doua saptamana

Wow. Two weeks went by so quickly. This past week is somewhat of a blur. School was not what it seemed to be on the first day. After the initial shock and awe experienced monday. Things quieted down significantly. Classes were held, though quite frankly not much was accomplished, at least not in my eyes. Apparently it is custom to not do too much your first week. We mostly sat and talked among ourselves. But that was ok. I got to meet and know some fantastic people, some of whom i now consider blossoming friends. There is an interesting attitude among romanian teens. They want so bad to go to america, to have oppurtunity. They feel as though they are stuck here kind of, not able to live to their full potential. They say that romania is not that good of a country, that they are 50 years behind. In some ways, they are fifty years behind, but not in the bad ways. They do not have a developed highway system. It has been a project that has been on going for twenty or so years, according to one of my friends. Their are also the the communist blocks, or apartment buildings, that have yet to be renovated or beautified. But they fail to see the prgress they have made since the fall of communism, in my opinion. They have internet, great mobile communication capabilities, wonderful cars, television, and so much more. I am curious as to what it is they see in america. Upon asking this question, the answered that they can find better jobs in america, they can earn more money and live their life more fully, as i stated before. Having only lived here for two weeks, i do not fully understand, and perhaps never will, the economic situation of many romanians. I do not know why their lives can stand to be so much better. Maybe in a few years, when i heard they will be switching to the euro, they will be singing a different song. But for now, there is a great curiousity and respect for america. I think it is also worth mentioning, that romanians are very proud of their global contributions, of which there are a surprising number. And they should be. My friend made sure to tell me that romania is part of NATO, and they were a member of the forces that were in iraq. SOmething like 13 romanians died in combat there. They also buy US military supplies, such as secondhand f-16's. He told me these things with such a pride that it really got me to thinking. I had never before appreciated what i had, what so many people wanted, and i felt a little guilty. At the end of the ocnversation, i found myself a little different, more appreciative. So my exchange is already starting to have an impact.
In other news, the language is going well. I am recieving a lot of help from my friends at school, and during conversation between two romanians, i can kind of understand the jist of the story. It is extremely hard to speak it though, the words cannot come to mind in most cases, and the accent is so foreign to me, literally haha, that i cannot successfully say many words and have them understand. Such as "I Want" or eu vreau. Vreau, and Rau, or bad, are the two hardest for me. no matter how hard i try, they simply will not form in my mouth. but i have more faith now, after two weeks, i have made progress. Little by little i learn, i use less and less english and after a month, i hope to be able to hold a conversation, however basic, entirely in romanian, with now pauses to speak english. Oh and before i forget, i have bigger feet than many people here apparently. i went to purchase a pair of shoes i could runin. In need a 46 or 47, and the biggest i could find was a 45. When i told people how big my feet were they were amazed. So i guess some internet shopping is in order. So as school gets into the swing of things, and the weather (finally) gets colder, i look forawrd to leanring and growing ore and more as the year progresses. I can only guess at what i will learn next.