2 Weeks Post-Paris/Turin

I know, I know, I say this everytime, but I really cannot believe how quickly time is going by.  It already has been almost two weeks since my trip to Turin and Paris.  Unfortunately for all of you out there, I can give some updates but I do not really have any pictures to add.  My apologies for the boring looking post.

So, as you all know, I was stricken with food poisoning (still in shock over the fact that this happened at a nice restaurant...in Paris!!!!).  That happened Saturday night of May 1st, and I wasn't back to 100% until that Thursday or Friday (May 6-7).  During that time, I had a make-up class with my MA students in public history.  We met on Monday evening (May 3rd) and surprisingly all four of the students showed up.  No classrooms were available so we went to a nearby coffee shop for class.  We did oral history, and I think it was a fairly fun class - discussed things, did practice interviews, and listened to examples on the computer.  On Wednesday, I had my regularly scheduled class with them, and this time only two showed up.  It is so frustrating to prepare for class and have only 2 of the 4 there, but this is the norm here.  This was an important class, too, because we discussed their final project, which is not in insignificant part of their final grade.  So far everyone has been very good about turning in assignments, but I am curious to see how things will turn out when with the internship presentations in two weeks and the final projects in three.

On Thursday, May 6th I decided to go to Romanian class.  It is starting to seem pointless because I am leaving so soon and I doubt I will ever have a chance to use this language again, but for some reason I really want to learn more Romanian and be able to communicate with people here.  Maybe I just like going to school!  So, off to class I went.  And, it was incredibly frustrating.  We spent most of the three hours discussing the genitive and dative, which I had never even heard of!  I just know the grammar rules in English - I definitely do not know the names for things.  Let's just say that if I thought singular/plural and masculine/feminine/neuter for nouns was confusing, I had no concept of what confusion could mean.  Welcome to the world of the possessive: Jim's car, Jim's dad's car.  Trust me, in Romanian, you definitely DO NOT just add an apostrophe 's'.  Can we talk about how infinitely easier Spanish is than Romanian?  Needless to say, I left class with a clouded and aching brain and have vowed not to return, if for anything else than my own sanity.  Since I am leaving soon, further attendance would be nother more than self-inflicted torture!  My hat is off to anyone who learns all of these intricate rules because I am baffled!!!!

Friday (May 7th) was a lot of fun and pretty busy.  I had a CIWC meeting in the morning, and we listened to a presentation by the director of a non-profit that runs after-school centers for children.  A local travel agency came and talked about travel options in Romania and throughout Europe.  Maybe I will have to use them to organize my trip this summer!  Later that day, I got to meet my friend Zsuzsa for pizza.  She moved away from Cluj around a month ago to continue her research in other archives, so it was nice to see her and catch up.  After eating, we tried to go to the mall and see a movie, but they were all ending too late.  Darius Brubeck (one of Dave Brubeck's sons and one of the Fulbrighters in town) was giving a concert at the Hungarian Opera, and I needed to be back in time for that.  It was a really great concert and lasted two hours.  His quartet performed with a Romanian singer who had this really amazing low voice (though at times she looked and sounded a little bit like a bird in distress).

Article in the local paper (in Romanian - translate with google translator):
http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/cluj-napoca/Teodora_Enache_si_Darius_Brubeck-dublu_concert_la_Cluj_0_257374312.html

I can't find anything of the Darius Brubeck Quartet performing with Teodora Enache, so here are a few videos so that you can get a sense of her alone:





And, if you do not know who Dave Brubeck is, then I am just sad for you.  Immediately go to your computer and look up "Take Five" and listen closely.  The concert ended with this piece (because it was Darius' dad's most well-known composition), and it was awesome!

The next day, I went to April's house so that we could practice some.  We finally are doing a small concert for the CIWC, so that should be a lot of fun.  We are doing 3 or 4 pieces together and one each on our own.  It should be interesting....  Sunday I think I just hung around the house, but that night I went to a concert of Baroque music from Venice, performed by a group from Trieste, Italy.  There is nothing like hearing classical European music in a neat old church...in Europe!

This past week hasn't been very interesting.  I guess I am used to trips every now and then, so I got bored just hanging around town.  I was hoping to go to Bucovina to see the painted monastaries this Thursday to Sunday, but no one was available to travel with me.  I just don't think I would enjoy it much on my own, so I stayed put here in Cluj.  There seems to be enough happening in town, so I think it will work out.  On Monday I had yoga (finally I made it again) and then worked at Starbucks all afternoon grading drafts for my class that night.  Unfortunately, one was completely plagiarized even though we spent an entire class session discussing plagiarism and citations (and, yes, the person in question was there).  Sigh.  The next day, I practiced again with April, and I went to someone's son's birthday party.  It was a lot of fun - and delicious because they have all of the stuff to make burritos, including cilantro.  And, trust me when I say that cilantro does not exist in this country, so everyone was very excited (it came from someone's garden)!

On Wednesday my MA class was cancelled AGAIN because not enough people were coming.  Only 1 of the four was able to make it, and that is just not worth it for anyone, either me or the students.  I clearly have not completely adapted to the system, but I this still makes me frustrated and ready to get back to American classes where attendance is actually required and expected!

Right now, I am typing all of this up at Starbucks (yet again).  We had knitting here this morning, and I am starting to lose hope that my scarf will ever be free of the knitting needles (aka finished!).  Apparently, knitting is just one of those things that can be added to the list of things I do not like. 

Plans for the next few days:

- Concert ('opera gala') tonight at the Protestant Theological Seminary.  Guest singers from both of the opera houses in town will come, in addition to performances by some choirs.

- Friday: Basketball game in the early evening.  One of the professional teams in Cluj has made the Romanian finals, so some of the games are happening this weekend.  I know someone on the team, and I haven't made it to a game yet, so I think this is my last chance.

Saturday: Night of Museums (no, no, not the movie "night at the museum").  This is an even all across Europe where museums are open late for visitors.  Maybe I will finally make it to the Ethnographic Museum. 

Sunday: Perhaps an ikebana flower arranging class at the Japanese Cultural Centre if they still have room, though I doubt they do.  Not exactly a passion of mine, but it could be interesting to learn.  And, let's be honest, who would have thought that I would learn the fine art of Japanese flower arranging while in Romania?!