Alanica Fara Frica

Some more random facts that I randomly came across on wikipedia:

• The population of Reghin, Romania is 36,173
• The population of Marrero, Louisiana is 36,165
• The area of Reghin is 56.1 sq km (21.6 sq mi)
• The area of Marrero is 22.2 sq km (8.6 sq mi)

Went to Cluj-Napoca to meet with a civil engineer who helped me get a better understanding of how projects get constructed in Romania.  While there, I realized why I liked going to Cluj so much.  It is the biggest university city in the country so there are lots of people in their early-mid twenties.  There aren’t many young adults here in Reghin, so it is nice to get out and know that I won’t be surrounded by high school kids when I go out at night.  Even when I was in Ploiesti, there were university age kids, but it was different (it was the south).  Many of the kids there dress in cheap european fashion and listen to awful manele music (modernized gypsy music).  But in Cluj the kids seem to be much more… uh… individual.  And the cafes, bars and restaurants reflect it.  They play good music that isn’t just the same bad american and romanian pop music that plays on all the radio stations.  Once I saw that there were kids with dreadlocks there, I knew I’d be able to find some good music.  Isn’t it funny how that always happens?

The mayor put off meeting till next week.  However, I did show some sketches to the head of the parks and the head of urban development and they both liked the idea.  They said they would set up a meeting for us all to meet with the mayor and talk about it.  So now Im just trying to pull together budget estimates so we can bring this project into reality.  I think the percentage that this project is going to happen is moving from 35% to 40%. 

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted much about my project with the mayor’s office on the site.  Well, that’s mostly because there isnt too much to say.  For those of you who didn’t take notes, I am hoping to demolish the old fountain in the central park and replace it with a new one, pavilion/stage and viewing area for small events.  I have some designs drawn up and I’m starting to really like what is happening with them.  I decided the mayor needed to see them after weeks of both of us putting off a meeting.  So I stayed up late last night making some graphics to show off the designs and “casually” stood outside of his office until I “bumped” into him… he was busy.  Supposedly we are going to meet tomorrow morning.  So tomorrow I’ll either have a post about where I see this project going or how nothing ever gets done around here. 

In other news, when I returned from ambushing the mayor, I was invited upstairs because a collegue of ours had a baby.  We go up there and he has some snacks and pop for us to drink.  It still feels wierd that people throw parties for themselves. 

Also, I will accomplish one of my goals for my Peace Corps experience in June.  I’m going to a wedding!  My counterpart is getting married to her boyfriend of, like, a decade.  Of course I was excited for her, but I couldn’t hold in my own excitement of getting to go.  I have heard of other weddings here and they sound like quite the celebration including many meals, all kinds of homemade drinks, dancing till morning and (of course) kidnapping the bride and holding her for randsom to the groom (the randsom is usually having to do something embarassing).  Oh, and I also saw a wedding celebration on the street once that involved a gypsy band, a small tree with candy bars hanging off it and dancing in the sidewalk so that no one can pass.  Either way, they sound like my kind of parties.

• Many people of all ages ride their bikes and you never see anyone wear helmets.  But I have noticed that lately at night they all wear flourescent vests for visibility.
• Many people that I meet in the older generation can not understand at all why I’m here.
• Bars close their doors at 12 or 1 am but don’t actually close till the last people leave.
• They barely put any sause on their pizzas, so adding ketchup on top is expected. (I believe this is true for many E.European countries)
• “Non-Stop” actually means “I can close this establishment anytime I want, and it will probably be 10 min before you come”.
• Apparently, Metalica is the greatest band that has ever created music.

I spent the past holiday season visiting friends and family in Romania.  First, I went to Targu Mures and had a nice relaxing time with some other volunteers.  We ate and ate and didnt leave the apartment until it was time for me to head out to Ploiesti so I could visit my gazda family from PST.  Learned a valuable lesson about how easy stuff could get stolen on trains on the way down there when my friends bag was stolen as he slept.  Didn’t lose anything unreplaceable save his passport.  Oh, and he was heading to Istanbul a few days later.  It was not a pleasant train ride.  There is not much street crime here, so there isn’t much reason to fear strangers here, but to trust them, well…

After spending some time with my gazda, I headed back up to Sighisoara for a cookie roulette party.  Let me just give you a little advice.  Don’t eat a cookie that has a tablespoon of salt in the middle.  It’s actually not as good as you would think.

Finally, off to Sibiu to celebrate new years.  There were tens of thousands of people in the street to celebrate not only Romania joining the EU, but Sibiu becoming the (co) Cultural Capital of Europe, which basically means… uh…   They are a little fireworks crazy here and didn’t hold back on the 31st and the 1st.  Went to a concert in the center square and had a blast with other volunteers and romanian friends.  The biggest difference that I noticed partying for new years here was that there was no countdown.  Well, there probably was, but there were so many people we could have easily missed them counting down on stage.  I guess we just assumed we wouldn’t be able to miss it.