal teas, especially for a cough. In general I think honey is just good for you because it’s a natural sugar, but maybe not with the amount of tea that I drink.
What will be different about 2008 than 2007?
I already have four new friends – two from France and 1 from Belgium and 1 from Argentina, and I feel like I’m finally making the connections for projects to start happening! Let’s hope so!
Anything you want to change about yourself for 2008?
I want to worry less – about money, about what people think, about the future. I want to focus on myself and what I want and do what I need to to make it happen. For now.
Do you want to make more friends in 2008?
Ba Da. As my great role model Chi Chi Rodriguez said “no one is so rich they can afford to throw away a friend.” Chi Chi Rodriguez? Anyone? Anyone?
Did you do something you thought you would never do?
I don’t know. I never thought I’d do anything like Carpathian Challenge and I set a goal to do it in summer of 2009. I thought I’d never learn a foreign language and be as good as I am with Romanian. I’m not great but I’m pretty proud of myself because I almost didn’t join the Peace Corps because I didn’t think I could learn another language. I certainly never thought I’d speak on the phone in Romanian or give a speech in Romanian to 75 people.
Did you keep any New Year's Resolutions?
Not New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I think I resolved to play more drinking games and, sadly, I have not honored that once in 2007. I’ve been resolving to keep a better journal for the last four years, but I have kept to my personal goal of doing yoga every morning and training exercises for Carpathian Challenge. Not very intense training exercises but exercises nonetheless.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one so close to me I can think of it right now, so no.
Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandma Rogers
Did you visit any countries?
Just Romania.
And the international airport in Frankfurt, Germany but I’d been there before.
What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
More projects and people willing to work on them with me. More knowledge of how to speak Romanian. Maybe more structured time. More communication with friends from home that I miss.
Will any date from 2007 stay etched in your memory forever?
Maybe the day we were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. In May.
What was your biggest achievement of 2007?
I ate a raw onion like an apple. No I didn’t really do that. I just wish I did. I have gotten really good and chopping onions though. These Transylvanian onions used to make me cry all the time and now they barely make me tear up. As I write this, I have just accomplished an entire bottle of wine by myself but that’s not really an achievement. I want to say that at our in-service training conference Mihaela said of the Peace Corps volunteers that the fact that someone would leave their country and come to work in Romania for two years makes her believe that humanity can’t be as bad as she thought it was. This is my biggest accomplishment so far but since I accomplished it just by coming here and by doing nothing else, I will say that at Special Olympics I gave an impromptu speech in Romanian in front of 75 parents. This is the thing I’ll say I’m most proud of.
What was your biggest failure?
Not making more Romanian friends or not speaking Romanian well enough to engage the people who might be my friends. I’m pretty OK alone in my apartment and I’m fantastic in my apartment with my cat, so it hasn’t really hit me that I need to get out more.
Also I could be a lot better and finding out more about what’s going on with my primary organization and what their needs are.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
My worst illness was when I had no symptoms other than my lymph nodes swelling up painfully, becoming hard and making me fear that I had cancer and that I'd get sent home and I'd have to orphan my cat. Other than that I haven’t been any sicker than the cold I got in January when visiting my friends in NYC. My worst injury probably happened at the Habitat for Humanity blitz build. I don’t remember any injuries but I remember bruises.
What was the best thing you bought in '07?
Kwarou my laptop computer, but technically I bought it in December I think and it arrived in January, I’m not sure. I would say my kitten but I didn’t buy her she was given to me, so I’ll say the second best thing was a share of a cow from Heifer International.
Did your behavior change over the year?
Definitely. I think I’m more confident. I’m able to present my opinions, more subtly – or maybe I just think so. I also stopped eating lunch and I’m able to get up at a consistently early time in the morning whether or not I have any plans for the day. I’m better at structuring my time and holding myself responsible for things. I think I’m more positive and maybe a little more inspired. I definitely don’t let things get to me as much.
Where did you spend most of your money?
In the piaţa and the pet supply store. Definitely the piaţa here and in Ploieşti. And the grocery stores.
Are you happier than this time last year?
I don’t know if I’m happier. I’m more fufilled, less expectant. At this time last year I knew I would be doing something like this in 2007. I just didn’t know what it would be like.
What song will remind you of 2007?
It Comes Around by Justin Timberlake. Maybe also Feelin’ Good by Michael Bublé.
What do you wish you would have done more of?
Made plans for vacation or for visits from friends. Now I feel a lot of pressure to have awesome vacations but I can’t really plan them till I know when and if people are coming to visit. And I wish I’d spent more time with my friends before I left but considering I left in February I think I did pretty good. I should also have spent more time studying Romanian.
What do you wish you would have done less of?
I always wish I had done less worrying about money. I wish I spent less time worrying in general. I wish I spent less time discussing weight and clothing or less time listening to other people talking about what they eat and what size they wear because I really don’t care.
What did/will you do for Christmas '07?
I’m visited Micah and his friend and his host family in Ocna Mureş. We baked cookies, ate huge breakfasts and watched movies – most importantly the Muppet Christmas Carol. It was a great time!
Did you fall in love in 2007?
No, not exactly.
Did you get your heart broken in 2007?
No, not exactly.
Favorite TV program of '07?
The West Wing and Jack and Bobby because it was on TV for a while in Romania or else The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, as always.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yes. I have reawakened a hatred for this guy I went to college with. I don’t remember his name. I think it was Eric? He was president of the campus Republicans in 2000 and he made these comments about Edward James Olmos when he came to speak at our campus. Clearly he couldn’t understand or try to understand the viewpoint of someone who isn’t white. Edward James Olmos for crying out loud! You listen to him and listen good! But that’s not why I hate him. I hate him because he was trying to date my roommate and coming on really strong. He just “decided” that they were going to go on a walk together one day so she got out of the room to be away when he called to make plans because she didn’t like him. But I stayed in the room and he called an woke me up from a nap and he was really rude that my roommate wasn’t there so he couldn’t do whatever he wanted like all things must come to him, Mr. White Male Privilege. What a dick. He didn’t even say sorry for waking me up! Anyway, that-guy-whose-name-I-don’t-remember is a jerk. I just remembered him one day and remembered I have hatred in my heart for him.
What was the best book you read and/or movie you saw?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I’ve seen many good movies in 2007 but the number of movies I saw in 2007 that I hadn’t already seen before 2007 is very few. So the best new movies I saw in 2007 were The Simpson’s Movie and the Battlestar Galatica miniseries.
What was your greatest discovery?
Not everyone makes it a goal to watch the entire Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy once a year and that Americans love to eat and talk about eating Mexican food where ever they are in the world – you introduce two Americans who don’t know each other – they start taking about Mexican food. I also discovered what a huge difference having a pet makes. I lived alone before and didn’t think it was stressful to live just me alone in an apartment and in Romania wasn’t any different. And then I brought home my kitten and it is such a huge change for the better to have someone waiting for you when you get home. I don’t know how I ever got along without her.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
The day I turned 27 I watched Lord of the Rings with two friends who came to visit me and found out my computer hard drive didn’t have to be wiped and rebuilt. We ate my favorite homemade pizza and Schwepp’s Bitter Lemon. The next day we visited Hunedoara castle, went out to lunch, watched The Princess Bride with my colleges from work, made another delicious pizza and served it with yellow cake and homemade icing – then stayed up late talking. It was a great birthday!
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Two things that would have made my year immeasurably more satisfying would be 1) a complete and effortless understanding of Romanian language and grammar and 2) on at least two occasions – waterproof boots!!! Oh, I don’t need waterproof boots, huh? Well you walk around in Reşitia for a week with wet socks. Now (although it’s January) the ground is covered with icy slush and guess what? My boots have holes in them! So there’s nowhere I can go without getting freezing cold wet feet!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2007?
Dru’s hand-me-ups. As she loses weight she passes her clothes on to me. I’ve gotten more than six pairs of pants and some nice skirts – a lot of cool outfits this way and it saves me the trouble of shopping for clothing my size in Romania. Her clothes are all really nice and I appreciate it and everything, but sometimes I feel like I’m dressed like Dru and not like Laura. You know, it would be like (if we were the same size) I gave all my clothes to Sam and that’s all she had to wear. Sam has her own style and it’s not the same as Laura’s style. But most of the time it works out.
Who are you most thankful that you met?
Probably Micah because I have a feeling if we didn’t meet in Peace Corps we would have met some other way since we have so much in common. Probably not literally true that we would have met some other way but it "feels" true. Truthiness.
Who did you wish you did not meet?
That guy in the park in Ploiesti who was masturbating but I didn’t really meet him, he was just standing there looking at me. Other than that, maybe the one rather rude older gentleman but I don’t want to say too much.
Who was your best friend?
My best friends have been Bella the cat and Micah, other than that Andy and Nicole as always.
Who was your enemy?
My enemy was the Dark Lord, He Who Must Not Be Named
Who do you miss?
I miss my family, “The Family” and Harry, Ron and Hermione. Sorry, but it won’t be the same now, after 2007, guys.
Who will you never forget?
I’ll never forget my first gazda Lumi, gazda sister Tina and my second gazda mother Miluta. I’ll never forget Scott Bruner and Jason even though they went home. They’re cool guys I’m glad I met them. And I’ll never forget those who gave their lives in the final battle against the Dark Lord.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007
I learned you can spend a lot of time wishing someone pain and not be happy when they get it – in fact when they get it you can still be utterly miserable for them. Seems self evident but when it happens to you it takes you by surprise.
What will you always remember about 2007
PST in Ploiesti, being sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer, my flight to Romania, meeting my new friends, learning to speak Romanian and my first Christmas without my family. I’m sure there’s plenty of other things that I’ll always remember but I’ve forgotten them right now.
Aspirations for 2008...
What do you want to do in '08 that you couldn't in '07?
Successful projects! Training for Carpathian Challenge ’09! GLOW Camp! I feel like I’m in a position to finally get started. Maybe I could eventually become really busy…but I’ve felt that way before. Either way I’m eager to get going!
Any resolutions?
I’ve resolved not to add honey to my green tea, anymore. Well, this morning I forgot and added it, but I’m trying not to add honey to my green tea. Notice I didn’t say anything about not adding honey to my black tea, my chai tea, my cinnamon apple spice tea, my chamomile tea, or my medicinal teas – because honey is really good for medicinal teas, especially for a cough. In general I think honey is just good for you because it’s a natural sugar, but maybe not with the amount of tea that I drink.
What will be different about 2008 than 2007?
I already have four new friends – two from France and 1 from Belgium and 1 from Argentina, and I feel like I’m finally making the connections for projects to start happening! Let’s hope so!
Anything you want to change about yourself for 2008?
I want to worry less – about money, about what people think, about the future. I want to focus on myself and what I want and do what I need to to make it happen. For now.
Do you want to make more friends in 2008?
Ba Da. As my great role model Chi Chi Rodriguez said “no one is so rich they can afford to throw away a friend.” Chi Chi Rodriguez? Anyone? Anyone?
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