The Perfect Dog Storm

Earlier this week, a 4-year-old boy was killed by stray dogs while playing near a park in Bucharest. That right there is the only uncontested fact but the Romanian (and to a lesser degree, the foreign) press has gone absolutely batshit crazy over the incident and it’s the biggest story in this country with up to 15 minutes per hour of coverage on the news … Continue reading The Perfect Dog Storm

Cry Havoc!

My eternally vigilant, unsleeping internet “eye” has been picking up a lot of chatter lately about the “stray dog” situation here in Romania. It looks like there’s going to potentially be some important developments in the near future so it’s time for a lengthy, in-depth piece on the subject. As with all things Romanian, there’s a tremendous amount of confusion and bombastic, hyperbolic speech, inflated … Continue reading Cry Havoc!

Word of the Day: Maidanez

I’m sure many of you have been following along with the events unfolding in Egypt, incredibly reminiscent of Romania’s own 1989 revolution. My hat is definitely off to Al-Jazeera‘s live coverage (in English) as it has been phenomenal. The center of Egypt’s protests is in “Tahrir Square”, also known as “Midan” (sometimes Maidan) Tahrir, which translates to Liberation (Tahrir) Square (Maidan). I recognized this word … Continue reading Word of the Day: Maidanez

Hey, Hey We’re the Doggies!

I’ve been writing a long series on the different kinds of people you will meet here in Romania. While dogs may or may not be considered “people”, you will definitely meet some of them while you are here. As has been mentioned several times, I do live with several cats, which might make you inclined to believe I am a “cat person”, which is true. … Continue reading Hey, Hey We’re the Doggies!