Thank you Leandro!

A big thank you to my new friend Leandro, Marianna's AIESEC buddy here. He was baby-sitting us the entire day while the rest of the people were in class or at work.
He took us to the open-air market, quite like an Indian bazaar, only less chaotic and the noise levels are maintained here! The food seems to be quite cheap, and everything is fresh. I ate an apple that we bought yesterday, trust me it was the best apple I ever had!
There were huge drums of pickled veggies like cabbage, something that look like jalepeno peppers, and they even pickle Watermelons (yes, you read that right!). Next time I go to the market, I will definitely buy some of that.
We bought some cheese, bread, mushrooms and some kind of pepper spread for our sandwiches.
I tried to take photos at the market, but vendors didn't allow me! Next time, according to Leandro, I should just click the photos without asking them.

The final tram station, like the Churchgate of Bombay

View from Leandro's apartment

Way to the terrace in Leandro's building. Say hello to Marianna!

One o the poster's Leandro gave us to put in our room. This poster pretty much says everything about me, it has a very Rat-esque vibe (character from the comic strip Pearls before Swine)

The Bega river

Marianna's lunch

My veggie lunch

Old men fishing in the Bega

This is either a rich person's house or a gypsy's, only I can't remember!

Check out the sweet rolls with fillings such as jam and chocolate. Yum!

We tried some kind of snack, whose name I forgot, its deep-fried and stuffed with various things like cheese, potatoes etc. Imagine a really fat bhatura (the one you eat with choley), stuffed with various fillings, only they were comparatively less spicier than Indian food. Which brings me to the fact that I miss our good 'ole red chillies. How does humanity survive without them?! I had a bottle of hot sauce in my bag, if I could only find it!

The meat and cheese section of the market

The beer factory' chimney. You can smell the malt brewing in the evening

They tried to make a big beer mug to get the World record. But it wasn't enough.

Vlad met us for lunch at our cafeteria. I ate some rice with grated carrots (I think) and a banana.
We finally signed some our dorm contract today. I was so glad Leandro was there because I wouldn't be able to understand a word otherwise. I think its much easier for Marianna as some Italian and Romanian words are the same. I realized that back home in India, we take it for granted that everyone speaks at least some English.
I think I may have found some Halal food. Right across the street is a shop with Arabic written on the door. Unfortunately it was shut. I tried the store next door for some information, but the lady didn't speak any English. Arrgh!
I should finally finish making my India presentation. Any ideas on what to include in it?

First glimpses of the room

Second floor, dorm 11
Our door from the outside
My side of the room
View: another dorm!
Yes, it looks slightly dirty, but its a super comfortable
Self-explanatory
Shelf that looks like a toileteries section of the super-market
Tiny closet which Marianna and I share
Door from the inside
Our tiny sink squeezed in between the fridge
The snacks and laundry shelf

Magnet from Munich lies on the fridge. Thanks to Vlad we finally found a socket!

The Romanian Customs didn't want to let me in

Munich doesn't bring back plesant memories. I spent 10 hours at the airport last year, having missed my connection.
High on the agenda in Munich, was to buy a magnet. The last one I bought, my mum conveniently broke. The five hours were spent browsing stores. Alas, the Mango shop where I had great fun last year, was closed down. In it's place was a terrible bag shop.

The flight to Timisoara was one of those tiny tiny airplanes where you wonder if it will be able to manage your weight. One of the last places I expected to meet Indians was on a flight to Romania. But of course, there we were, three Indians on a flight, smiling awkwardly at each other.
The Timisoara airport left much to be desired. Quite like the airport in Leh. One building, thats it. At least I wouldn't get lost.
The Romanian customs weren't exactly pleased to see me. They took away my passport, while I was left in a corner for 20 minutes. Outside my AIESEC welcomers were frantically waving out to me. Finally I met Marianna (my Italian roommate who has promised to teach me to cook pasta), Liana (my AIESEC buddy) and Vlad (whose house Marianna and I plan to burn down!).

I'm living on the university campus where there a zillions of dorms, at last count. Our room itself isquite small, but self sufficient. We even have a fridge in here, if only we could find a socket to plug it into.
The afternoon was spent looking around and eating really really good vegetarian food. After which Marianna and I came back to our new home to set it up. My bit still looks a bit messy though. We went to the super-market to buy some essentials.

First impressions:
a. where are the big, tall buildings?
b. why do the parks look so abandoned?
c. the campus is hauntingly quiet

Come back tomorrow for photos of the room =)

Priviledges of being a petite girl

a. Even though your bags are terribly over-weight, the airline lets you go
b. And when you don't have anyone sitting beside you in the airplane, you can lift the arm-rest and curl up in a foetal position and have a nice nap, while everyone else in the plane suffers from strained shoulders.

Ah, how I love my parents for making me petite!

Trying to fit my life in a 20 kg luggage limit

Two days before I leave!
Just found out that a certain airline that I will be flying allows me just one bag which can weigh a maximum of 20 kg.
I cannot figure out what to throw because clearly I will need everything but the kitchen sink.
Being from a tropical climate, I'm used to roaming in jeans and flip-flops. But in Romania, I'm guessing I need more.
If you have any suggestions of what I should leave behind, I'd be grateful!

Ignorance is not bliss

Hello,
Shamefully I must admit that there are only two things I know about Romania
a. The capital is Bucharest
b. The terror of my childhood, Dracula was Romanian!

This summer, I will be spending 2 months in Timisoara. This blog will account all my crazy adventures while I'm there.

This is the week before I leave. Am I excited?
NO!
I have my finals at the moment (maybe instead of writing this, I should be revising). When they finally end, I know I'll be excited, and drive everyone around me insane.

I'm not sad I'm going to be away for so long. Its my last summer before graduation. So while my friends are trying to get jobs at banks and other boring places, I will have the time of my life!

Do you think one week is enough to know about a country?
If you have any travel advice, or know any cool places I should visit while in Romania, drop a comment.