Life in the fast lane

As you can imagine it was
 hard to take picturees

Well it's not actually that fast. Life is setting into normal... I can't tell if that is a good thing because I am becoming accustomed to Romanian culture or bad thing because it's a lot easier to get bored.Well my life still continues to be interesting most of the time. Hanging out with friends, going to parties, tea house the whole shebang. This weekend was actually fairly interesting. My friend Renata took us to a Glow in the Dark Party at a club. It was so much fun, we got to meet her boyfriend and dance.

Oana and Renata with the tower game

Earlier that day we went to Chez Marie with Oana and Renata. This was so much fun! Oana tried to teach us poker, I didn't understand. At least we can rule out a career in Vegas. They also played this game where you stack wooden blocks in rows of three and you try to take out a single one without tipping over the tower. I also lost at this game haha, It was so much fun, we also played many more card games. Later that night Lexi and I went out to eat at Toscanas yummmmmmmmmmmm.

The week however has been pretty boring. School is school. Although now I'm pretty sure some of the teachers just like to insult us most of the time, now that I understand more. We're doing gymnastics in gym, which I can't do so that is interesting. The most interesting thing I think that has happened this week is I got information about EURO TOUR!!!!!!! So excited. I didn't get very much, but now I know where the tour is going. 

1. Ljubljana, Slovenia

2. Venice, Italy

3. Munich, Germany

4. Strasbourg, France

5. Paris, France 

6. Amsterdam, Netherlands

7. Berlin, Germany

8. Prague, Czech Republic

9. Vienna, Austria

10. Budapest, Hungary

I'm very lucky considering I have been to two of these places, but I am still just as excited to go! I just hope it isn't the same week that my father is here 0_0. 

Overall the past while has been pretty good. Hope you enjoyed this post! Here are some random photos...

Ninge!

Valcea

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... well I little bit late for that. Yesterday was one of the first times I saw snow in Valcea. Now it would be great, however I'm walking a mile into town and a mile back home in slush. Gross. Especially when your boots are black and not water proof, I call it reverse Michael Jackson syndrome 0_0.

Haha well the last few weeks have been interesting. Not exactly the best, but you know it's life. One thing many people don't know about exchange isn't the most wondrous thing on the planet. After living here for almost 5 months, one tends to get bored.

Renata

School is interesting. Shelby and I now understand more in classes. Not really. We can usually pick up words and some what guess what they are saying. If we hear "Women", "Equality", "Start", "French Revolution" we have a pretty good guess that he's saying women's equality started with the french revolution. It's a lot harder sometimes cause you will get words that don't connect at all. Though there are classes that I can say that I don't like. I really really don't like. Some classes that I do like. Most of all though I LOVE breaks in between haha. I feel like my speaking romanian is really worse, and that I should be mute, but my understanding is improving. We also have a new friends in class. Sebastian (He's in Interact) and Renata. Renata is very awesome and she talks to us! Marta, Dre, and Teodora are all also doing well :)

The other exchangers are also doing well. The other day due to the weather we almost walked a mile about in  the rain. We were cold to say the least.

Well that was fun hahaha it was. Another fun thing that happened, we spend a lot of time at Chez Marie :)

Shelby at Chez Marie

Also I have run into some ADORABLE PUPPIES

Isn't he so cute!

Also I have waited on Lexi... a lot

Cohi and Lexi

I have also seen some of the most beautiful things I think ever

Life in Valcea people is awesome! Hope you enjoyed! Also I got a new app on my ipod so I can update my blog more often! Although I can't guarantee anything, but I will try!

Last note: I just noticed my post is about snow, and my blog background is summary haha

Revolution in Romania!

Protest in Bucharest
Taken From "The Observer"

That's right there is a protest happening in Romania. "Revolutie in Romănia!" is all one hears now days. With protester lining the streets at night, and the news being covered in gruesome scenes in Bucharest one really has to wonder what happened? Romania government is a Republic and it's chief of state is President Traian Basescu. Currently, right now, the Romanian Economy has had a downturn; the rate of

Protest in Bucharest
Taken From Good Morning America

conversion from a US dollar to a Romanian Leu is about 1 dollar = 3 Lei. The conversion rate from a Euro to a Leu is 1 Euro = 4 lei. On January 12th the revolution started with the resignation of a highly respected government public health official Raed Arfarat, also the founder of the Romania's Emergency Medical Services. The protest started in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, and now has lasted a week and spread like wildfire. It is all across the country, even in my small town Ramnicu Valcea. President Basescu was elected December 20th of 2004 he was a, "Man of the people," but now people are frustrated with the public wage cuts, slashed benefits, higher taxes, cronyism in state institutions and widespread corruption.

Bucharest Protest
Taken from "The Observer"

 By Sunday thousands of people were storming University Sqaure in Bucharest in protest. Over a dozen are injured and hospitalized including journalists, policemen, and protesters. The prime minister gave a speech about a new health-care bill after visiting a policeman who was hospitalized because a brick was thrown at his head. In Bucharest the protest has turned from a peaceful protest to a protest in which now the media can no longer cover it. The press was forced to leave University Square on Saturday, due to the violence.  The news is filled with very disturbing scenes of violence and fires burning in the middle of the roads.  Policemen throw tear gas and flares into the crowd. Things since then have calmed down. The Revolution in Ramnicu Valcea was significantly smaller and significantly more peaceful. The protester gathered around the main clock, or the city center square. They held signs and Romanian flags, and then they walked down the street.  Overall it was a very eye opening experience to see the revolution; it shows how much Romania has suffered in the past couple of years. They have only been out of communism for 22 years and are still trying to get their feet back on the ground.

One week left

Now some of you guys might be thinking one week left until what?
School

Just hangin

Lots of you are probably thinking, "stop whining I'm already in school," but I still don't want to go! Three weeks of break have been so nice. So many hours spent at the tea shop or the mall. The holidays though were very interesting. Quick recap: Christmas all of the celebrating was done on Christmas eve, where I went to a party with my host family at a Rotarians house. I enjoyed but it was still very awkward. For about an hour the only interaction I had was them saying, "You understand romanian" O_O. Then after that they were questioning me about school. My bad, I don't know any of my teachers names. Christmas day my host father took me for a bike ride, it was nice bonding time, but awkward turtles were flying right

New Years Night

next to me. For the week after christmas I hung out with Lexi a lot. We spent countless hours at the Chez Marie (The tea house) buying probably 50 lei worth of tea. I also got to see a friend of ours, Ilinca. I also met some new people, including one romanian who I had seen before at the Talent Show. She was a contestant and a very good one. For New Years we went with my host family and a Rotarian named Fredi. Shelby told me we were all supposed to meet at Fredi's house at 8:30. Lexi and I made plans to meet at Mcdonalds (two blocks away from his apartment) and walk there together. I went there and she wasn't there. She got there at eight which is when I walked to his apartment. I rang up his apartment and I talked with him, but I stupidly enough thought he said, "9 o'clock" (in romanian of course) when in reality he said "etajul noua" which means floor nine. I walked around in the cold for a half an hour in which I went to the main sqaure and watched some traditional romanian singing. I came back at 9 o'clock to which I Fredi tells me he thought the elevator dropped me haha. New Years with Lexi, Shelby, and Liz it turned out to be an awesome night. There was karaoke, in which the adults found lots of entertainment with us singing. Especially Liz haha. Also dancing and a lot of drinking. Now for reasons untold I feel extraordinarily close with one particular exchange student haha. Now it's has been two weeks since and I have been going along in life. Getting three packages from home haha. Also I got to meet my future host sister Diana, who goes to school in Switzerland, she is very nice. I have been really just chilling and enjoying life.

It's a pig! (I think they follow us)

"Go to Jail" I always knew I would need to know how to say that in romanian.