Cookies part 2

I went to meet Maria on the corner as per our agreement. Her other neighbours were there selling watermelons. The man (I still don't know how name) gave me a free watermelon. And for some strange reason, there was a watermelon on his car. Made me giggle, so I took a picture of it.

This man's favourite topic seems to be discussing Russia and its horrible influence on Romania. He speaks a tiny bit of English but I often have to help him find the words. He offered to take me to his village soon so I could see a bit more of the area. Should be very interesting! He's also going to help me get some pet fish.

The sun was setting and we were all standing and sitting on the corner talking. A few kids came up to us and they seemed facinated by the English. A little boy wanted to try out his English but then became too shy to talk. A couple of dogs sat at our feet and it was just a nice, cozy scene. I took some digital pictures and showed the kids how to use the camera.

Maria took me upstairs and had a feast laid out for me (I had just eaten supper). Cookies, loukum (Turkish Delight), sweets, salami, bread, eggplant mayonnaise dip... And here I was watching what I eat. I ate two of these...I don't know how you'd explain them. Like croissants made out of dough with some loukum in the middle dusted with coconut and a piece of salami. I hoped they wouldn't force the eggplant stuff on me. I tried it once before and everyone knows how much I hate mayonnaise.

The lack of mutual languages is becoming difficult. She seems to think that if she says something louder or faster in Romanian, then I will miraculously understand it. I've been here three weeks (well, three weeks minus a day yesterday) so I think it's a miracle that I can pick out words to get the gist of the meaning of what she's talking about.

She brought out her old pictures to show me. She was such an incredibly beautiful young woman. Turns out she's divorced from her first husband. I tried to draw out a miniature family tree so she could explain the vast relations she was trying to tell me about (how do you explain 'god-father' to someone who doesn't speak Romanian?).

She wants to be my Romanian mother. This scares me. She told me to call her "Mama" (I think). I already have the best mom back in Canada (Hi Mom!). She tried to get me to sit on her lap but I told her I preferred the floor.

We live in apartments on opposite sides of the street. I figured they would be the same inside and outside. Wrong. They look the same on the outside. Mine has an electronic lock outside. Hers has no lock on the front door. My apartment is marble and hardwood. Hers is carpet. She told me how two men broke into their apartment 3 weeks ago. They chipped open the locks, went through everything, ate food in the kitchen and left a "mess" in the bathroom. I don't know how anyone could do that to a poor elderly couple like these people. I hope they didn't steal anything. Maria showed me how she has money and purses hidden all over the living room.

I've never been more afraid of going home before since arriving in Romania. I imagined burglars everywhere. Granted, my apartment block is a lot more secure, but I still had to cross the street and I had no Florin to watch out for me. Coming out of the building, I saw a young mother and her child rifling through the garbage on the corner.