* From Monday thru Friday I go to the cantina (cafeteria)
at the Slovakian Evangelical church for lunch. The food is
good and the kitchen is run for the poor. It cooks for about
50 people a day.
  The people who have the ability to pay … pay. I am one
of the paying customers.
  The cafeteria functions with the financial help of an elderly
man from the United States. He works in conjunction with
an Evangelical church in Slovakia. I believe that his
contributions support about 10 or so other cafeterias for
poor people.
  In the first picture you can see the friendly staff ... they
are the best.

          
  The second picture gives you a view of the food preparation
action.
                  
  The last picture is that of some of the clients. These ladies
actually live in what could be considered ‘assisted living’
in a building on the church grounds. If you look in the back
you can see my buddy ‘Michel’. In front of him on the left
side of the table is where I sit daily. Yup that is my place in
the cafeteria.
          
  The cafeteria is really a great help for some poor families in
the community. In fact it was told to me that in a few cases
it is the only decent meal that the kids in those families receive
for that day.
  When I see or hear of the situations where people are struggling
to put food on the table it just boggles my mind that others
get millions because they sang one song or that ballplayers get
millions of dollars to hit or kick a ball. I guess entertainment is
a higher priority than food. I know that that level of poverty is
a result of many things and it does get complicated. I guess that
old idealist thing comes in my head that says it would be nice
if all people had at least food.
I think that all I am saying … as a species, let’s get back on track.

* This is my first spring time since I arrived in Nădlac.The
days are getting longer and warmer. The bulbs in my back
yard are flowering. There are tulips …

     
  
  and daffodils …

     

  My friends, the ducks, who are also in my backyard are
learning to play catch.

     

  Everyday I give them some bread and they are, by now,
pretty much spoiled. But seeing as the 2007 baseball season
began yesterday, I thought that it would be good to teach
the ducks to catch the bread instead of eating off the ground.
They’re getting good, they are three of them that are naturals
and the others are coming along.

  Also as they say … in the spring a young man’s fancy turns
to love and it looks like it might hold true for ducks too. While
I was taking the pictures a couple of them decided to get frisky.
That was the first time I took pictures of them and it is kind of
funny that they decided to prove that in spring, love is in the air.

            

  This last winter was the first winter that Nădlac did not
receive snow. I asked many elderly people if they could
remember another winter without the white stuff … and
they couldn’t.

  So even though I didn’t get the opportunity to experience
an official Romanian winter it looks like I am getting the
chance to see a real spring.

  So far it looks like Nădlac is going to be a beautiful place.

* Poverty is a reality that exists everywhere , it is in every
culture and for many reasons.
Yesterday I received an invitation to go to the‘poor side of
town’. Which is the Rroma or ‘Gypsy’ neighborhood. It was
an eye opening experience and regardless of the fact that I
lived in poor villages in El Salvador and Senegal it doesn't
stop that feeling in the gut when seeing poverty.
Here is the worst situation … two families live in that house.



Recent history for the Rroma in Nădlac is that during the
communists' time they had to have a job. The Government
forced them to work, somewhere. After the Revolution, when
democracy arrived, they were free to do as they pleased.
Nădlac is a border town and many of the Rroma made a
living from the custom station. They either changed money,
washed windows or sold duty free cigarettes. The work was
easy, without time constraints, and unskilled.
Fast forwarding to Romania’s ascension into the European
Union and how it affected the Rroma community is where
the most difficult aspects of the problem lie.
The custom station is virtually closed and there isn't any
more duty free cigarettes. Many of the Rroma men wash
trailer trucks but that brings in pennies.
There are jobs available in factories in the city of Arad
(50 km) away, but to get a job there, one has to be literate.
When the people worked at the customs they didn’t need
an education and that is what’s coming back to haunt them
now.
It would have been better if they had to face the reality of
needing education or a skill after the Revolution. The work
at the customs did more harm than good.
This leads us to the present and a complicated situation. It is
very difficult to convince someone that they need to get literate
so that they can survive. For 20 years they lived somewhat well
without the need to either read or write. Also, they are poor now
and sending their kids to school is a far off solution. Though that
cycle of poverty can only be broken with the next generation
being literate and skillful.
They need an almost complete makeover from the life they
knew. It would have been better if the makeover started 20
years ago but the customs stations asured that it wouldn't.
An interesting thought came to mind. In the villages in El
Salvador and Senegal, though being equally as poor, the life
was a lot better.
Those villages are agricultural and like the indigenous of the
United States would say. If you have land you will eat. In the
villages there was no electricity or running water, ergo no
expenses. They grow their own food and despite the fact that
they will never be rich from that type of 2 hectare farming life,
they will be able to eat.
Here in the city, life is even more difficult. No money, no food …
no education, no job in the factory.
Despite all those miseries there is always the best part of a
population and that is the children. They do not have problems
like the parents do. But what will their lives be 15 years from
now if they don’t get education?
Here are a few pictures of some of the next generation …



We are beginning to work on this and it is a challenge … to
say the least. We have made a few positive steps and we are
finding some resources for immediate help. But that is nothing
more than a band-aid … so to speak. The permanent solution
is a long way off. Again the hardest part is to convince the
older generation that education is essential for their children.



But those children are the reason that there must be hope,
perseverance and compassion.

* Nădlac is in the Transylvania region of Romania.
Normally the word Transylvania immediately brings to mind …
someone by the name of Vlade Tepes, better known as
… that friendly and endearing immortal, Dracula from the
vampire family.
  The word “Dracula," translates into "son of the dragon" or
"son of the devil."
  As we all know, Bram Stoker made him popular through his
loose imaginative interpretation of Vlade the Impaler’s life.
  If you mention the word Dracula here, the immediate
response you get from most is that Bram, gave Vlade, a bad rap.
  Today someone told me a story that her grandfather told her
when she was a young girl … the story is about Vlade Tepes
aka Dracula.
  Vlade was a guy who demanded respect and he wasn’t known
as a buddy to the murderers and thieves. His notoriety seems
to originate from the manner in which he dealt with those guys.
  The story goes like this … one day Vlade had a bunch of bad guys
and he wanted to do something about them. By Vlade’s side
was his approximately 10 year old son. So he turns to his son
and asks … OK kiddo … how are we going to handle these dudes?
Seeing as I am the guy that can give a pardon … and I ain’t … how
are we going to give these guys what they deserve? He says to his
son … I want to eliminate them and I want you to make the call
as to how it is going to be carried out.
  The kid must have had a creative mind and said … why don’t
we put them on stakes. Being a good dad it appears he didn’t want
to let old junior down and proceeded to give the orders to the
troops.
  So there they were … a bunch of stakes planted in the ground
… a bunch of bad guys that are not long for this world and a kid
with an imagination.
  What they did was throw the unfortunate souls on the stakes.
The actual logistics of it I don’t know but I think that the stakes
were planted first, then the guys were lifted and then thrown
onto it. I don’t know the Romanian world for ’ouch’ but I think it
could be said that it was one of the most repeated words at the
time.
  At that point the son wasn’t all to into watching the action and
turned away in horror. I guess he thought that his dad, Vlade, was
originally just joking around. So upon seeing that the kid wasn’t
into the visual aspect of it all, he grabbed the kid’s head and turned
it so he could see the results of his choice of ‘poison’ … so to speak.
Ole Vlade told the kid … you made the call, you have to look.
  I guess Vlade was trying to be a good dad and teach his son a
lesson in life.
  The story goes on to point out that at that time you could place a
million dollars of gold on the street and no one would even dare to
touch it … wonder why?
  Also, Vlade’s last name Tepes, has some relation to the word ‘stake’.
I looked the word up in my little dictionary but nothing seemed to
be remotely spelled like Tepes.
  I don’t know if this story was that of legend or one that a
grandfather made up to scare his little granddaughter into not
becoming a thief.
  All I know is that, to me, it was a ‘scoop’ straight from old
Dracula’s stomping grounds … the region of Transylvania
Romania.

* Sam Cooke, in one of his songs, sang … Change is going to come,
oh yes it is.
  Yesterday, in Nădlac, the community was able to see the first
example of change as a result of Romania entering the European
Union.
  (See picture below)

        

  What you are seeing are plastic pipes that are going to be used
to update the town's water system. 
  The project is the result of funding from the European Union. I
am not exactly sure to what extent, but the EU is participating
financially to make this happen. I am pretty lucky because the
picture was taken directly in front of my house. So that means
I will be one of the first ones in Nădlac to be affected by our first
EU project.
  When I was in the 10 week training period that the Peace Corps
gives us upon arrival in country, time and time again we heard
the Romanian trainers saying that by nature the people were
negative. I am not sure if it is because of culture, their history of
communism or the high levels of corruption. Logically it is all
parts that and more.
  One of my activities is to speak with the people about the
upcoming changes to Romania. Up to this point I haven’t
heard anyone say that they thought things would be better
because of the EU. But also there hasn't been any information
given to them that could possibly help eliminate their doubts.
  So far I have noticed 3 changes which are directly linked to
the European Union.
  First one is a Rroma (Gypsy) liaison between the Rroma
community and the mayor’s office.
  Second is that of the teachers receiving a 23% pay raise this
year. The last time they received a pay raise was 5 years
ago. Of course 23% sounds hefty but it is … 23% of what.
Their pay is ridiculously low and 23% won't make them rich
by any means. But it is the proverbial step in the right direction.
I heard some rumors as they pertained to the negotiations
concerning the new raise. What was told to me was that, at first,
the Romanian representatives wanted to give the teachers
something like 10%. What happened was that the EU told them
that they better get their heads out of their (you know whats) and
start thinking about paying these people better. The goal of the
EU is to raise the standards of living of each country so that
in the end they are all fairly equal. Also, the salaries throughout
all sectors will begin to rise as a result of pressure from the EU.
  Third change, you saw it in the picture above. New infrastructure
projects that will improve existing systems, and will create years
of work that should produce decent paying jobs for workers.
  Every time a new change comes I use it as an argument to
to tell them that they are really about some of the luckiest
people in the world. They look at me like I am nuts but I ask them
this. Do you think that the Romanian government would put a
law that all communities need a Rroma representative? Would
anyone else even think to give the teachers a decent pay raise?
Or would there be new water pipes for Nădlac if it was up to the
powers that be?
  It is funny but all the people said “No”, there wouldn’t be any
changes at all“.
  Maybe the USA needs to become a European Union country
so that someone could force the issue of health care for everyone.
  The people always mention that the government officials are
well known for their corruptional tendencies. But the argument
against that is that the EU emphasizes transparency. Of course
nothing is perfect but at least there will be someone from the EU
looking over the books. 
  It has only been two months since Romania entered the European
Union and the transformation is only in it's beginning stage. But
there appears to be a pretty good start.
  What seems to be arriving is a sense that the days of
unimpeded corruption and greed are numbered. There will still
be some but now normal people will begin to get their little piece
of the pie.
  I am becoming excited to see what’s coming next, hopefully
the citizens will start to see things in a positive light. It would be
nice to see their frowns turned upside down.

* Like the song goes … video killed the radio star. Furthermore,
video and DVDs killed the cinema here in Nădlac.
  There is one building in this town that has drawn my interest
more than any other. That building is the old Nădlac movie
theatre.

               

  I don’t why, maybe it is the romanticism of an old theatre and
the stories it could tell of a bygone era before TV and DVD
players. People with whom I questioned about the history of
the old cinema, told me of a time where there were people on
the streets at night. That is not the way it is here in town now.
At night it's pretty 'ghost townish' with a random person here
and there.
  The change makes sense, with the amenities of technology,
TVs, DVDs, iPods and computers it appears that the need to
'get out' has dimished . Sounds familiar, huh?
  As my father would say … ‘and they call that progress‘?
  What impresses me most is the building itself. Maybe it isn’t
as spectacular looking as theatres go, but it really fits the town‘s
personality. 
  I have asked if it was possible that I could go inside and take a
few pictures with an intent of absorbing a “Phantom of the Cinema’
moment. Regrettably the person that has the keys is in the
Capitol (they think).

     

  So I will have to tell you what was told to me. It has about 150
to 200 seats. It was expanded sometime during the 50’s. They
had a little snack bar and they sold the normal sodas … etc.
The schedule was the showing of a children’s movie from
6 to 8 p.m. and one for the adults from 8 to 10 p.m. It
was a PG theatre. No one seemed to be able to pinpoint the
time of it’s opening but it seems somewhere around WWII.
Likewise no one could exactly say the time of it’s closing.
  The young woman that works at the coffee shop mentioned
that she remembers seeing the movie Anaconda there. It was
one of the last movies that was shown. Anaconda came out in
1997 so it has been at least 10 years.

     

  As I walk by I can almost see the posters advertising the
movies on either side of the door. I swear that when I go by
there at night I can hear the sound of a movie playing and
smell the aroma of buttered popcorn floating through the air.
  I guess for me it goes back to that romanticism thing again.
I haven’t exactly figured out yet why this building impresses
me so.
  Maybe I have seen too many movies of how an old dying
theatre has been like the biblical Lazarus, returned from the
dead. Maybe it is a dream that the movie theatre in Nădlac
would come back to life and flourish with social interaction.
  I know that times change and I am one for change.I also
understand that time waits for no one.
  Despite noble dreams and a losing battle against technology, I
don’t believe that it could ever be a case of … ’rebuild it and they
will come’. It had it’s time and served it’s purpose.
  I do love technology and through my Peace Corps experiences
I have learned to live with or without it.  But I have seen and
experienced more society in places without electricity. The biggest 
downfall to technology is, that despite the fact that it has great
tools like email and instant messaging (communication), it lacks
that human touch.
 If we think we do or do not,we do have a need for face to face 
social interaction.
 So likewise as video killed the radio star. It appears that there
was collateral damage here in Nădlac. Having it all at home has
reduced the need to go out and socialize . I thinks that my
father’s saying was right … and they call that progress.

* OK, so every culture has it’s sayings.
  In El Salvador it was ‘poco a poco’ … little by little. If I
had a dime for every time I heard that …
  In Senegal it was (in the Fulakunda dialect) seeda, seeda
helbinta maayo … little by little the lake fills. Which is
about the exact meaning as ’poco a poco’.
  Here in Romania it is ‘aşa şi aşa’ which means … so - so.
  The other day I was playing around and listening to a
Mandarin Chinese lesson. In the lesson I heard the
saying … so - so. Upon hearing that I thought … I could
really use that here seeing as so - so is such a dominate
answer to the question … How are you?
  So I spent about 5 minutes learning the Chinese version
of so - so.
  Now armed with this phrase I set out to the grocery store.
That is place that 100% of the time you are going to hear
so -so as the reply to the question ... how are you.
  So … upon entering I asked in Romanian … how are you? Of
course I get the answer … aşa şi aşa. So I said “so you guys are
ma ma hu hu today”. Everyone in the place looked at me like I
was nuts. I told them ‘ma ma hu hu’ (the a and the u needs a little
accent on top but I don’t have it on my keyboard) means …
aşa şi aşa in the Mandarin Chinese language. Ma ma hu hu is
pronounced … ma ma who who. Also ma means horse and hu
means tiger. I explained to them the meaning of the words so
… horse horse tiger tiger … in Mandarin means so - so.
  It appears to be spreading exponentially as I have heard
someone I didn’t know, say it to another person.
  What was accomplished? A few laughs with people in another
country from another culture. Which on a personal note made
my day more than ma ma hu hu.

* To greet or not to greet … that is my question.
  One of the more basic customs of all, is greeting.
  In El Salvador greeting was a big part of one’s day. It was
pretty simple, there, all you needed to do is say … buenos
dia … to everyone. In the bigger cities it wasn’t quite as
absolute as out in the campo (field).
  In Senegal, it was greeting without borders. You really do need
to greet people and with the Fulani population, it can get quite
involved. It could go on for a couple minutes. It is like, how is
your house, family, health, children, wife/husband, crops and
on and on.
  After becoming accustomed to greeting, I have found that
it is has become part of my nature.
  In El Salvador and Senegal it is mandatory. If you don’t, people
are offended. Personally I like it that way. It is easy to
understand, you greet, end of story.
  OK, now here in Romania or more like Nădlac, despite the fact
that I have been here 7 months, I am totally confused about
the greeting customs.
  I have been told that the habit is to greet … nothing more
complicated than a buna ziua (good day) would suffice. I guess
it is one of those … it is great on paper situations.
  I have to say that it has been hit or miss. Nădlac is a small town
and at this point almost everyone has seen me at one time or
another. So to me, it is makes sense that greeting someone should
be a pleasurable event.
  Not so, it is like the draw of the cards, either you win or lose.
  I have to say that I do get upset when I say hi to someone and
they just look me in the eye as they walk by without responding.
  What is in my mind is … hey guys, be consistent. Some people
do reply but it is to the tune of a 50/50 success rate. It really
keeps me off balance, do I or don't I?
  Taking a chance at getting a greeting basically shoved up …
somewhere … is kind an exercise in anxiety. I don’t want to not
say hi and offend someone, and on the other hand, I don’t want
to greet and be ignored.
  If I hadn’t lived in the other two cultures where greeting is of
the utmost importance, I probably wouldn’t be so confused as to
what the rules are here in Nădlac. 
  From where I come from in the States (Massachusetts) the
greeting habits are similar to here. So if I arrived directly from there
to here, it wouldn’t be so much of a culture shock, just more of
the same.
  But … there were five years of greeting habits that I learned in
between the USA to here. I have to say that I prefer the greeting
rituals. As much as greeting every three feet can get repetitive, it
is friendlier and more human.
  It is interesting while living in another culture how some of the
habits slowly become a new part of who one is.
  Right now I am out the door, probably going to meet some people
on the street. I am going to take a chance and greet … wish me luck.

 * I met a friend this morning and we had a conversation. He is a
Rroma/Gypsy man and a great person. We have had many
discussions regarding the situation of the Rroma community in
Nădlac.
  It is no secret that in general the Rroma population of Europe
is looked upon in a negative manner.
    My friend told me a little story concerning his 9 year old son.
The child came home from school and was somewhat bummed out.
His father asked him what happened. He said that in class, that day,
the teacher passed out papers to work with but the Rroma kids
didn’t receive colored papers like every other child did. He told his
father that the reason was because he was Rroma.
   It is a very small thing and it sounds incredibly trivial. Logic says
that it is something that should not require two minutes of interest.
  Despite the trivialness of it, a child of nine arrived home after
school with a feeling that he was being treated differently because
of his origins.
  We know that when a child is born they are clean slates. It is
interesting to see how these notions of discrimination, prejudice
and other unjust themed emotions enters their being.
  We can’t say that just this instance could make a child ’go over
the edge’ and feel that he is being discriminated against. I am sure
that it is more an accumulation of other incidents. That one just
reinforced in the child’s mind … he is Rroma, he isn’t as good
and he isn’t going to be treated fairly.
  I am seeing first hand how prejudice and discrimination seeps
from one generation to the next.
  With situations like this how does a child grow up and not be
beaten out of his self-esteem? How can he believe that his dreams
will ever come true?
  Yeah, there are a few stories of the person who overcomes it all.
But think of this, for every success story there is probably 1,000
ones of failure. The result of ambitions smothered due to the
idiotic concept of the 'illusion of superiority over others'.
  Maybe that teacher was taught that it was the way to treat
those ... 'different' ... kids. Was it a subconscious act, possible.
Or did she simply, just want to do it. Either way, damage is done.
  It just proves that there is nothing too big or small that can be
used to stoke the flames in the furnace of discrimination.
  I have heard the Rroma make remarks as to the color of their
skin. The darker their complexion, the bigger the chance that
they will be discriminated against. 
  The irony is in the association between the color of their skin
and a colored piece of the paper.
  It is amazing to think how something as simple as a colored
piece of paper in the wrong hands could affect a child's spirit.

          

 * This morning at the coffee shop we had a discussion about
languages. One of the aspects that I enjoy about being in this
country is that, usually, when there are several people together,
there is a possibility they are a mini United Nations.
  There were only four of us collectively but we listed the
languages we could ‘represent’.
  It was kind of impressive, here's the list.

          Romanian
          Rroma (Gypsy)
          Hungarian
          Slovakian
          Serbian
          German
          Czechoslovakian
          Russian
          French
          English
          Spanish
          Pulaar - African
          Esperanto

  Not bad, huh, considering there were only four of us.
  We discussed a little about how Esperanto was founded
with the intention to be … the language that would tie it all
together.
  Here’s the Wikipedia explanation …

Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international
language. The name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the
pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof first published the Unua
Libro in 1887. The word itself means 'one who hopes'. Zamenhof's
goal was to create an easy and flexible language as a universal
second language to foster peace and international understanding.

Although no country has adopted the language officially, it has
enjoyed continuous usage by a community estimated at between
100,000 and 2 million speakers. By some estimates, there are
about a thousand native speakers.

Today, Esperanto is employed in world travel, correspondence,
cultural exchange, conventions, literature, language instruction,
television (Internacia Televido) and radio broadcasting.

  During the conversation a thought came to mind seeing as
tomorrow is ‘Valentine’s Day’. I told the other guys that
notwithstanding the fact that Esperanto was invented as a world
wide language, there is a language that exists and serves that
function. 
  They asked me what language was that … I told them it was
the language of love. As crazy as that sounded … they agreed,
but I think they agreed like guys would agree.
  On the walk home I thought about the language of love and
realized that not enough people knew how to speak it as it
pertains to peoples and cultures other than themselves.
  I have a pretty bizarre quirk and that is that I have a tendency
to like people that like me. I don’t know if I am the only person
in the world that has this inclination. 
  Maybe if we love all peoples we will learn how to speak, the
true international language. We have to understand amongst
ourselves the fact that we are all tied together. If we like people
who like us no matter who we are or where we come from,
then it may have the avalanche effect with a lot of suffering
wiped off the side of the mountain of prejudice, greed and hate.
  It is obvious that this is a fairly heavy topic for a simple blog
article but it is a rainy day and I need something to do. So 
why not work on World Peace for a half and hour or so?
  But I am challenging everyone who reads this blog to remember
that Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to love. After giving
your loved ones a present and good wishes, why not go outside,
look up the sky and ask this question from your heart …
World, will you be my Valentine?

* When I arrived in Nădlac I looked around for projects that
I could do. I have activities with my NGO but I also do have
some time for other things.
What I noticed was that there were a lot of middle aged
people like me that could use some exercise. Here, it seems to
be against the norm for people with a few years under their
belts to do something of this nature.
The people do walk and ride bicycles a lot but the town is
kind of small, so even if they do walk or ride, it isn’t quite
enough. Also, the food here is really good, so that doesn’t help
in the battle against the bulge.
One of my goals was to try and be an inspiration to my middle
aged brethren. So I decided to start jogging. That doesn’t seem
like a big deal, but here ... it is a big deal, especially for a person
around my age.
There is a soccer/fotball field where the younger people go to
play fotball or sometimes run or jog. But for older people
exercising … you just ain’t going to see it.
So armed with this great idea I became visible, as a jogger.
I figured that I would become an inspiration to them all.
I could imagine myself being known as the Jackie Robinson of
middle age jogging in Nădlac, Romania. I would single handedly,
through being and inspirational example, break the non
jogging/exercising middle age barrier. I would set a new trend
that would just get the whole middle aged sector up off their
duffs and slogging away at them kilometers.
So every two days I lace on my sneakers (pictured below) and
off I go.



It has been about 6 months since I have started on the quest
for jogging enlightenment of the town’s people.
Like any ‘pie in the sky’ Peace Corps volunteer’s personal
idealistic plan to save the world … it hasn’t worked.
I do know the reason that led to the demise of the Cuban
revolutionary Che Guevara. The people in Bolivia didn’t want
revolution and he did. So it appears I am following in Che’s jogging
shoes.
I have come to the realization that this jogging project is really
nothing more than my feeble attempt at immortality in this
Peace Corps Romania assignment.
But you know it isn’t a total loss because I did set a trend. I now
have people doing the ‘incredibly trendy activity’ of sitting and
watching the ‘crazy-American, Jackie Robinson wannabe’ jogging
by their house at 2 in the afternoon every couple of days.

* If you want to get an animated response from anyone,
all you have to do is say one word … ‘Manele’. 
  Why do people get all excited when you say that word,
and by the way, what in the heck is Manele?
  If you want to know, keep reading.
  Manele is what would be similar, if not equal to
’Gangsta Rap’, only Gypsy/Rroma style. Man, just breath
the word Manele and it is like the sky is falling on your head.
  There are basically four themes to the music. First it is
about ’Mercedes’ as in Mercedes Benz. Second it is about
money. Third … of course about women and fourth … about
getting easy money.
  The main criticism is that the lyrics aren’t all that intellectual.
Pretty much similar to what people say or said about the
USA’s equivalent.
  Manele 'style' is a mixture from the Rromas of different
countries. I am attaching a couple of tracks and you might feel
that the beat has kind of a Turkish ‘flava‘. The influences are
from Romania, Turkey, Serbia and other countries. I think having
that mix is pretty ‘misto’ (misto = cool in the Gypsy language).
  The songs on the CD are in the Romanian language …

       

  At the end of this article there will be a link to a couple of
songs. One is called ‘La mine buzunar, casa de schimb
valutar’ which means something like … in my pocket there
is a money changing house or business. But I am sure that
a Romanian can translate it so that is sounds a little smoother.
Also there are references to smeckeria (trickiness or shiftiness).
It is sung by a guy named ‘Baboi’. The song is considered
a typical Manele song. Also there will be another song
named ‘Tu imi dai o foare eu o sarutare’ by a girl named
‘Denisa’. This is a love song which to me is a pretty good
tune. She sings about ‘iubire’ (love in Romanian) and
‘sarutare’ (kisses). Also it is about someone not deserving
someone else. So you can probably say that it could go
under the genre ... ‘Manele Lite’.
  I wanted to upload that song so as to give ... a better of
both sides, so to speak.
  On the CD in the picture above I don’t know who is Baboi
or Denisa but they are there.
 If you want to have some fun, try and count how many
times Baboi says the word 'smeckeria' in his song.
  So, just click on the link below and chose those two song
clips to enter the exotic world of ... Manele. 

Manele Music

* As I mentioned in a prior blog-article, my day usually
begins with a trip to the local coffee shop.
  The other day we saw a change due to the new European
Union influence. You can read what it is about in the
following picture.

   

  It basically says that … there is no more smoking in
the coffee shop, thank you. Us non-smokers can thank
the French for this.
  Last week we saw that the French made public smoking
… interdit (in French) or as you can see on the sign … interzis
(in Romanian). I keep telling the people that life will be
better with the EU. At least it will be healthier for
non-smokers.
  Every so often I teach someone a word in English and I
noticed a soda can on the counter in the coffee shop. So
I figured this would be a good word to teach them. Right
now almost everyone who goes to the shop knows the
English word for hell. In Romanian the word is ‘iad’. Also,
I thought about the saying … if you could bottle it, you
could make a million dollars. So it appears that with the
‘bottled/canned’ hell, someone in this neck of the woods
must think that it can sell. You can buy it for 2 LEI or
about 75 cents USD.

               

  The next picture is that of the young lady that works
at the shop daily. Her name is Ana.

  

  She knows what the word ‘hell’ means. She was the
first to learn it.
  The next photo demonstrates what it is all about and
the reason why I make the 5 minute trip daily to the
coffee shop.

  

  If you look closely you can see the steam coming off the
coffee. First thing in the morning, it is a pretty picture.
  I know that it is less expensive to make coffee at home.
I do have everything I need and can make it myself. But
like throughout numerous other local coffee shops and
restaurants in the world, it is more about the real time
daily sitcom experience. You know, about real people. 
  But for me it is even more ’misto’ (word for 'cool' in the
Gypsy/Rroma language) to be a part of the 'daily filming'
of what I could call 'The Coffee Shop', Transilvania style. 

* In Romania there is approximately 16,000 people of Slovakian
descent. They are a minority as Romania has a population of
about 22,500,000.
In Nădlac we have about 4,000 out of the country's total
Slovakian population.
There is a solid presence with strong ties to Slovakia.
In the center of town is a Slovakian union building that works
to support the population throughout the entire country.
They sponsor many cultural events and have an award
winning dance troupe.
The group's name is 'Salasan'. It is actually pronounced 'Saa-la-shan'.
It is the name of a little house that the farmers built to stay while
they worked in the fields. Many times the fields were a distance
away from the town, so they would build these little shacks to make
their lives easier.
Last 28 October 2006 there was an event at the town's cultural
center. The group danced and I was able to make a film clip with
my little camera.
The clip is about 15 minutes long and the battery ran out with about
30 seconds left in the dance. So if it looks like it ended kind of hastily ...
it looks that way, because it did.
The group has been in existence for a little over 4 years. Like I
mentioned they have won a few awards and as you will see ... they
are pretty good.

I hope you enjoy it. Click on the link below.

Slovakian dance troupe. October 2006

* In the picture below you can notice a small metal box
attached to a fence.
    
  (I don’t know if you can see in the glass the
outline of two trees. That’s a reflection from the
central park.)
  This metal box is on the fence in front of the
Evangelical Church. It’s where they place the names of
the parishners whom have died. It is a custom that began
when the church was founded over 200 years ago.
There are other churches in town but this is the only
one that has this custom.
  When someone dies the bells of the church sound for
approximately 5 minutes. It is interesting to see people
come by and stop to read the names of the people who
have passed away. When I see them stop it just bring to
mind how the times of the ‘town crier’ might have been.
It is remarkable to see the old habits continue and
survive despite the ‘new age’.
  There is an interesting statistic (from that church)
that last year there were 69 deaths and only 9 births.
Of course it is one church only and without data I can't
state with authority, but it appears to be the trend.
  In the days of Ceausescu it was mandated that each
woman have 5 children. I have been told that women
had to go to the gynecologist monthly for examinations
regarding this.
  At present, Romania is the most densely populated
country in SE Europe and the second most densely
populated country in Central Europe. Probably as
a result of the mandate. But if that parish is any
indication, then that should be changing.
  To continue with the topic of change. It is pretty
incredible to think that Romania has had three major
governmental transformations in one generation’s
time.
  From Ceausescu’s style of communism, to a totally
abrupt change into democracy and now to the European
Union.
  Hopefully this will be the last stop for Romania on the
‘governmental merry-go-round’. This way the country
can have the stability of a fixed system.
  Also, with the ‘new way’, people have been left to decide
how many children they want. So eventually that death
to birth rate should find it‘s own equilibrium.
  As a change today reveals itself in the future, I feel safe
to say that 200 years from now there will still be papers
posted in that little metal box on the fence. But …
probably, there will balance between life and death.

* I have seen in the news lately, that in the States there
has been some pretty good sized snow storms.
  This morning it snowed for the first time since I have
arrived in Romania. As you can see in the picture below.

   

  You can also see that it wasn’t very much, so I guess
we’ve been pretty lucky as of now.
  For this region of the world it is unusual to receive snow 
this late in the winter season. It is a wild guess but I seems
we are like everywhere else, victims of global warming.
  There are two words for snow in Romanian. One is … zăpadă.
The other, which I really like the most, is … ninge … which
actually is pronounced almost exactly as the word … ninja ... 
your loveable assassins.
  It is always interesting learning a new language and having
to use it. But in the process of living in other countries, and
learning their languages, I have met some word redundancies.
  For example, 'unde' in Romanian means ‘where'. In
Senegal, in the Pulaar language, it means … to pound …
as seen in this picture below.

   

  Again in the Pulaar language, the word 'sappo' means 10.
  When I was in El Salvador (Spanish) sappo meant …
what’s in the picture below …

            

  yup it meant frog.

  I can easily understand if there are similarities between
Spanish and the Romanian languages. They are both latin
based.
  But it is interesting, that they also have, a word or two
that is used in an African language. Which as languages go
aren't even close .
  So I guess if unde can mean ‘where’ or ‘to pound’ and
sappo can either mean ‘10’ or 'frog'. 
  Though the words are spelled different but pronounced
the same.Why can’t ninge not either mean 'snow', or a
'silent deadly assassin'?

* I have never been in a country that has entered the
European Union before. Now that Romania has ascended
to the EU there will be enormous amounts of change.
  I will attempt to share, what I learn and observe,
throughtout the duration of my time here regarding
changes and their effects.
  Yesterday a friend of mine from Nădlac, who works as
a teacher in the city of Arad, (50 kilometers due east)
received information. It was that a controller of schools
was going to her high school with an agenda relating to EU
educational policies and methods.
  This is the first EU activity that anyone has been aware
of.
  The school system here in Romania does need change,
many teachers concur. The existing practices are that of
the somewhat outdated system of rote learning.
  One of Newton’s laws states that an object will continue
going along without a change of direction unless affected by
a force. I think that without the EU ‘force’ affecting it, the
educational system would stay the same.
  The school children of today are actually outdistancing
the teachers. The kids are from the 'information generation'
and due to the internet and other media, are actually more
advanced it their thinking.
  I have to state here that the people of Romania, in general,
are extremely intelligent.
  One big criticism of the educational curriculum is that
it doesn’t promote creative thinking.   That is why the
new EU guidelines should help turn it around.
  Many teachers are concerned that they will begin to
have some sort of problem as a result, but that is yet
to be seen.
  We all know that change is something that many people
fear. I guess you can resist and be stressed, or in this
case, where there is no other option, embrace.
  My thought is that it is going to be an truly interesting
time with a lot of opportunities for people with imaginations.
Hopefully it is all good imagination.
  Despite problems the educational future is actually bright.
There is no way but up.
  I will continue to monitor the school situation in Arad and
will keep you up to date on the changes and complaints.

 * Today I went to the store to buy things to eat. There
I met a teacher that I knew from the local school. Yesterday
I heard that the teachers will be receiving a pay raise. It
really is ridiculous the salary they get at the moment.
  I was interested to know if that was a result of Romania
entering the European Union. The raise isn’t a very big
one, but I was interested as to the history of the teachers
pay raises before the EU ascension. I have asked another
teacher the same question and the both of them couldn’t
answer me. I think that it is because I couldn’t get my point
across in Romanian.
  This led to a conversation concerning … information.
During the six months that I have been here I have tried
to observe what is going on. Where the problems originate
and the results that they bring.
  Almost from the first day here I have seen that there is
this incredible lack of information. Or more so, a hesitancy
to give out info.
  Despite the fact that the European Union is going to
transform their country, no one knows anything. No one has
heard anything concrete as to how it will be done. I hear
statements the people are making and they are mainly
rumors and fabrications, not based on fact. It is a no brainer
to say, that to make factual statements, one does need fact.
  OK, so why is this so? In this world of communications how
can this problem exist. There is TV, radio, internet and
everyone has a cell phone. There are projectors and whichever
other tool of communication, is here.
  Of course I am speaking about Nădlac. I am not sure of the
other cities and towns in Romania. But what I have seen, and
the suspicions that I have for why information is hard to
come by, is the following.
  Even though it is something like 17 years since the fall of
communism, it’s effects are still with us.
  I have learned that the Communists had a strategy to
control the people without having to have a ba-zillion police
or soldiers. In fact I have to give ‘the devil his due’ and say,
that even though I am not in agreement with that strategy,
that it was pure genius.
  The strategy was not to give information and also not
allow people to talk amongst themselves. I can't say that it
was not giving any info but it was selected info to their
advantage. It was a divide and conquer philosophy that
worked like a charm. Some of the people have told me that
it was dangerous to talk in public. People have told me of
having found bugs in their offices.
  So it is obvious to see that receiving information wasn’t
an habitual practice and discussion was a dangerous thing.
I think that this explains today’s problems with the sharing
of info. Despite the fact that it is 17 years since, the people
in power have learned their skills from that era. I am not
trying to say that the people are responsible because of
bad intent. Though I am sure that many are. It is just that
subconsciously you don’t give out info.
  So today in the grocery store I was having this discussion
with the teacher and at the same time another group of
people … (two ladies that work there, a lady around 50 years
old and a guy around 35) … were also having a similar
conversation.
  I basically butted in and told them what I have observed in
the 6 months that I have been here and that I agreed that
the lack of information is holding people back.
  For example, using the teachers pay as an hypothetical
situation. I am not sure what the teachers receive for pay
but it isn’t much. For arguments sake let’s say that it is
100 Euros a month.
  I know that one of the goals of the EU is to raise the
standard of living in each EU country to the point where
they are all somewhat equal. A practice that has
happened in each country that has entered the EU.
  OK, I know that, but the people here don’t seem to. OK
again, if the teachers for example knew how this EU thing
would affect them they could make a plan. Like if in 3 years
their wages will go to a certain level commensurate to other
teachers in other EU countries.
  How would that be a good thing to know? Well, they could
look into buying a house. Or save money to open a business
or basically be prepared and be right there in the middle of
the change and actually help to make it happen.
  But nooooo, they don’t know crapola and really don’t know
what tomorrow is going to bring. Or how it is going to affect 
their lives.
  Someone is responsible for getting the word out as to how
this transition is going to pan out.
  So back to the group in the store. The lady was basically
saying what I just wrote, and that no one knew anything
because no one wanted to give out information.
  Like I mentioned above, I told her I agreed. I also used
something what I learned during my time in El Salvador
(Central America) and that is the ‘mind of revolution‘.
  I told her that what the people need to do is start a revolution.
(I know this sounds like I am doing the wrong thing here
but don’t freak out, I will explain.)
  The group does kind of freak out after hearing me mention
'revolution' and I told them … I am not talking about a
revolution of violence. I am talking about an intellectual
revolution, where people start asking and looking for the
information and settle for nothing less. I told them that we can
use a weapon, at that time I went to the fruit rack and pulled
out a banana and pointed it at her. I told her we can threaten
to shoot bananas at them if they don‘t comply.
  They all laughed like heck and are probably still laughing now.
I told them that we can call it the ‘Banana Revolution for
information’. I don’t know if there has been a ‘banana revolution’
somewhere else but I doubt there has ever been one in Romania.
  There is a saying that ‘many a truth is said in gest’ and that
was my point. I know there was humor in that exchange but
there was also truth. With the big change in Romania due to
the EU ascension, it would be what I would have to say is, ‘nice’,
that people would have an idea as to what the ‘boggie’ is going
to be.
  So, hopefully over the next few months the information will
come without having to get the ‘Banana Revolution’ going.

* I just happened to be going through some pictures the other
day. So I decided to put together this article that will show the
places that I have lived during my years in the Peace Corps.
  One feature that all the houses have in common, is that they
are all made of brick. In El Salvador it was mud with straw, in
Senegal is was mud and here in Romania it is kind of a mud brick.
  I will present them chronologically. The first picture is the
mud house from the village of Siguanango (which means in the
Nahuatl language ‘valorous women’) in El Salvador 2000-2002.
  
 For there, it was kind of nice. It had a dirt floor as I hope that
you see in the next picture. Also the shelving system was
made from bamboo and I tied it together with wire.
               
It was a good house but it had this damn mouse that probably is
still there. I battled with that thing for the 2 years. It was kind
of like the ‘caddy shack’ thing with the gopher.

This following picture shows the hut in the village of ‘Goundaga’
in southern Senegal 2003-2005. Goundaga in the Pulaar
language means ‘secret‘.
  

Next is the inside ...

      
I was lucky that I had a cement floor. It was a good hut and it
served me well for 29 months. The problems were, rain coming
through the roof during rainy season, bats, lizards and frogs. The
bats and lizards were really helpful against bugs. The frogs were
also, it was just that at one time I had about 80 of them under my
bed. Every night I could hear the bats fly in and catch the bugs.
  The next picture, also in Senegal and that was the
bathroom …
  
The tubs are the shower water and the hole is the toilet.
 The next picture is the back yard with the passion fruit plant over
the shade structure. The word for shade structure there is ‘charlie’.
  
I planted it and built the structure. It was really nice sitting under
the charlie on a hot afternoon.

The next picture is the house that I am in now in
Romania 2006-present.
  
It is a nice old house that is in decent shape.
The next picture represents the inside.
  

Next is the bathroom …

  
An upgrade from Senegal. I don’t have any pictures of
the composting toilets in El Salvador. But there, there wasn’t
any bathroom at all. To wash up, you were outside near the
well with your bathing suit on. Bathroom wise I feel that it
has gotten better each time.

The last picture is that of the back yard here in Nădlac. In
the summer it is beautiful.
  

So there is the ‘home sweet homes’ that I have had since
joining the Peace Corps.
  Though I am still making memories here in Romania daily.
Each one of these locations have served and are serving their
function well.
  Another thing that I have come to conclude, is that the true
experience of it all, is with the people. That is not to diminish
the experiences that living in these structures bring. I have just
come to the conclusion that the place/country/village is really
the people.
  With that I have to say that I have been very lucky for I have
lived with some extraordinary people. Even at this moment I
am meeting new people daily. Each one as uniquely different
from the last.
  I guess that I should finish by saying that these houses
where/are my home. What I enjoyed the most is that as diverse
as the houses have been, so have the countries they are in.

 * Being a Peace Corps volunteer does take you to unique
places and also at times it puts you in unique situations.
There are many situations that could be described as just
plain totally, crazy. But those are exceptions that make
for incredibly great stories. Every volunteer has experienced
them at one time or another.
  What I would like to write about here is the not so
spectacular situations that occur almost daily. I am talking
about having to deal with the customs of the people of
the country you are in.
 In Senegal and here is Romania there is a custom to
invite people over to eat. In Africa it was just the
chance of walking by while the people were eating that
would get me an immediate invitation. Here in Romania
it is similar but it is more like, when they get you there,
it is … eat more, come on, eat more, you didn’t eat enough.
  In Senegal the problem was that I usually had eaten two
houses before and again I ate two houses before that.
  It is about giving hospitality and also receiving it. For us
volunteers sometimes it can get to be enough.
  Also, it can be somewhat of an insult to reject someone’s
offer. It can get a little tricky with trying not to offend people.
I am sure that other volunteers have their strategies on how
to respectfully decline without offending.
  I am going to describe two strategies that have worked well
for me. The first one is what I am using here now in Romania.
When I am full and can’t eat anymore I simply use this line.
‘Nu vreau ca eu am o burta mare, femea nu place’. In my not
so good Romanian it actually means that, I don’t want to eat
more because women don’t like guys with big stomachs. They
look at me, laugh and that’s it, pressure’s off.
  In Senegal it was somewhat a similar strategy. I lived with
the Pulaars and there they have this thing about eating beans.
When we first got there we had some kids that asked us for
money and didn’t get any say … ‘a namii niebe’. Which
means … you eat beans.
  We went back to the trainers and asked them, what do
they mean by that? What they were referring to was that
you ate beans, and farted. I guess you can see where the
beans fit in.
  When I arrived in the village, I didn’t know the language
well enough to decline politely and really wasn’t sure if you
could. But the invitations to eat just kept coming.
  What did happen when I knew what was up was I developed
a method as to how to get out of eating every two feet, without
offending anyone.
  I would say this ‘a jaraama, mi harii, si mi namii, mi riddat’
which means … thank you, I am full, if I eat, I will fart.
You should have seen the look on their faces the first time
I said that. No one would have even thought to say that. I
have to tell that it worked like a charm.
  I swear people would keep inviting me just to listen to me
say that.
  What it did do was get me out of eating and it didn’t offend
anyone. They just laughed their heads off.
  It is kind of fun trying to find out how to get out of situations
like that and not be offensive.
  I had a Senegalese friend from the city that would visit me
in the village and she would hear me say the ‘ if I ate more I
would fart' line.
  She would tell me that despite the fact that I was from the
States, and had an education, I talked like I was uncivilized. I
have to say that I thought it was funny to hear her say that.
She was probably right but being a volunteer/foreigner and
having to try and walk through the cultural minefield without
offending anyone, can be pretty tough. Sometimes you need
to be creative.
  Again, maybe she is right and talking 'uncivilized' isn’t all
that pretty. But what I do know is that I never did have to
‘eat till I farted’ and in the process made people laugh.
So I guess it worked.