Christmas in Romania “Sarbatori fericite”

Christmas is coming and I am here, not there where I supposedly want to be.  But, as I am staying here, I have to think of something. In the Christmas Eve Justine and Luis visited us (Praise and me). We had a nice Latvian dinner-rasols and piragi. My first time baking piragus, but in the end it turned out pretty good. A bit burned, but eatable. And rasols-oh my God! I missed it so much, but more than that I miss my mom’s salty cake-sala torte(bez silkem).

So, we ate, exchanged gifts. Justine and Luis gave me a CD with 150 manele songs. What is manele? Even I can`t really understand, because some says that only gypsy`s have manele-gypsy manele, but some says that there is also Romanian manele. So.. It`s a traditional music. (A hint-when I come home-a manele party is guaranteed)

Next day Praise and I went to our mentor’s house.

T

iganii vin cu capra-three gypsy`s, one is playing drums and singing, one is dressed in bright colorful clothes, holding in his hands goats head made from wood , dancing along, the third one is a woman, who is simply standing in  the background and after this show-takes the money (because all of this is made in order to earn money).

I was sitting in Catalins (mentors son) room and talking through Skype. Suddenly i heard some kind of singing outside. Not giving any attention and continuing the previous thing with Skype. After a minute my mentor comes in and tells me to go outside and look. I went outside and saw the situation i described in the beginning. It was fantastic. After this performance my mentor gives them some money and with this it ends.

B

abele impart colaci-an old lady is sharing with round(looks like hamburger) bread (and in the bread is a candle),vine, meat, in order to honor the dead. They believe that when we eat these things, the dead are eating also. Exactly this i experienced today. Then, when you take these things from the old woman’s hands, you have to say „Boda proste” (God, forgive the dead).

I`m sitting by the table with Praise and our mentor and we`re eating sarmale. Suddenly somebody is knocking on the door. An old lady comes in, holding in her hands a basket. In the basket there is everything I mentioned before. (We found out about this tradition few minutes before it happened to us, because our mentor put on the table round bread and explained why they baked the bread round today)  We took the things and thanked the old lady.

Unfortunately no snow for Christmas in south and that really is bad, because the feeling is not so strong without the snow on the ground and in the air.

But the grate news is that it snowed here, not much but still. First time was when we had an activity in Clubul Copiilor (Children Club)-Pictura si jocuri (Painting and games). We were making Christmas cards for the kids in hospital, suddenly kids started to scream ???„nindja”??? (Don`t know how to write the word correctly) and ran out of the room. Of course i heard “ninja, ninja” and thought “What the hell? Is there an actual ninja outside?”. So, it turns out that ?nindja? is a synonym for zapad which is snow. 

Good to know now!

A picture from a fast food restaurant next to gara in Craiova.

Life in my community-Segarcea

It is bigger than Salacgriva, but still nothing really to do in it. Landscape-ups and downs. For the eyes it is good, but for walking up the hill and down the hill-not so much. I`m always drawing similarities with my hometown, even if I don`t want to. “Oh, the tower reminds me of the tower in front of my house.” “A park! OH! Like there.(Yes, the only par in Salacgriva which is unknown by most of the people)” And so on. Sometimes it gets tiring, but, maybe it`s my self-defense mechanism against really big homesickness..

Many bars and pubs here (5)-although not really a good thing to drink in them, in order not to ruin the picture of us in eyes of older people. Buts that`s okay with me, because even in here I’m not much of a party person.

Old people

The news founding is that, the lady that lives under us, has a really good imagination because

• ·         after two months she tells me that she has a daughter in Lettonia (probably not true)
• ·         every night after 22 o`clock I`m moving my furniture in my room and throwing wood on the floor (yes, actually it happened once,  a piece of wood fell not on the floor but on my leg and of course it was not on purpose)..Scuze ma!

What can I say, the old lady or as we say baba can do some serious stuff. She is 85 years old but chops wood as if she was a bit bit bit younger.

Old people on the street mostly look at as with a gossipy eye, as if they knew something that we didn`t know about ourselves.

Lidz sim.

            Rit jau tresa nedela Segarca. Ciemata iepazisana ir procesa. Bijam iepazities ar pilsetas meru, policijas prieksnieku un bibliotekas vaditaju. Ko lai saka. Pagaidam visi ir pozitivi noskanoti un atbalsta mus un musu idejas. Sanemam jau pirmos piedavajumus piedalities pasakumos.

Tagad klausos Prata Vetras dziesmas un meginu sakopot domas. Ir gruti,ja neraksta katru dienu,bet megina visu,kas noticis pedeja laika sakopot domas un uzakstit,jo viss nak prata tik haotiski.

            21.10 ieradas musu jauna istabas biedre no Ugandas-Preisa. No sakuma abas ar Annu bijam mazliet noraizejusas,jo nezinajam kadatad isti vina bus pec rakstura. Mes abam ir 19, bet vinai ir 23, varbut vinai mes liktos mazliet par nepiezemetu un tada gara,bet..Ne.Ta nav. Mums visam ir kopigas lietas, domasanas veids(nu ne gluzi pilnigi vienads,bet uz to pusi jau ir).Meitene ir forsa un patikama sarunu biedre.

            Taja pasa diena pie mums ciemos ieradas Britta,Jusine un Elina. Aizbraucam uz kafejnicu paest(mentore mus visas aizveda). Pasedejam,parunajam un pasmejamies. Pasutijam picas.. Un,ja,daubju picu ar tik daudz senem un olivam,ka likas,ka tas ir pavares milakas piedevas. Nolasijusi tos nost, uz picas palika tikai mikla un dazas desas skeles. Nu ja,tagad zinasu,ka no sakuma japasaka,ka velos bez tam piedevam. Britta pasutija vegetaro picu. He,nu ja..Nezinaju,ka uz picas liek ari fri kartupelus. Nu nebija garsiga ta vegetara pica(pagarsoju). Kafejnica paradijas dauz rumanu puisu. Sedeja pie blakus galda. Nepierasti redzet ka kadus12 gadus jauni puiseli dzer alu,bet te tas esot ierasti.Ja velies nopirkt alu,neviens tev nejauta,cik gadu.

            Nu ja. Pienaca laiks visam doties uz musu dzivokli. Alkoholu pirkt pasas nevaram,jo tad ciemata baumos,ka mes esam dzerajas..Katra zina,mes pasas to pirkt nevaresim. Tam mums ir citi cilveki,kas ir uznemusies so “atbildigo” procesu. Ta,pasutijam 4 pudeles ar alu (kopa 8litri),atveda mums 10 liturs(2,5l pudele). Noteikti,ka prata ienak vards “bambalis,diucis” un citi vardi. Ja, mums ari ar Justini ta scita,kad pirmo reizi redzejam tas litrigas pudeles,bet alus ir labs, ne ta ka Latvija, ka, tas alus,kas ir tik lielas pudeles, ir pilnigs mesls.

            Ieradas mentore ar savu delu, un vel vienu puisi(nezinu,kas tiesi vins vinai skaitijas,bet tas nav svarigi) un vina draudzeni.Nu,neko,sedejam spelejam kartis un dzeram alu. Tad pie durvim kads klauveja..Vel 4 puisi. Ha,mums seit nav nevienas draudzenes pagaidam,tikai draugi.Nu,mani tas ipasi nesatrauc.Pienaks laiks un ari meitenes bus draugu loka.

            Pulkstenis raidija 00:00 un lidz ar to ari visi viesi pazuda. Ta nu mes,6,sedejam un pratojam,ko lai dara talak. Kadam ienaca ta gudra ideja doties uz Kraijovu(30km no sejienes) un doties uz baru paballeties. Sacits-darits.Sadabujam masinas,2, un devamies cela. Nokluvam Pabs pub vai kaut kas tamlidzigs. Tur bijam jau otro reizi,pirma reize bija,kad bijam ciemos pie Marcello un Mikaelas. Bars atkal pilns ar cilvekiem, uz pireksu tikt ir pagruti,bet nonakam bara dzilaja gala. Muzika laba, atmosfera ari. Sak skanet kads rumanu gabals,kaut kas no tautiska stila, un mes sakam dejot un lekat pa apli.Pievienojas rumani un lec ar mums kopa.Pec tam saka mums macit rumanu dejas. Ko lai saka,vieglas,bet sakombinet kaju kustibu ar rokam-nav nemaz tik viegli,ja ritms ir atrs.

            03:00-musu vienigais labasi draugs Segarca -Ovidiu-saka,ka laiks doties..Aizved Justini un Brittu uz majam un tad ari mes 4 dodamies uz musu majam. Ierodamies majas un dodamies gulet,jo            esam pargurusas.

Parejais viss noptiek ka parasti.

Ka mes tikam pie Kurta

            Kas ir Kurts?Vins ir musu mazais kakjis. Kurtam gan ir vel divi vardi (viens vacu, latviesu un ugandas)-Kurts Janis ***(neatceros).

            Ka mes vinu dabujam?Tas notika 17.10. Braucam no kaut kurienes uz majam ar musu mentori, gandriz vinu nobraucam..Tad mentore,Juljana, apstajas cela mala un pajautaja sievietei,kurai,laikam kakjis piedereja,vai nevelas vinu atdod un tada gara.. Vards pa vardam un kakjis peksi pa logu tiek ielikt masina. Nu neko..Man jau patik. Izmagajam un pabarojam. Tagad vins ir tirs un labs,bet uz kasti gan vel ta isti visu laiku neiet, vienmer no rita kada sturi vai visos ir mesli. Un tad mes vemstidamies visu vacam,bet tagad jau es vinu esmu mazliet izdresejusi. Cerams,ka paliks vinam atmina,ka TO darit var tikai TUR un nekur citur.

Musetesta bildees.

 

Skats,kas paveras no majas.

                                                  

Es un skats.Katra zina,biju prima,kas pamodas pec smaga cela uz sejieni.

 Poofijs(viens no 5 suniem)

 Tikko pamodinajusi Justini.

Apkart majai tiek celts kas tads.It ka busot kada 3 zvaigznu viesnica.Katra zina-shiki.

Musu villa,kur pavadijam pirmo nedelu.

Latviesu prezentacija.

 Iriss.

Pie bara ieejas.

Jau bara pie galda.

Drinking game.

Renars(Latvija),es,Marion(Francija).

Rumanu dejas.Nu skats jau bija iespaidigs.

 Un tagad mazliet par Dianu.

Macamies valodu.

Memais sovs.

 Enerdzaizeris.

 Rumanu alus.

Elin,es,Nunzio.

Renars,Marcello,es,Serbans(projekta koordinatiors).

 Marcello(Italija,bet no cita projekta).

 Mes.

 Renars, Elin(Zviedrija),es,Nunzio(Italija).

Vietejais.

Musetesta.

Tagad par pavadito nedelu Musetesta.
No mazas istabas parvacos uz lielaku,jo mana istabas biedrene Linda..Vina pa nakti murgoja..Nu tas skanas bija vienkarsi biedejosas..Nu ja..Tapec es parvacos uz otro stavu..Kur dzivoja visi latviesi-es,Justine un Renars.
Hmm.Isti vairs neatceros,kas notika.
Aizgajam uz vietejo baru,kur visi rumani uz mums skatijas ar greizu aci..Bet beigas jau bija labi,jo ieradas ari jaunaki cilveki,ne tikai vecie rumanu stradnieki.
Viens puisis ari runaja angliski..Un ari franciski.
Dzeram daudz alus,jo tas seit ir lets..Un ari labs.
Pagarsojam ari tsuiku..Kaut kas lidzigs snabim,tik pagatavots no plumem.Nu..Man gan isti negaja pie sirds,jo nebija ko uzdzert.

Okay.Ta tad..Bijam uz baru.Piedavaja aizvest uz majam,kas bija dazu metru ataluma..Sapratam ta-jo labaka masina,jo doma,ka vairak meitenes var dabut.Kaut kas lidzigs ir ari Latvija,bet ne tik loti izteikti,manuprat.Atteicamies,protams..
Katra zina nedela Musetesta pagaja atri.Paspeju satikt ari meiteni no the Baltic kingdom(ta to deveja dazi brivpratigie no citiem projektiem Rumanija)..Meitene bija no Lietuvas..Patikami satik kaiminus.
Ta tad,pienaca pedeja diena Musetesta.Uzspelejam policistus un banditus(ko parasti spelejam pagalma)..Nebija interesanti,jo,lai gan es biju policiste,mani "spidzinaja" banditi,lai es no viniem neiegutu paroli(sapratisiet tad,ja zinasiet so speli).

Nu ja..Tad ari pienaca laiks uzzinat,ar ko kopa dzivosim un kur dzivosim.Uzzinaju,ka man bus jadzivo ar vienu vacu meiteni..No sakuma nebiju ipasi laimiga,jo biju iecerejusi dzivot ar vai nu meiteni no Zviedrijas vai Francijas,bet tagad gan esmu apmierinata ar rezultatu.
Ta nu es tagad dzivoju Segarcea,kas ir 35km attaluma no Kraijovas un 40km attaluma no Justines.Nu,ko lai saka,ciematam nav ne vainas,apm. 3000 iedzivotaju.
Atvainojos par haotismu,isti nevaru vel sakopot domas,bet viss naks ar laiku.