in the community; about Romania: Madge
Romania has a ton of stray dogs. I’ve had encounters with all sorts of them — ones that bark, ones that bite, ones that are hungry, ones that want love and attention. There are many theories as to why there are lots of stray dogs. A bunica (grandmother) told me that during communist times when […]
resource: English translations of Romanian Orthodox services
With all the wedding talk with Anda and then writing about it on the blog, my inquisitive nature had me wandering around the internet researching Orthodox weddings. In meandering, I found the website of the Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church in Los Angeles, CA. They have ALL the Romanian Orthodox services translated in English on […]
keeping traditions: Weddings, Part 2 (civil & religious ceremonies)
Anda was worried about getting married in May — lots of Orthodox holidays (which means having to give more money to priests to officiate) and lots of rain. But she was clinging to what someone’s bunica (grandmother) told her — Rain is good luck on your wedding day. I asked her what sort of luck. […]
on the bookshelf: Romance Language
As anyone who has been a Peace Corps volunteer knows, books are GOLD. They are passed around from volunteer to volunteer, read and re-read. I’m fortunate that my neighbor to the north, Melody, and my virtual site-mate, Alex, both are great book hook-ups. Melody recently gave me the book Romance Language by Alan Elsner to […]
keeping traditions: Weddings, Part 1
There are some quintessential Romanian cultural experiences that can’t be missed: cutting of the pig before Christmas (hopefully Christmas 2010 with the Catholic priest), learning to use a scythe to clear fields (scheduled for August 2010), riding a caruta (still working on it), and celebrating a Romanian wedding. This weekend we had the honor to […]
about romania: martisor
You can tell that Romanians across the ages have gotten tired of winter by the end of February because when the first of March hits, they celebrate by pretending it’s spring. Martisor is a holiday that welcomes spring even though it could be snowing. It’s celebrated with children giving men presents (booze and hygiene products […]
about romania: mail and other relevant issues
Getting mail is awesome. Getting packages is even more awesome. I liken it to camp where you cross your fingers that your name will be called at mail call and then when it is called, there’s the excitement of an envelope or a box to open and the joy of flaunting in front of jealous […]
about Romania: Christmas Eve
So Christmas Eve in Romania is kinda crazy. Our usually sleepy little town came alive. Santa comes on Christmas Eve so there was definite present carnage with Larisa’s family. (christmas carnage) We had knocks on our door almost constantly — kids caroling for money and cookies, people begging for money. [flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveronica/4231159278/] (kids singing colinde […]
about romania: sarut mana
Sarut mana…. means kissed hand literally. It’s said to women by children and men as a sign of respect. I LOVE it. It’s a tad chivalrous, touching (in a non-demonstrative sort of way), and old-fashioned. Plus it makes me feel quite feminine. During training, while achieving my goal of getting Romanians to smile, I often […]
about romania: youth with migrant parents
Last weekend, I headed to a Peace Corps conference about Romanian Youth with Migrant Parents (YMP). YMP is not a “new issue” here, but it definitely is coming to a head. The situation is this (in simplistic terms; it’s pretty complicated overall). Romania is an EU country BUT Romania doesn’t have a strong economy or […]