Worries

Cambodia: sua se day / hello

Romania: buna seara / good evening

Well, I am starting to get a little nervous about Romania, but for some reason not about Cambodia. Maybe I have just had more time to adjust to the idea of Cambodia and only a week to let Romania sink in. Maybe it is because I will be in Romania for a much longer time, and it is bringing back some unpleasant memories of London and Baltimore. Or, maybe it is because I just watched a documentary about the street children of Romania, particularly in Bucharest which is where I might end up.

After being too isolated in a couple of other experiences (London and Baltimore, mentioned above!), I just want to make sure that doesn't happen again when I am going to a new place for a while and one where I really have such little command over the language. Hmm, perhaps I should start writing this is Romanian to start practicing! Okay, then you would be lucky to see even a sentence.

Also, I am starting to get nervous because my location in Romania isn't set yet. The fulbright commission is trying to get me set up with Babes Bolyai University in Cluj, which is in Transylvania in the northern part of the country. It is a fairly small town (though still big to me), about the size of a place like Fort Worth. It sounds like a nice place with a few theaters and museums. But, today I went to speak with the Romanian professor on campus, and she thinks I should try to go to Bucharest. There certainly would be many social and intellectual opportunities with the embassy, the fulbright commission there, and the tons of music and other performance events. Plus, this professor has some wonderful connections with the University of Bucharest where I might be able to teach a class in the American Studies program. For some reason I am holding back from this switch, though. I think it might be because the idea of a bigger city is a little scary (2.2 million people!), and I have heard more negative (ie scary) things about that city than good things. I emailed someone in the fulbright office over there to see about the possibility of switching cities, so I will just see what happens. There are definitely pluses to both places, and probably more to Bucharest if I am being honest. I guess I just need to wait and see what happens.

Here is the part that also is a little tricky. I really would be helped by attending ASU's summer Romanian program, but I just can't do it. I am already signed up to go to Cambodia at the exact same time, and it does not like like I will be able to switch that to another time. I know that this will disappoint my professor, and it will mean that I will need to work extra hard to make some connections before I arrive for the fulbright. However, it also means that I will be able to spend this important time with the girls dorm in Cambodia, which is something I find to be very important and close to my heart. I also hope it means that I will be able to finish my dissertation and even defend before I leave for Romania. That would be very exciting!!! But, also kind of scary. After being a student for so long, it is a little strange to think of the possible nothing-ness (or I hope endless possibilities) that lay beyond. Please wish me luck in that endeavor as I definitely have much more work to do in that area....

I have many more thoughts at the moment, but it is getting late, and I have to teach about women in the 1920s in the morning. I hope my students like Bernice Bobs Her Hair - it is just a great movie!

Cambodia: lia sen haay (let's just ignore the spelling a bit) / good bye

Romania: noapte buna / good night