things to do when its raining

okay i have heard this from a number of people so here goes.

Romanian saying: The only things to do when its raining are count your money and make babies.

Enjoy and follow advice that is centuries old?

budapest - back from

okay. i have serious avoidance issues, but i post now cause its seen as the lesser of evils as i've been cleaning


Impressions
pic of of a street on the Buda side of the Danube ---->


- i really liked Budapest.
- its a really chill and laid back city. of course i was there during off season (always my favorite time) so that may have something to do with it.
- people dress much more comfortably than Romanian, i.e. no camel toes and comfortable shoes instead of stilettos
- very pretty. lots of 19th century architecture. memories of which pained me when i returned to bucharest and saw how ugly and gray all the buildings are
- Hungarians really dont like Romanians. All historical with stealing of territories and they see them as less developed and urbane.


What i did

<--- pic of the hostel that i stayed in.



- walked around the city and along the Danube River
- sat in parks (beautiful spring days that were mostly sunny and warm)
- visited museums and other cool historical stuff
- went to the opera. tickets are massively inexpensive.
- got lost ALOT but it was okay since i saw stuff along the way
- met some pretty cool people (plus one very stinky frenchman)
- attempted to go to the baths but the water was smelling of sulphur. will wait till the Arthur strikes me and my joints need easing

the heady smells of spring

apologies - been back from budapest since last week but there were internet connection issues.

today is the Vernal Equinox and spring is here in bucharest. its amazing how quickly things progress. already the blossoms are gone from the trees and the new leaves are in (my favorite green), and it was super warm today.

this is also a time when a teacher really starts to notice certain things and some of the sacrifices i make teaching really make themselves known. i also start to notice the lack of things like air conditioners. it totally sucks teaching adolescent kids and my olfactories hate me and are clamoring for a divorce. in the UAE i would just adjust the a.c. units lower and lower, but i realize that here i am in for a truly horrendous few months.

nothing is quite as funky as an adolescent. when i leave my room and reenter, i am viciously attacked by the funk that has settled in the room, marking its territory, and waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting nose. it reeks of my doom. its hellacious. its most heinous. i will be trapped in a room with one window for the the next 3 1/2 months with the musk that only a child going through puberty can produce. oh, lets not forget how they LOVE to run outside during breaks and come back sweaty. its a really really special treat.

but i cannot say anything cause i have been scarred with trying to deal diplomatically with things in the past.

i hope my nose will forgive me.

the people you meet

i and a friend happened by each other getting out of one of the busiest metro stations. she was waiting someone else so we decided to park it and chat. there was some ugliness earlier from some teenagers (am really starting to not like kids) but will not go into it here.

from my left i hear "bella negress, bella negress!" some crazy-looking old dude (am being all p.c. here by not saying that he actually was crazy) was shouting at me. its a nice sentiment (especially since the punk teenagers had been about the opposite) but a bit embarrassing. he then comes closer, still not modulating his voice even though he is two feet from me. he shouts (translation) "congratulations on being a beautiful black woman". he then reaches over, grabs my hand and kisses it.

he walks around the corner and i think "whew, thats over and done with."

But wait theres more! he comes back for a second helping of yours truly and shouts "i've always wanted to go to Africa, but its too hot. Stevie Wonder is yours," i dont really get it either but hey.

by the way, I totally did not make this up, my romanian friend translated for me

Happy Womans Day - updated

Today is Woman's Day here in beautiful springtime Romania - sun is shining, the bulbs are pushing their way up, and trees are budding and flowering (definitely one of my favorite times of the year). Its a lovely holiday where kids give the female teachers presents. am little weirded out cause some of them told me happy mothers day as they gave me flowers or chocolates (sadly, its lent and i cannot eat them - sucks to be me). when i first started teaching, i was way too young to possibly be their parent but now that time is creeping up on me - am a little scared. but of course i like receiving the presents.

due to the lovely and thoughtful presents, i now feel like i have to be nice to them. drats!

UPDATE
okay, i later found out that womans day and mothers day are the same. i thought that mothers day was on sunday but thats just what i'm used to since it has been on sunday (on different months) of the places i've lived. so i guess its not too weird that the kids say happy mothers day. also found out that there is no mans day or fathers day. sucks to be you!

i saw women so totally weighted down with flowers and gifts. its really nice that its an appreciation day from everyone and not just your kids or spouse. even the school gave the female teachers flowers. so now my house is uber lovely and smelling nice. good thing i bought that vase yesterday.

some friends and i went out for dinner and the ladies did not have to pay. sorted.

the church of stop shopping

just read about the Church of Stop Shopping here and i like it! this group (its not actually a church) is using the televangelist and politically comic model (like the Daily Show) to spread the word about the negative affects of globalization and the free market. i think most of us dont realize how we perpetuate a form of slavery by doing things like drinking massively expensive coffees at places like Starbucks, who drive down the prices of the raw coffee and pocket huge profits. E.g. Ethiopian farmers receive $0.86 of the $26 Starbucks charges for 1 pound of Ethiopian Sidamo coffee. plus, i know this maybe heresy to some, but i dont understand the allure of starbucks anyway. the deserts are just not that tasty.

sure a market economy is a great thing - i like having the variety of choices available - but is really when its at the expense of people in poor countries? buy fair trade if you can (starbucks now offers fair trade at some locations) for as many products as you can and support your local businesses so have a little more individuality in our worlds and lives. you can find out more information about reverend billy here. the dude who brought you Supersize Me is making a movie, to be out soon, about Reverend Billy called What Would Jesus Buy? the Fair Trade Foundation can be found here (there are other organizations)

i now descend from my soapbox (i cant help it when i get into teacher mode).

Rome - Discrimination at St. Pete's

i was absolutely and unbelievably flabbergasted when i went to St. Peters Basilica and was confronted with these examples of discrimination. i mean, this church is the flagship of one of the largest religious organizations in the world. what about all that brotherly love stuff? arent there anti-discrimination laws out there somew i was dumbfounded. below is the evidence of this most hienous practice. this is a sign right before the entrance to the church complex.

what do they have against amputees in shorts? does this apply only to people missing the left arm? do people without right arms laugh at those who can't enter. can you get in if youre a double amputee? these are very difficult questions that i tried to wrap my mind around, but, shallow as i am, i didnt think about them too long (my head started to hurt and there was so much to see) nor did they prevent me from enjoying the basilica. more on that later.

i kinda want to go again but with a glue gun, so i can fix this for them. i dont want others leaving with hearts heavy and feelings hurt. (i'm totally a humanitarian)

scary parents

one of my students came in today with a motorcycle helmet (he later got in trouble for checking out the bike shop website rather than doing research for his project). i heard him later talking to his friends about the motorcycle.

this makes me wonder at the utter irresponsibility and stupidity of some people. the kid is 14!!! furthermore, he is not one of the brightest stars in the sky, nor does he have a good head on his shoulders. do his parents want to kill him?

just because someone has the disposable income doesnt mean that the child should get everything he desires. i just dont get it. i wouldnt drive a car in bucharest let alone allow a child, who has no sense of his mortality and prone to risk taking behavior (characteristic of 14 year old males), on a guaranteed organ donor machine. i hope he stays okay but statistics are against him.

MY EYES! MY EYES!

MY EYES! DEAR LORD! MY EYES!

i was gonna post this yesterday but we had a brown out and i thought it best to go to sleep. good decision cause i woke up massively well rested.

yesterday, minding my own business , waiting for a train to the post office, i was assaulted. visually that is. cant even tell you how truly hellacious it was. i can only be thankful for small favors - since i was underground and its a bit darker than the full-on sunglasses needing sunlight on the outside. i saw a woman in a purple skirt- which was okay. she was wearing high heeled pumps with really skinny heels and super pointy shoes - which was fine. she had on black tights - copacetic. but here is the horror - she had on bright purple legwarmers. they covered half of her foot (i guess making them foot and legwarmers) and up to her calves. i dont get it. why? why? why?

i dont even know how she could wear them. aside from being heinously ugly, isnt it uncomfortable to have things bunched up under your feet and walking on them. i guess i should give her props for being all fashion forward but i wonder at the adoption of a style that was crazy back in '85. also i ask, when is this "every thing from the 80s is awesome " trend gonna end?

update - Happy Spring!!!

this is really nice - i went to McDonalds for a late afternoon snack/ dinner of fries and cabbage salad (i know, i know. localization does kinda suck sometimes). while i was there one of the workers went around and gave the women a long stemmed tulip. i had never received anything before from McDs (well other than empty calories and ketchup). but all in celebration of the spring!

sigh . . .

Happy Spring!!

Happy first of March. I've decided that i like this holiday, especially since i get stuff. its a day when people give women gifts - not big presents but tokens for good luck. I've also received some really pretty flowers. everything is tied up with a red and white ribbon that you are supposed to wear. the string is supposed to make you strong and healthy for the next year. i cant help but think that since these are given to women, it also has some bearing on fertility - kinda like a spiritual 'good birthin' hips'.

it goes back to Roman celebrations of March 1 which was the New Year and the celebration of Mars - god of agriculture and war. its really cool that a little pagan holiday has hung around so long despite what (i'm sure) was done to stamp it down. the tokens i've gotten include pressed flowers preserved in resin, little figurines (of flowers), broaches and pins (of flowers) and charms (of flowers). its also supposed to be kind of like a valentines day. kinda cool.

now i gotta write a whole lotta thank you cards