bradul "american"

Vine Craciunul! E perioada cadourilor si a impodobirii. E vanzoleala si agitatie mare peste tot.

Eu, asa cum imi e stilul, incep sa cumpar cadouri mult inainte de luna decembrie. Nu ma lasa sufletul sa dau toti banutii [multi] deodata, intr-o singura zi. Asa ca din punctul cadourilor de vedere totul e aranjat in luna decembrie. Mai raman, eventual, cateva lucruri ce stiu ca vor fi la mari reduceri cu apropierea Craciunului.

In Decembrie imi ramane doar sa cumpar bradul. Si stresul nu e atat de mare ca in Timi, unde greu gaseai bradut care sa fie la un pret acceptabil si sa aibe ceva mai multe crengi. Am fost surprinsa sa constat ca aici nu exista brazi golasi. Toti sunt frumosi si plini plini de crengi. Mai mare dragul sa treci printre ei si sa alegi unul. Preturile difera in functie de soi si de inaltimea bradului, nicidecum de cate crengi are.

Asa ca, cumparatul bradului nu e mare lucru. Mai mare mi-a fost surprinderea cand a trebuit sa caut suport de brad. Stiam ce-mi trebuie: sa fie din metal si sa aibe trei picioare. Pornesc prin magazine la cautat suport. Nu vad nici un suport de genul celui de acasa din Timisoara. Suportul brazilor care erau in magazine erau acoperiti cu ceva material. Ma uit sub material si vad un soprt mare de plastic, cu o forma ciudata. Intr-un final renunt sa caut, ganadindu-ma ca nu caut in magazinele care trebuie.

Acasa imi intreb sotul unde ar trebui sa caut suport de brad. El, ridica din umeri. In viata lui nu a sarbatorit Craciunul. Stia ca ne trebuie suport si ca trebuie sa ma uit si dupa ceva fustita pentru brad.

-Fustita?? E acelasi sens ca si fusta pe care o imbraci??

-Da!

-Fusta la brad?

-Da. Iar bradul trebuie udat ca sa nu se usuce asa repede.

-Udat? Unde sa-l ud? Cum vine asta?

Deja lucrurile incepusera sa se complice. Nu mi-am putut imagina unde vine pusa fust si de ce ii trebuie bradului fustita. Cum sa ud bradul cu suportul pe care eu il aveam in minte?

In fine! In final o sun pe D. care e romanca de mult stabilita in US si o intreb ce imi trebuie pentru brad si unde sa caut. A inceput sa rada cand mi-a auzit intrebarile, dar mi-a inteles nestiinta. Mi-a explicat ca sunt mici sanse sa gasesc suport cu trei picioare. Aici suporturile sunt mari, rotunde si din plastic. Tulpina bradului intra intr-o "oala", loc unde pui apa. Si da, imi trebuie o fustita ce vine pusa in jurul acelui suport. Mi-a spus si unde sa le caut.

Pornesc la cautat suport. Gasesc.....mari si urate mai sunt. Nu ma mir de ce imi trebuie fustita. Fusta acopera acel suport si da o imagine placuta bradului.

Am cumparat suportul si fustia (e rosie ca focul sa-mi surada norocul).

Sunt super multumita de cum arata bradul meu [american] ;)

being prepare

S-a dus toamna. Stiu, o sa ziceti ca frigul a venit de ceva vreme, iar decembrie e deja la mijloc, ba chiar pe terminate. De acord cu voi.

Daca m-am mutat la casa, am parte de spatii verzi, copaci multi si batrani si deci multe frunze uscate in perioada toamnei. Personal am avut ceva munca cu frunzele astea in curte. Acum le maturam, pana seara erau la loc.

Deci, cum nu poti tine pasul cu caderea frunzelor, pana mai ieri inca mai calcam pe frunze uscate. Nu ma plang pentru ca de cateva ori au venit niste omuleti care au suflat frunzele de pe spatiile verzi din fata caselor si le-au dus nu stiu unde.

Ei, dar azi, am fost intampinata de un munte urias de frunze ce asteptau cuminti sa fie "supte" de o masina nu foarte mare si duse departeee. Uitandu-ma in jur nu am mai vazut nici pic de frunza. Totul e la locul lui, doar ca frunzele uscate nu mai sunt nici in copaci nici pe jos.

Si pentru ca tot vorbesc de intretinere, acum cateva zile au venit altii care au taiat crengile copacilor ce atingeau acoperisul caselor. Eu m-am bucurat, dar cred ca veveritele nu au fost la fel de incantate ca mine.

Suntem gata sa asteptam iarna cu a ei zapada.

Si cand zic gata, inseamna ca toata lumea e pregatita la propriu. Americanii astia sunt foarte prevazatori. Cum s-a anuntat ca e posibil sa ninga sau ca vine inghetul, cei responsabili au si aruncat cu sare pe trotuare, la intrarea in magazine, in statiile de autobuz.... ce mai, peste tot. Si ce daca nu ninge si deci nu zapada, nu ghetus? Dar avem sare peste care pasim si poate ne mai sucim si glezna calcand pe bulgarasii de sare.

Totul e luat in serios - s-a contractat o firma care sa ne curete cararile si parcarile de zapada. Totul e planificat din timp. Nu lasam sa ne ia iarna prin surprindere............de parca iarna te poate lua prin surprindere!:)))

getting lost

I recently moved from an apartment in the city to a townhouse in the suburbs. I wouldn't exactly call where I moved a village in the US but to me it seems like a "modern" village in Romania. It is a big change for a girl who lived all her life in a city and in an apartment building.

During communist rule in my country all the buildings were grey and looked exactly alike. After the revolution people felt the need to distinguish themselves from one another. So they began to do little things to their apartments like changing the types of windows and doors or the color of the trim.

But the biggest changes appeared in the new "modern" villages close to the city where people would build their own homes. There you see houses next to one another but with roofs and walls painted in different colors: one house may have a red roof with yellow walls next to another house with a blue roof and white walls. And you will never see a house with the same design and shape as the one next door. The houses now are also very big, something that we did not have under communist rule. After so many years looking alike, the goal now is to be unique and different.

So when you go to a suburb in Romania you will be shocked by the mix of design. I always saw this as normal, but when we were living in Romania my American hubby always used to tell me how ugly it looked. I didn't agree with him then, thinking that it looked nice to see people free to design their home in any way they pleased.

And I still do not agree with him. I like where I live now but in my new suburb everything looks the same. I mean everything is the same!! Red brick walls, gray roofs, white windows, white pillars, all the same height, and with the same type of landscape. Wherever you look you see the same picture. I'm not questioning whether it is nice or not- I have a more practical concern.

One day I came home on a different bus and I ended up in a different part of the neighborhood. I thought I recognized where I was and I knew I was pretty close to my home. There are street signs so I thought I could figure it out...no big deal. The streets are curvy and intersect so, to my surprise the streets signs didn't clearly show me what street I was on. I stood in the middle of the street and looked in all directions thinking I would see a landmark. What I saw instead were lots and lots of houses that looked just like mine. I started to feel frustrated and confused. Are you kidding me?! I was thinking "How silly is it that I can get lost in the middle of my own neighborhood". I picked a direction and started to walk, looking for any little thing I recognized. But everything looked the same so I didn't get to my house. There was no one on the streets to ask. So I turned around, hoping to see a person who could help me. I was back in the same spot, without seeing anybody and was getting disparate about the situation. I couldn't believe this. Finally someone walked by and I asked him where is my street. He laughed and told me that people always get confused here. That sure made me feel better. I didn't seem so stupid! A few minutes later I finally found my house.

I am still a little worried each time I leave my house that I might not return.