This post will be broken up into different categories for the purpose of remaining ordered and on topic. I have some other news to share but I will save that for the next post.
NB: Please keep in mind that when I arrived in Burcurești April 28th, I traveled 1.5 hours via bus to Târgoviște, my training site; I have been outside the city a few times but never more that 15 km. Thus, my experience is limited to Targoviște and NOT Romania in general.
Infrastructure:
Târgoviște is a small city though it has a rich history. There is a beautiful tower with a surrounding park (displayed in a facebook album) built by Vlad Țepeș (aka Dracula) himself: there are mannequins impaled at the top. No, not really. Vlad is a hero here and the whole impaling thing was the thing to do then, plus I am sure he only impaled people who really deserved it. Also, Ceaușescu was tried and shot here in this city. Anyways, the housing here is often in communist blocs, which all look the same: cement with big red metal doors. Some of them have interesting and varied balconies and the windows are generally assorted. They are arranged in blocks (hence the same I am guessing) and can be anywhere from decent to shabby. There are the Roma communities consisting of small houses crammed into small areas, or gross, slummy looking apartment buildings. The houses are usually colorful, always cement, have multicolored (though typically red or gray) metal roofs. There are also beautiful homes, which are more often than not right next to broken down houses on ugly, unkempt property. Apparently property value here works differently.
The city center is fairly big with shops lining the sides, a pretty fountain, and a very communist-esq, "enlightening" torch statue at the head of the square. The old city center has some beautiful old buildings and some excellent restaurants of which the volunteers and I have taken advantage.
The roads are in decent condition within the city and on the main roads out of town. Aside from these main thoroughfares however you can count on a dirt road, especially in the villages.
Every house is surrounded by a gate that locks and has dangerous spikes along the top. There are some communities where individual houses are not surrounded, but then that community of houses are surrounded by one large gate with multiple entrances. There are very few to no exceptions to this rule here in Târgoviște.
Agriculture:
Everyone grows their own food and many raise their own animals here. If they don't, a brother, sister, parent, or in-law does. Many make their own homemade wine and liquor, which they spread among friends and relatives. I have been very, very impressed with the quality of homegrown food here and the competency of many Romanians to supply part of their food supply themselves. America could learn a lesson here, especially as times are becoming tougher and pennies are being pinched harder. There are also rose bushes everywhere here which makes for beautiful sights and smells (this goes far in masking the horse and dog poop for which I'm constantly on the look out).
Dogs:
Yes, Romania has a serious problem with stray dogs. They are everywhere. I may dislike dogs by the time I finish my work here so stay tuned. Actually, the strays are usually the friendliest, and by friendliest I mean the least aggressive. Strays, with no owner (and thus unlikely to have and leadership) are loathe to cross a person. They generally move out of the way if you walk towards them, keeping their eyes down and themselves well out of reach. They are almost always dirty, sometimes injured. I have seen a few stray fights, which can be scary for anyone with a super soft spot for dogs. It is usually the dogs behind the gates or at the edge of their owners property that flip out constantly, that bark and attack people. The key is to not care (good thing I payed attention to Caesar Milan's show).
Apparently there was a bill passed recently stating that strays can be put to sleep after a certain amount of time unclaimed in a pound. There were animal rights groups protesting for weeks in the capital but I have no idea where that is at. I heard recently that some authorities were picking up dogs from their own city and dropping them off in other cities.
One time I was walking into the city from my Gazda's house when I noticed a dog following me. I realized quickly he wasn't aggressive, in fact he was avoiding all eye contact with me. I stopped at one point to see his reaction and he slowed and stopped, looking around nonchalantly. I started walking again and he continued to follow me. As I approached a busy street I waited (and he waited) for the road to clear, and as I crossed he stuck right next to me. I crossed another busy road, and another. As soon as I stepped on the sidewalk next to a major bloc complex, he doglegged right and strolled off to find his friends. Apparently dogs here figured out drivers won't stop for them but usually yield to humans.
Drivers:
Due to a Peace Corps regulation, I am forbidden operate any vehicle with an engine. After walking around Târgoviște for 6 weeks, I am perfectly fine with that. People drive very fast, regularly pass on both sides, and practice the game of "chicken" at high speeds. Consequently there are many accidents here, and a lot of road rage. The passing is particularly scary and unnerves me sometimes when I am in the passenger seat.
People park on the side walks, on public and private property, in bus stops, etc. There are also horse drawn carriages clopping their way in and out of the city (even though they are not allowed in the city). Road rules don't seem to be enforced here, at least not in this town. My transportation in the city is either by Bus, by maxi taxi (like a really big van, usually between the city and towns), taxi (if I am rushed), or on foot.
Hospitality:
Romanians are for the most part very hospitable. There is always more food and drink to fill your plates and glasses, warm greetings, a kiss on either cheek, and a genuine interest/curiosity. Most are polite in conversation though not necessarily in lines in stores or on the street. The friends and family of my host family have all been very nice though the language barrier prevents me from really engaging them.
Some students/teenagers can be rude and like to yell out things in English like "Fuck you, United States" and "Motherfucker!". This is rare however, and more often we hear "Hello!" from excited little kids. Sometimes young men (maybe I should say boys) are rude to the women in our group; the school we train at is more of a vocational school with kids who don't exactly excel so this doesn't come as a surprise.
Curent:
This deserves a special mention. Romanians are generally superstitious, more so than Americans (who themselves, in great numbers, hold dogmatic superstition of the religious sort), so anyone who knows me can imagine I find this aspect of Romanian culture rather irritating. While in the States I generally understand (and sympathize for those coerced by) superstitious belief, I cannot for the life of me figure out "curent". It basically means a draft of air, as in having one window open and another window or door open, creating the movement of air throughout a room, bus, etc. What is the big deal? Who wouldn't want to keep cool? Apparently this air is thought to travel through the ear canal and lodge itself in your head, causing every ailment from neck and throat pain to viruses and colds, perhaps even mental illness. Forget that neck pain is caused from poor neck support and muscle spasms, that illnesses are caused by viruses and bacteria. Why just air through a room, what about the air blowing around outside before it enters the room? What about modern medical science and research put into practice by the doctors in Romanian hospitals? This is not believed by just the very old or a handful of people: it's everywhere. I hope to figure this out at some point but it promises to make some uncomfortable bus rides for me in the future.
Enough of this post, I have to post something else before I leave in the morning.
