One of our favorite places in Târgoviște was/is Chindia Park. It is a beautiful area including the castle ruins, the tower, and an amazing park. On any Saturday or Sunday, you could expect to find a group of Peace Corps trainees hanging out.
After 8 days at an English camp for 5-18 year olds, I can now officially speak on the topic of popular Romanian music. At 7:30 a.m. each morning, camp-wide wake-up music blared. We were also serenaded late into the night from the disco. Let's just say the playlist was short and not so sweet. I'd estimate that the same ten songs were repeated 3-5 times daily and many of the songs would not be allowed on American radio. I'm not sure if it is disheartening or funny to see 5 year old children belting out offensive lyrics that they don't understand.
One song that will get stuck in your head is called Dansul Pinguinului (Penguin's Dance). Think of it as the Romanian Bunny Hop. It involves two kicks to each side, a hop forward, a hop backwards, and two hops forward in a conga-style line. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in Romania knows how to do it. We even saw a two year old who could do the steps.
Here are a few of the popular yet appropriate songs for your listening pleasure...
Today, our group of 36 trainees became volunteers. This means that we have completed our training and we are officially part of the Peace Corps for the next two years. We leave for our new home this weekend.
It was a beautiful and emotional day. Here is a picture taken of our group and our country director, Sheila Crowley. Click the pic for more sizes on Flickr, or here are direct links to large and huge.
