8.5 hours until Take-off

B and I are busy getting ready for our trip back to the US in the morning. We are mostly packed and now are taking a minute to unwind before hitting the sack-our alarms will be going off in 5.5 hours and the shuttle will be here in 6.5! This time tomorrow we should be in ATL! -S

Not a good start to the week

Thankfully, we got our internet and cable back yesterday afternoon and no longer have to go to internet cafes to check email. Tiny victories.

Unfortunately, we had some of the worst news on Monday, which is that B's grandfather passed away. He was a wonderful man and certainly the patriarch of the family. He was known for his fantastic sense of humor and sometimes for telling some slightly off-color jokes to the crowd.

Sadly, tried as we did, and we did, we were not able to change our tickets and return in time for the funeral due to some awful airline rules. We were pretty dissapointed by this, but know there are no other reasonable options, so we will be happy when we are back in 2 days and can see family.

So, we are doing our best to get in the Christmas spirit and I think I will make some cookies today. -S

Out of touch

As B and I are recovering from our colds, we have been able to do more around town and after 3 days of not leaving the apartment, I finally felt up to doing some things. Yesterday morning as we were getting ready to head out, we wanted to check the weather online and discovered that neither our cable or internet were working! We had heard it raining some the night before but didn't think too much of it, however this seems to be the cause of the outage as when we were walking to the metro we noticed some men working on the cables. Unfortunately, neither is working yet and today being Sunday, the repairmen evidently are not working. They did, however, leave the downed lines in clumps on the ground in the rain water-very safe! So, B and I are currently at an internet cafe he used a lot during his last visit here.

Without internet or cable at home and with cold and rain outside, we had to find some way to entertain ourselves in the city, so we returned to the Unirii mall where they have what they call "Funland" on the top floor with arcade games and a bowling alley! We bowled a few games and played some ski-ball. It was really fun, though it felt like it was 100 degrees in there! Due to the overheating, we were forced to sample some gelato in the food court- Tirimisu for me and Green Mint for B. It was very good and helped to cool us down. We then went to an electronics store in the mall and bought an S-video cable to try to be able to watch DVDs from our laptop on the TV. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make this work. Oh, well. We can still watch the movies on the computer.

We may try to check out another Christmas market in a bit and then go home and hibernate as it is pretty cold and grey out (no snow) and is perfect for watching movies on the sofa.

Hopefully the internet and cable will be restored soon! -S

Restaurant Review #2

This evening since I was still not feeling up to snuff and the idea of reheating leftover soup or pizza was not appealing, B and I decided to give Tamarind (our first Bucharest Indian food experience) a second chance. We also thought that some spicy food would help my sinus congestion. As the owner explained to us on the first visit that his primary business is food made to order for home delivery, we decided to try this option. As usual, I had to try the Dal Makhni (for a direct comparison, you see) and B tried something called Lamb Bombay (?). We also ordered aloo paratha and some rice with my dish (B's came with rice). We were told to expect a delivery in 1-1.5 hours! Shortly after placing the order, we got a call back stating that the only kind of paratha they had was with raisins-plain was not even available, so raisin it was. The food did finally arrive and we got only 1 piece of bread. As B and I dug in, we both realized this was not what we had been looking for. B said his dish was spicy, as ordered, but he was not at all impressed by the dish and neither was I by mine. I think its becoming clear that Dal Makhni may not happen in Bucharest. This time, at least, there were lentils, but also a strange reddish sauce that tasted faintly like tomatoes-weird. As for the raisin paratha-very doughy and greasy. All in all, Tamarind continues to rate only 2 Samosas. -S

Sick Day

Well folks- cold season is officially here and, not wanting to be left out, B and I are participating in full force. B starting feeling down on Sat evening and by Sun evening he was definitely sick! I held out from catching his cold until late last night. B had to be home on Mon and Tues since he wasn't feeling at all well and he sweetly stayed home to help me today. Our landlady is convinced this is all due to not wearing slippers in the house. Evidently the passing of germs between people is not the real reason colds get passed-scientific hooey to be sure.

Before I started feeling badly, I spent time running errands and trying my best to take care of B. Yesterday evening, our landlady offered to take me back to the large grocery store we went to on our first day here. It was much more manageable this time since I was not jet lagged or dirty. Since we left the house at 5:30 PM-the height of rush hour and in Bucharest that is no laughing matter- the entire trip to the store was over 3 hours! I feel like I nearly bought the whole store, but it was really nice to be able to buy what we needed/wanted and not feel constrained by what we could carry. At least we are set for a while and we even have the Romanian equivalent to Doritos-labelled Tortilla Chips- and some salsa! We also have tons of dried goods and I was able to find quite a few spices, including cinnamon and nutmeg. I was even able to find a soup packet (they don't really do canned soup here) of the Romanian version of Chicken Noodle soup and B said it was actually pretty good. It was all very exciting and has been helpful since neither of us are feeling up to going out to shop or eat at a restaurant at the moment. -S

Travelling on the Cheap!

While hanging out with the other Fulbrighters on Saturday, one of them told S and I about a website which allows you to do generic searches, based on your country of origin, for flights to other European cities run by budget airlines. We checked it out, and found some pretty incredible deals for flights to Vienna, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Venice, and Bologna. After thinking about it a bit more, we decided to book a trip towards the end of January to Milan--and got both of our tickets for a total of $117. Incredible! So if any of you faithful readers have tips on "must-see" tourist locations, places to eat, or hotels/hostels to stay at, send them our way!

There's not much else to say. Yesterday (Sunday) we went back to the Targ de Sfantul Nicolae (St. Nicholas Market) at the museum and did a bit more shopping (and, let's be honest, to have some more of that delicious Hungarian sweet bread, this time with the crushed nut topping). Afterwards, we went home. I'm sick with a cold, and so today I stayed in. S was very sweet and went out to do the shopping, and bought an excellent tea sampler with four different flavors. So far I've tried the cardamom and mango varieties, and they are both quite good. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow, but will still spend the day taking it easy. Knowing what I know from my studies about the Romanian health care system--I would really, really like to avoid having to see a doctor here if possible.

That's all for now! -B

Christmas comes to Bucharest!

We have had so far a full weekend and Sunday hasn't even really started. Friday was spent by me trying to stay warm in our apartment and B doing more work at the Institute for Holocaust studies. That evening we went to a going away party for a new friend who is on her way back to the US. The restaurant was OK and in the beginning the group was fine. B was able to speak with someone who studies topics related to his project and I spent some time speaking with a guy who is originally from SC and works as a chef in Bucharest. Unfortunately, as the evening wore on, the group got bigger and there was about a 1/2 hr in which the only people who spoke to me were B and the wait staff! It was disappointing to say the least. I definitely felt lonely and missed having my own group of friends to hang out with, but after getting home and being able to chat online with a friend from home-I was feeling better.

Yesterday, the Fulbright Commission had its Christmas party. We all met at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, which is only a 8 min walk from our house, and B and I had a chance to meet the other Fulbrighters who are in the country-many of whom seem nice. I think with the exception of a couple folks, B and I are sort of in between in terms of age between the Junior Fulbrighters (most of whom just graduated college this spring) and the Senior Fulbrighters (who are all professors already), but they were all nice and friendly. At the museum we had a chance to see the exhibits, which of course B has already seen, but was fun for me. It is a nice museum. Oddly, in the basement there is an exhibit about communism and I have to say it seemed a bit creepy as what greets you at the bottom of the stairs is a large painted portrait of Stalin-no thanks! Typically in the museum gift shop, there are local craftsman selling their wares, but this weekend there is also a large St. Nicholas Fair in which many more artisans were there and we were able to buy several wonderful crafts. We didn't really have a chance to see it all, so we plan to return today. While we were there, we were told by other Fulbrighters that we must try a certain type of Hungarian sweet bread, called Covaci cu Scortisoare (sp?), so we did. The folks were making it fresh there and we got bread that was hot and steamy! Its not really bread, as much as dough spun on a spool over coals and then covered in either cinnamon (which we bought), sugar, nuts or cocoa and then the coating was melted/burnt on over more coals. It was wonderful!

After the fair, there was an actual party at the Fulbright office, where we had the chance to talk more with the Fulbrighters and enjoyed getting to know them. Then last night, we met some of the Fulbrighters for a drink and imagine our surprise when we discovered that all the Christmas lights had been lit! It was beautiful sight and at the square near the University there is a large Christmas tree made only of lights. On our way home, we took a taxi (since all public transport stops running at 11 PM), and got to see all the different lights in different areas. It was very pretty and helped us feel more in the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, when we got home, B was started to feel kind of sick with a cold, so we went to bed and thankfully he is feeling a little better this morning. What a whirlwind! -S

Random tidbits

The last couple of days have not been very unusual as B and I find ourselves developing a routine. Yesterday I spent the day catching up on emails and visited with our landlady for a few minutes while B was at the Institute for the Study of the Holocaust meeting with the Director of Roma Studies and working at the Library of the Academy. Yesterday, I was excited to try the Christmas blend of coffee from Starbucks. It was cold in the apartment and I had more than my usual one cup of coffee, when our landlady asked me in to visit, and so I had an espresso as well. By the time B came home and we ran a quick errand, I was feeling pretty jittery and hungry. B was so nice to make some pasta while I was feeling sick and we had a simple but nice dinner.

Today B was back to more research and I spent time cleaning up in the apartment and (I must admit) cramming for my Romanian lesson. The lesson went well, but was kind of long. This evening B and I met with a colleague of his who has just finished her Fulbright time here and is off to the Holocaust Museum-quite a switcheroo! We had dinner at La Mama, a local "home cooking" Romanian chain of restaurants. I have to confess I wasn't exactly looking forward to the meal as I have not been overly impressed by Romanian food, but the evening was quite nice - the company AND the food. Its too bad that this particular friend is leaving so soon as she seems very nice and fun, but we are invited to a going away party for her tomorrow and hope, among other things, to meet more nice folks here in Bucharest.

We have been lucky to have experienced a fairly mild winter so far in Bucharest. It has not snowed yet, and though the sun has hidden on occassion, it has only been VERY cold a few days. Tonight when we were walking home, however, we experienced another weather phenomenon-wind. At one point, there were a few gusts that we both thought would blow us away! It's a good thing this happened at the end of the night becuase my windswept hairdo was NOT cute!

On our walks to and from dinner tonight we also noticed several areas where Christmas lights and decorations have been going up, which helps us to get in the mood. Apparently in Romania, the tradition is to wait to put up decorations until Christmas Eve, so we have been happy to see some already. We are getting excited for the upcoming holidays and hope y'all are too. -S

Season's Greetings!

Today was a beautiful and sunny day here in Bucharest and until evening it was quite pleasant for walking around, which was good since my schedule was more full than it has been in a while. It was nice to be active and now it is nice to feel the pleasure of relaxing after a full day. I can hardly call the day busy, as at no time was I hurried (or harried), but it certainly was steady.

B and I started the day by attending the opening of the Starbucks I mentioned in an earlier post. Yeah! Starbucks! The shop is nice and looks like a Starbucks for sure. It seems when Starbucks opens a new store, they tailor the menu a bit to local tastes, so unfortunately no peppermint mochas to be had. :( Why, I ask? I mean, who doesn't like peppermint, especially with chocolate? Anyway, the special Christmas drinks here are a Dark Cherry Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte. I tried the Toffee Nut Latte and it was pretty good. B had a Hot Chocolate and we shared some pastries. We also met the manager, who seemed very nice and she even gave us a sample of their Christmas Blend ... I'm looking forward to making it in the morning! It even smells good just in the package.

After the Starbucks run, we had a meeting with folks at the Center for Independent Journalism. The center is doing a project about the (in)ability of Roma to access health care and associated issues. It seems there may be things for both of us to do to help with the project, which is exciting and the folks we met there seem very nice and interesting. They also have a small library and in our short visit B was already able to spot materials he would like to see. The Center is pretty close to the archives where B has been doing most of his research so if he is ever stuck or unable to get materials at the archives, it would only be a short walk to the Center to be able to look at their materials.

After our meeting, I had to return home for my next Romanian lesson and B went on to do research at the Library of the Academy. While the Romanian lesson went well (I was even able to construct some sentences on my own from memory- short and simple, as they were), it is becoming increasingly difficult to communicate when I only know the present tense of verbs. I guess if I was a Buddhist, the present tense would be all I need, however, I think we can all agree that being in the moment and not being worried about past or present is not my strong point. So, I think learning future and past tense will need to happen soon.

When B got home, we had dinner. I thought it would just be a simple dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese, but I have to say the sandwiches were pretty good. The soup (from a Knorr packet) was awfully thin and uninteresting, but the sandwiches were on dark bread with a mixture of Tilitser (boring, but we already bought it) and Gouda (yummy!) cheeses with grilled red onions and tomato for me and salami for B. They were great! Now we are just relaxing and enjoying some TV and our Christmas decorations! We have added some photos of our humble decorations below. Happy Holidays! -S

It's the Small Things

Today was a national holiday here in Romania and so B's archives were closed and we spent some time just relaxing together. [B here: The holiday commemorates the unification in 1918 of the Kingdom of Romania with the provinces of Bucovina, Bessarabia, and especially Transylvania. Today there was a huge military parade complete with tanks and rocket launchers. Kind of scary, and a reminder how nationalist Romania still is. Needless to say, the holiday is not exactly celebrated by Romania's minority populations, like Hungarians, who are less happy about the status quo.] We had a chance to catch up on some emails and had a nice breakfast, which included TOAST! from our new toaster. These days it's just the little things that make me happy.

Later this afternoon, we took a walk around our neighborhood to get some fresh air. It was really cold out, but we were both happy to just get out and have a change of scenery. We had a quick dinner at a restaurant in a mall that is close to our home. The restaurant serves sushi and different asian dishes, as well as more common Western meals, such as eggs and bacon as well as ham sandwiches and greek salads. The food was good and the the owner, who is a Filipino woman married to an Israeli businessman originally from Romania, came to talk with us and told us the restaurant is relatively new and she hopes to be able to add delivery soon. Full of yummy asian food, we braved the cold weather and walked back home. This evening we plan to put up the few Christmas decorations we bought yesterday and get to bed early as tomorrow morning will be rather busy. We both have a meeting with an organization called the Center for Independent Journalism that is doing a project we may both be able to assist with and before the meeting we plan to go to the Starbucks close to us that I mentioned earlier. Tomorrow is their grand opening and I am pretty excited about it. What did I say about the small things?-S