This is the view while I waited for the maxitaxi to take me to school. It is a Saturday and one of the teachers has organized a conference on Mass Media, which sounds interesting. The trees are a blaze of color today – all yellows and oranges. The mountain is gorgeous. It is tempting to simply stay home with a cup of hot chocolate and sit by the window. The maxitaxi is taking its time getting here. I have been waiting for almost twenty minutes and it is cold. That mug of hot chocolate is calling. As I begin to head home, along comes the van to pick me up. That is the second time this has happened. Maybe I should decide to leave sooner and it will arrive sooner.
This conference was organized by Ana Maria Rusu, one of the teachers here who teache
s a class in Mass Media. I later found that this is the first and only conference she has ever organized. Every detail was taken care of. There were conference folders for the attendees including a pen and writing paper. There was even a book on the subject and a variety of han
douts that discussed the role of mass media in today’s society. When the teachers arrived there was coffee for them during registration. Everyone had a nametag and a folder. There was not the usual two hour process to get everything started. 
There were several very interesting speakers. Ana-Maria had managed to lure Mircea Toma, the editor of one of the Bucharest newspapers, to speak at the conference. He smiled as he spoke. He is a very unassuming man. He looks like a newspaperman as he takes notes of the proceedings.
She also has Nicolae Daramus, a well-known journalist/writeissues speak.
And finally, she had involved Nicoleta Fotiade from the Agentia de Monitorizare a Presei, an NGO from Bucharest who helped to sponsor the conference. She had arranged for a beautiful pensiune in the mountains for them to stay. It is a seven hour car ride, eight and a half by train, from Bucuresti to here.
After lunch Ana Marie had scheduled several breakout sessions - one for stude
nts who were attending the conference and one for teachers. The students had brought some of their projects with them to present.
Walking back to the maxitaxi bus stop I couldn’t help but notice the lovely mountains again. The setting sun cast a golden glow over them.
This conference was organized by Ana Maria Rusu, one of the teachers here who teache
s a class in Mass Media. I later found that this is the first and only conference she has ever organized. Every detail was taken care of. There were conference folders for the attendees including a pen and writing paper. There was even a book on the subject and a variety of han
douts that discussed the role of mass media in today’s society. When the teachers arrived there was coffee for them during registration. Everyone had a nametag and a folder. There was not the usual two hour process to get everything started. 
The conference actually began as scheduled. The microphones worked and the projector guy is on hand to scroll up and down through the day’s agenda. I do not understand the necessity for a microphone in a room which has been constructed from two classrooms with the connecting wall taken out. It is not a big room, and yet, every time we are in here, the speaker must use the microphone.
The room was full of teachers from all over Suceava County and others who had arrive
d from Bucharest. They are mostly a young group, unlike those at similar conference in the States. Everyone listened attentively as introductions were made. Soon it was time for the featured speakers to talk. There were few cell phone calls and few people left the room. I really do not understand much of what is being said as it is all in Romanian but everyone listened attentively. I caught the gist of what was being said. Mid-morning, there was even a coffee break with coffee and goodies from the bakery.
d from Bucharest. They are mostly a young group, unlike those at similar conference in the States. Everyone listened attentively as introductions were made. Soon it was time for the featured speakers to talk. There were few cell phone calls and few people left the room. I really do not understand much of what is being said as it is all in Romanian but everyone listened attentively. I caught the gist of what was being said. Mid-morning, there was even a coffee break with coffee and goodies from the bakery.
There were several very interesting speakers. Ana-Maria had managed to lure Mircea Toma, the editor of one of the Bucharest newspapers, to speak at the conference. He smiled as he spoke. He is a very unassuming man. He looks like a newspaperman as he takes notes of the proceedings.
She also has Nicolae Daramus, a well-known journalist/writeissues speak. 
And finally, she had involved Nicoleta Fotiade from the Agentia de Monitorizare a Presei, an NGO from Bucharest who helped to sponsor the conference. She had arranged for a beautiful pensiune in the mountains for them to stay. It is a seven hour car ride, eight and a half by train, from Bucuresti to here.Lunch was a bit of a walk but well worth it. The tables were done up in fall colors to match the vistas we saw on the way. We walked through parts of town I did not know were here to a restaurant with good food.
After lunch Ana Marie had scheduled several breakout sessions - one for stude
nts who were attending the conference and one for teachers. The students had brought some of their projects with them to present.Walking back to the maxitaxi bus stop I couldn’t help but notice the lovely mountains again. The setting sun cast a golden glow over them.
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