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
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