The cold months of winter, family dinners, hosting some students at the mexican restaurant, a visit by Jack, aids awareness day, food and a camp at Gresu . . .
Thanks to Cella and her mother for feeding me on a few cold winter nights . . .
Christmas Day lunch with the wonderful Roncea family
Relaxing after a splendid feast
Homemade Cozonac
Wow
After dinner . . . Jonathan, Eileen, Eric looking their best
Two of my twelfth grade students helped cook dinner for the Americans
Andreea and Cristina
I treated some students to dinner at El Paso, a local Mexican restaurant. To find Mexican food in Focsani was a surprise and the students seemed to like the food. The restaurant did a reasonable job of spicing things up, notice the green and red salsa . . . I miss it so much.
After an unusually warm winter, finally some snow . . . it was just a trace and was already melting by the next morning
The roads were slippery to walk in just my tennis shoes . . .
This picture was taken by Cella like some of the others . . . Focsani Centru
Stocking up at the local Interex, aisles and aisles of products . . .
Jack was my roommate in Philadelphia during staging. He came to visit me in Focsani and I appreciated that he took the time to visit the school and speak with the students. Here in one of the art workshops . . .
Jack spoke with the 10th graders about his work in Piatra Neamt, Oklahoma and his Native American Ancestry. Piatra Neamt is one of the prettier towns in the Moldavia region . . .
Mihai from the twelth grade
Mishu has a wonderful family, I didn't stop laughing the whole night. They served me a satisfying meal of vegetable soup, eggplant salad and pickles . . . Her mother was taking an English class at the University so she was eager to practice her English . . .
The park with Christmas lights and decorations
Once again the famous salata de vinete, or eggplant salad.
An ice skating rink
The lights in the square
Another view of the square
A little get together with the students at Cella's house, no smoking or drinking here . . .
This didn't happen in the classroom . . .
Zamfira and Cella, enough said . . .
These drawings were made for a local kindergarten by some of my favorite tenth grade students.
Ioana asked me to host an open class where English teachers from all over the county could watch me teach. A group of my best students helped stage a class.
From the Aids Awareness Day at the school, Eric and the Red Cross helped organize this event
Homemade American bread . . . . tastes like sourdough . . .
Homemade Papanasi . . . . the famous Romanian dessert . . .
Papanasi, the finished product . . . .
More food at Oana's kitchen, mmm . . . vegetables . . . .
A weekend in the mountains at Gresu, near Lepsa . . .
Oana and the tree
A weekend in the mountains at Gresu, near Lepsa . . .
The hotel where we stayed
Jonathan and I practicing for a vaudeville performance as part of a competition. We knew they would never let the Americans win, but I'm sure they'll never forget us . . .
Listening to tunes and enjoying the times . . .
Oana became my Romanian tutor and and I also gained a new host family . . . I invited Jonathan to partake of the lovely dinners that her mother prepared . . .
A Valentines Day Production at Extrem, here with Mm and Marius from the 10th grade