WELCOME TO GYPSY LAND FREAKS!

The day after we arrived, our container arrived. Good timing some would say but all the work that would follow was not so great. The night before, we had supper with David's boss and his family who are from St Catherines. Cindy (bosses wife) and Brittany (bosses 21 yr old daughter) offered to come over and help with the move and luckily I accepted! When the movers arrive the next morning they told me the truck was not being aloud to drive down the road due to it's massive size. Oh great! Don't worry miss, he said with a thick but sweet Romanian accent, we will take care of it. This means that someone got a "tip". Which is what we North Americans called, "payed off." They backed the container up to my driveway and showed me that the seal remained intact on the lock and therefore it had not been opened. When I nodded it was broken and the door was flung open. I was given a bunch of papers and then 3 small boxes were piled up in front of me. The co-ordinator gave me a pen ans told me my job was to check off every box as I came off to ensure we got all our belongings. WOW, I thought. Very organized and effective managment. I love that kind of work. I started flipping the pages. Page after page were numbered boxes with a brief description of their contents. Toys, kids clothes, cookware etc.... Then I realized that I was going to have check off 289 boxes of my stuff. Oh god. Ruby was napping but she was going to have to get up so they could put boxes up there. David was at work of course so I was going to have to rely on my new ex-pat. friends for this one! It took all morning and early afternoon to unload. Then these movers began putting things back together. That's right! They take it all apart, box it and send it then at the other end people unload it for me, unpack it and put it all back together. Qu'elle service!!! They unpacked as much as they could until lunch time the next day and the rest was up to me. When I say unpack I mean they pile the toys up and the couch as high as is safe or put all the clothes in one corner of the house. Still they were great, and friendly and I would recommend them to anyone! A big thank you has to go out to my new friends Cindy and Brittany for coming up huge and playing with my kids for 5 hours straight whilst I over saw the unload!

The girls were just dying to go to the park so I promised them we would the next day. It was a hot day, probably 22 degrees, no wind and no clouds. The sun was reflecting off the white marble in the backyard making it that much warmer and reminding me that I have to buy sunglasses. The girls had shorts and t-shirts on and I had comfortable capris. After such a long winter in Canada I was loving this weather. The park is just around the corner from our house. It is very large and full of trees but has lovely brick paths all the way through. As the kids and I were waking through the park I could feel many eyes on us. Checking us out with every step and every word that came out of our mouth. You can tell they don't get many tourist here. What made us stand out you ask? Well it seems that even in 22 degree weather, gleeming sun and no wind chill, Romanians still dress there children with tukes, jeans, turtle necks and sweaters. In fact it was not only the children who dressed that way, the adults are dressed for winter too! They must be sweating buckets under all those clothes!! It's no wonder they need bidets in their bathrooms. Men in their collared shirts with vest over top followed by a wool jacket and wool hat to match. I'm hot just thinking of it. So they must think I am a terrible mother, let me children walk around like this. They would say, "they will catch a chill and get pneumonie." My response would be of course, "it is not possible to get pneumonia from a chill. That is a bacteria!" Where the hell is the chill on a day like that anyway? Anyway, whatever. We were stared at a lot but the kids didn't seem to notice. They did notice however that at almost every park bench we past were young couples necking and whispering sweetness into eachothers ear. "Why are all these people kissing like this, it's so gross?" Evelyn said and Gabrielle echo'd. I told them they were lovers and left it at that. They were satisfied and a was pleased they the lovers would at the very least stop dry humping eachother as I past with 3 young children. Ah, L'Europe. Vive l'amour!

The next day we went again to the park and headed directly for the children's play area. I am still hoping to meet nice people so that my children might play with theirs. We arrived at the park and there were many people there. I had Ruby in the carrier on my back which was a bit of a mistake because people were just going out of there way to have a look at us. Gabrielle looked at me and said sweetly "why is everyone staring Mommy?" I told her that we looked and spoke differently than what they were used to so not to worry, play on and maybe they will be interested enough to come and play with you. I'm not even sure I bought it but she continued on with her play. Something was different at the park today though. I assumed it was because Ruby was on my back I could sense something else. I should have realized it when I saw a 2 year old in a midgets wedding gown... but I didn't. It should have been obvious when a 14 year old carrying a baby wipped her breast out in the middle of the swings area to feed her infant child. It should have sealed the deal when the 8 year old she was with started a slow long puff of his cigarette... but it didn't. I wasn't expecting it. Not at a kids playground. Then I turned and my eyes met with one of these young mothers. I tried to smile at her but instead of returning my smile her eyes squinted and sharpened. Her skin was dark but her eyes light, maybe green. She had evil in her eyes. I've seen that before but it's always been a psych patient and I was always a nurse. Not a mother. My blood ran cold. I looked away and realized I was surrounded by Gypsies at the childrens playground. SHIT! My eyes jumped to Evelyn and Gabrielle who were gleefully sliding down one of the many, not to Canadian code of safety, slides. I scanned the entire playground and surrounding areas. It is said that if there is one gypsie you can see, there will be 10 you cannot. There were, thankfully, other 'normal' families there that were not gypsies but were staying well away from this bunch with obvious purpose. As my eyes are darting around to assess danger I see Evelyn running towards the pack of spread out gypsies with eyes on a great see-saw that are never found in our parks anymore. I called to her and told her to come back. Obviously I had a 'look' in my eyes because she came without fuss. I gathered them both and left the play ground for the day.

Why did I not think that Gypsies would take their children to playgrounds? Urgh, I was mad at myself for not thinking about that. They were not your typical Gypsies. Not in bright coloured clothes, long dresses, not begging, not stalking just playing. I have come to learn that these Gypsies are the younger generation who don't dress like the older generation. They were pants and t-shirts like everyone else so that they may catch you when you least expect it. These young ones are the fast guys who steal from you in a crowded market or train station. They must have been on break cause they weren't too interested in us. Other than to give me dirty looks. This look is called "The Evil Eye" and by Romanian beliefs is bad. Gypsy women are seen as witches and if they give you the evil eye you may xome down with a headache, or physical problem. Great! Working in ER and then at the psych hospital, I have been given the evil eye so many times I must be looking at an early grave for sure. The Romanians believe if you scrape the bottom of your shoes with your thumb then make a cross symbol on your forehead you will be okay. Or you put water in a shot glass and burn 3 matches to the point that you can't hold it anymore and drop it into the water... you'll be saved. Definately, children (as per Romanians) should all have red string around their wrist to protect them from evil spirits. Normally I would say this is all bull and that people would come down with ailments simply because they are telling themselves to but since nothing about my life is normal at this point you will find a red braclet of each childs left wrist, 3 little lumps of charcoal in a shot glass on the bar and you will see me wash the bottom of my shoe with a baby wipe, scrape it with my thumb and cross myself. Most of all, I am now on high alert. I won't go to the park playground unless there are other normal Romanians there. I will never go again if the Gypsies are there. My kids know that there are "bad people" that live here and that is why we have a huge iron fence around the yard. They are being really great about though and sticking very close, always holding my hands or the strollers. They want to stare at the Gypsies who wear all the crazy clothes and I try to warn them against it. They oblige for the most part. But Evelyn asked me today when we were shopping if she could buy a Gypsie dress for herself. Not a chance, I said.

Until next time,
Alison