Sibiu


what to say, what to say...I am currently in Sibiu for a conference. It has been nice to see all the other group 15 TEFL-ers. It has been a fun filled two days of creative writing, drama, american studies ( can you believe they study us now) and critical thinking...but on to more important topics...
Thanksgiving is coming up and we (PCVs) have been trying to figure out a central place to get together. Of course I offered up my place. So I may have twenty people crashing on my floor. The only problem now is the food. Romanian turkeys are rather small ( which is good because Romanian ovens are even smaller). They also are extremely hard to find prepackaged. There is no butterball here. We are probably going to have to buy a live one. Beth, one of my site mates has been eyeing the turkey man at her piata every sunday. And she has located a fat turkey. The next problem is where do we kill it? Who will kill it? ( I certainly don't want to). I think we might have to take it somewhere...this is going to be an experience...and they perform the service, killing, gutting and defeathering for a small fee. Trying to keep out of the whole slaughtering aspect of thanksgiving I volunteered to make pies. I want to make pumpkin and apple. Pumpkin will be a little hard considering the lack of canned pumpkin and condesed milk but I will be creative, maybe shockingly enough i will use a real pumpkin ( if I can find one). Feel free to send recipes anyone who has any creative ideas. I hope it will be nice though. I don't want to be alone on Turkey day. Though I am saddest thinking of how I will miss the Macy's Day parade.
gotta go, will write more later. peace out folks

The Froshman "Prom"

Last night I went to Lahovari's annual Froshman Prom. Every year the senior class plans a huge dance for the incoming ninth graders. This is a huge event, a famous Romanian band comes and there is even a competition for Mr. and Miss ( ninth grader) of the Ball. This year the ball took place at the Disco Enigma a pretty jazzy place, disco ball and all. There must have been at least 500 teenagers crammed into this place. Luckily professors had a nice little reserved table in the back complete with food and drink. But throughout the whole night I could not help comparing this wild night with the comparitivly tame Homecoming dances we plan at home. Cultural difference number one, the kids were drinking beer and liquor within plain sight of the teachers. In fact teachers were drinking right alongside of their students. At one point during the event a drunk tenth grader came to the teacher's area to throw up and the teachers just calmly looked over and shook their heads. It's an alternate universe here. In the states the last place that you want to be drunk is anywhere near a teacher. It was strange and slightly disconcerting. Cultural difference number two, the girls some not much older than my Sarah (my sister who's going to be 14 tomorrow), were dressed like hookers. I saw shirts that would serve more of a purpose as a hand towel. Short, short skirts ruled. It made my jaw drop.
But aside from these two striking features I enjoyed myself immensly..I danced with all of my kids ( it was nice to dance) and the band "Simplu" (simple) was really fun. Apparently these guys are the best break dancers in Romania. And I have to admit from what I would see through the mad throngs of kids they did look pretty stylin' They made me want to learn how to break dance. I didn't think it would be that hard to pick up until this morning, in the privacy of my apartment, I learned that perhaps I am not cut out for break dancing. Though I am still determined ( sorry for the tangent), after listening to a guitarist on the radio this morning, to learn to play guitar.
So I danced till about 1:30 in the morning and then came home to a dirty house, which after four and half hours of wringing sheets this morning still seems dirty. Last night I had an encounter with the biggest coachroach I have ever seen. But I didn't jump, ( this was our second meeting in two weeks) I just stared at it and I realized, I have become acustomed to romania. There were huge bugs crawling on my walls and I did not care. I started thinking of all the other things I have become accustomed to...cutting out the worms in your apples and eating the good part, taking a shower every other other day , when the water is hot. Cooking from scratch, waiting in line an hour at the post office for a stamp. wow. but I digress...