The shadow of my life is the words I leave you
Sometimes I think language is all there is. Like in American Dad, “A set of tennis or a game of checkers… words.”
I’ve spent a considerable part of my trip, especially the frigid first 2 months, reading. I discovered several new poets. I’ve read part of a memoir about traveling through Romania. I get frustrated from time to time, but it’s not like it used to be. It used to be really hard to read Romanian. It’s very very frustrating, knowing that I know these words but for some reason I can’t access them. But something happened this time. It’s probably not that my reading comprehension suddenly got better, it’s that I found something worth reading, so valuable, that it doesn’t matter if I had to look up every word. I wanted to know, and I needed to know. I wanted to know what Nichita Stanescu wrote.
The way the words fit in your head when you’re thinking to yourself is important. When you read poetry in another language this happens. Because poetry is short, and sweet, and memorable. It’s like a catchy song. It gets under your skin. So you start thinking in the language of the poetry you read, and the language of the songs you hear. I think in necuvinte and obiecte cosmice. English sounds sing-songy and I’m always tempted to add Romanian to it.
Last time I was here, I got excited about Romanian. I spoke it alot, and it rolled off my tongue – quickly – for the first time. This time, the speaking came fast. The reading, a bit slower. And it’s different. It’s gotten under my skin. I think it. And I’m reminded that you can only think in one language at a time.
I haven’t been translated to Romanian, I’ve been rewritten in Romanian, for now.
Have something to say about this post? Contact me.I hear this everywhere I go
At first I thought it was some kind of joke, because I never really listened to the lyrics. But after watching it I think it’s pretty interesting. It was filmed in Salajan, where I live right now. I’ve been to Dristor Kebab, Non-Stop McChicken, Breadland, Titan Park (They show the bridge and the basketball court). For the record, McChicken could be the worst food I’ve had in my life. Dristor Kebab is amazing. I walked by “Bubbles Beauty” countless times. I’ve walked in “New York Pizza” but didn’t eat there. And yes, I have seen the spice shop … many times.
Have something to say about this post? Contact me.Nu avem cartiere naspa, avem ghetto.
Totul este cool, nimic nu e misto.
There is no legal way for me
to get a passport.
I can’t get a job without a buletin here.
I can’t get a buletin without having residence in Romania.
I can’t get a passport without a job or residence.
I can’t get a passport with residence in the US if I’m a Romanian resident.
After walking around Bucharest for a few hours, trying to find the right office where passports are made for people with residence in other countries, I finally found the building and the office. When I walked in, the secretary simply refused me and asked me to leave. She said, “You are in the wrong place. Go away.” The funny part is, that for the first time that day, I was in the right place. She insisted for a while that I did not have residence in another country. She didn’t even know me, ask for ID, nothing. She was just trying to get rid of me. I pretty much stayed there and glared at her until she let me enter and talk with someone who understood I was a US citizen and obviously confirmed I was in the right place. But then they took my passport fee and refused to submit a request for a passport for me because of a random loophole in the system they decided to penalize me with.
I feel like you can’t get anything done here without punching people in the face. Don’t get me wrong, I like Romania and staying here has been a great and fun experience, but the poor attitude that is prevalent here is inexcusable. This is the only reason Americans and the rest of Europe hate Romanians. It has nothing to do with race or class or money. Some Romanians have a bad attitude about everything and that makes nobody want to associate with them.
Have something to say about this post? Contact me.Fauxmale
Vegan Sarmale
It all started with stevie. In english, stevia. Still lost? Good. So am I.
I saw someone selling some interesting-shaped leaves at the farmer’s market near Gara De Nord. It was called stevie. The peasant/vendor told me to eat it with urda, raw or cooked. When I got home and did a bit of research, I couldn’t find any recipies or indications that you could eat it raw. The only cooked version was Sarmale. So stevie turns out to be a leaf, similar to cabbage or grape, which you can roll with sarmale filling in it.
One of the main ingredients with most sarmale is meat. Which I don’t eat. Problem.
One alternative is making sarmale with urda, which I was preparing for until I opened up my packaged urda and saw that it was covered in mold. Ouch. Time for plan B.
Another alternative is tofu. I had some tofu/vegan parizer which I substituted for meat, mixed it with rice, tomato sauce and some condiments. I wrapped it in the stevie leaves.
I simmered it in water, tomato sauce, and a bit of pickle juice (BECAUSE I CAN) and it turned out fantastic. Now, not fantastic like my mom makes ‘em, but considering it was my first time with sarmale, and I tottally winged the recipe, it came out pretty good.
So yay, fauxmale!
1741 – Elefterie
The bottom of the paintings all had painted “drapes” toward the bottom, done in a typical peasant Romanian style with red, black, blue and white.
This is in the Eroilor area of Bucharest.
Have something to say about this post? Contact me.Gradina Botanica Bucuresti/ Botanical Garden Bucharest
The botanical garden in Bucharest should probably be visited in the summer. In the spring, most of the flowers and plants haven’t bloomed yet. On top of this, part of the garden is more of a forest than the european-style botanical garden I’m used to. The backdrop to the botanical garden is a power plant, which is frustrating at first, and quite amusing afterward. I have no idea how that happened, but it did.
There were a few baby puppies in the garden – strays most likely. New with their bodies, curious and sleepy, I played with them and watched them bark at other dogs. I really wanted to bring one home – but that’s one of the tough parts of traveling here. There are so many gentle and playful stray dogs, but knowing I can’t bring any of them back with me sucks.
The entrance was 5 lei. Across the street from the Botanical garden is the Romanian “White House” where the president hangs out. You can visit it, but with an appointment, which I didn’t make, so I was not allowed in. Looking back, I probably should’ve just acted like I was 100% American, and they would have let me in.
Have something to say about this post? Contact me.Nobody knows Bucharest
There is a joke here that nobody who lives in Bucharest knows anything about Bucharest. Tourists know much more than the average Bucharester, since most people who live here only know their own area. This is a problem. I’ve visited almost all of central Bucharest (Universitate, Victoriei, Kisselef, Unirii, Cotroceni) and I already feel like I know more. In fact, the 2nd day living in Bucharest, someone was lost on the metro and I helped them find their way. The Bucharest metro is the first one I’ve used on a daily basis. Its similar to other metros but I find it to be especially simple. It shuts down at 11pm (realistically 11:30pm) and similarly, most of the city life kind of dies down at 10:58pm. I like the freedom you get to travel around a fairly large city for the small price of a month pass. There is also a bus system, a bus-tranvai system, and a trainvai system. The last 2 are being phased out, and it seems that the ideal will be the RATB bus system (which is clean and fairly easy to use) and the Metrorex. The one thing about the RATB busses is that almost nobody knows how to punch their cards. They use some kind of magnetic machine that beeps once, twice, or three times depending on if your card is charged, checked, or expired. Nobody is really sure however. I just wave my card in front of the machine and hope it worked. Every time I’ve been in a bus I had to help 2-3 people figure out how to use the cards.
The Dâmbovița is a nice highlight of Bucharest but sometimes I wish it was more cared for and the banks were more park-like. Despite this, there is alot of water (rivers, lakes, parks) in Bucharest and I feel like this lightens the mood of a potentially blocky city.
Above is a picture of the Palace of the Parliament.
The Palace is the world’s largest civilian administrative building, most expensive administrative building, and heaviest building.
Also the world’s biggest white elephant. World Pillow Fight day was celebrated in front of the Palace, but since I woke up late and showered, I missed most of it.
There’s also been Earth Hour, which was a concert in Old Bucharest and a few other events.
To everyone who has been bugging me about updating: You’re welcome.
I’ll try to write more. :)
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