We contacted her before we were going to England and asked her if she would consider meeting us in Enlgand and then coming back to Romania with us. Like a woman on a mission, she had it booked the next day.
I couldnt wait to show her the place I was now calling my temporary home. I wanted to prove to her that I was not lying when I said the town is ugly with crumbling buildings everywhere. I wanted her to feel the tug of depression I felt when I first arrived here with my children and they saw their first splattered wild dog on the road. When I first say Roman, Romania it was the end of November. There were no leaves on the trees, no flowers, there was thick fog covering most of the city for most of the day. Everywhere you looked was grey. So when I went back to Canada with David and told my story of woe, some people didn't believe me. They told me to get over it, it's just for 2 to 3 years. Lots of people would kill for this opportunity they told me.
Take it! I thought. Take the opportunity if you want it so bad and stop telling me I'm a big baby and complaining. Everyone else in the free world complains when their life gets harder. When I walk by a grown man having a giant dump beside the sidewalk as people are walking by, I am going to complain that I don't want to be here. When I see grown adult and teenagers throwing logs and rocks at wild dogs just for shits and giggles, I am going to complain about it. I'm pretty sure everyone lese would too. When I have to explain why children are begging all over the streets everyday to my own children, I will complain that I have to do that!
Carole, however, never told me to grin and bear it. Its not her personality. She just listened and comforted as best she could. She's so wonderful to me. So here she was in Romania for the next 8 days. We drove home and past many splattered dogs, run down villages and garbage on the side of the road that she was already starting to get a flavor for what was to come.
We got home and invited Carole into our little house and I really think she liked it. It's homey and comfortable and cool which was great cause it was a blazing 35 degrees outside. I was so excited that I had company for the first time!!!
Trevor (my father-in-law), in the meantime, was working in Germany for his company. We got a call from him telling us he was going to fly into Bacau, which is really close, for the weekend. Now I was really excited! I was going to get a chance to have both of them here and show them around this... place and let them aquire an opinion of their own.
Carole and I spent the next day together and I learned all kinds of new things about her. She's Brave for one. We walked the kids to their morning school and because I was to meet my friend Brittany at the gym, Carole decided she would walk back to the house on her own with Ruby. Very brave given that their are many gypsies in this town who could scare you a bit if you aren't used to them. The key system to get into my house is also very difficult. Four keys in four different doors just to get inside. It can be very confusing! Not to mention the uncomfortable blazing heat of the sun sending the temperature in excess of 35 degrees. It was so great sitting outside in the afternoon and chatting with someone over an ice cold glass of water. On our walk to pick up the kids I asked Carole what she thought of the city and what she would have thought of it in November when I first visited.
"It would be bloody depressing!" she said and I could have kissed her!
Trevor arrived that night with David after not wasting a moment and shopping the deals on the way home. That is one great thing about Romania, you can get great deals on shoes here! We had a lovely meal all together again. It was really nice to have them with us. So comfortable and pleasant and easy.
I was excited to show Trevor around town. I wanted to show him the area called "The Hole" by the locals. It's an area of the downtown area where a cluster of old concrete apartment buildings are found together. Row after row with the centre of the complex dug out. It is... well lets just say the name hole suits it well. Trevor didn't believe me that the place was so bad so when he walked up to "The Hole" and had a look it was pretty easy to tell he now knew what I was talking about.
"They got a long way to go," he kept saying.
Yep, but I won't be here long enough to see it that is for sure.
We spent the next few days touring North Eastern Romania. Toured the painted monastaries of Bucovinia which was beautiful. You'll notice the men are wearing dresses. They were borrowed as you can't have exposed knees in the monastery. I think Trevor pulled it off though. LOL!
We also went hiking in the Carpathian mountains.
We treated the in-laws to a Romanian authentic supper which David loves but everyone else was kind of put off. Might of been when we saw David chewing his Tripe soup. Trev was a good sport anyway and got the mystery meat platter.
Trevor got a tour of David's steel plant and he came back home gob smacked.
"I haven't seen anything like that since... I'm not sure if I've ever seen anything like that," Trevor said. He was especially grossed out by the washrooms which are the old hole in the ground toilets and no one really cares if they hit the target. Infact many don't bother to walk to the bathroom and instead they just pee next to the machine they are working at. Why walk? What a waste of time! Yuck!
Trevor left Monday morning and we were sad to see him go. He had been a lot of fun. Carole left on Thursday and I felt myself sink down into a place I hadn't been yet. I was alone again with my girls all day long and many weekends too. David has been working so many hours to get his job done. I hope I see them again before Christmas.
But enough of feeling sorry for myself. I have something to look forward to. I will be meeting my brother and my parents in Bulgaria on the Black Sea for a beach vacation then my parents are coming to Romania for 2 weeks. Now more than ever, I can't wait!
It was never an in-law invasion. It was a pleasure!
Thanks Trev and Carole for coming and visiting. We had so much fun!
Love, Alison
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