On making things official

I was able to finalize my trip preparations for Timişoara this week. I traveled down to Connecticut on Tuesday to speak with my boss, our head of HR, our international tax person, our international business lawyer, three rather mangy cows, a dachshund named `Colin’, and a small hen in its late forties.

After a full day of negotiations and running down international visa laws it was decided that I would leave on Saturday September 6th. For those keeping track at home that is a little over a week away. I will be arriving on Sunday - and then - who knows?

I'm scheduled to return for a week near the end of September, and then Nichole is set to come out and visit near the end of October. Assuming everything goes as plans I will be heading back for good the weekend before Thanksgiving.

As far as living arrangements are concerned that is still up in the air. Initially it looks like I'll be staying at a hotel until I can find an apartment to stay in for the duration of the trip.

As I continue to do research for my time away I keep running across interesting proverbs which give me some insight into the people in Romania. Since there is still much unknown going forward I found the following particularly apropos.

Apără-mă de găini, că de câini nu mă tem.

Defend me from chickens, for dogs I'm not afraid of.

Indeed.

On getting along with the necessary preparations

On Tuesday of this week I expect to finalize the work-related preparations for my trip. We have already made a few strategic purchases to make things easier in the coming months.

The first was a Slingbox. I had heard about this device for a long time, and when this opportunity arose it was one of the first things I thought of.

The second was a new digital SLR. Nichole has wanted to get one for a long time; however the price of a decent one has always been in an awkward range. Too expensive to buy on a whim - and an odd birthday gift. Since this is a rare opportunity to see a part of Europe that is not as heavily visited as others I wanted to ensure we had a good camera to capture the information and we went ahead and picked up a new Nikon.

So now I'm set to watch my local TV and take lots of good pictures. That should account for roughly 10% of my free time while I'm there. 10 down - 90 to go.

On the unexpected delights offered by foreign gastronomy

Quickly after learning of my upcoming trip to the Bavarian hinterlands my mind quickly turned towards the subject of food. Specifically I was interested in what sorts of dishes I could look forward to sustaining myself upon for the coming months. A quick search on Romanian Cuisine has yieled such delights as:

Mamaliga - a cornmeal mush
Drob - a sort of lamb tripe mix (one of the stomachs of the lamb... here in the states its used primarily for dog food)
Piftie - meat jelly
Sarmale - stuffed cabbage

Of course that sounds delicious, but there is a silver lining to this food question which can be found in this Romanian proverb:

Sărut mâna pentru masă,
c-a fost bună şi gustoasă,
şi bucătăreasa frumoasă

Thank you for the meal
it was good and tasty
and the cook lady was beautiful

Here's to the cook lady.

On changes that arise when they are least expected

On Wednesday of this past week I was asked to step into my boss's office to discuss a wide variety of subjects that lack meaning outside of the online market research industry. After we had finished up with business he asked me to pull the door so we could chat in private.

He explained how an opportunity had arisen in one of our European offices for a three-month assignment to help with operational issues. Since we have offices all throughout Europe, I started to get excited for a trip to London, perhaps Munich.

"Timişoara" he said.

My jaw hit the ground. Romania? What the hell is in Romania?*

Little did I realize that the area in question sometimes goes by another name. One that we're all a little more familiar with: Transylvania.

That's right - the birthplace of Dracula, as well as countless other myths and legends.

Three months to travel the Carpathian countryside in search of vampires, werewolves, and good beer. I will be updating this space with more information as I get closer to leaving, as well as continue to update with my experiences once there.

* Ok - so we have an office in Romania, and from what I've heard its actually very cool, and the people are supposed to be very nice.