Though this entry is going to end up being posted at night, I’m actually writing it at 2:15ish, in Word, in my room, (no wireless in the room,) while the pictures load from the card onto the computer. (I borrowed a cord from one of the Korean guys.) Anndd it’s taking a while for the 800 prom/graduation/recital/Romania/crap pictures to load, so I figured I’d just write the entry now.
So there’s kind of been a lot going on, buutt at the same time, you’ve haven’t been missing out on THAT much. I can’t check now, but I think my last entry was maybe a week and a half ago, the angry one. I think I wrote it last Sunday? I’ll just assume that I did. So the beginning of last week was more of the same, classes in the morning, and then on Monday night we had this stupid “seara multiculturala,” where the only people that took the time to make presentations about their countries were Turkey, Spain, and of course, the teachers did something about Romania. Tuesday night there was a “serata muzicala” where 4 musicians came from the Universitatii Nationale de Muzica in Bucuresti to play a little concert. They didn’t play traditional Romanian stuff, I don’t even think they played any Enesco, they just played little things like La Vie En Rose and Over The Rainbow, and some real classical stuff like Tchaikovsky and Dvorak anndd whatever. Me being the pretentious musical prick that I’ve become, thought that they were pretty bad. They sounded like they had never played together. You could tell that individually they were good, but that they had never rehearsed. (And now I don’t feel guilty saying that because I found out later from one of the violin players that they had, in fact, only chosen the pieces and rehearsed a few hours before.) So whatever. On the other hand, they actually took the time to come and play for nothing more than a meal and a free night in a hotel in Sinaia, so I give them major credit for that. But all the people in the program was verrryy impressed and also gave them major credit for actually taking the time to come, so we invited them to come for bowling and drinks with us. (yes. bowling.) And they did, and it was fun. And they actually came with us on our “excursie” the next day, which brings us to Wednesday. On Wednesday we went to Sighisoara, which was cute and all, but kind of a waste of time because it was 3 hours both ways just to see a relatively large old town with a few churches. Not to say that it wasn’t beautiful, or that it’s completely not worth seeing, but it was a big trip and ehhh. Then Thursday was pretty boring, I think I took a nap at some point, (I’ve been taking quite a few of those actually. I think my energy level has dropped to zero because the farthest I walk is down the block to the bar or the school or a store and then I come back here and move back and forth between the lobby and the basement and my room and while I’m not that active at home, I’m ridiculously sedentary here.) and then at night I watched 4 luni, 3 saptamani, si 2 zile. Anndd I’m glad I saw it, since it got the Palme D’Or at Cannes and all, and it was good, but it was better for the picture it painted of live during communism than for the actually plot/story itself. Not to mention that keep the camera set on the dead fetus for a minute and half wasn’t awesome. But hey. Anndd finally, we get to the fun part. Friday we left for Bucarest. I think this actually deserves a new paragraph.
Friday, Carmen and I took the 5:05 train to Bucharest. The trains are Harry Potter style, where there are rooms with 6 seats in them, all facing inward. (Like 3 facing the other 3.) It took about an hour and 40 minutes to get to Bucharest, and I was pretty much asleep the whole way there. The way back, on the other hand, I actually looked outside and it was soo beautiful. Then I found out that better than looking outside, is actually standing up and sticking your head out the window. That was verryy fun. And not as dumb as it sounds. I swear. But anyways, we got to Bucharest, and Smaranda and Alexandra were waiting for us at the train station. We met, we drove back to their house, we brought our stuff upstairs. We got dressed, and we went out to have drinks with 3 friends, a girl named….oof, I can’t remember her name…but her, her boyfriend, and another friend of A and S, Alexandra. (A different Alexandra.) Theenn we went to the club, called Expirat. It was crowded and smoky, and Carmen’s eyes were driving her insane, so she didn’t have much fun, but I danced and had a good time. The girl and her boyfriend didn’t come, but Alexandra did, and I met some other friends of theirs, one of which was Paul, who also came clubbing with us on Saturday. Also, two of the musicians from Sinaia, Gabriel and Alexandru, were there. But we left by maybe…4? Maybe earlier? Because Carmen really wasn’t feeling well. Theenn we went to bed, and woke up the next morning between 1:30 and 2:30. That was glorious. Then we ate lunch at the house, then I think at 6 we finally left (with a friend of theirs, Dana,) to go out shopping. J I bought 2 dresses and a skirt. Woooo. Then we stopped home and changed, and Smaranda went with a friend, Karina, to drop of her brother in godknowswhere, and Alexandra and Carmen and I went to a terrace called Embassy to get drinks. (There was actually a whole fiasco with us going to the wrong place in an effort to meet up with her friends, but whatever.) And Paul was there, as was A&S’s cousin, I think her name was Silvia, Silvia’s boyfriend, Alexandra’s boyfriend Alex, (yup…), umm, and I think 3 other people that I didn’t know. Then we went to meet Smaranda &co at the club. This one was called B52. Andd this one wasn’t as crowded and we all had a lot a lot of fun, anndd ended up going to sleep around 6. BUT. We did not wake up at 2. we woke up at noon!. (gasp.) Because we wanted to make sure that we had time to go, (and for Carmen and I to pay,) for lunch with the girls. We went to this (semi-famous? Maybe?) restaurant called Caru cu Bere, and it was verry good. Then Carmen & I didn’t have enough money and I ended up having to put it on my credit card. (And by my credit card I mean my mother’s so sorry and thank youuu.) And then we walked around in the park for a while to digest the obscene amount of food we had eaten and then we came back to the mountains. It was an eventful weekend. Anndd we didn’t feel bad not doing anything cultural because Carmen went to Bucharest and saw the sights right before she came to Sinaia, and I hypothetically saw them last year. Sooo we were all set to have fun and be idiots instead and it was faabbuloouss.
Yesterday I was exhausted, I went to class, then took a nap while everyone took this optional exam that I decided not to take, (I have a whole rant on why I didn’t take it but I’m trying to actually take a nap sometime in the next couple hours,) and then Carmen, Alida, (yayyy Alida’s back!), this guy named Shakeer, and I went to have pizza for dinner to celebrate Alida’s return. Anndd then Alida and I decided that we wanted to go clubbing even though it was Monday. So under the excuse that I can’t go clubbing in America, and that I only have a week and a half left of vacation, anndd that both of us were very in the mood to dance, we went and bought some drinks before going, (cheaper,) and then went clubbing. But Carmen ended up wimping out, as did Karim, so it was just Alida, Shakeer, and I, and some random 8 other people in the club, buutt we didn’t really care cause we were having fun with each other, and it was actually kind of fun to have that much empty space to dance and yeah. It was cute. Buutt we got home at 4am. At which point Alida apparently got sick, but I was sleeping like a rock next door. She didn’t go to class this morning. (But I did! Props to meeeeee.) And here we are. And now that we have reached this fabulous location, I offer photos.
First I offer you the glorious view from the balcony, the first picture being from my first day here, the second being from Karim’s balcony next door, I think during the weekend between the first and second weeks, right after one of the storms.
I never got to get into the frustration of taking ugly pictures of beautiful things. It’s unbelievably frustrating to feel unable to actually capture how overwhelmingly gorgeous something is. Like the first time I saw that view I thought it was breathtaking, and the pictures seems so wimpy. Gyah.
Also, to throw in some people, I give you Karim, in Sighisoara, with Clement from Belgium on the left:
2 pictures of Carmen and I, first before (or maybe after?) we went out in Bucharest on Saturday night, the second at Caru Cu Bere.
Then 2 of us four girls, first on the street on the way to Caru Cu Bere, then during the meal.
Now a picture from the train. The views from the train was beautiful. Huggee fields that make you realize how big the sky is, if that makes any sense. Just endless fields with occasional houses in the distance and this unbelievable amount cloudless blue above them. This pic (which I like a lot for some reason) has a tree, (wowww a tree) and a trillion million sunflowers. I remember when we were driving to Sinaia I was completely blown away by the number of sunflowers and how gorgeous and alive they were. By this trip they were actually kind of dying, and I'm not sure why that is. Probably because it's been so hot. But they were unbelievable all the same. There were so many!
Another pic of the balcony, with Carmen overlooking it. (I just like the pic.)
And finally, I throw in this picture where I look like a total asshole and no one is paying attention to the camera, just so that you can snag a look at Frans from the Netherlands, the nicest sweetest man you’ll ever meet:
Enjoy.
I miss you all like mad.
I’m actually quite homesick.
And am slowly easing into my “fuck I’m only going to have 4 days” panic attacks. Other than that though, I’ve been relatively relaxed, if I dare say that I may have learned the definition of the word.
Oh, and I’m getting really fat. A week of only bread eating for my stomach + maybe possibly some beer drinking (maybe. just a little.) + bad hotel food so we eat out = try not to look so shocked when I get home.
Lovelovelove <3
ps. I didn't actually reread the majority of this entry before posting it at night. Hopefully I was coherent 6 hours ago. Apologies if not.pps. I might as well throw in a description of today to spare my having to do it later. (though it really was not eventful at all.) As I said before, I actually did wake up and go to class, which was relatively miraculous. Then I came home, wrote this while loading the pictures, then took a nap. Then I showered, went for a walk with Carmen and Alida to a church nearby, (which turned out to be quite beautiful, I'd throw in a pic of that too but I haven't loaded today's yet, and I gave the device back to the Korean guys), then ate dinner, anndd now I'm back on the computer actually posting the pics and checking my mail and crap. And then I think Alida, Carmen, and I are going to go onto the hotel terrace restaurant thing to have a chocolate fondue, (fruit and melted chocolate mmmmmmm) and then I'll likely go to bed? Karim and Frans went to the casino, and some other people went clubbing since tomorrow there's the excursion to the vineyard and no one will actually need to use their minds, but I'm pretty tired, and I want to do either part or all of my homework tonight so I don't have to deal with it tomorrow.
Annnd here we are again.
Have a good day all. After that sleep well.
I miss you dearly.
Ehh, as a goodbye I throw in two last Bucharest pictures, the first a (very.) [sorry.] drunken picture of Smaranda & I, and thefour of us in the park before we left for the station:
<3
