Primavara in Petrosani

A travel opportunity arose as worker's day rolled around in Romania as well as probably all former communist states.  Worker’s day is the first of May and a national holiday.  This means that its an official day off in Romania and many people go to the seaside as it marks the opening of the season there.  It’s my understanding that if you’re Romanian and you don’t make it to the seaside on the first of May then you probably have a picnic or a barbeque if the weather is nice.  I decided that instead of descending to sea level like many people from Bucharest are doing I’d climb in elevation and head to the mountain.  Former Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders have taken time on a monthly basis to make it back to their Romanian homes where they lived and worked their first two years of service.  Unfortunately I have not followed the trend and finally I took the chance to make it back to Petrosani for the holiday. 

The decision to revisit Petro City seemed almost destined.  After visiting a few weeks ago with Wes in a depressing rain, my desire to hit the mountains only deepened.  The bitter-sweet event that is the COS conference took place in the days leading up the beautiful 1 May weekend in Petrosani and it happened in Cluj.  The location worked out perfectly as I could easily take a longer but still direct route back to Bucharest while stopping for a couple of days in Petrosani.  Monday being an extra day off leading up to the first of May and making for a 4 day weekend was the third major reason to return.  Finally the “cherry on top” was the weather, forecasting sun and warmth during the entire weekend.  It would have been a crime for me to sit around in Bucharest in such conditions. 

Cascada Lazar

The best days are the discovery days and this was one of them.  It was one of those days when you wake up in the morning knowing “x”, have had these “y” experiences until now and thinking “z” about what there is to come, and when you go to bed that evening all of those values have changed.  The destination was talked about a bit, documented a bit, little more than a rumor, certainly unplotted and it was the day’s goal to find it.  The last time this happened I found myself in a field of thick evergreens pulling myself along, struggling to find a way.  Eventually the way was found, the day was complete and it remains unforgettable.  See Lacul Burtan.  This time the destination was a waterfall and though it didn’t require the same amount of struggle as Lacul Burtan, the mere fact that it was unmarked added to the adventure, which might end up preparing me a bit for those unmarked high peaks in the ADK.  The waterfall is Lazar Falls and it is located in the mighty Retezat Mountains of Romania. 

Ernest, Doamna Grecu and myself were back at it again like we were during so many weekends when I was residing in the small miner/mountain region of Romania.  This time Doamna Grecu’s son who has a passion for photography joined.  It isn’t hard to find someone in the Jiu Valley that has a passion for photography as there are countless places and moments in nature there that you simply must immortalize in a digital file.  See the “stories in picture form” link list to the right.  The last major hike took place in the same region, the southern edge of the Retezat Mountains.  Though they are not the highest peaks in Romania or even in the region, some of the most beautiful sights that I have experienced have happened there.  The snow-covered peaks shined brightly in the morning sun but where soon forgotten when the road thinned out and we were following a stream up through thick forests. 

The central point of the hike was a grass covered bridge that somehow had a boulder fall down on it, taking a large chunk out of its far left side making it impassable by car and leaving the upper half of the road just for those on foot.  If only there were more bridges like this one that the mountain declared war on, leaving even more wild places for those willing to get out of their mobile rooms and feel the rocks under the soles of their shoes.  Throughout the day the bridge served as a resting spot, a water refill, a seat, a kitchen table, a bed and a crossroads.

First we crossed the bridge choosing the path that led us to our destination, Lazar Falls.  The waterfall was about 15 meters high and after a short struggle we found a good spot to take some photos from.  While the other guys where taking photos I decided to explore the area in search of an overhead view.  The view I didn’t really find but I did make it to the other side of the waterfall where the trail seemed to end.  We decided that there must be more but maybe in another direction so we returned to the grass covered bridge to eat lunch and consider another route. 

After lunch we headed up another stream by the bridge.  That stream took us over some rough terrain and before going too far we found a small waterfall to rest at.  The group decided to call it quits there, rest and head back but there was talk of a higher waterfall somewhere in the area.  In my experiences with waterfalls in the great finger lakes region of New York State, you might find a couple small ones here and there but if you keep heading up the river it is very possible to find a large impressive one.  I saw a curve in the river not far up and while the others were resting I decided instead to explore.  Just beyond the curve there was a series of 3 small waterfalls with a fourth large waterfall following.  After catching a closer look I noticed that the forth one, though hard to get to, was even higher than Cascada Lazar.  I think it is what others on forums called Cascada Maria. 

Following my discovery I returned to the group to report the findings but eventually we ended up descending down to the main road to end my first of three hikes this springtime in Petrosani. 

Cascada Lazar was on a Saturday.  Sunday and Monday I participated in hikes that I have done before but really enjoyed.  Sunday hiked in Parang on one of my favorite trails which took use to a ski area, a large rock where I took a nap and a descent past sheepfolds.  The views of Parangul Mic from Partia Slima on a sunny spring day are amazing when the top of the snow capped peak shines against the light blue sky.  Monday’s hike took us to up to Straja with a decent down Braita.  In a few locations along the trail downed trees presented an obstacle.  These trees along with the steep descent, uneven trail and heavy leaf coverage made for a slow, exhausting hike.  Despite our challenges it was a great day of hiking through the forest alongside waterfall after waterfall.  We exited the forest joining the number of groups of barbequers out to get a tan and spend some time in nature on their day off.  It was the Monday before May Day, a long weekend and a beautiful day when we stopped for a much appreciated beer at a small cafe just off the trail. 

Once again springtime in Petrosani doesn't fail to impress me making springtime my preferred season of the year.  

Spring Riding

Four hours of almost continuous riding can tire you out on a nice spring day.  Sunday presented me with the opportunity to get back out on the town discovering.  First off, I was finally in town for an entire weekend and secondly the weather turned out for me.  What more was there to discover?  After looking at the Bucharest map I noticed that even after living here for several months there are still large sections of the city that I have yet to wander around.  Sunday’s main goal was to see what Lacul Morii is all about.

Getting out the door took a while as there were things to do around the house.  Regardless, the continuously changing sky of the morning began calling from the first wake up call at 6 am continuing until it was shedding its light equally on each street.  It was then when the bike and I took our first steps of the day down the stairs of the block and out the door.  After making a couple of quick notes in my journal we were off to the sun overhead rather than behind us like I would have preferred. 

Part one of the ride took me through parts of town both familiar and unfamiliar.  Following the mighty Dambovita River from Piata Unirii I passed some of the nice downtown architecture and main boulevards.  Pedestrians and fishermen accompanied me along the route.  I temporarily veered off course when I saw the College of Foreign Language, Engineering and a few other things.  It looked almost like a park but one whose grounds keepers had taken a 5 year vacation.  People were running through the green, tree-lined lane which opened up to a large courtyard where students were resting and reading on benches surrounded by graffiti painted campus buildings and signs falling off their posts.  After making it back to the main route I continued up the river in search of the lake.  Before finding the lake I was caught in a dead end at one point and on the other side of the tracks at another point.  These hold ups added some time to the trip but not a single bit of frustration.  It was one of those Sunday drives in which getting lost and finding your way is not only permitted but welcomed.  After riding slowly through a packed park and up a dike I arrived at the lake, Lacul Morii, with its winds nearly blowing me over. 

Lacul Morii looks large on a map and looks large in real life but it only takes about an hour to ride around slowly on a bike.  There is a small island just off the coast of the lake with a bridge leading to it.  The island features a gazebo, a non-functioning fountain, an over-grown landscape and several picnickers.  Just beyond the north edge of the lake there is a landfill while the western edge includes a residential area, a small wooden church and many fishermen.  The western edge is the only part in which the road tracing the perimeter of the lake is broken and I was forced to ride into the residential area twice before completing my tour of the lake. 

From Lacul Morii the traffic, honking, asphalt, traffic lights, shops and crowdedness led me astray on my course to arrive at Herestrau park.  After ending up in Victoria square I could get back on track with hopes that eventually the largest park in Bucharest would act as a refuge from the overwhelming city elements closing in on me.  So it turned out, entering the large park was more like entering a mall on black Friday. 

The lanes were loaded with people walking, couples walking, and groups of people walking.  They were walking alone, walking their dogs, or walking their toddlers.  Meanwhile there were bikes weaving in and out of the people in what appeared to be a somewhat dangerous fashion even though miraculously I did not see any accidents.  It is Bucharest’s largest park with decently wide walkways but with the traffic it received on one of the first Sundays of spring you would hardly notice.  The main walkways feature a bright green lane lined in yellow with a white bicycle painted in the middle every 10 meters or so.  The bright green color of the bike lanes in Herestrau set it apart from bike lanes in other parts of the city.  Being that the park houses 2 bike-sharing programs and the popularity of riding in the park has been rising over the years, the realization and respect for the bike lanes are all the more important for the safety of all park users.  With the walking traffic that I saw in the park on Sunday the bike lanes might as well not be there.  They were not respected and they couldn’t have been respected with so many people in the park. 

As I was riding along I heard someone yell out “Maggie”.  Immediately, knowing who it must have been I stopped, turned around, and saw the country director of Peace Corps Romania.  Right, we both live in the same city but I was still quite surprised that with all of the people out that day I ran into someone that I knew.  After slowly creeping along having to get off and walk my bike in some parts I stopped and sat down in the grass next to the lake.  Despite their being so many people around you can stop, sit down in the grass, and when you see the view of the lake on a nice day it is actually quite easy to forget about the crowds of people passing along the asphalt walkway behind you.  For a short moment I admired a boat passing by and in the background an impressive example of communist architecture, in free press square.

 

My time was winding down and for various reasons I had start heading back to my place.  A 30-45 minute ride across the center of town awaited me.  I imaged the small streets that I would soon be riding on, Ioanei, Tamnei, Austriei, Carol 1, Dacia, Mihai Eminescu, ect.  After living here for just 8 months I know certain parts of the city like the back of my hand.  During that ride back I reflected on the newly discovered parts of the city and realized that my last few months in Bucharest are looking to be full of similar bike rides over previously unknown streets. 

Discover Transylvania 2012

Transylvania is a true gem in Europe.  The word means “the land across the forest” and this could refer to its geographical location as a plateau nestled in the backwards “L” shape that the Carpathians make.  The highest range of the Carpathian Mountains (Fagaras Range) makes up much of Transylvanian’s southern border but the region’s eastern, northern and western borders are all defined by high peaks.  It may be that Transylvania’s folklore and its popularity in Bram Stroker’s Dracula are what bring tourists to the area, but what those tourists find there is much more.  They find beautiful villages nestled in valleys between hills or mountains, old cities with medieval architecture, fortified churches and friendly, easy-going people.  When I was presented with the task of showing Romania to one of my best friends, Transylvania was, hands-down, the region I wanted to display and at the same time, revisit. 

Day 1

The early morning train wasn’t all that early.  The plan was to catch the 6:30 Regio to Sinaia but in the morning the later 11:50 InterRegio seemed like a more attractive option.  The train slowly crept out of the city past the long lines of identical blocks and walls decorated in the same graffiti that was there 3 years ago.  The country-side quickly swallowed us whole as we passed by villages with their houses, courtyards, dogs, dirt roads and villagers.  Poverty is easy to see when just leaving the city. Houses nearly falling over situated a stones-throw away from the brightly colored walls surrounding a large home and a Mercedes.  These scenes display poverty not only in the lack of material wealth but also in the lack of class.  Somehow we barely noticed passing by our first stop, the large city of Ploiesti with its oil refineries situated to the south and east of the city while the north of the city looks toward the foothills of the Carpathians.  This city was once the target of a major bombing campaign by the Allied forces in WWII called Operation Tidal Wave.  Suddenly our faces were glued to the window as faces tend to be when you’re in a train and the mountains begin to rise up around you.  Soon we were at our stop, Sinaia.  With our large packs we made our way off the train into a chilling mountain air. 

Sinaia, though a beautiful location, was a bonehead decision by the trip’s planner (myself).  Sinaia was chosen over it’s neighbor Busteni because it features one of the nicest museums in Romania at the best preserved castle in Romania, Peles.  Busteni, on the other hand, features some great hiking with incredible views.  The bonehead decision was that the trip’s planner deciding Sinaia because of the museum, disregarded the fact that Day 1 fell on a Monday when all museums in Romania are closed.  Either way the short hike up to the castle allowed for some nice views of the town’s architecture and monastery.  We were able to hang out in the courtyard of the castle for a while and walk around its grounds before retreating back down the hill with a bar of nuga and a beer waiting for us at the bottom.  Following the beer we made our way back to the train station for the day’s second leg to Brasov. 

After passing by the beautiful Busteni the mountains the train began to descend until finally we entered the city of Brasov.  Hungry and with heavy packs we hustled around town searching for hostels.  The two hostels we had written down on paper were disappointments.  Both hostels were located in the center and both offering not much other than a number on the door.  Finally after doing some more searching I looked in my pocket to find a flier that one man at the train station shoved into Wes’s hand as we quickly passed him.  It was the flier for the hostel Kesmet Dau.  We were in luck as the hostel had cheep beds and one free drink included. 

Day 2

The second day began with a nice conversation about traveling and being in foreign places with our fellow hostel goers.  A couple of Canadians, Americans, a Brit and a lone Swedish gal made for good morning conversation before heading out.  The days discoveries began with a hike to Tampa, the peak that rises sharply out of old town Brasov that takes you up to the cities very own version of the Holleywood sign.  Views from the peak reveal Brasov and beyond on one side and the snow covered Carpathian peaks on the other.  The hiked looped back down the hill through the forest ending at one end of Brasov’s southern wall were our old city walk began.  That walk took us to the major sites of the city gates, rope street, the square of advice, the black church, the northern wall and finally lunch at a basement restaurant.  From there we returned to the hostel to grab our bags and move on to the next point of interest, Sibiu. 

Day 3

Our host gave us some great advice the night before which led to my favorite part of the trip.  It was the second to last nice day of the trip and we spent it walking from village to village over beautiful Transylvanian landscapes.  Starting in the nearby city of Cisnadie we perused a couple second-hand stores and made our way to the center of town where we circled the beautiful fortified church.  An old local man led us to the edge of town showing us the old dirt road to our next destination.  Passing a flock of sheep through an orchard we spotted the next fortified church in the distance.  The fortress at Cisnadioara is situated high up on a steep hill at the edge of a small village.  On our way up the hill we spotted some deer and at the top of the hill we spotted an amazing landscape viewing Cisnadie in the distance and the mountains to the south. 

After asking the locals for directions to our next destination we were sent up an old wagon road that was hard to follow at times.  Just after crossing the hill’s peak we could see Rasinari, the dream site of a fellow volunteer.  On our way down the hill we spotted some donkeys grazing and a hawk swooping down by the forest.  The town was pleasant to walk through with its dirt road splitting the bright colors of the houses lining it.  We met with the volunteer in the center of town were we picked up some lunch supplies.  After a good chat and some grub we decided to take off back to Sibiu where we hung out with our great hosts at restaurant in the beautiful small square.  

Day 3

Tour of Sibiu.  It’s high walls, old churches, squares large and small and rich history we filled our day which included a trip through the Birkenthaul museum where our host was working.  What’s Europe without visiting at least one museum?  The day was pleasant but you could feel it getting colder and cloudier.  The next day we would be back on the road after three nights in Sibiu and we were hoping for some decent travel/hiking weather.

Day 4

Decent weather we did not get as we woke up to snow and then heavy rain.  The weather stalled our departure from Sibiu but eventually we got out the door and on the road to Deva where you can see the fortress on the hill shooting up out of town.  The fortress was nice but the burrito at Pizza Grande was better.  I was quite familiar with Deva already being that it was my transportation hub for traveling in the northern and western parts of Romania for the two years of staying in Petrosani.  The maxi-taxi ride that I’ve become so familiar with put me to sleep and suddenly we were surrounded by mountains again descending switchbacks, back home in Petrosani.  My good buddy Dragos picked us up at the bus station and we spent that evening first getting some food with some of my best friends in Petrosani, Leddy and Dan, and then returning to Dragos’s for a good evening’s conversation.  Unfortunately, visiting was the extent of our trip to Petrosani.  The weather hindered our main purpose for visiting my second home, hiking in Parang.  Due to the weather we cut our Transylvanian adventure short a half day by taking the day train back, but not before we took some time to visit with Ernest.  Six hours of train and we were back in Buc to meet some friends out for a nice night in Lipscani. 

Conclusions:

Transylvania is a pretty face of Romania but not the only face of Romania.  Traveling through Transylvania was a good idea and it showed my buddy a great/beautiful part of Romania.  We hung out with some friends, met some interesting people and talked to quite a few Romanians that had some interesting things to tell us about the history of the country.  Despite all of this, it was great that Transylvania is not the only part of Romania that I was able to show my friend.  Spending a couple days at the beginning and end of the trip allowed us to do some discovering in Bucharest as well.  I’m sure that Wes learned a bunch about Romania and saw many new things but I also learned quite a bit as this was the first time I took a look at both parts of my Peace Corps service: service as a PCV in Petrosani and service at a PCVL in Bucharest.    

St. Patricks Day 2012

“Everyone’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day”.  Some people love this saying and some people hate it.  Some of the not so Irish or partly Irish like myself love it because it gives them an opportunity to celebrate, whether it be by gathering together with family at grandma’s or with friends at the pub.  It may be that the one’s that despise the phrase aren’t Irish and therefore they don’t find that they have a reason to celebrate it.  I’ve heard people in this bracket complain that people say they’re Irish on St. Patrick’s Day just for another reason to get drunk.  The others that I could see disliking the above mentioned expression are the actual 100% Irish who might see the current and sometimes belligerent interpretation of their national holiday as an attack on their culture.  While perusing facebook on the greenest day of the year I noticed that a friend of mine, whom I respect, posted a comment that showed his discontent of the holiday.  His comment made me think and examine why it is that I celebrate St. Paddy’s Day.  Eventually I’ve determined that the answer to this question more about where I come from than where my great great great grandparents came from.

Corning NY is a small town in upstate New York where workers once immigrated to the area to work in the glass-factory.  Now scientist, engineers and business-men come as all the laborers are now in China.  There is undoubtedly an Irish presence in Corning weather it be in the names of my classmates and friends (O’hare, Stack, O’Laughlin ) but maybe more evident when you see the names of some of the older bars in town (Maleys, Murphys, McKlintock).  When listening to the attendance called out in school you hear some Irish names but it by no means dominates the list like the Italian names do.  Either way, one of the neat things about Corning is that today, like many years ago, you find people from many different backgrounds.  For being a small conservative town a stone’s throw away from the middle of nowhere it does have some surprising diversity.  I suppose a lot of small towns in America is like that.

I first learned about St. Patrick’s Day at home, secondly in the church and lastly in school.  There are two things that I remember most about St. Patrick’s Day celebrations long ago and they have both been present in my last couple of celebrations, the color green and the film Darby O’Gill and the Little People.  That’s right, I didn’t say green beer.  I’m talking long ago when someone, maybe at school, introduced me to one of my all time favorite Disney films.  Check it out if you haven’t yet.  I can’t go on reminiscing about St. Patrick’s Days without mentioning my Great Grandma Mertson who when you walk into her house on the special day it’s like a new green starburst, flavor explosion for your eyes.  On top of that, the traditional corned beef and cabbage is served at her place and it really makes you feel Irish, whether you are or you’re not. 

Finally we get to the part where booze is involved.  I will admit that green beer, Jamison and Irish car bombs took a pretty central role in my St. Patty’s day celebrations of my 20’s but looking back, those were relatively few up until I came to Romania.  In Romania they don’t really celebrate St. Patrick’s Day so the last couple holidays I spent explaining who St. Patrick was to my students then going home to watch Darby O’Gill.  Things are a bit different in Bucharest and this year I was able to have a much more thorough celebration of the Irish holiday.

First off, there are Irish in Bucharest and one of them happens to be my boss.  The Peace Corps Romania St. Patrick’s Day party kicked off the holiday with some old-school Irish tunes playing on the radio, learning to sing one and of course, pin the shamrock on the leprechaun.  Though this last part is probably not traditionally Irish, it was fun and it got people in the spirit of celebrating.  The following day the Irish Embassy scheduled a music event in center of old town featuring an Irish people-pleaser band called the Amazing Apples and a couple of other Flogging-Molly style Romanian bands (literally covering Flogging Molly songs).  After the show, traditionally dressed bagpipers toured old town with a drummer, guitar player and mandolin player.  They played their instruments, sang and danced on the floors of bars throughout old town.  This part of the evening was surely a treat.  Later on my friend Mihaela and I went to an Irish pub we haven’t been to yet to pack into the crowd for an extended evening with the Amazing Apples playing not only Irish tunes but also crowd pleasers like their Lady Gaga/MGMT mash-up.  Even though it wasn’t much like my old-time favorite Corning celebrations of St. Patrick it was still a great time and it did include that good traditional Irish music that you usually hear playing on my computer and ipod during the 5 days leading up to the holiday.

To those who can’t stand the saying “Everybody’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day” my advice to you is to live and let live.  Right, people do use it for an excuse to get drunk sometimes but lets be honest, if St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t an excuse to get drunk something else would be (Friday, happy hour, over the hump, ect.).  Secondly, I believe I read somewhere recently that the Irish are the second largest immigrant group in the United States to the Germans.  Maybe all those people saying that they’re Irish actually are, at least a bit.  What makes the US so unique is that it is a country of immigrants.  Here in Romania we celebrate Romanian holidays where we eat Romanian food dance the traditional Romanian dances and partake in some, at times strange, but interesting Romanian customs that go back centuries.  In the states you find people from all different backgrounds who celebrate in the way their parents taught them which is where they come from and may be quite different from how you were taught to celebrate.  This is one of the beauties of the US.  

One World Romania

Put on by the Czech Center, this international human rights documentary film festival reminded me of one of the positive aspects about living in a capital city, the cultural events.  In its fifth edition in Romania, the festival displayed a number of films addressing a large variety of topics related to human rights throughout the world.  The nine films I saw addressed topics from hip hop music to escaping communism, to genocide.  The topics for the most part were hard to deal with and for that reasons the films main image was made to be one hard to deal with.  It was an image of a women and a man wearing expressionless faces with an old-style shaving razor being held up to their manually opened eyes as if they were drones being forced to watch something that would painfully change the way the see the world around them.

The festival opening featured a band performing various styles of music interpreted by a diverse group of youth criminals who had to be police escorted to and from the stage.  The feature film was rather uplifting as it documented the beginning of hip hop music as the form of political protest that it once was and its disbursement in this form around the globe.  The Furious Force of Rhymes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnNGO_MOkUg

The following evening hosted a number of films but I chose to attend the free one, not only because it was free but also because it was the most relevant film of the festival in the context in which I worked for two years in Romania and in which many of my colleagues work at the moment.  That context is the Romanian educational system and the documentary entitled “Our School” documented the attempt for the EU to desegregate Romanian schools by integrating Roma into classes with Romanians, the attempt for the teachers to handle the changes in their classrooms and the attempt for the kids to go to school.  It was a very sad film but one that should probably be watched by teachers all over the world.  Our School: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiujVekWkuQ

“Our School” was shown in the New Cinema of Romanian Directors located at the Peasants museum.  Two major aspects about this cinema set it apart from the other three main festival cinemas; it is located quite far from the very center of town and entrance was free.  Once again, Thursday evening I went for the free choice.  O the life of a PC volunteer in Bucharest.  Even though I didn’t see all of the other films airing that evening I would say that I made a good choice catching the only showing of “Albanian Special”.  Albanian Special was a series of three short documentaries made by students of an Albanian film school that has faced its own struggle with oppressive authorities over the years.  After the films the director of the school came out to answer “questions” about the films and the struggles that his school has had to go through over the years.  I put “questions” in quotes because there may have been only one.  The talked through the entire discussion time only answering one question.  Either way I give him credit for being the only Albanian that I’ve heard of that can speak decent Romanian.  

Friday offered up a two-for-one special at Cinema Union with “A Murder Revisited” about a male homosexual killed in Serbia followed by the light hearted story of an old Czech man traveling through Russia.  It was an odd mix but the discussion following the second film was almost as entertaining as the movie itself.  The film followed the helmet and track suit wearing Mr. Triska around Russia following his father’s old war tracks to Siberia while actually probing the Russian public he interviewed for thoughts on politics, life in Russia and the recent disappearances of journalists.  I enjoyed the feature so much I decided to stay for the double feature that followed.  Mr. Triska Epoch Making Trip to Russia: http://vimeo.com/21815503

I went on to see two more films that week wishing that I had the chance to see the rest.  (http://www.realsocialnetworkfilm.com/, http://skylightpictures.com/film/site/about/).  Like the festival posters suggested they were truly eye-opening films and in some ways, like the posters suggest, their subject matter cut like a knife.  After last weeks film festival I was happily reminded of one of the positivies about living in a large city. 

One World Romania- http://oneworld.ro/2012/l/ro/

Martisor 2012

On the first of March each year Romanians celebrate Martisor.  My first Martisor came as a surprise.  I was not forewarned of the customs until about a week ahead of time when I asked my colleagues why there are stands up throughout the city selling decorations and flowers.  My second Martisor was spent presenting on the topics of Peace Corps and volunteerism to a small group of bright young individuals at a library in Craiova.  This past martisor was spent at yet another Peace Corps event hosted by the Gender and Development Committee helping with set up and looking on while art projects where displayed and awarded in their portrayal of this year’s theme, “Peace at Home, Peace in the World”.  March first has turned out to be a very important day in my Peace Corps service but what exactly does Martisor mean and why is it celebrated?

In trying to steer clear of the textbook/Wikipedia answer I’ll try to give a PCV perspective on the local holiday.  A week or two before March first, stands go up around town and the people standing behind the table are selling small gifts or flowers.  You walk down the street seeing table after table filled with little white boxes that say “1 MARTIE” in red at the top of the box.  Each little box has a small window revealing its contents which may be a 4-leaf clover, a chimney sweeper, a flower, or a number of other symbols.  A friend of mine even found a martisor that looked like a salted pretzel.  The one thing that each martisor does have in common is the red and white string attached to it.  There are various explanations for what each color represents but one explanation is that the white represents winter while the red represents spring, and the fact that the colors are woven together represents the transitions from winter to spring.  Looking back over the three different Martisor celebrations that I have had, though I’ve participated in 3 different activities in 3 different locations, there has been this one constant of season change.  Now when I think of the first of March, like most Romanians, I consider it the beginning of spring.  

Martisor 2012 presented an opportunity for me to get together with good people and get crafty.  My host country organizations MaiMultVerde (MMV) decided that it would be nice to gather some materials from around the office (materials that would have probably been otherwise thrown away or recycled) and make something nice out of them.  This year, instead of spending money on cheap, plastic gifts probably made in China, I spent hours with fellow MMV volunteers cutting paper, gluing various things together, and tying red and white strings around them.  I even learned some origami which is something that I wouldn’t mind learning more of if I have time.  The result was great.  Some of the gifts were sold to the GAD committee for their event while others were sold to MMV supporters.  The money that was raised will be used to support a tree planting activity that will take place in April.  

One quick fact that must be mentioned about March 1st is its intimate connection with Peace Corps.  Like all things super important there is a day dedicated to them.  Mothers are super important so there is a mother’s day.  Human Rights are super important so there is a Human Rights day.  Fooling people is super important so there is a Fool's Day.  Well Peace Corps is pretty important too, and so on March first we celebrate Peace Corps Day.  Though, in Romania, Peace Corps Day is usually overshadowed by the local Martisor celebrations it is no small matter.  March first is the day that President Kennedy officially established the Peace Corps.  Happy Birthday Peace Corps!

The Floral Calendar

Spring was welcomed with open arms in the Jiu Valley this year. Months of cold darkness had taken their toll, dragging out much longer than the year before. Though it came late, the spring’s beauty was anticipated. It was only one year earlier when I had “stopped to smell the flowers” rather, “stopped to know the flowers”. All those weekends spent outside of my close quarters helped me realize just how beautiful spring is. At this point, if someone was to ask me what my favorite season is it would be an easy answer.

The late coming of spring didn’t throw off its regularity. Nature doesn’t follow a calendar of days but rather a climate calendar and even though the warmer weather may come a couple weeks later it still comes in the same way it came last year. You can observe this phenomenon by watching the flowers. I am a beginner but even my second year into it I could see the constants. My hiking partner has been observing this area year after year since the seventies when he first set foot in the Jiu Valley. This weekend you’ll see flower “A” and next weekend flower “B”, he would say. For the most part he was right.

The first to pop its head up out of the soil is the ghiocei (snow drops). Ghiocei are used as a symbol of the coming of spring and given to ladies on March 1^st. The second flower to appear is the brandusa (crocus) and in my experiences it is found at higher elevations. A couple weeks after the brandusi first appear a trip to Oltenia is in session to find a flower native to few places in the world, lalele pastrite (dotted tulip). Lalele Pastrite is a tulip which droops its heavy purple head down toward the swampy land that it grows on. The narcise (narcissus) are next to appear. Fortunately in Petrosani we have access to narcise both in the low lands of Oltenia and also narcise in the Vulcan mountains which appear a couple weeks later. This allows us to enjoy the beauty of the flower in both sight and scent, for a prolonged period of time. It seems like the salcam (acacia) appears at around the same time as the narcise but sticks around longer. If you’re walking on the side of a country road and the flower hangs down within reaching distance I advise you to break off some of the flowers to give their sweet pedals a taste. The large dark blue/purple flowers of the liliac (lilac) bloom out of the country yards for a couple of weeks in mid-spring gracing travelers on the other side of the gate with their soothing scent. Finally as spring turns to summer the large white soc (elder) flowers bloom. You can’t get within 15 feet of these plants without knowing they are there. Socata (elder juice) is a popular drink in the area and it is made from the flowers of the soc, lemon, and sugar. Last year I brewed up about 5 liters of this delicious juice and for a first try I’d say it was a success.

The flowers found in the Jiu Valley are not limited to those I have mentioned. Those that I have mentioned are the flowers most sought out, but on any given day you can enter the beautiful mountain massifs of Parang, Retezat and Vulcan to find a rich variety of flowers and other plants. If you enter some of the high peak regions of the Carpathians in the summer time you may even see the protected floare de colt (edelweiss) growing on the side of the steep rock faces.

The lowlands offer some beauties as well in the summertime. Last year outside of Timisoara I remember seeing large fields of sunflowers. That explains the towers of shells that you will see from time to time on the personel trains. Last but not least the mac (poppy) is definitely worth mentioning. Cruising from Targoviste to Bucharest you see the red gem’s lining the roads and dotting the fields. Their pedals look like smooth silk being blown by the hard flat plane winds.

Wherever you are in Romania the springtime is sure to brighten your life. The sights, scents, and even tastes will abruptly break you out of that winter depression. Just be careful not to miss it. Many of these small beauties only stick around for a couple of weeks before going to sleep until next year. As springtime rolls around next year don’t waste a moment in that small living room apartment watching TV, or checking email and surfing the net. A field of narcise is just kilometers away waiting for you to breath in its miracle.