Hello all,

I've started this blog as a way to chronicle my experiences while in Romania. What I write here will serve primarily as my own personal journal, but it will also be a convenenient way for me to keep everyone back home up to date with life in the Peace Corps.

I've begun this blog in anticipation of my service. I haven't started packing, I don't really know any Romanian, and, in fact, I don't exactly know when I'm leaving, or even where I'll go when I get there. All this will come together as the time approaches. It seems this is about par for the course with me, I tend to wait till the last minute with many things, especially when it involves folding and putting away laundry or packing luggage. However, by starting this blog so far in advance, it seems I'm bucking the trend. Perhaps thats a good thing.

It's the unkowns with this venture that keep me interested. I sort of enjoy the mystery of the whole thing. Where will I be stationed? Who will I meet? What will I see? What will I experience? Will there be peanut butter?

It has occured to me that creating this blog may have been a rash move--who knows if I'll even have internet access in my city, town or village? However, from what I've heard, Romania's access to the web is fairly pervasive, and growing moreso with each passing day, so I'm willing to take my chances.

The projected date for the beginning of my service is May 15th, 2007 (of course, that's subject to change. Hopefully the Peace Corps will give me a definitive date within the next month). I know very few details, except that I will be working as an English teacher to Romanian high school students. As I've already said, I don't know where I'll be placed. I could be in an urban school, I could be in a very rural town, or I could be somehwhere in between. Whatever happens, I'm sure my service will be loaded with experiences, opportunities and challenges. And I plan to make the most of it.

Stay tuned for my adventures in packing...