a few more strange thoughts to ponder...

1. the catholic church is across town from me yet the bells ring in my ears every morning (and yes they are distinctly different from the ones that ring in my front yard)
2. just passed a place that had "xerox" on the window, looked inside, and there are coffins standing up along all of the walls. and when i say coffin, i don't mean like caskets. nope...actual coffins!
3. buses and microbuses will stop anywhere, even if that means right at your front door. and i have been on personal trains that drop people off literally in the middle of fields with no station in sight
4. this country has some of the best pizza i've ever eaten, like the one i'm eating right now in this "irish pub", and for the first time i was served sauce without having to order it. (and on a side note...i'm listening to christmas music right now. i love christmas music but it's september! i guess the rule about after thanksgiving day doesn't really apply here though...)
5. went to the supermarket today and there was only one brand of peanut butter and only half jars...oh what i would give for an economy sized jar of natural pb!
6. the romanian word "imediat" kind of sounds like the english word "immediate", so you would think that would mean like "right now!" but oh no...at best it means "oh sometime soon". sometimes i really love this laid back, no rush pace of life. other times i need to get stuff done
7. there never seems to be a lack of the surprise factor when locals find out i speak romanian. and when i pull out all the hungarian i know...i instantly become the cutest thing they've ever seen. i love it!
8. the first week of school where i am supposed to be planning with my teachers and getting ready for the students, i was encouraged to go home and rest one day because i had a little cold (even though it was the meeting with the director and all of the faculty), stay home the next day, go to the city one day and go to the mall (accompanied by my mentor, another teacher at the school). apparently i will get to do some planning on monday and tuesday, and school starts wednesday!
9. it is amazing how much of this country is multilingual. you don't find that so much in america...like the city i'm in right now, you could get away with speaking romanian, hungarian, english, or latin. not to mention large populations that speak spanish, french, german, etc. it's so fascinating to me.
10. i didn't get to choose to come to romania...it was chosen for me but i seem to always get the question, quite connotatively negative i might add, "what would make you want to come here?". most romanians have great pride in their country yet they don't understand why or how an outsider could come in and appreciate the country they love so much. 


the truth is i feel very lucky to be here. there are things of course that are so different culturally that i just have to accept them and move on, but for the most part, romania has some of the best traditions and history. i look forward to the 2 years i get to spend getting to know, not only my own community, but the country as a whole. there are absolutely wonderful things to discover and experience along the way...i already call this country my home and i can't wait for the chance to share it with more people and have them fall in love with it as well!