The adventure begins

Goodbye to American soil for a long time. I have never felt this way when I have left on other trips. It is probably because I will not be back for a year. That is a very long time. I am in the Frankfort airport awaiting my flight to Bucharest. It has been a long day. I slept only two hours on the overnight flight and am now waiting the four hours for the final leg of this trip. The dawn is breaking.

I wonder how much the ticket would cost for driving this fast??

Back in Bucharest. This time there is someone waiting with a Fulbright sign as I leave the customs area. I am delighted because hauling five bags is just more than I can imagine hauling around this time. He grabs the cart and we are off to seek Mihai who is away from the milling crowd. We meet, shake hands, and are off to the car. It is wonderful to have someone there at the airport. Now I know this is really going to happen. We stop at a money changer's shop and then on to the hotel. It is a nice little spot near a huge green park. I am going to be quite comfortable. These two ladies have been my salvation. They have headed me in the right direction. Fortunately, nearly everyone at least understands English and most speak it relatively well. The Hotel Victor is typically post-Soviet accommodations. I am sure it is a shock for first-time travelers, but I have come to appreciate it for what it is. My room is actually air-conditioned. This is a first for me in Eastern Europe. I have a quaint little corner room that overlooks the street. I actually have an armoire, a sizeable dresser and a desk. This is probably the presidential suite. In any case, it has internet and is quite comfortable.

Dan and Bruce arrive and we are off for my first foray out of the hotel. They are both here through Fulbright programs. Dan suggests walking to the lake and having dinner at one of the terrace restaurants. It sounds like a grand way to see Bucharest and so we are off. We talk about their research projects. Both are researching the material to write their doctoral theses. I think of Joy. Hers has just been submitted. I remember discussions of whether or not to continue. It seems to be a common issue for PhD candidates. Apparently there are gauntlets in the process through which all candidates must pass.

We walk to the Arc de Triumphe. It seems that the Romanians were enamored of the French in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and so pockets of Romania are inspired by the French. It is a very strange sight to an outsider. In the middle of Romania is a gigantic Arc with the Romanian flag flying from the top of the arch. An unexpected surprise.

The walk to the terraces is a comfortable one. We talk about who we are, what brought us to be here, and what we see as differences in the culture. We talk about how it all came to be. I am reminded of being in college and having those esoteric discussions late into the evening.

Haven't done this in many years. I understand that Romania is full of these sort of discussions and that art and artists are celebrated.

Authors who live here actually make money on the books they write because people actually buy them.

We found a floating restaurant with an empty table and so chose a waterside table. Champagne is not on the menu. Only dry wines are on the menu. Tea is not on the menu.

Tomato and mozzarella salad is not on the menu. I finally decided to have surprise wine and pork shish-kabob. It was grand.

We sat by the water, discussed the problems of the world, the direction their research was taking both of them, and the logistics of living in Bucharest. We talked about family. It is going to be a wonderful year. The daylight is long gone by the time we ventured back out of the terraces area. What a delightful evening!!