I have to leave for Bucuresti tonight. Tomorrow is the official opening ceremony for the Fulbright year with the American Ambassador and the Minister of Education among others. I need to determine wat I will wear and finish packing. I have an invitation from a teacher to visit at 5 this evening. The department head will be there, as will other teachers and an American who is passing through Romania. Dan is an interesting fellow. He is determined not to fly again as it offends his sense of harmony with the earth. He is from Michigan and attended Grand Valley State University until he found that traveling was his priority. He taught English in Turkey and is headed back to sell real estate there. He will eventually settle down to earn a degree in linguistics which is his interest.
When we arrive we are all given a shot glass full of a clear liquid. In most Eastern European countries this is a custom that is most interesting. This evening's offering is Patinca. It is very smooth going down, but I am sure that anything remaining on my insides is seared for life. This is very potent stuff. We drink to a wonderful new school year. We drink to excellent trips for Dan and I. We drink to everyone's health. Soon the conversation is off and running. We are learning all sorts of things about each other.
Luminita, my department head, has spent the afternoon making sarmales for us. These are the originals of our stuffed peppers. These are excellent. The basic ingredients are rice and ground pork. From there the differences abound. I am not sure what is in these, but they are not what I have come to know as stuffed peppers, but are excellent. I would be surprised if the peppers were not picked fresh today. They are served with fresh from the bakery bread. Absolutely scrumptious. I have five.
We are only planning to stay an hour, because tomorrow is a workday and I have a train to catch at midnight. It is well after dark when we finally get home. A wonderful evening!
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