ROMANIA: Day 3. April 12, 2005

Hi–

Well Day 3 is coming to a close (it’s a little after midnight.). Romania (Bucharest) remains fascinating…We began today with a very circuitous effort to find a place for breakfast — after deciding that the hotel was not just expensive, but boring. We walked several blocks and it became clear that other than getting an espresso, breakfast just doesn’t happen here. So we dashed to the market and a “supermarket,” got pastries and waters and bananas and yogurt, and set off to a little park (called a park, but really just a dirt area with swings and a security guard!)  We gobbled the pasty and banana and swallowed the water…but didn’t have any spoons, so the yogurt is now out on the windowsill of the hotel room…This actually made us late for our first “meeting” — with a woman (American) who runs an NGO both in Bucharest and rural Romania…that helps gypsy children and moms to get an education and work skills and housing, etc.

Well it turns out that her name is Leslie Hawke and she was in the Peace Corps in Romania in 2000 and decided to stay in Bucharest, and continue the work she began as a volunteer… and it so happens that she is Ethan Hawke’s mother (Ethan Hawke — actor from “Dead Poets Society” and other films… and who had that little fling with Julia Roberts…and who starred with River Phoenix and Uma Thurman, et. al… and who has a child with Uma) We didn’t quite know this when we were meeting with her, and frankly the woman who connected us to her didn’t know who Ethan Hawke was so it never got mentioned.

Anyway, Leslie’s the kind of person who would probably be our client if the organization was in the US. and I hope she visits when she’s next in the States…It was an interesting meeting and we got to hear a lot about the plight of the gypsies who represent about 15% of the population in Romania.

Following that, we took a long walk and wound up in the Ethnographic Museum..which was interesting, but could use some graphic help setting up the exhibits! Then we strolled to meet a friend of my scientist friend (who is a chemist and senior VP at Bayer) for lunch. They grew up together in Bucharest and went to University of Bucharest together after the war,. Moshe graduated in the early 50s and finished his PhD around 1960, after which he left communist Romania for Israel and then headed to the states—first to Indiana and then to Berkeley. The friend that we met was a retired biochemist.

His friend was quite interesting, having lived in Bucharest both during and after WWII. So she had lots of tales about living under Ceaușescu…A very fascinating conversation which lingered until about 5 pm…after which we walked through town and eventually wound up at a hip dinner place called La Mama…

Today was the first day we had some sun and the city looks a lot better, though still pretty grim and rundown.

I’m now trying to get some work done..Tomorrow we’ll be taking the train to Iasi –6 hours…

All is well — hope all is going well there..

By the way, I haven’t seen or noticed and relatives yet! But walking through the markets I could easily picture my grandfather selling his wares on the street.

Fern