Timpul Zboara / Time Flies

In between

2008-10-05T01:26:00.003+02:00

Amsterdam, Arad. Romania, The Netherlands.Greece.Volunteering, a paid job. Crossing the vineyard-covered slopes in mid-summer, following the Amstel river by bike and struggling with the autumn wind. Rabbits taking over a commercial area at night , geese blocking the village road during the day. Dutch schoffies, Romanian straydogs. Creativity 4, Step outside your country and into nature. Facebook, Hyves. Richter, Millennium Center. Brânză, belegen kaas. Hostfamily, sharing an apartment. Friends.

No words

2008-09-19T15:37:00.002+02:00

Update (grazie, Caterina)

Looking outside the box

2008-08-26T10:24:00.010+02:00

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. These famous words by John Lennon are especially valid for an EVS experience. After three or four months as a volunteer you start to develop some kind of routine. The same way to youth center, the parties with other volunteers and even the small irregular things -a ridiculously delayed train- become predictable.

Just as some planned things won’t fit in the pattern. In July I spent a week as a 'native English speaker' at an adventure & language camp for children in Muntele Mic . I was not allowed to speak or understand Romanian for a week. The world upside down, but a good experience to see how my fellow volunteers have to deal with children. Out of the blue, Irishman John appeared with his bike on the last day. On his way from Budapest to Istanbul he passed the camp. You can find the result of our spontaneous meeting here.

Romanian alpinist & camp organizer Coco Galescu and me, picture taken by John Hennessy

I already wrote about Mostar. My trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia was another example of an experience you wouldn't find in a random Romanian village. Another language barrier to cross. The visible past. The amazing seaside. The way people drink their coffee. One thing remained the same however: the ever-returning question why, for gods sake, I'm staying in Romania.

So far, my EVS stage has been quite a local project. This changed with one phone call from Millennium Center. Am I interested in going to Greece? Not once, but twice? Hmm... From the 6th until the 16th of september a youth exchange called Creativity 4: democracy & participation takes place near Thessaloniki. As a group leader I already had the chance to visit the place, and the countdown towards the project is running.

The group leaders of Creativity 4

Another clock is ticking as well. The official end of my stay is coming near. On the 20th of september I'm flying to Amsterdam. What will happen next? In october I'll return for another youth exchange. And then I just might stick in Romania. Who knows? I'm getting used to surprises.

Mostar

2008-07-31T13:19:00.002+02:00

There is no better city to look for the blues than Mostar. A stunning beauty combined with a visible painful past. The bridge has been repaired, but mostly tourists are crossing it. Did I ever mention that Romania is a country full of paradoxes? In Bosnia & Herzegovina they are even more striking. It's like comparing the Neretva river (green! blue!) with the Mures.
The timing of my trip has been exceptional. First of all there was the demasque of the alternative healer dr. Dragan Dabic, also known as Radovan Karadzic. I missed the celebrations in Sarajevo, but obviously it was the talk of the town in Mostar as well. I thought Romania to be the country with he most bizar stories and personalities ( just to mention Gigi Becali ), but once again there is fierce competition.
Secondly, and of a completely different order, I was lucky enough to wittness the Mostar Blues festival. It presented blues music in all its varieties: sad and tormented, but also lively and full of energy. With the famous bridge as a stunning background.

The soul of Mostar: Mostar Sevdah Reunion

Mid-term blues

2008-07-04T12:59:00.007+02:00

Three months have passed since my arrival in Romania. Time for an evaluation. Last week we spent six days with all the volunteers of our project in holiday resort Moneasa, for a midterm training. A kind of Babylonian garden, part two. Fresh air, forests, hills, and a swimmingpool without water on the day I wanted to swim. I will spare you the details of flip charts, markers, coffee breaks, teambuilding games and the extensive lunches. You can imagine the evenings, filled with social gatherings, more alcohol, philosophic conversations, football (yes, Russia was the better team) and dancing in a cheesy and worn out club.

More interesting might be my personal evaluation. Am I still glad I decided to come to Romania? Will I manage until september? Yes, but... Is my stay here what I expected it to be? Yes and no. It is clear that life here follows high peaks and deep valleys. Currently I'm slightly fed up with false expectations, extreme flexibility, frustrated projects,political games, no running water when it's over 30 degrees, and -since the holiday started- an atmosphere of complete passivity and boredom. On the other hand, i know that perspectives may change very rapidly. One succesful activity can change our world. And fortunately there is still the joy of the little things.

Or is it just my birthday coming up?

Old & New

2008-06-04T15:24:00.007+02:00

Yesterday I felt a bit as if a new year had started. No, it didn't start to snow suddenly - temperatures are still reaching 30 degrees. First and foremost: daily business in our host-family has been enriched with a lot of new life on one day: four puppies and ten little chicken. Despite of the weather spring is still in the air.

the pictures of the dogs will follow

Secondly, there were the local and regional elections on sunday the first of june. As a volunteer for the local youth center, I'm trying to stay as clear from politics as possible. But as you could have read before, especially in a village that's sometimes a very hard thing to do. Sunday night was almost like New Years Eve: a lot of expectations, emotions, a countdown and a climax when the results were announced. Then the infamous day after: a slight hang-over, promises to be kept and what will happen with all the good intentions remains to be seen.

election posters the day after

24 hour party people (part 2)

2008-05-21T17:02:00.006+02:00

In may the celebrations continued, although with a considerably less religious character this time.

May 1: Labour Day

After 1989 the meaning of International Labour day in Romania has dissappeared. Now people are usually enjoying this day with beer and mici, preferably in the mountains. And so did we. Egija, Ruth, Raul and me climbed up towards the fortress of neighbouring town Siria (for those who know Romanian literature, the birthplace of writer Ion Slavici), where we met mentor Bogdan Calin and enjoyed a splendid view over Romania's western plains. Of course we had our share in the traditional menu as mentioned above, but I can assure anyone that managed to cut down my consumption of alcohol...

May 2: Day of Youth

A good lesson in Romanian planning. On this day we organized several competitions for the local youth: Chess, Remy and Backgammon in the youth center, and football near the edge of the village. During the day, hardly anyone showed up in the center. Only when we had lost all hope –and the football tournament had ended, the kids entered the center to play games. Not according to any scheme, but just to have fun.

The closure of the day was a concert in the local cultural house. Due to an accident it started one-and-a-half hours later, but surprisingly this didn’t affect the amount of spectators. In between the Romanian popular music and a supposedly humoristic act making fun of all the gypsy clichés (the ones present in the room were the ones laughing the most) there was a small award ceremony. For the first time I noticed a rivalry between the Romanian and the Roma kids. Every participant received a diploma and a t-shirt. Everything in orange – you may draw your own conclusions.

May 5: Men’s day

The 8^th of march is international women’s day. According to a survey most Romanians believe they don’t have enough holidays. That’s why one of the biggest beer brands here started a campaign to make the 5^th of may national men’s day. What started as pure marketing now becomes more and more serious. To be honest: I didn’t do anything special this day.

May 9: Day of Europe

Most of the children here have relatives working abroad. And yet, Europe is something very abstract, even despite the fact that you can see the yellow stars on every official building. In the days before the 9^th of may we visited the highest grades of the primary school to give a presentation about Europe. After all, we’re European volunteers. And no, the Unites States are not in Europe.

On the day itself we were invited at the local kindergarten to attend their special event. Not all the flags were drawn correctly, but it’s the thought that counts. Their songs, poems and dances were adorable.

In the youth center we organized a quiz, following the ‘Ren-je-rot’ (who knows the international name?!) formula. After our experience of one week earlier, we feared that no one would show up, but in the end fifteen kids participated in the activities. Especially the goodies (propaganda?) provided through the information office of the European Parliament proved to be a great success. We closed the day with another infamous Villa party in Arad.

May 10: Nunta (wedding)

This was as well the Day of Ecological Action in Timişoara. With the volunteers who survived the night before we went there to participate in a cleaning action. It’s hardly worth mentioning it: since we managed to get lost in the probably-not-so-complicated tram network of the city we arrived in time at the park to see a lot of garbage bags already being full. The Romanian expression for this: a se duce pe apa sămbătei.

In the evening I experienced my probably biggest cultural shock so far. The son of one the George’s was going to marry and Ruth, Egija and me were invited for the party. After spending a day in very international company we ended up in a very local happening. Three hundred guests were sitting at long tables in the cultural house (see also Second day of Easter and Day of Youth). Arriving at 10, we were just in time for the first course of a meal which would last until 3 am, when the wedding cake arrived. In between the courses there were drinks, more drinks, familiar and new faces, and – despite the lack of space – a lot of dancing. On popular Romanian music of course. After half past three we were allowed to leave, but not without experiencing the situation of giving a, for Romanian standards, very modest wedding present to a pair we didn’t know at all. Still, we received our souvenir: a box of cookies and a can of beer. Timisoreana.

May 17: Disco in Şiria

A full week without any special occasions or parties. We had to celebrate this. The kind kindergarten teacher took us to the local disco in her town. It sounds much worse than it actually was. One can actually get used to manele when they play other music as well. The way people dress and behave was simply amusing. (Or is it just me getting old?) Beer was still cheap. Plenty of space outside. There was only one odd thing. Orange posters all over the place and every hour the orange party song. As I wrote before – sometimes it’s difficult to keep things separate here.

memories of a Romanian safari

2008-05-16T17:14:00.003+02:00

On wednesday two bears entered a house in Brasov. In the street where I used to work four years ago. It certainly brings back memories:

24 hour party people

2008-05-07T18:10:00.006+02:00

How to describe the end of april and the beginning of may? A simple 'party time' wouldn't do justice to all the subtle differences, the traditions and the paradoxes. An overview of several days of Romanian celebrations, festivities, holidays and utter bacchanals. Part 1: April

April 20: Palm Sunday & Floriile
As I previously wrote, the Sunday before (Orthodox) Easter, marks the start of the Holy Week. Everyone in the village seemed to be present during the service, to collect a blessed branch and to celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Especially with the elections coming up it might be important to be seen, although not necessarily during the whole mass. For me as an atheist it is interesting to observe how people are experiencing Church. It's a bit like more things here: you'll pick the most important parts and leave the rest.
The rest of the day was filled with flowers. People with a flower in their name celebrated their second birthday. This meant that my host, Florin, was having a barbecue. A good opportunity to get acquainted with the family, the friends, the mayor... and the homemade drinks.

April 23: St. George Day
The integration course continued. The mayor, whom I've met a few days earlier, is called George. Because of this, and maybe because of the fact that the elections are coming up, he invited all the Georges in the village for a party with wine, beer, ţuica and mici, in the city hall. My name isn't George, but I still had the chance to meet several of them. And to discover the pitfalls of the local (strong) wine.

April 24: Queensday reception organised by the Dutch consulate in Timisoara
Is there a bigger contrast possible than the one between a party on the countryside and a diplomatic reception in the local museum of arts? Maybe there is. With Dutch colleague Theo I experienced a small culture shock, when we entered the entrance hall, slightly underdressed. The vast majority of the people present seemed to belong to the Romanian upper class. The biggest shock however came at the buffet: suddenly no one was able to form a proper queue anymore.

April 25: Holy Friday
The preparations for Easter intensified. In Arad we received orange Easter bunnies. Orange is the colour of the PD-L (Partidul Democrat Liberal), the party of a lot of people around me. Another sign that politics and celebrations sometimes cannot be separated. Fortunately there was no sign of this when I attended the mass in neighbouring village Ghioroc. Since this was the commemoration of the crucifixion the priest was dressed in black. Almost the complete service consisted of singing prayers, with mentor Bogdan Calin as one of the singers.

April 26: Resurrection Night
I never experienced a proper countdown towards Easter before. Until this Saturday. In the morning we went with several boys to home for disabled people in Lipova, to give them Easter presents. After that we spent the day painting eggs and my colleagues Egija and Ruth received rabbits as a gift from Raul, our coordinator. At 11 pm we were ready to go to Church. In Romania this night is at least as big as Christmas eve, a night when everyone goes to church, no matter how religious one is. And yes, the church was crowded. During the service the priest changed his black dress for a white one – to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. Just as the night before people lighted candles and circled the church three times. Most of the people left the service after this to go to their traditional Easter meal: lamb, cheese, onion, ham, wine & ţuica and of course the freshly painted eggs.

April 27: first day of Easter
More eggs for breakfast. Hristos a inviat. Adevarat a inviat. (Christ has risen. Indeed He has risen) For this traditional question and answering ritual you need two eggs and two people. With your egg you have to crush the other one. And don't make the mistake to answer Adevarat a intrat (Indeed he entered)...
Despite the tuica and wine we did manage to get up in time for another mass. It was lighter, more cheerful this time. A special place was reserved for the children. The end of the service was more earthly, when the priest underlined the importance of the recently bought minivan: it enables the children of Covasint to see more than just their village. The rest of the day was dedicated –once more- to a traditional lunch and the recovering of it. And no, the Easter bunny didn’t forget us.

April 28: second day of Easter
Did I mention the eggs? This day we ended with a plastic bag, completely filled with coloured eggs and cozonac. It’s a tradition here to spend Easter monday on the cemetery, to commemorate dead relatives. People brought food and drinks and these were blessed by the priest. After that the commemoration/celebration started: a lot of families invited us to join them and we just had to accept the food. And the drinks. This was actually the first occasion were we noticed some differences between Roma and Romanians and between different Roma groups. As I wrote before, the Roma from Covasint like to show their wealth – and this doesn’t stop at the cemetery. There were also the poor Roma – probably from other villages- who were attracted by the hospitality of the families and the free cake and eggs.
With a filled stomach we visited the Easter Ball in the local cultural house. We actually contributed to the decoration of the party through our photo exhibition. An interesting sample of the village population gathered to move on traditional Romanian music. This is where our traditional dance course turned out to be quite useful. Some of them really did their best to dress up, others just showed up in a training suit. Oh, and did I mention the alcohol?

April 30: (Queensday) / EVS volunteers Villa party.
Forget Queensday. After one day of relative rest we moved to a different world: the one of international volunteers in Arad. The garden of Babel I found in Lunca Muresului moved to a villa in Arad. Fifteen volunteers from every corner of Europe are staying there during there project. It became the epicentre of parties, conflicts and other social gatherings for all the millennium center volunteers. On this day two volunteers (Fleur from Amsterdam and Sara from Spain) celebrated their birthday. Did I mention… Never mind. This was the only party in the row without certain traditions or etiquette to observed.

The curse of the Gypsy woman

2008-04-21T15:42:00.004+02:00

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.

Where the streets have no name...

2008-04-17T17:07:00.007+02:00

Life in a village has its own rhythm. And for every season there is another speed. Spring is advancing very fast. Three weeks ago it was still the end of winter; the start of this week felt as if summer was coming. Fresh lilacs are decorating my room. It makes it hard to grasp that it has been only one week since my arrival here.
One week with a lot of new experiences and small observations. Especially the latter ones I have to write down, before I’m taking things for granted. The 20 km long tram ride between Arad and the nearby town of Ghioroc for example, with the sign: forbidden to eat sunflower seeds. The fact that everyone greets each other on the streets. Some older people even get offended when it slips your mind. The omnipresent animals: chicken, ducks, geese, dogs, cows, sheep and horses. The local accent, in which n becomes nj. The fact that there are no street names, just numbers. And above all, the hospitality one may find even in places like the kindergarten, where they served us some traditional food and drinks.

Secondly, there are the small annoyances. Because they’re working here on a new water system, we don’t have running water during large parts of the day. Something typical for every small community is the social control. For us foreigners, it has limited itself so far to an occasional awkward look. The kindergarten teacher, who lives in another town, explained us on the other hand, how she experiences the judgment of the people.

Then there are the bizarre palaces in the village. Covăsânţ has a strong Roma community. Most of them are working abroad. With the money they earn over there, they build huge kitschy palaces in the village. One is bigger than the other. In most of them only one room is used. There seems to be a big difference with Suplacu. Here there is no obvious separation between Roma and Romanians. At least, children of both communities are attending the same school.

Last but not least we have the Big Invisible: politics. In June there will be the local elections. Behind the scenes the campaigns already have started. Everything turns out to be political, even in a village like this. And especially in a country like Romania, where a visible clash exists between old and new generations. Between people who prefer a status quo and people who want change. (To put it bluntly.) And if you want to get things done, you’ll have to be member of a political party. In this way, even the local youth center here is part of that game.

On the other hand: there is still at least one event bigger than the elections, and that is Orthodox Easter. The countdown for the 27th of April is running. Coming Sunday marks the start of the Holy Week, with every day a special sermon. The (holiday) week after Eastern is filled with all kind activities (tournaments) for the village youth. The summer weather might be useful then.

Babylonian garden

2008-04-07T16:07:00.002+02:00

The intercultural rollercoaster-ride of the past two weeks seems to have stopped in the village of Covasant. Before my arrival here I stayed eight days in the visitors centre of Natural Parc Lunca Muresului , where the on-arrival training for new volunteers from Arad and Oradea was organised.

Eight days of intercultural learning, lectures, workshops, a canoe trip, beer, wine and other beverages and above all the cultural shocks - both in theory and in practice. Wireless internet and modern bathrooms 300 meters from hardcore poverty in a Roma village. A natural park with a lot of waste.

Now it's time to see whether this Babylonian garden, with all its languages and contrasts has been a good preparation for the near future.

Next blog: Life in a Village

Planet Petrom

2008-03-31T01:54:00.005+02:00

Currently I'm having my on-arrival training in Natural Park Lunca Muresanului, close to Arad. A lot of intercultural learning, games and drinking. Campfire included. The training will last until tuesday, after which we still have two days for a workshop in photography and video. I might write a seperate message on this world in itself.

Before leaving to this beautiful forest/river-area, Kaie and I had the chance to visit the third possible destination: a village called Suplacu de Barcau, 70 km. from Oradea. It took us almost seven hours to reach it (including a three hour stop in border city Oradea). The spring sun did its best to make us forget the lack of sleep due to the pubquiz the night before. After leaving the bus in Suplacu, our noses took over. It wasn't possible to avoid the smell of petrol. Everywhere in and around the village we stumbled upon oil installations and chimneys, runned by Romanian oil company Petrom. The volunteers ( a French girl, two Spanish guys) we met there told us that one can get used to it. As a compensation for the omnipresent oil money came available for a new youth center.

A second peculiarity of the village is the number of ethnic communities. Romanians, Hungarians and Slovaks are living next to each other. The Roma part of town however looks like a completely different world. We had the chance to see the volunteers in action during an English lesson in the Roma school. It's hard to stay clear from the cliche images when describing it. Fourteen year old girls taking their babies into class, a fight between two boys. The volunteers however did manage to make small steps in breaking the stereotypes.

All in all was this a very impressive day. I got to a see a new side of Romania and it made me wonder where I'm going to stay.

(see slideshow for pictures)

Time is flexible

2008-03-22T17:36:00.005+01:00

Only a few days in Arad and I already have to admit that the title of this blog is not entirely accurate. Romanian time is very flexible and not necessarily always flying. Sometimes it walks, it crawls or it takes a tram. Sometimes it's caught in a traffic jam on its way to one of Romania's new palaces of consumption, the hypermarkets. And occasionally it stands still.

It happened when I had to wait in a minibus at Ferihegy Airport for the last customer to arrive. Four hours is a lot of seconds. Since friday I'm discovering Arad and surroundings. I arrived together with Estonian girl Kaie and we're waiting for the rest of the volunteers for our project to arrive. This means that our one-week on-arrival training will start this friday and that we still don't know where we will end up after that. O sa vedem, we will see. A large part of the project is carried out in three villages (far) outside Arad: Covasant, Abrud and Suplacu de Barcau. So far we visited the first two, to get an impression of the work in the local youth centers.

Two funny facts to conclude: the first pub I visited here is called Time to Time... And the clock of the city hall plays Vangelis on every hour (but don't ask me which song it is).

Arad City Hall

Exitus

2008-03-12T16:35:00.002+01:00

8 March: Goodbye party in the good old Koningshut. The countdown is running...

"Exitus", sagte der Groβvater, "was das bedeutet? Zunächst heiβt Exitus bei uns das, was ihr heute vorhabt: Abschiedsfest einer Schulklasse. Ferner: Exitus trinken, den Becher bis zur Neige leeren, wenn man Blutsbrüderschaft schlieβt. Ein Wort mit vielen Bedeutungen. Von Exit kommt es und besagt: Er geht hinaus. Er tritt ab. Ausgang. Aus. [...] und manchmal heiβ Exitus Erfolg."
Eginald Schlattner (1933, Arad) - Der geköpfte Hahn

Taxi 1, 2 & 3

2004-10-05T17:00:00.000+02:00

Taxi's. Wherever you are, they'll provide you with a good story. Or two. Or... -Famous examples are the taxi with a wheel missing or a taxi driver going for a walk to find some petrol.- It depends of course. How often do I take a taxi in Amsterdam? They are expensive - hardly. Your flat-mate isn't able to make use of one of her feet, that kind of occassions. So, no tales about Amsterdam taxi-drivers, although they have reputation of being rude. The Brasovian drivers certainly know what 'being rude' means. Is my experience...

I

Being in Brasov for over a month now, I can tell you what a 'regular' taxi ride would cost. An average ride is less than 1 Euro. And even when you're being overcharged, it won't that expensive, according to Dutch standards. It's about the principle though. So what are you doing when someone is asking you three times the amount you're supposed to pay? You refuse. And you're trying to explain in your best Romanian that...-ffft- a nice spit in the face, that might be your reward. But at least I didn't pay....

II

Did I mention that the drivers here can be quite rude? Well, if you're lucky, they can be very friendly as well. For an interview I had to go to a childrens' home. My chief-editor was paying the taxi and on my way back I asked the driver for a receipt. "Of course, no problem. Which amount of money do you want me to write down?" In my naievety, I looked puzzled and pointed at the meter. "You are not from here, aren't you? It's not for me, but for you. How much money do you want your boss to give you?" (...)

III

No wonder that one of the most famous Romanian bands is called Taxi. Plenty of inspiration. Off-topic? Maybe. But I managed to see them live. During a more-than-two-hour-lasting show called 'Holograf & friends'. Holograf is one of the other big names in Romanian music. Not to forget Phoenix and Vita de Vie. Definitely worth listening to and even more if the concert is free. No chance of being overcharged....

Romania revisited

2004-09-29T16:27:00.000+02:00

I wrote this article in the first week of september. My editor asked me to write down my first impressions. Well, here they are. To be published in the Brasov Visitor ( www.brasov-visitor.ro )

When do you know you are in Romania? Obviously there are numerous answers on this question, but one of them might be found in the following scene.

The coach coming from Amsterdam and heading for Bucureşti makes a stop at the coach-station in Lugoj. 10 minutes break. After 20 minutes the bus-driver asks whether everyone is on board. “Da!” All passengers are delighted to join this game. It has been played throughout the whole journey and it’s getting better every time. This time however one person has to be the spoilsport. “Nu!” “Nu?” A fierce discussion between all the passengers sets in. “Somebody was sitting here.” “Are you sure?” “I haven’t seen anyone.” “I did, but I think that man just had to leave in Lugoj.” “I say, we are waiting now for 10 minutes, why don’t we just leave.” “Yes, but that man, we can’t just leave him behind…” “Pff, bad luck, it’s his own fault.” By this time the second bus-driver joins in. “Ok, which joker told us somebody is missing?” “I’m sure, that….” “Was it an old man, wearing a blue shirt?” “Yes, that’s him!” “Are you still sleeping?! That man did get off in Arad.” “…” The coach is being filled with laughter and is ready for departure now. Suddenly a man is running from the toilets towards the bus. It’s the third bus-driver. “ You see, I was right, somebody was missing, the bus-driver!”

Is it possible to have a first impression when you have been in a country on previous occasions? Of course not, if you define a first impression of Romania as ‘nice medieval towns’, ‘communist blocks’, ‘gypsies’, and ‘horse and cart’. But every time one gets the chance to look behind the beaten tracks, every time there’s an opportunity to have a closer look on society, can be regarded as a new discovery, a new ‘first impression’. Brasov is a city full of history; it wears both the jewels as well as the scars of it. It has the beauty of its natural surroundings, the presence of Tampa Hill, but above all it’s as well just a ‘normal’ city, where people go out to work, children have their small conflicts while playing soccer, and where old men are playing backgammon in the park. Where the rumors and the gossips of the neighborhood are the backbone of daily life, and where passers-by can burst into a heated discussion amongst each other.

Second example, same coach. Brasov is coming closer and we’re surrounded by the Transylvanian hills. A man starts talking to me. "Are you Dutch? Me too. But I was born in Romania. This is my country, and I love it. Why is everybody telling me that it’s backward? Unlike in the West, people here are still able to have real emotions." At the next stop - 30 minutes this time - we confirm our newfound friendship with a beer and some mici (sausages made of minced meat and lots of garlic). With some genuine manele (Romanian popular music, you know it when you hear it) on the background of course.

This is not my first time in Romania, nor my second and not even my third. And every time I visit the country, it still manages to surprise me. A few years ago I was touched by the charm of hospitality in the countryside of Maramures, I found it in Cluj and in Oradea, there was even a spark of it in Bucureşti and it revived upon my arrival in Brasov. I finally have to admit that I missed the taste of branza (cheese) in the morning. The first sip of homemade wine brings back memories and as soon as the family photo-album is taken from the cupboard I feel at home again.

Every visit to Romania is different, obviously. As a country in ‘transition’ (I don’t like the word ‘transition’. It implies that a country will be ‘finished’ one day.) it has a great deal of dynamics. Just as Brasov is a ‘normal’ city, Romania is quite a ‘normal’ country. With al its peculiarities, both ‘good’ (or even extraordinary) and ‘bad’. With every visit, you’ll get used to some of them, or you discover new ones. And the ones you’ll never get used you, you start calling ‘typical Romanian’.

A Romanian safari / Ik zag twee beren...

2004-09-24T18:07:00.000+02:00

Among Brasov's most popular -informal- tourist attractions is 'I want to see a bear'. After sunset, any taxi-driver in town will bring you to one of the suburbs - as long as you mention the word 'urs'. At the edge of the city, where mankind and nature colide, the taxi will stop near a few garbage containers.There they are, two real-life bears, enjoying their dinner, apparantly not disturbed by the headlights. And this shows the problem - the bears are not afraid of humans anymore. According to my taxi-driver -information provided without extra charge- the latest victim is an Italian tourist who was stupid enough to try feed one of those 'cute' animals. Let's stay in the cab...
Total price? 100.000 Lei.

Fire!

2004-09-24T10:02:00.000+02:00

My office is located in the historical centre of Brasov. A regular lunch-break would consist of a walk towards Strada Republicii (the main pedestrian area) to buy there a bag with delicious Fornetti*. Not yesterday however. Upon lunch-time smoke began to fill the editorial room. Feeling hungry, our first thoughts focused on 'having a barbecue', but it turned out that one of our neighbours had suffered a short-circuiting. Flames had already started to consume the roof, before the firefighters arrived (and within its wash no less than three television-crews).And yes, also in Romania they know the meaning of 'ramptoerist', within 5 minutes the narrow street was filled with spectators. In the end, this was a clear case of news 'to be found on your doorstep'.

*small pastry, filled with cheese, meat, apple, apricot, or cherry

Time Flies

2004-09-24T03:28:00.000+02:00

More than three weeks ago I left Amsterdam. Exactly three weeks ago I experienced my first day in beautiful, laid-back Brasov. The 40 hours bus journey doesn't seem that bad anymore. Did I actually arrive at the wrong busstation? Well, it happens. But the fact that these major events are fading away, made me realize that I have to start writing. In fact, I already did. After all it's my job , I'm currently playing a journalist. But this might not (yet) visible to the outside world.To you. So, here it is. An attempt to write something about my life in Romania. I will try to answer your frequently asked questions (what the h... are you doing there?). However...no promises. No chronological order. Wait and see. Enjoy and be surprised. Since that's what I'm doing here.