I think most people are familiar with the ancient Latin aphorism in vino veritas, literally in wine there is truth, usually interpreted to mean that a person drinking (wine) is often prompted to speak a truth. But for me, what happened not too many days ago at a bar at 2:00 in the morning was less about wine prompting the truth to come out of … Continue reading Dong Ma?
If you want to know what life is like in my house, consider that my wife and I spent half an hour debating the sign you see above. I took that photograph here in Chisinau because I was delighted to see a very old Romanian word that I hadn’t seen in years. Alas, even the sign you see will be gone soon as that shop … Continue reading WOTD: Băcănie
If your native language is English, you’re almost hopelessly fucked when it comes to learning a foreign language. Basic English grammar is very simple, with no genders, no need for adjective/adverb matching, simple verbs, and no cases. At one time in the distant past, English was far more complex but was then simplified into its modern form. Most other languages, however, still use these archaic … Continue reading The Case of the Frustrating Cases
The other day, a friend of mine posted a rather humorous breakdown of the differences between some words used in Romania and the Republic of Moldova. One of them, in particular, made me smile, as I remember learning all three versions during the course of my adventures in learning the language. Making the issue even more fun is the plethora of ways this particular item … Continue reading A Refreshing Drink of Sweet Water Juice
Ever since I read The Brass Check on my first e-reader about 10 years ago (yep), I’ve been fascinated by which news stories that people who are hyper-aware of the media know about and which stories seem to drift into the general population’s consciousness, as if my magic osmosis. Last night I was doing yet another interview (nothing new or original was discussed) and the … Continue reading Akum noi toti govarim pa romaneste
All Things Romania 