Well it seems that every few months I’ve got to post a new article on Gypsies so here we go with another bit of clarification. Certainly you can find all of my previous posts on the subject by clicking here or reading all of my posts under the relevant category (articles on the main page are grouped by category). Since I’ve met so many foreigners … Continue reading Black and Blue
As Europeans began their centuries long business of exploration, subjugation, genocide, slavery and colonization of lands inhabited by the indigenous peoples (“Indians”) of the Americas, it isn’t surprising that along the way they adopted native words into their own language for the plants, animals and activities that they encountered. Modern English has hundreds of words in regular use that were originally native words. Just yesterday … Continue reading WOTD: Cauciuc
The tourist season is heating up (as usual, things kick off with a bang starting on May 1) and you may soon find yourself in an upscale restaurant in this country, salivating as you pore over the choices on the menu. If you see an entry called pui de balta, don’t be alarmed if you go by the literal dictionary translation, which would be something … Continue reading Puddle Chickens
When I write about “Words of the Day” I like to find either rare expressions or ones that you might not casually find in the dictionary. Whether it’s common everywhere or not, it seems like lately I’ve been hearing this one quite a lot. Today’s phrase bătut în cuie (batoot in kwee-yeah) literally means “beaten in (with) nails” but is very similar to both the … Continue reading WOTD: Bătut în cuie
On a bitterly cold and dark morning last week, long after the last club goers had staggered home and before the commuters began heading to work, I saw a murder right in the center of Piata Unirii, the main square in downtown Cluj-Napoca. It was a brazen thing, committed right in the center of the square, which could’ve easily been witnessed by people. But there … Continue reading Murder in Piata Unirii
All Things Romania 