Making Lugoj a Home

So I suppose my rather lengthy absence from the world of blogging deserves an explanation- things have changed since I last posted. I now have an apartment. It's fantastic; I have my own space. After about 3 months of living with host families, it's quite nice to be on my own. However, up till yesterday I didn't have internet...thus posting was put on hold.

School also just began this week. We had the opening ceremony on Monday, in which the principal of the school proudly announced the arrival of an "American professor." I was hiding off in the back of the crowd at that moment, hoping no one would notice. Monday was a short day, and classes began on Tuesday. Perhaps I should put "classes" in quotations marks to emphasize my sarcasm. It's only the first week, and so far I've simply done introductions for the classes that I've been to.

Apparently I've been in the news. Locals tell me they heard some blurbs about me on the television. I have no idea what they said about me, because no one ever consulted me about it. However, I'm sure what was said wasn't completely true. If the latest newspaper article is any indication (in which they said I went to the University of Mississippi), they were probably way off. I saved the newspaper. Maybe I'll translate the bit about me and send it to my parents.

I like my apartment a lot. I live right in the center of town, on the main boulevard, right across from the major hotel in town. I'm two minutes from school, three minutes to a grocery store, and five minutes from the train station. I couldn't have asked for a better location. The apartment itself isn't bad. It's in a very old Hungarian-style apartment house (they tell me it used to be a boarding school for girls). I'm happy that I'm not living in a drab communist-style bloc. I have a newly-remodeled kitchen and bathroom, and the bedroom is really large. The ceilings are really tall, which might be a problem when it comes time to heat the place in winter. We'll see. I live next-door to my land-lady, and she's really helpful. We have a communal balcony/terrace which faces toward the inner courtyard; it's a shared space for all the apartments in my corner of the building. I'm on the second floor, and right below me is a lotto outlet and an electric appliance store. So I'm set. What more could one ask for? A one-hour photo you say? It's right across the street!

I'm learning how to cook, and operate the gas stove. It's been rather comical so far, but I've managed to make a stir-fry just like my mom used to make. I also made spaghetti tonight, and the sauce I bought tasted just like Chef-Boyardee...hmmmm

if anyone wants my address, I'd be happy to email it, and even happier to receive mail!