Finally, I am a woman with a home! I made a finally visit on Friday to check things out one more time and to practice lighting the heaters and oven/stove, learn how to work the washing machine, and check the internet (it totally works!!). Everything looked great, and the person I am renting the apartment from still needed to finish packing up some of her things (she is moving to Italy on Monday!), so I returned to the hotel with a tiny bag for one more night there. Before I left, though, Simona and her boyfriend Guiseppe (can you tell that he is from Italy?) made lunch for all three of us. It was so simple and delicious! Raw red bell peppers with the most delicious Italian olive oil and some salt - spinach (just wilted in a big pot with a little butter and then sprinkled with the same olive oil, salt, and lemon juice) which was amazing - good bread - and chunks of Romanian cheese (telemea which is like feta). Afterwards we had some local Romanian grapes. I am definitely making spinach like this if I can still find some fresh at the produce market.
For a little taster about the apartment...here is a picture of the view from the balcony:
And, here are Simona and Guiseppe, in case you have been curious:
In the afternoon, I walked around town just a little bit. There was an interesting architecture showin the Piaza Muzeului, which was a lot of fun to walk around. It was showcasing different projects in Romania (I think only one was in Cluj - many others in places like Iasi and Bucharest), and most of the architects actually appeared to be Romanian, which surprised me. I guess I need to stop getting surprised about all of the interesting things happening here! Since there is little to no food in the area around the hotel, I got a sandwich on the walk back. A vegetarian sandwich for only 2 lei (which is like 65 cents), and it wasn't bad - not great, but I would say well worth the 2 lei! I also picked up a little chocolate bar and mini coke, so my last dinner at the hotel was not all that rough.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
Around 11am on Saturday I came back over to the apartment to get myself all moved in. I didn't really have to bring any bags because Simona actually helped me bring them over on Friday, which was super nice of her. On Saturday, they were still working on finishing a few things up, but I thought it was nice to just have people around for a little bit. Can you tell that I am still trying to come to terms with living by meself...and in a different country no less! While they were packing up the last of their things, I went to the grocery store, produce market, and dairy store (I know, how crazy is that?) and got things for three different recipes - two meals and one dessert-type thing. In looking around the little complex, I discovered a little gallery/opening things going on downstairs, and rather ironically it was something connected with the architecture show from Friday in the piaza. This time, there was information about some architecture projects in several different countries, some very interesting art installations in places like Finland and Cuba, and a little section of pieces from a gallery. I spoke with one of the people involved in the gallery. She actually is from Iasi, which is where the studio is located (things like mosiacs and stained glass). We exchanged information, so perhaps we will meet up if I make it out to Iasi (there is a fulbright person there so hopefully that is a possibility!).
Some people "hanging out" outside the little gallery space:
Inside the gallery:
After all of these little excursions, I sat down to another lunch with Simona and Guiseppe. This time we had gnocchi and tomato sauce, followed by a variety of fruit and parmesan. Delicious just as the day before! I hope that I am able to throw together some meals like this on my own. Think good cooking thoughts for me :) After lunch, the apartment officially became mine - yikes! That evening I was finally able to connect to skype and chat with my mom and video chat with my sister. That was a lot of fun since the only other communication I have had with them since I arrived in Romania has been via email.
Here are a few pictures of my new apartment!!! As my sister pointed out, it is pretty strange that the first time I am living on my own is in a different country...go figure..... :)
What you see when you walk into the apartment....little hallway/room, bathroom straight ahead, kitchen to right, and living room and then bedroom to the left.
Bedroom (do you love my animal print sheets??):
Living room - how nice, big, and airy:
Bathroom - I love how the shower is enclosed because it keeps in the warm air!!!!
Kitchen - definitely nice and big:
Pantry / laundry room - the big fridge is nice and I am beyond excited about the washing machine (I need to wash some clothes very badly!!!):
Now, perhaps you have been wondering what the large brown things are in the corners of the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. Those are the old style heaters - they run on gas but I have to light them. It is kind of crazy!
And, this is home for four months! I think it looks pretty great, and I am excited to finally be here and to feel settled in. Yay!
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