Bucuresti

---

The days blend as I stay in one location without much access to the net. Again net cafes are hard to find and must be travelled to. The hostel continued to keep me on the upper floor and a new friend offered the use of his wife's secondary office/apartment, so I gratefully accepted it. The only thing is she sometimes needed to use it and I had to be out during some of the days so she could use it. Not a problem for me, as I awaken quite early and with no TV there (too bad, so sad, but better to have me out and about and not getting hooked on the tube) I never returned until very late.

As I finally sit in a net cafe and make a ultra-late attempt to catch up on this blog I can't think so straight. I spent the morning buying stamps for my collection (which I intend to reactivate when I get home). As I headed to the net cafe I got a call from Radu, my host. I thought he was going to invite me to an afternoon drink, but seems I somehow left the key in the door when I left. I was crestfallen because these generous people gave me solo access to the apartment and I let them down. R downplayed it to me, but I don't know how pissed his wife really was. With no electronics there's not much to steal, but just the idea of someone able to wander in would have me upset. My only answer was to buy her some flowers.

I'm staying near Titan, rather removed from most publicized activities, and so am getting used to the Metro and even the taxis (which cost only $4, max... the price of a beer at home, so within budget). I am watched over by godmother M and godfather R, each in their own way. I am unfortunately succeeding in annoying both periodically.

As a reason to be here is to help promote my book project M and R both tried to introduce me around. I succeeded in doing one interview with a writer from a French language Romanian magazine. There was a pre-interview with a national newspaper and a cancelled interview with national TV. Of course, it's not about personal fame, it's about trying to angle some money out of benefactors for the books for the kids. I did succeed in laying the groundwork for four collaborations, but far from raising money it simply gives me more work. But it will mean more English books for Romania.

I was invited to a reception of some international women's projects. It was wine and food and wine and music and wine and did I metion wine?, but I AM on vacation. There were women from all over the world dealing with a wide range of issues. I did meet a couple women I might tap later for conversation. Plus I met my first African-Romanian, Romanian-born and raised. As I listened to some of the brief comments a question formed. "What was the single concrete unifying factor among these women?" The English language. No natter their problems or their particular point of view they were communicating only because if the English languge, And that is what my program is all about.

---