Sibiu - day 4

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A successful tourist city is a double-edged sword. It provides jobs and prominence. But for someone like me it is more tourist shops than normal shows, more out-of-towners than locals and the question of the town's true identity.

I spent the better part of the day with a couple classes of second graders. Their knowledge of English is so limited than it's really just about paying attention to them. I gave each a decorated pencil and a big smile as souvenirs.

I met up with a friend of a friend (cyber-style) for an apa minerale and an hour or so of conversation. Lucien is a very "pay it forward" kind of guy and we talked about small clean-up projects he and his friends do, my book project, politics, schools and more. I got to briefly meet his wife and youngest child. In contrast to N.'s school, where the parents organization is doing more along the lines of plant management and student support, the parents at L.'s kid's historic high school sense the challenges of smoking, drinking, absenteeism and drugs looming on the horizon and are activating to get ahead of the problem.

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