I’m going to skip the apology for not keeping up with my blog and get right in to catching you all up. A lot has happened in the last 5 or 6 weeks. Most of it is a blur when I start to look back. I climbed a mountain in the Carpathians with a group of Romanian students. I danced with my host father in the countryside while dodging chickens and dogs. Found out where I’m going to live for the next two years and that the main form of transportation in that town is horse carts on dirt roads. That while I’m there I’ll be living with another host family that grows their own grapes and makes their own wine and liquors. And that I’ll probably kill my own turkey for Thanksgiving this year. After eight weeks of intensive language training I’m actually able to carry on some semblance of a conversation in Romanian. I’ve played ultimate Frisbee in the shadow of a castle that Dracula actually built (which is not in Transylvania btw). There have definitely been a lot of hard days, boatloads of stress, and the occasional encounter with a pack of angry dogs at 2 am, but it’s really the first time in my life that I have truly felt like I’m on the right path and doing exactly what I’m meant to do. It’s really an incredible feeling.
But enough with the gushing…Let’s talk about some interesting beliefs and practices I’ve witnessed in Romania that might come across as a bit peculiar to the American eye. Current (pronounced curr-aunt) is a great concern to most Romanians I have met. It is the belief that being exposed to any amount of moving air (ie, wind from a fan, or cross breeze) will cause damage to one’s ears, headaches and also may cause illness. When driving in a car it is fairly common to only open windows on one side in order to avoid Current. The same is practiced in homes; doors are kept closed to rooms that have a window open in them. This is something taken very seriously by quite a bit of the country. On hot days I find myself explaining to people that I actually enjoy this occurrence that they find so harmful. Another one of my favorites is how headaches are perceived here. Some people believe that headaches are caused by an evil spirit that is occupying your brain. If one has a headache (and I have experienced this first hand) the spirit must be exercised. The one time I’ve encountered it the sign of the cross was made continuously on my forehead and prayers were spoken in whispers. I’ve been evil spirit free since. As strange as these practices might seem I know I’m doing about hundred things that look totally bizarre to Romanians. The fact that I would leave the US at all has completely baffled and confused quite a few locals. But it’s always fun feeling my way through social taboos and norms that I am unfamiliar with.
Well folks, that’s all for now. I probably won’t get another one of these off till after swear in a few weeks. As you might have noticed from the first paragraph I’ve been kind of busy…
