Just a Guy in Transylvania

Short History of Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 11:24:00 +0000

The following is something I wrote for a small project in the works. Feel free to comment on it, though constructive criticism is preferred. I anticipate being lambasted for mentioning Mattius Corvin, since he was a Hungarian King. But lets not forget he was born within the current confines of Romania. Talking about the history of Romania, and especially that of Transylvania is difficult because people are still very much in conflict as to the context of events. The sensitive nature of this subject is that of gun control or abortion in the United States. For this reason I tried to keep it as factual as possible. Let me know if you think it needs alterations.

The history of Romania is a history of the fusion of people and culture which dates back to before antiquity. Most historians consider the birth of the Romanian civilization to be made up the ethnic amalgamation between the Geto-Dacians and Romans. In 106 A.D. the Dacian kingdom, ruled by the powerful King Decebal lost a second war against Roman legions led by Emperor Trajan. Decebal was forced to capitulate, and thus the Dacian kingdom of the lower Danube fell victim to the relentless expansion of the Roman empire. Afterwards, Dacia was quickly incorporated into the empire and colonists invited to "civilize" the region. The Romans stayed for another 200 years before abandoning the province. Although official administrative and government bodies left, much of the language, people, and culture remained.

Many of Romania's most infamous rulers all lived within a 200 year span in the middle ages beginning in the 1300s. Among them were Mircea the Old, Vlad Tepes (also called Vlad Dracula), Stephen the Great, and Matius Corvin (one of Hungary's greatest kings). What these great leaders all held in common was their opposition to the Turkish expansion and domination, and their desire to consolidate the monarchy. That being said, the medieval history of Romania remained tumultuous, and difficult for the common people. Throughout the years Romania's efforts to develop were thwarted by it's geographic location sandwiched between the two great powers of Hungary and Turkey, and later Russia.

The modern Romanian state was recognized in 1881 after Carol I united the principalities of Walachia and Moldavia. But it wasn't until 1919 that the region of Transylvania was added to the kingdom as a spoil from the First World War. This caused the size of Romania to virtually double overnight and significantly changed the religious and ethnic composition of the country.

During World War II Romania was again forced to choose between the lesser of two evils when it ultimately aligned itself with the Russians. It was the influence of the Soviets, and a backlash against the Antonescu's fascist regime which lead to Romania's adoption of communism after the war. Although communism setback societal advancements by decades, it was one dictator in particular who accelerated this process. Nicolae Ceausescu came to power in 1965 and ruled until shortly before his death in 1989. His legacy was one of massive industrial development, the Diaspora of various ethnic groups within Romania, the creation of one of Eastern Europe's harshest police states, and the cult of the personality. His erroneous economic policies and system of government based on cronyism bankrupted the state and led to his forcible removal from power and subsequent execution.

The early 1990s were marked with confusion, the acquisition of state resources by the Old Guard, and democratic governance carried out by those with little or no experience in democratic practices. However, as the new society matured so did its status. In 2002 Romania was invited to join NATO, and began negotiations with the European Union in the same year. As of January 2007 Romania, along with Bulgaria, has obtained membership in the European Union. New investors are continually arriving in Romania with the emergence of a growing airline industry and the expansion of national infrastructure. Today you are just as likely to see a shepherd tending his flock with a cell phone in one hand as you are someone driving the latest BMW. Although access to modernity is growing all the time, the history and culture of the people's difficult past can still be seen everywhere you look.

Borat in Romania

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:54:00 +0000

The film

Borat: Cultural learnings for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan

was partially filmed in Romania. All of the scenes where he is supposed to be in Kazakhstan are actually filmed right here. The characters in the villiage are not characters at all, but very poor people who were offered cash, and more excitement than the town has ever seen to play along with the antics of actor Sacha Coehn. It's sad but true, there are still places in Romania like the one seen in the film. Equally sad is the fact that people are willing to put a pricetag on their dignity whilest the whole world laughs at their predicament.

I'm sure the film is hillarious. The trailers I've seen ensure your stomach will be sore from laughter, so the film is probably a riot. But it does raise questions of Romainia's readiness to join the ranks of the so called "developed" nations of Europe in January 2007. I'm sure that many Romaians are looking at this trailer and asking themselves "Is this really happening in my country?"

Comments?

Smells like snow outside

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 08:51:00 +0000

Last night I went to a fellow PCV's place for dinner and as I came in someone remarked "It smells like it's going to snow outside." Though these words in and of themselves sound strange I have often sensed the same smell.

As I watched Euro News last night they mentioned that the whole of Northern and Eastern Europe was being plagued by some sort of unexpected snow storm. Ships were going down in the Baltic Sea, cities in Sweden were shutting down due to overburdened and underprepared mayors offices.

Sure enough when I woke up this morning what did I find but a blanket of white flakey dust coving everything in site, and it was still coming. Four hours later and it's still coming down but now in even bigger chunks. It couldn't have come at a better time either because I'm going out to Sovata with Outward Bound this weekend to do a team building training for instructors. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully I can even bring a pair of cross country skis out there.

Let the winter games begin.

Courtesy of The spoon Man

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:45:00 +0000

Stronger than the bull

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:45:00 +0000

Keeping the husband in line

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:43:00 +0000

Wild and Wacky Moldovan Wedding October 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:54:00 +0000

When a large and exciting trip or event takes place which is filled with fun, laughter, and new experiences its always difficult to sum it all up into a neat little package…even more so when you attempt this feat 3 weeks after its all over. At times I felt I could write a book about all the weird and wild stuff that took place. Here would be a few of the titles of said books:

-How to smuggle yourself into Moldova: concentrating on the small victories
-Protecting the Princess-Using your mace on unruly wedding guests
-Today is my “not drinking” day- a comedy
-No, seriously, what are we drinking?
-Men kissing men: appropriate public displays of affection in Moldova
-Oh God, I can’t eat anymore-the importance of fasting before a trip to the Republic of Moldova
-The day the priest threw water in my eye: hours of Orthodox blessings for you and your family
-A day in the life of a vornicel (Moldovan best man)
-“Dear American guy, will you be my son-in-law?” How to avoid repetitive conversations
-Moldovan bus journeys: why never to take them.
-A Catholic in Chisinau.
-Is it sunny outside? The true story of the cave ladies of Milesti Mici: largest wine cellar in the Europe

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Random thoughts and observations:

City Day in Chisinau is enormous we spent only a half hour walking through the jostling crowd. There were thousands of people everywhere pushing and constantly moving, long lines of friends holding hands so as not to be permenantly separated.

I left my apartment at 7:30am on the day of departure and arrived the next day at noon. During the time in between I walked, hitch hiked, took a train, rode two buses, a taxi and had a friend drive me to the border in the middle of the night with aspirations of jumping across the Prut. Scheduled busses did not arrive, frantic telephone calls were made, sms progress reports were given, comrodery was established among fellow stranded strangers, I became the mascot of the Poliţia de Frontieră Moldovă, I “slept” in a bar, and I still managed to shower and change in 20 minutes and then go out for the Bachelor party later that night. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back…yes, that was nice.

It’s very interesting to hear the perspectives of neighboring countries about one another. I first encountered this when I traveled through the former Yugoslavia this summer, then again when I traveled to Moldova. Romanians would tell me, “Better bring a big coat. It’s Siberia out there.” Others would warn me of the violent nature of the “Russians” by telling me to be careful. About midway through my trip I came to a conclusion about national stereotypes between the bordering countries:

-All Romanians think that Moldavians are Russian
-All Moldavians think that Romanians are gypsies

That pretty much sums up the national stereotypes. Romanians don’t trust Moldovans because they view them as Russian hard line socialists from WWII, and Moldovans think that all Romanians are uncivilized and uncultured people that will try to cheat you out of a handful of sunflower seeds.

It sometimes put me in a tough situation. On the one hand anytime I’m outside of Romania I tend to bad mouth life there. On the other hand its kinda like talking trash about a sibling. Its ok if you do it, but you become defensive the second somebody else tries it. But I can say I did find something very appealing about Moldovans. They did seem more friendly, less annoying, strangers weren’t talking each other’s ears off about the price of carrots. People seemed very trustworthy and honest. When people got on minibuses in the city they would go to the back and pass money up to the driver in the front who would then hand the change to a series of hands before arriving to the owner. It seemed a little more decent that way. This doesn’t happen in Romania (not anywhere I’ve ever been). Drivers don’t seem to make a national past time out of swearing at other people like they do in Romania. Other people seemed very genuine and fairly interesting to talk with. Of course it did occur to me that I was only meeting really warm and friendly people because I was surrounded by people with close ties to the wedding party. So, its hard to tell weather I had a genuine experience. Nobody threw my change at me in the grocery store as they tend to do in Romania. The one bad customer service experience I had was on a very interesting morning…

I woke up at 11 or so and decided to go to the nearest market for some orange juice and a loaf of bread. I stopped in at a crummy bar to order a coffee. When I asked if they had espresso the fat woman behind the counter looked at me as if I had requested to purchase uranium. “Ok, fine, instant,” I said. So she makes the coffee behind the counter and then gives it to me. I tasted it and then asked her “Did you put sugar in this.” And she said “yes.” I then told her I don’t drink my coffee with sugar and that I wanted her to make it again. She said “You should have told me ahead of time if you didn’t want sugar.” I assured her I would pay an additional 10 cents for another coffee and then told her “I’m used to telling people when I want additional things put in my coffee, not when I don’t.” This is when things started to remind me of Romania.

Later I’m walking down the street and a man in overalls says something to me in Russian. Most of my Russian is long gone but I still remember basic words and phrases I just can’t carry a conversation. So he asks me to help him start his car. He’s got the hood popped and I’m supposed to sit in the driver’s seat, turn the key and pump the gas. Boom, the car starts and I’m on my way again.

I finally get to the store where I buy my bread and juice. I see a packet of skittles which I haven’t had since I left the United States. I ask for a packet and she tells me she doesn’t have any. She notices my accent and asks if I’m from Romania. I tell her “sort of.” She asks again, “Where?” I tell her and then she bursts out laughing and says “that’s not even close.” I told her I hadn’t noticed. Then she says “What the hell is an American doing in Moldova.” “I’m looking for skittles,” I said and then left the store.

Oh yeah, and the wedding. God, where to begin. It was long, it was fun, it was delicious, it was entertaining, beautiful, sweaty, and long, at least 10 or 12 hours. My official role as the vornicel was to be the right hand man for the groom (including translating during humiliating tests of faith) “Actually Chad he said genunchii which is plural for ‘get on both of your knees.” It was also to make a funny speech, which I did not, and finally to protect the bride from being stolen, which she was. But there are three things I would like to mention about this last point. The first is that what few people know is I saved the bride earlier in the evening with rapid reflexes and stealth like tracking skills. The second is that the people who stole the bride didn’t really play by traditional rules as they A) Were repeat offenders who had tried and failed on a previous occasion and B) incorporated women to kidnap the bride. And the third thing is what Chad (the groom) told me himself “the kidnapping of the bride is a necessary element of drama in any successful Moldavian wedding.”- I have 94% recall of all spoken conversations, but not really.

The wedding food was amazingly fantastic. I think saying goodbye to the food was the saddest part of leaving the reception hall that night. Not only is their food delicious (arguably better than Romanian cuisine) but they also go extremely overboard. These people stack so much food on the table that there is no surface left uncovered. The plate you eat off of is the size of a bread plate because that’s how little space is left over after the food comes out. And it keeps on coming.

Dancing is always spectacular. The only thing we had to be careful of was putting two foreigners next to each other while doing the “Hora” so that we wouldn’t kill anyone with our lack of coordination. We hora’d so much that my calve were aching for 4 days afterwards. Next time I’m following my 9^th grade gym teacher’s advice and stretching ahead of time. But my favorite dance (even more than the one with the vornicica- Moldovan for “best chica”) is and will probably always be musica ţiganeasca or „gypsy music”. It my favorite because there are no rules and you just get to go nuts on the dance floor clapping, jumping, whisling and hollering.
It’s a fast rythm so the movements are variable and rapid. There is an unlimited potential for improvization and everybody has a good time. But be forwarned that this is the dance where you might need to change your shirt when it’s all over. Forget aerobics, go to a Moldovan wedding!

And how could I forget Mileştii Mici Europe’s largest collection of wine. On my last day in Moldova I went with the new Husband and Wife along with his parents and a few close friends on a tour of this magnificent winery. The grounds are beautiful and the caverns of the cellers are seemingly endless. When you visit it you drive in a car because its that long of a tunnel system. After touring Cabernet Street, and Merlot Boulevard we arrived at the decadent tasting house which resembled the lobby of a fine hotel. A 4 ton stone door greeted us along with live musicians and elaborately carved wood art. Ultimately we were led to a king sized dinning table where the happy couple sat in throne like chairs with a large portrait of Moldovan King Stephan Cel Mare watching over their backs. We were invited to sit and sample 6 different wines along with a special desert wine and a red sparkling wine. The hore derves alone were enough to consist of a meal without them having to bring out two or three additional hot dishes to accompany our tasting. We sat, enjoyed the beautiful atomspher while we sipped wine and reminiced on the sincere joy of the past several days.

I took that opportunity of peaceful transition to present them my wedding gift and tell them how much I appreciated being included in the event. My gift to them was made by a friend of mine who works as a traditional wood carver in the citadel where Vlad Dracula was born. We worked together to come up with some specific designs for a wedding spoon that would contain symbolism for a happy and heatlhy marriage. I was truely impressed by the work of art but not the least bit resentful about passing it on. The beauty and metephore of the spoon was embrased by all just before it was converted into an instrument of behavioral correction by the newfound wife. „Thank you Andrew, this is how I’ll keep him in line”

So, was it a good trip full of memories: Yes.
Did you have more fun than you anticipated: Yes.
Are there stray dogs in Moldova: not so much.

Do I recommend it for other travelers? Definitely, but for the experience of meeting the people, not for seeing fancy capital cities, or beautiful countryside (Romania wins hands down on scenic landscape).

I really enjoyed my trip and I’d do it again, but at the same time I was glad to be “home” where I could understand “my people.” A acquaintance of mine who lived in Moldova once told me “It’s nice to visit Romania where they speak clear, understandable Romanian, not this mush mouth Appalachian crap here in Moldova.”

Noroc! And I’m out!

Filaming Minion

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:17:00 +0000

Photobucket

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 12:14:00 +0000

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

Making tomato juice

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:57:00 +0000

Last night I had two coworkers over to my place after work. The goal: to make and can pickles and (separately) tomato soup/drink grandma style. No, these ladies are not grandmothers, or even mothers,themselves, but they've followed the recipes and they turned the tomato cranker with older, wiser, and mole-ier women for many seasons now.

When I arrived in Târgu-Mureş last fall I helped my first host mother and her family turn 90 kilos of eggplant into endless jars of a delicious vegetable spread called zacusca over the course of one very long day. The whole family was involved in different aspects of the project. Gabby and I, being the men, were responsible for firing the eggplants until they were a chared crisp of their former selves. The girls pealed them, washed out the jars adn chopped until they could no longer feel their hands. The result was a delicious canned food that we could feel proud about while spreading on our crackers and toast. Oh wait, you can't get crackers here. So, ever since the fall of last year I have been saving up my jars and lids waiting for the fine autumn day when I too could say that the fruits (notice play on words) of my labor could be preserved and eaten all winter long.

So last night I had two coworkers come over to my tiny kitchen and help pass the secret of canning to me too. When they arrived they noticed that I had neither the special equipment, nor the proper ingredients to get the job done. I was missing celary, granular salt, the cranking machine, horse raddish, special conserving powder, and enough space in my kitchen to pack three people all weilding knives into. Most of those problems were easily solved by a quick visit to the local market 3 minutes from my house.

We started with 8 kilos of tomatos and ended with about 5 liters of tomato juice. I saved the tomato bits (skin and seeds) in order to make a spicy salsa with later on. We started with 2 kilos of cucumbers and ended with 13 jars of pickles. The bulion is consumable imediately but the pickles need 3 months to be ready. Even though they thought I was really strange for doing this I insisted that we put garlic in with the pickles and the bulion sauce. Its my strong hope that with enough practice I can mimic the gourmet Klausen pickles found at your local U.S. neigborhood grocery store (sorry for lack of imagery, non-U.S. readers. Wait, who am I kidding, nobody reads this.)

Without further adu I give you tomato juice and pickles:

Slawter Summer Party Series reborn in the Balkans!!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:04:00 +0000

Wow, what a summer. The lovely Charlotte came to visit for a week at which point we then partied in Sighisoara, relaxed in Tirgu-Mures and went for a jaunt in the forests of Codlea.

Went to Busteni with Outward Bound to help with their Carpathian Adventure.

One day back in Tg-M to pack my bags

1-night in Timisoara with resident Scotsman Richard for an all night drinking tour

2 days + one night in Beograd. Fantastic people, beautiful city, brilliant fortress

Overnight bus to Serbian Side of Sarajevo in BiH. 2 ½ days of narrow streets and tiny cups of espresso

2 days in Mostar, Hercegovinia to see the Gatoraid blue water and the manly speedo wearing bridge jumpers

Side trip to Blagaj (Blah-guy) where I saw the Sultan’s tea house, drank from the source of the river Buna, cave tour and ate some fresh trout washed down with crisp local wine. All for 10 euros. + Sunset tour of Prince Herceg’s ruined mountain top fortress.

“Dino” my 18 year old Bosnian Croat innkeeper

Raging nightclub in the belly of a cave in downtown Mostar

“Cockta” the un-cola

Rafting with Hitko in Konjic on the beautiful and stunning Nreveta River

Drinks with Richard in Sarajevo

Sonny’s “War and Tollerance” tour of Sarajevo

Standing on the spot where the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired.

Bus ride to Srebrenica- no ATM= get the F@#$* out. Sad, ruined, and eerie town where 8,000 muslim civilians were systematically murdered and then burried in mass graves by bosnian Serbs during the recent civil war

Hitch to Dubrovnik and then walk across Serbian Bosnian boarder to the bewilderment of Border Agents

Making a detour to Novi Sad after being offered a lift there from the Bosnian Border. Riding with crazy Romanian music loving 50 year old Serbs all the way. (in each of my hitch hiking experiences there the locals insisted on buying me something to eat or drink along the way. In this instance it was cherry flavored ice cream.)

Enduring “Revenge of the Balkans” syndrome on my last day in Serbia

1 AM wild goose chase to find a place to sleep in Novi Sad before finding the ever so mediocre "White Boat"

Accidentally adding an extra zero at the ATM and withdrawing an exorbitant amount of dinars

Having my paperwork checked at the Romanian boarder more than a dozen times

Train ride from Timisoara to Mangalia in excess of 800km

PCV conference, late night poker and rowdy American beach football

One forgettable night in Eforia de Nord

3 nights at the legendary Vama Veche non-stop beach party

Sleeping in tents on the beach, perfect weather and most importantly tatei!!

The long journey home

Catching a thief with their hand in my pocket on my wallet and passport at the Brasov bus station.

Arriving home to an empty, dirty apartment at midnight.

Eternal sleep….

Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:31:00 +0000

Attention:

If you will be in the featured region of the map at any point during the month of August please let me know. Maybe we can arrange a little rendez-vous. I'm getting a little stir crazy and I need to take a vacation. Climbing, biking, hiking, touring, or just plain site seeing. LET'S DO IT!!!!Psssssstttt................click to enlarge

Cheile Turzii (Turda Gorge)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:57:00 +0000

Last Friday I went with a few coworkers and one of our Board Members from Holland to the Turda Gorge just outside of Cluj-Napoca. We had fantastic weather with lots of sunshine and cool breezes. Its only about 2 hours away from where I live and supposedly has some great rock climbing. Unfortunately all of the bolts looked like old hammered in pitons circa WWI. Nonetheless it was a very nice relaxed hike through the gorge with running water right through the center. If the weather is nice, and you have a chance to visit it comes highly recommended.

Ro Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 08:06:00 +0000

As I sit here in my living room, sorry, the 2^nd room, I don’t look back on my last year in

Romania

in vain. Some of my fellow volunteers hate their locations, their jobs, the people they associate with, and the feeling of impotence when trying to communicate to locals that you just aren’t interested in cross country travel with home made cheese. Me, I don’t hate any of those things. What I hate about living in Romania is that every time I am about to switch off my TV. and go to sleep at night I see a familiar face from a forgotten moment in my pop culture days of old. Perhaps its Bill and Ted (most recently spotted in “Bill and Ted merg in iarasi”), maybe Cuba Gooding Jr. speaking Hungarian, or perhaps the current governor of Cali-for-nia in his portrayal of Detective John Kimble but whatever it is it makes me reluctant to hit that little red button in the top right corner of my telecomanda. Unfortunately, this makes for difficult mornings and lengthy afternoons filled with delusions of trading it all in for a nice Romanian siesta.

Of course, the cycle repeats itself and the mindless flipping through tv stations occurs over and over again until that bizarrely formed Romanian version of “Prime Time” occurs (somewhere in between 11pm and 2am.) For a period of time my cable had been switched off for an oversight regarding payment of the mysterious bill which never seems to show up at my apartment. At the time I wasn’t in any kind of hurry to pay it. Not because I didn’t have the money, though I didn’t have the money, but because I thought it would be more productive for me in the long run. Sure, I could read books, magazine articles, and generally do other things which make could make me more productive. And yes, for a while I did do those things. But you know what? There were certain things that “books” and “learning” could never replace. To be more specific I am talking about Romanian TV shows that give you real insight into the culture like No Comment where a 50 year old Romanian fat guy plays the real life role of Sugar Daddy to an 18? year old, still-in-high-school model. Let me assure you that the diologue between the two main characters is stunning in nature. From an entire episode where the girl attempts to convince her Granddaddy Don Juan to make an appearance at her high school prom via the teleconference mode on her latest thousand dollar Nokia phone to the episode where they spend 15 minutes laughing about how (insert name ending in “escu” here)’s shirt matches the sails of a toy sailboat he received as a birthday gift. This high brow intellectual program for appreciators of the fashion choices of the nouvou riche should not be missed. But be sure to manage your time wisely so you can catch loads of these programs as well:

-Soft core porn set to "sports themes"
-B movies
-Romanian music Videos (take a half naked Romanian chick, add a disco ball and some shaky camera work and you’ve got the makings of a Romanian music video.
-Stupid TV shows involving mostly naked Romanian chicks, traditional dancers and singers, and stupid pet tricks along with highly obnoxious game show hosts who use contestants as a means to distract the audience and show just how charismatic, likeable, and Romanian he or she is.
-Why not throw in the occasional hard alcohol commercial featuring the incompetent “working man” who either screws one of his colleagues or scams the system, and always takes a break to thin out his blood well before lunch. It’s a hard life, but somebody’s got to be drunk while living it.

So in the end I have to convince myself that the same bizarre news stories (bizarre mostly because it’s not news at all), the shaky disco pop groups, the bird flu updates, and the o-so- clever tag lines of Patrick Swazey, Richard Prior, and Christian Slater will be waiting for me tomorrow. Until then it’s sweet dreams and g’night Romania I’m out!

World Cup Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 08:56:00 +0000

Shout outs from a very hot, very humid, very Half-Hungarian Targu-Mures. Yes, the summer season has beer, uh, been turned on with full force. Ill be heading to my local communist super sized swimming pool to keep from over heating. In the mean time, the woman at the barber shop shaved my head, which might also help a bit. Sorry Chadeedoowadee, but on the flip side I have been told that I have a perfectly shaped head. I think that’s a compliment.

Well, so much to say, so much to catch up on. Thursday night I got a phone call from the boyfriend of a coworker who has been trying to invite me to play soccer (from here on out referred to as football) for a few months now. I finally took him up on the offer. Coincidentally I had a Peace Corps buddy coming into town about 10 mins before the game was supposed to start. So I just picked him up and told him we were off for a little World Cup practice.

The field was impressive. Its an outdoor private Astroturf field that is well lit and used all night till the last player leaves. Its a bit expensive by Romanian standards but definitely worth it for some mid week quality exercise. Romanians, like almost everyone in the world except for Americans and Canadians go ape-shit over football. My buddy and I apologized for our lack of ability before we got started. Their response was “thats o.k. we know you’re American. We arent expecting much.” I wasn’t offended in the slightest, just glad that I had an expectable excuse for being a poor sportsman.

Surprisingly I stayed in the entire game without a sub, and I did alright. I stole the ball a few times, was a “team player,” had a few shots at the goal and all was good.

We finished up the game at around 11pm and were invited to “a few beers” at a bar. We figured why not, it was a Thursday night after all. When we got to the place it turns out we were celebrating a team mates newborn baby. He bought us loads of drinks and then they brought out the midnight snitzle smorgasborg. We scarfed down the goods while grown men all around me questioned why their home made snitzle never came out so crispy. “Too many eggs” was the response from a Vlad or a Bogdan. “Ah, yes.” Head nods of agreement. We spoke in Romanian mostly, told stories of journeys and long lost cousins who had migrated to the United States. One guy wearing a I heart N.Y. t-shirt said that he had lived in New Jersey with his family between 1991 and 1993. I asked why he was there and he said “We went for a vacation and we stayed for 2 years.”

As my friend Bridger pointed out as we were leaving the restaurant youve really got to appreciate these unexpected and genuine moments of inclusion on the part of Romanians when it comes to meeting new people. “Hey random American guy who I just met 10 minutes ago, come out with me and my boys to celebrate the birth of my brand new baby girl.” You definitely dont get those kind of hospitable invitations where we come from and it is definitely something that makes Romania unique and a pleasurable place to live, if only for a short period of time.

Further Discoveries in Avian Epedemics

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000

from the esteemed news source The Onion online

"Bird Arthritis Epidemic Largely Ignored

November 9, 2005 | Issue 41•45

GENEVA—Officials from the World Health Organization remain relatively unconcerned by the rise in cases of bird arthritis, a degenerative joint disease found in birds. "We are aware of the existence of avian osteoarthritis, but have chosen to focus on more immediate threats," WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook said Monday, after several common teals were found doddering about a pond in southern Wales. "Most severely infected birds are too creaky and stiff to spread the disease very far." Experts say this is the least alarming public-health risk since the 1953 breakout of swine bursitis. "

International Children's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 08:11:00 +0000

June 1st was international children's day. I found this out when my desk mate wished me a "happy birthday." I guess she was trying to be funny by implying that I am a child. Saying "happy birthday" to someone on a special occasion is as common as someone telling you "Hello" as you leave, in otherwords, frequently. Yes, its a strange world here full of crazy characters and customs but that's probably why I enjoy it so much here.

All day yesterday the center's ground floor was a madhouse. The ground floor of the foundation is a day center for children with disabilities and because of this holdiay the specialists organized a series of games and fun activities for the children. There was music blasting, kids and adults dancing, decorations posted in the halls and what appeared to be detergent sprinkled in patterns all of the floors. That would explain the unusually aromatic soapy smell that was fummagating from the coridor.

As I was doing some last minute editing changes to our anual report in a collegues office, I could see the children enjoying their day in the courtyard below. There was ping-pong, games, and dancing probably followed by an extra long nap-time.

It's good to be a kid.

A letter from a Beneficiary

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 22 May 2006 12:34:00 +0000

One of the things I've been doing over the last several weeks is helping edit and rewrite our organization's annual report for 2005. Most of it was translated into English already but then had to be rewritten in order to be understandable and sound more fluent. This, however was a letter from a beneficiary which I had to translate. I think its a prety good reminder of why I am here, and the good the my foundation is doing.

Dear Mrs. Eva,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this priceless donation. Due to illness I cannot leave the house without some instrument to aid me. I have always dreamt of having a scooter like this one with which I could go out for a stroll whenever I wanted. I don’t like to use a wheelchair because I cannot bear the way people stare and make me feel in public. You and your colleagues gave me a wonderful surprise when I you sent me this scooter. I didn’t expect that you would send it so quickly, especially because a scooter like this is very expensive and hard to come by.

Now when I go outside with my scooter the whole world is open to me and I feel free, and this is very good!

Letter from BOROS Hunor

Beneficiary of the Material Donations, Institutional Help Program

Bird Flu in Codlea

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 19 May 2006 11:18:00 +0000

Bird Flu has struck again, but this time its a little closer to home. Actually, it did hit home. A few days ago (Sunday?) authorities confirmed 4 cases of birds that were infected with H5N1 in Codlea, Romania. Recognize that name? Its because I lived in this small town for my first 3 months in Romania. The town has a series of poltry plants which ship meat out to the whole country. Right now they are tracking the last several shipments (so I won't be eating bird untl the coast is clear.)

The authorities seem to be taking this case a little more seriously than the one last fall. They have quarantined Codlea not allowing residents to come or leave (although they let cars pass through as long as they don't stay more than 15 mins, yeah I know, go figure) Men in space suits are killing chickens in cortyards and throwing them in trashcans. Others are spraying down cars with pesticides and other sanitizing chemicals. Brasov is one of the biggest, most important cities in Romania. Its on one of the country's few highways, is a large tourist destination, is a big revenue generator in the mainstream economy (tourism doesn't account for a large percent of income), and most importantly...its a hell of a lot closer to Bucharest! You see, the last episode took place in the sticks, far away from important civilization. But the latest case might effect citizens that "matter."

So I havn't yet spoken with anyone from Codlea to see what's all the hubub, but its on my to-do list and I'll have that for you shortly.

Retro Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 18 May 2006 08:22:00 +0000

So I will now attempt to catch up on the last several weeks of activity which I have unfortunately been unable to blog.

The 1st of May is a national holiday here in Romania. Labor Day. All the Romanians I spoke with gave me a brief histroy lesson on the subject. They say it comes from a strike which took place in Chicago in the 1800s where workers were protesting unfair labor practices. Hey, that's a good enough explaination for me. Although I don't remember it being in May. I thought the US Labor Day is in September.

I was invited to go along with my friend Edgar and his girlfriend (Zsusa) with a bunch of their friends to Zsusa's parent's cabin in a town called Odorhei/Udvarhei. Lots of people joke that Odorhei is "little Hungary" because something like 99% of all the people living in this city and the surrounding areas are all Hungarian. They told me not to worry because I was American but they joked that a Romanian would have to bring their passport to enter.

The brief low down:
Odorhei Secuiesc (Udvarhei in Hungarian) was founded in the middle ages (1100-1300) and was populated by Hungarians. In order to protect Hungarian territories from the Tatars the then king sent a bunch of soldiers called Szeke down to the area just east of the Carpathians. Their they stayed and there they live today. Although not all of its residents call for it, this region is the center for the Hungarian autonomous movement, and consequently a sensitive topice for most Romanians.

So we went to the cabin which was on top of a grassy hill overlooking the city below. We had great weather, sunshine, blue skys and cool breezes. There were about 8 of us there and Zsusa's parrents came on Saturday to help us with the barbeque. It was a really relaxing 2 1/2 days of singing, eating, drinking, playing games, and just having a lot of fun. I met a bunch of students from the University of Medicine and Farmacy who later invited me to join a "college games festival" team. They are all really cool people and for the first time since arriving I not only learned some Hungarian but I became interested in learning more.

A few pics:

Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 07:24:00 +0000

When we think of the holidays we generally think of gatherings with friends and family, time off of work, moments of relaxation, and time to reflect upon some special theme or idea not a giant chocolate rabbit, or a Nordic do-gooder breaking into your house at night to deliver presents. I used to be somewhat critical of certain Romanian traditions, that is until I started comparing them to our own American ones.

It all started on a day in February when I came into my office for what was supposed to be a routine work day. I turned on my computer, checked my e-mail and then noticed a news story on Groundhog Day. Apparently I was so aloof from the on goings in my own country that I nearly missed this annual brew ha ha. Thanks MSN! Seriously though, it’s fascinating and a little bit sad at the same time when you live in a foreign country and forget that millions of people back home are talking about, celebrating, and carrying on traditions that are completely unknown in your new habitat.

Groundhog Day seems to be a pretty normal event in February...until you try and explain it to your Romanian coworkers. Man, you think they have strange traditions? Just saying the word and watching the confused expression on their faces was enough to make me realize that the whole charade is ridiculous. Not only do most Romanians not know what a groundhog is, but neither do I!

“He’s a rodent, kind of. Well, maybe more like a giant hamster. No? Ok, uh never mind then.” What does a groundhog do? He comes out of the ground and if he sees his own shadow that means we will have 6 more weeks of winter? That’s like setting meteorology back 200 years. Simply attempting to explain this age old ritual to my wide eyed colleagues made me feel embarrassed.

As you know we have just wrapped up the Romanian Easter holiday season. And what a season it was. In the States we have a weekend, no time off of work, usually some kind of family gathering, a picnic and that’s about it. No sooner is one holiday over then we start looking for another. If you don’t have your Easter hardware packed up and put back in the attic on Monday you’re in for some public ridicule.

Not so in Romania. Here they like to prolong it about a week before, a week after and then two weeks for the actual Holiday. Because the Orthodox Church never changed their calendar this year the majority of Romanians, who practice the Orthodox faith, celebrated one week later than the Catholics and the Protestants. Living in an ethnically and religiously mixed region such as Transylvania can therefore become quite interesting. The Easter season doesn’t start with advertisements for products on TV but instead with widespread spring cleaning in every street, apartment building, and haystack in the country. Neighbors beat rugs outside at all hours of the day, old ladies go to work churning the soil in front of the bloc in order to plant flowers, and it seems like everyone has a broom in their hand. This all seems to happen at the exact same time. As if there is some specific moment when a starting judge fires a pistol into the air from Bucharest and said “Go!”

All Romanians are allowed to take off the Monday following their Easter and most are given Friday as a free day as well. This means that if you live in a city like Targu-Mures you don’t know which way is up for that two week period. Half the people in my office are Protestant or Catholic and the other half are Orthodox. Understandably, work staggers during this period and as a consumer you have no idea which stores will be open or who will have a sign on their door saying “Gone prayin’.” When employees do return to work they bring colored eggs, cake, greeting cards, and warm smiles on their faces. Romanians were shocked when I told them that we too dye eggs with food coloring in our country. (Although I had to admit that the tradition was losing ground to pre-colored plastic eggs which are easier to fill with candy.)

I learned that traditional eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Clearly American egg dying has origins somewhere in Europe and perhaps we too may have died our eggs red as a symbolic act. However, what I had never done before, or really understood since was to battle for Christ with my egg. This of course is the act where two people select eggs and then ram the ends together to see whose egg breaks first. I made the mistake of referring to this ritual as a “game” whereby I was promptly corrected for my ignorance of holy matters. I have yet to receive an explanation.

But, what is the explanation for our Easter Egg hunt? Seems like some sort of tradition handed down by pirates who have just robbed a candy store. And the bunny rabbit? Though clearly contrary to what I learned in high school biology, to this day, I spend a second or two wondering how rabbits lay eggs.

I think maybe the reason why I was initially intrigued and humored by Romanian traditions is because they truly do differ greatly from American ones. We’re such a dynamic and ever changing country that our physical traditions are difficult to sustain. The real heritage of American tradition has always been ideas, enthusiasm, and a desire to succeed. Though we may not embrace the costumes or physical practices of our ancestors their ideals are still very present in American society. As for the traditions which do remain, I’ll be the first one to admit that they are strange.

So in the future, should a Romanian knock on your door, give you a red egg, and then spray you with perfume, you’ll know he’s just trying to say “Happy Easter.” And remember not to laugh lest he remind you that you are responsible for that big chocolate rabbit.

Spring is here

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 06:54:00 +0000

The weather becomes increasingly pleasant with each passing day and it makes me want to go outside, jump on the bike I don't own, and just ride into the hills. Although I must say that I'm pretty well content with just walking around the city. Being in Eastern Europe for almost a year my perspective on what constitutes beauty have changed and now I've become complacent with the surrounding scenery. The dusty neighborhood park in what I once might have considered little more than a ghetto is now a haven for youth and laughter. A patch of grass with budding flowers next to a crumbling wall of cement decorated with rusty barbed wire might very well be a great spot to picnic. I suppose you could call it learning to appreciate the simpler things in life. Or perhaps just a distraction from the harsh Romanian reality.

A few Easter Travel Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 07:57:00 +0000

A Trip to the Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:54:00 +0000

This weekend I went to the zoo with some friends. Supposedly the one here in Targu-Mures is known nationally as one of the best in Romania although you might never know it.

Zoos are almost always depressing, no matter where they are located, but I can't help but be extremely critical of this one in particular.

Just a few things:

- 1/2 of the animals are not there (where are they? nobody really knows)
-there are ponies that wander the grounds unattended, seeking out tourists to feed them popcorn while pozing for photos as if at a petting zoo
-people feed the animals anything they want. I saw monkeys being fed candy, other animals getting fruit and virtually every animal in the zoo was fed popcorn and bread by the visitors.
-people cross berrieers and stick their hands in the cages to feed the animals.
-Some people even pick up sticks and poke the animals.
-Everyone participates in this behavior in complete ignorance to the effect on the health or happiness of the animals
-some of the animals on display are rediculous (chickens, horses, donkeys, an ox, even pigeons)
-2 donkeys had a living space of about 100 times larger than 4 tigers
-A dog lives in the lion's cage

Need I say more?

Einstein's Brain Teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 13:39:00 +0000

I just spent the last 2 hours with one of the porters from our foundation doing a brain teaser which was supposedly created by Einstein. According to the very long description the big E maintained that only 2% of the world's population have the capacity to solve it. I challenge you to give this one a shot. I can't say I would have necessarily been able to do this one on my own, but we solved it together.

Here goes. (I'm translating it from Romanian into English for you, but I'll make sure there are no mistakes.)

Presumptions:

1) There are 5 houses, each with a different color.
2) One person of a different nationality lives in each house.
3) Each person prefers one type of drink, smokes one brand of cigarettes, and prefers one animal for company.
4) No two people live in a house with the same color, no two people drink the same drink, no two people smoke the same brand of cigarettes, and no two people have the same species of animal.

Given the following:

a. The Englishman lives in the red house.
b. The Swede has a dog.
c. The Dane drinks tea.
d. The green house is found to the left of the white house.
e. The inhabitant of the green house drinks coffee.
f. The person who smokes "Pall Mall" has a bird.
g. The inhabitant of the house in the middle drinks milk.
h. The inhabitant of the green house smokes "Dunhill".
i. The Dutchman lives in the first house.
j. The person who smokes "Carlbrough" lives next to the person with the cat.
k. The person with the horse lives next to the person who smokes "Dunhill".
l. The person who smokes "Wind Fill" drinks beer.
M. The Dutchman lives next to the white house.
N. The German smokes "Rustguns".
O. The person who smokes Carlbrough has a neighbor who drinks water.

Who has the aquarium with fish?