new love

gorganzola.

i have changed my mind about the stinky cheeses. okay, only that one. am still reserving judgement about the rest.

interesting (maybe not) conversation

My niece, Zana, is attending the inauguration. She was invited to attend before the candidates started stumping and now she gets to be part of something that I am sure she will remember for the rest of her life. Her keynote speakers are Collin Powell and Al Gore. Pretty freakin' amazing. Am pretty sure I didn't do anything this awesome when I was 13 (though state Latin competition ranks up there).

The inauguration precipitated a conversation today with a coworker - (I don’t know why people insist on speaking with me when I've my headphones on. ITS A SIGN PEOPLE!!! I don't want to speak with you.) She asked me if I was very excited about the whole thing (inauguration). I responded by saying that am a little removed from the whole situation and excitement since I was not there. Then she said something along the lines its about time considering how racist the country is and how badly it had treated its black population.

I get comments like this all the time. I also hate the concept that he was elected because it’s time, as if it's some sort of vindication for past wrongs. It denigrates the whole process and assumes that his primary qualification is the color of his skin. I personally hate to be seen as a one dimensional person and as if any one of my characteristics is the sum of who/what I am.

The other thing that annoys me about all of this is that it often comes from people completely blind to the racism imbedded in their societies. Also, dude when was the last time you lived in the US let alone were a black person in the US to judge. I stated that racism is something that can be found in every country and not just in the US against blacks. I mentioned that I've experienced it here in Romania. She counters with I like you and I would hug you and blah blah blah. I mention that the Turkish students and other kids have told me what they encounter in the streets. She counters with it's what they do not because they are darker and/or look foreign. I say what about the Gypsy population. She counters with they are really bad people and pretty much commit all the crime in Romania though she doesn't want them all dead. Trying to end this conversation so I can go do my grocery shopping, I say maybe as an outsider, I may not understand all the nuance of the Gypsy situation. She says that that's true.

But, alas, she is able to discuss racism in the US though there is NO racism in Romania (except against those who deserve it of course)

getting back in my brov

aint happening yet. dont know what it is but i really dont want to be back here. or its rough getting used to bucharest again. and am pretty over my job. not for any one reason but just am done. am still teaching, organizing things, and still really like the kids but the joy of teaching is gone. now its a job and once it gets to that point, i think i gotta get out. luckily i only have to worry about feeding cats and they can eat almost anything (if they get hungry enough) .

i guess i had such a great time over the holidays. it was way too short. plus there was the flight and luggage fiasco. Air France took a week to get my luggage to me. its not like its a long flight from paris to bucharest or that there arent a few flights a day. then i got crazy sick. on saturday i pulled something in my back and had to spend the weekend on the couch twinging everything i breathed.

yikes. also its the three year thing. i almost can't hack a place after a certain length of time. i think bucharest is almost past its best by date.

next post will be more positive

finallly . ..

feeling better. as added punishement for leaving my family, i had a horrible flu. fever, lung-hacking cough, and what felt like hammer blows to the head whenever i coughed, stood up, etc. on top of that fun, i was also dizzy whenever my head rose from my pillow.

sadness because there was no one to take care of me. it really sucks that cats dont have opposable thumbs and dont take direction well. i poured the tea down my throat but then it all had to come out and i swear i got up every 5 minutes to pee.

hadnt been this ill in a while. i had some trippy fever dreams. count yourselves lucky i wasnt so good with the phone dialling thing at this time.

but am ready to post. promised nancy that i would start now and go back through the year with the things that i meant to post but didnt. it begins soon.

hellaciousness

i want to say hella-hellaciousness

had a marvelous visit at home with friends, family, and shopping. i return to bucharest. or i tried and the airline gods were punishing me. there were delays in boston. bad enough ay? no, the airline, though on my ticket confirmed vegetarian food, had nothing to offer me so i starved on the flight. then there were delays in paris. then when i finally got to bucharest, they lost my luggage.

i did meet a nice dude though at the airport whose luggage was also lost and we shared a taxi. but i dont think that makes up for the 32 hours of travel. most of which was spent in the airport watching the delay time be pushed further and further back.

but am home with kitties. they greeted me at the door.