in the community: animal update — the good news
In the middle of December, one Saturday afternoon, David went out to pick up milk and eggs at the corner store and came back with a kitten — a little ugly black and white kitten covered in gasoline. There wasn’t much to do other than give it a bath, feed it, and try to find […]
in the community: animal update — the bad news
We came back from Istanbul to find a dozen ruffian boys on our bloc steps, talking (and laughing) about the latest happening. Dookie (or Magduta, as I call her) was killed. We don’t know the details as each boy had a different story, but Magduta’s gone to the great countryside in the sky with the […]
in the community: lost and found
For some of our Thanksgiving preparations, I’ve been looking for cheesecloth. I’d looked in the supermarkets and kept my eyes open at stores with kitchen stuff. No luck. I know it exists because tons of people make their own cheese here. I was chatting with one of my English students about our preparations and this […]
in the community: Emi & Mada
I mentioned awhile ago that David and I are tutoring a brother and a sister (Emi & Mada). This is Emanuel (Emi): And this is Madalina (Mada): Don’t they look studious? They are fabulous and so is their family. Their father, Marius, is an Orthodox priest in a neighboring village. Their mom, Claudia, is a dental hygienist (Her […]
in the community: Sunday walks
Sundays we do a bit of walking and this week, we decided to photograph bits of our journeys around town. On the way to church. . . our stairwell cow dung on sidewalk as we walk towards Mass road our church is on. ducks near church. house that serves as our church. On our evening […]
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 […]
in the community: French Invasion (with a side of cotton candy)
David and I are people of routine, so it makes sense that we’ve found one here. There are days when we need that routine to ground us and keep us sane and there are other days when we welcome an interruption to it. Since we’ve established life and work here, I have a feeling […]
in the community: anecdotes
With the weather warming and the days lengthening. the “boys from the bloc” have reappeared outside (most of them taller) and are doing their boy-mischief. I have to admit that I have a favorite among the crew — Lucian. He’s four years old, usually dirty, with beautifully striking eyes, and a toothless smile that makes […]
in the community: Neamt BBQ
May 1st came and it was like someone flipped a switch and *boom* it was spring. We’d had some sunny days but it was still jacket weather — windy and chilly. To celebrate spring’s arrival, a bunch of volunteers in the Neamt County area got together for a barbecue. Now when a Southerner says barbecue, […]
in the community: “I have grapes in my pocket.”
I was at work yesterday when one of the Orthodox priests came by to invite us to City Hall for a “New Year’s” presentation to the mayor. He asked us to recite an uratura (a poem granting wishes and health) to the crew. While it was last minute, we were up to the challenge. When […]