PST - The T Stands For Talent

We had fun in Pre-Service Training, aka PST for those in the know, especially near the end of it. One afternoon we got a taste of a few of the talents in our group.

Nick played the guitar while Grant led an awesome hula that included all of the Hawaiians in our group (Jessica & Denise) and a few guests (Raluca & Krisztina).

Ester was able to recite all fifty states in an incredibly short time, both forwards and backwards if you can believe it. Going backwards went so fast we didn't even have time for a picture! Anthony acted as the official timer.

Yours truly juggled a few apples, but mostly dropped them. I edited out any proof of the drops in the photo set below, though!

Kelly sang "I'm My Own Grandpa" entirely from memory. I'll have to have her explain that one to me someday.

Matt channeled Chewbacca. I still don't understand the gum on the forehead.

Whitley made everyone cry, and I mean everyone, with a beautiful poem about our time together.

Aran and Jason gave a lecture on a very specific dialect of American English - Rhode Islandese. They also made everyone cry, this time from laughter. Jovanka volunteered at one point in the lesson, although I'm still not sure for what.

Jon surprised us all with his uncanny ability to impersonate everyday people, namely us. I didn't make the cut, but Jeremy, Aran, Grant and Paula all got skewered.

Barbara showed off her newfound language skills and recited a poem to the group în limba româna!

Lindsey doubled up on the talents. First she displayed some serious gymnastic skills. Then she joined the west coast California crowd, including Kelly, Megan and Meg, with an original rap entitled "Tell Me When To Mergi." This was a serious highlight, full of inside jokes for both the California and the PST crowds.

Last, but definitely not least, you can see some great photographs taken by Melissa in the slideshow below.

Romanian Dancing

Wow I'm behind on editing my photos. Here are a few from way back in June, during a fun lesson on Romanian dances.

Plunging In

Who knew that you could find a friend while looking for a plunger? When we first moved to Pașcani, we wandered around town trying to find the things we needed for our apartment. Our toilet is pretty awful, so we went to the hardware store to find a plunger. Of course, we didn't know the Romanian word. So, like always, we started gesturing and using our limited vocabulary to explain. (Somehow these gestures seemed a little inappropriate to me, but when you have to get your point across....) The clerk engaged in our game of charades and we struck up a conversation. She was patient, kind, and interested in our story. Most importantly, we could understand her Romanian accent and she spoke slowly! Even though her store was across town, we returned to visit her each time we needed something. After going to the store three times, I asked her to be my Romanian tutor. And now we've become friends with her family. We've cooked sarmale, gone out for ice cream, visited their families in the country (which included a whirlwind tour of many of the monasteries nearby), and learned a lot of Romanian. This friendship is perhaps my proudest accomplishment of the last 5 months.

Lucia, Mădălina & Cristi at Mănăstirea Sihăstria