Today has been a busy day with much walking involved, along
with 4 other forms of transport. My day
began at 8:30 when Alina and I walked to catch the tram to Piata Obor, once the
largest open air market in Bucharest, not much of it indoor. The fruits and vegetables were very fresh and
there were also meats, including some “wild, from the forest”, cheeses, and
household goods. I saw people buying
milk from large containers that they put into 2 liter, plastic, Coca Cola
bottles. Vendors were often willing to
provide a taste of the product prior to purchase. I bought a kilo of fresh walnuts – the BEST
walnuts I have ever tasted! (I think, simply because they were so very
fresh.) I also purchased a leather belt
to hold my pants up – I have already lost a little more weight since leaving
home.
We got back home at 10:30, which put me running late. I woke Amanda, asked her to put away the
foods I had purchased, and quickly changed clothes. I walked to my university, SNSPA, a quickly
as possible, arriving just in time for my 11:00 appointment with the Dean of
the School. Dr. Diana Cismaru, whom I
met last year in the US, is head of the Communications Department and I will be
working under her. Dr. Alina B… is head
of the 4 departments that make up this school.
I was welcomed and then given a brief tour of parts of the school, an
old building with many stairs. Diana
showed me her office, which she shares with another departmental director, and
took me to their bookstore, a very small space that carries books and journals
published by faculty members. I was
given a handful of English language journals to read as a way of learning a
little about the research interests of my new colleagues. I walked back home, a little more leisurely
this time – it is a 20 minute walk that way, which suggests to me that it is a
distance of about 1 mile.
After thanking Amanda for what she had done and fussing at
her for not completing the job J, I had lunch and took care of a few tasks around the
house. At about 2:30, Amanda and I left
together, combining bus travel and walking to get to SAE Institute, where we
met with the director. Amanda had
learned of this place while we were still back in the US – it offers both
degree and certificate programs in several areas of digital film
production. The director was a young
man, but pleasant and forthcoming with answers to questions. I think Amanda may start a 6-week course in
Film Production there in mid-October.
The original plan was to then take Ralph out for a nice walk, but Amanda
was too tired from her one outing and I was too tired from my 3 to take her
dog. So we relaxed and took care of
computer tasks instead, providing Ralph with a short outing in the garden. At 7:00 pm we left again, this time by foot
and by metro to connect with an “Eat-up Meet-up” at a Moroccan restaurant. Again, Amanda had located this group -
English-speaking folks in Bucharest who gather once or twice a month to go out
to dinner - while we were in the US. It was a small group – only 6 others
besides ourselves and so conversation was easy.
There were 2 folks from the Netherlands, one doing an internship at the
Dutch Embassy and one who has relocated here for wider employment
opportunities; one originally from Costa Rica who has been living in Bucharest
for 3 years; and the other three are all Romanians who have travelled/lived in
other parts of the world. The food was
good and the conversation stimulating.
Our departure time being close to the end of the running of the metro
meant that we came home by taxi, the fourth and final mode of public transport
for the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment