2 day Language Training was earlier last week in Balti, about an hour south of my town. It was fun to catch up with some volunteers who I don't normally get to see, plus I got to see the boyfriend who is currently in Balti for the army. The language sessions were pretty intense. We discussed problems our communities are having, what we think the communities could do to solve the problems, and what we think we could do as Peace Corps Volunteers to help solve the problems. We also discussed past vacations and future vacation plans. As I (and the other English Education volunteers) have training during Spring Break, I have no vacations planned.
English Club is going well. Unfortunately not as many students are coming to the older group club days, but the younger group is stronger than ever! 2 weeks ago we talked about Valentine's Day and made Valentine's for each other. And of course don't forget about Uno. One of the students had his mom pick up a pack of Uno cards when she went to Chisinau! (Not sure if they actually sell Uno here, but oh well!)
This picture signifies Moldova. These are some of my 9th form boys sitting on the side during a 9th form sport competition.
9c vs. 9d Sport Competition: Lots of different relays were created by the physical education teacher as part of an open lesson. The event began with an 11th form student running around the gym carrying a torch. The director of the school as well as other teachers were the official judges. We even had cheerleaders, a hip-hop dance group, and ballroom dancing during mid-competition breaks. In the end, the teams tied with 78 points each. Great activity!
Oh, please don't forget the mid-game Hora! Soon after this photo was taken I was pulled in to dance with the girls.
Today the 3rd graders put on a "Martisor" celebration which is a celebration that takes place on the 1st of March celebrating the arrival of Spring. They all dressed up in red and white, the official Martisor colors, and sang and danced. At the end, each student gave a teacher a little card with a Martisor poem on it and a pin that you're supposed to wear to bring good luck. To the displeasure of a little girl, another boy got to me first and gave me the card and pin. She cried and gave me her card and pin at the end anyway.
*I had a very "teacher" moment during this concert. I was standing in the back supervising my 9th formers (I was supposed to be teaching them an English lesson, but I was also supposed to be at the concert since these are my kids, so I brought the 9th formers to the concert. They were not happy with me for "dragging" them along...) and I felt very teacherly. They were telling jokes and making fun of the 3rd formers, and I would give the "teacher-look" (yes, you know that look!) and they would stop until I turned around again. For some reason, I just felt like a real teacher at this point.
