First days of school in Gura Humorului

The first day of school is always an adventure. I don't know that I have ever set off for school in such a lovely setting. It is so quiet and peaceful here. Across the road and down a few houses is the bus stop. This minibus goes to town every half hour. How convenient. Can you imagine a minibus between Azalia and Milan every half hour? It only costs about 45 cents!

There is not a lot of traffic in the village. People pass by in cars, on bicycles, in carts, and walking. It is fascinating to watch them all make room on the road for each other. It has been raining and so the shoulder is muddy. We all try to stay out of it.

This fellow has such a wonderful face.

Traffic is sparse out here. There seem to be almost as many horse and wagons as there are cars at this hour. It does not seem so the rest of the day, but morning is a busy time for everyone, it seems. The minibus arrives quickly and we are off to the town of Gura Humorului a few kilometers away.

This little girl came to town with her father. She has such an adorable face.

The view from the minibus is spectacular. I took this through the window and so it is not very clear, but it certainly is beautiful. Nowhere is it flat as it is in southeastern Michigan. The mountains rise up all around us. They are dotted with haystacks and sheep. It looks like a scene from a fairy tale book. Soon the minibus dropps us off at the center of town. We must walk several blocks to the school from here. Although I walked there this summer, it seems new now. Here is the school. It sits back from the busy street. This is the Aexandru cel Bun high school. There are about 2,000 students here. It is named after Alexander the Good who was the ruler of the area in the 1500s. The front yard is well kept. There are several flower gardens with pretty flowers. Most of them I recognize. In the center of the yard is a fountain and benches to enjoy the view.

This week is full of meetings and curriculum mapping. It is called a planificat here but it is essentially the same. I am not only curriculum planning, but doing it in another language. Amazing how those skills transferfrom culture to culture. A stop at the Lions Restaurant for a meal seemed like a good idea after the day's activities. An excellent way to share the thoughts of the first day of school. An my first taste of Romanian wine. It is as good as it is reputed to be.

Finally, we call it a day and catch the minibus home. I looked out the window later to find this horse going home also. He was alone without any help. He knows the way.