OH FOR A SHOWER
I am so mad at myself. i wrote a huge, i am talking long entry and then it was erased. UGH!
To recap it went something like this. There is no hot water in Valcea. They turned off the hot water to turn on the heat. Makes a lot of sense huh? I haven't showered in three days, but it makes me laugh. The whole city is living with the same thing. So if you can image the entire city getting smellier as the days pass. We live together we stink together. Ha! I am going to have to break down and take a sponge bath but it's just so cold in the morning and at night.
So this weekend I hitchhiked with a fellow PCV Beth to Zalau. Hitchhiking , though illegal is sometimes the only viable way to get from one place to another. Beth and I had to wait about a half and hour asking all sorts of shifty people "Mergeti la Zalau"(Are you going to Zalau). No can openly solicate a ride but people just walk up and down the train station collecting a car full of people. Finally we found a ride with some guy who picked us and two other people up. Transportation in Romania is dodgy and the train when it is going you way is slow as a slug. Don't worry Mom, I don't think that I would do it alone.
I went to Zalau to meet up with Ana, Dan and Leslie ( the Plopeni crew). Ana is homesick, as is Dan. They both don't like teaching. I am hoping that it gets better for them both. It was nice to see everyone. We went to Crasna on Saturday for Crasna Days. Crasna is a small village outside of Zalau. They had a parade with traditional costumes, dancing and carriages. For the first time I felt, "This is why I came to Romania." There was a huge lunch for teachers and I ate enough for a week. The coolest part of the day was during lunch when an old Hungarian man began singing folk songs with a makeshift band of a bass, violin and clarinet. He sang with such heart, his face became beet red and his vibratto could be heard outside of the building. I never laughed and smiled so big. I got drunk off of Polenka ( plum brandy, strong stuff). It was nice to see Hungarians and Romanians celebrating side by side in Crasna. Hungarians are a large minority in Tansilvania and there are many problems between the Romanians and Hungarians over land. Hungarians have been living in Ttransilivania for centuries. It was at one time part of Hungary. Each side thinks that the land is theirs and only theirs. The Hungarians even have their own schools. The situation reminds me of the Spanish speaking population in California. Even after most of the Hungarians are native to this land, there are still Romanians telling them to "go back to where they came from." I hate that phrase, "Go back to where you came from." It is the fuel to so many fires. What was nice to see in Crasna was Hungarians and Romanians celebrating side by side. I heard both languages, saw both flags, but only one village, on people. I had such fun. I love it here. Hopefully i will shower by the next journal entry.
