Ding dong
My doorbell rang as I was leaving for work. I ignored it.
It rang again a few minutes later. I went to answer the door.
A man holding a clipboard was there and started speaking Romanian at me at 100 km an hour. The only word I was able to make out was "scaune" (chair). Then he said "scaune, bucaterie" which I know means "chair, kitchen". Did he want the chair in my kitchen? Should I invite him inside? Did he used to live here and forget something? Could those condom wrappers belong to...ewww...him?
I gave him my patented "dumb tourist" look. He still kept talking. I told him I didn't speak much Romanian. Did that make him slow down? No, of course not.
I figure out he wants to check my gas or something. And he still wants that damn chair. I show him the kitchen chair, but no, he doesn't want it. He wants a different chair. I still can't figure out why. He follows me inside and wants the red stool in my kitchen. Ok, good enough. I hand it to him.
He asks if I have "papers". Another dumb tourist look follows. "Paper. PAPER!" I threw out a tonne of stuff left over from the previous tenants but don't think I found anything he wanted.
Luckily, my neighbour came by. "She doesn't speak Romanian!" "I know!" "Then why are you bothering her? Why didn't you find someone else?"
There is nothing like getting bitched at by an old lady. My neighbours are great.
I lived in my apartment in Bucovina for seven months and didn't meet a single neigbour. I live in this apartment for two weeks and everyone knows me as "the Canadian".
Living in Piata 700 is almost like being in residence again. Everyone smiles and says hello. People stop and talk in the halls, commenting on pets, new plants and grandchildren. It's a great atmosphere!
3 Comments:
Sounds like good material for a new reality show! Neighbours 700? The kitchen chair pickup line is like the oldest one in the book... Daah!
You have no ideea how many sitcoms, reality shows and policiers are going on daily in our beloved comunist era block of flats.
Karla you were good on your way learning romanian actually. Didn't you pass over the point break yet?
Real sitcomes?
Or just daily soap operas between the tenants?
I'm friends with an older lady downstairs who likes to run around the hall in her underwear. She has a boyfriend in Italy, but since she's smarter than he is, doesn't want to move there.
There are the old ladies who are constantly together. And the Satanic cats. And the horny dogs. And the old men wandering in the gardens.
My Romanian is decent. I'm getting frustrated with it though. I picked up Swedish so easily and I'm struggling with Romanian. I don't know if my brain is full of too much information or what.
I have a learning Romanian book, but it doesn't always give the answers, and I'm the type who needs constant reassurance to make sure I'm learning the language properly. And no, I don't want a tutor (although Nelu offered to help me).
My read Romanian is ok, but to hear it being spoken is a challenge. Especially when speaking with a 60 year old man who doesn't pronounce anything other than mumbling!
Post a Comment
<< Home