During my first week in Romania I had a chat with one of the Romanian volunteers from Millennium Center. She told me how she believed in the curse of the gypsy women, and how it once happened to her. She had been feeling ill and tired until she discovered the curse by doing some kind of trick with matches.
I had to think of this superstition when I suffered some personal incoveniences (better known as travellers disease) last week. This revealed the huge differences between Dutch and Romanian attitudes towards health issues. While I'm used to taking my own measures, eating extra bananas and drinking extra mineral water, all Romanians around me immediately wanted to take me to the doctor or even the emergency department of nearest hospital (not without mentioning the horror stories from that same hospital). On day number 5 I surrendered; I finally met the village doctor - and i have to say: the medicines he prescribed did their job. Just in time to enjoy the celebration of my hosts nameday.
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