Something to Smile About

Some rutiera rides are pleasanter than others. Obvious may it be, applicable as it is to all situations in life, such distnictions become exponentially more important when you are forced to think of nothing else in a prostrate pose for between 2 and 4 hours of day light.

Most of them I do not remember. Last winter's low points where I cried from cold and was rewarded with ice on my cheeks. Being all but fucked while standing by various sweaty others on the way home to Costesti. Bringing a jet lagged Billy to Balatina the first time when I wanted so badly to hug him and tell him how happy I was he had somehow formed beside me in my moving pill of hell. But, of course I could not.

This one, home from an outrageously successful week of socilalizing and seminar facilitating and Vice President meeting, was the perfect capstone to such a week. After being kicked out of my customary three seats back in a single-seat row by a mustaschioed square intent on showing me his superiority by brandishing his whiskeyed smile (smothered) and seat numbered ticket (see the last entry on buying and using bust tickets), I squeezed into a corner right at the back of the little rutiera. I started reading, hoping someone would not take my seat and demand me to swap.

I was just getting entrenched in some Darcy speech when a stately matron asked me to hold a punga while she situated herself. Fair enough. I can do that and not stop reading. Two minutes later, I was being asked if I spoke English. Goal 2: Commence!

But she ended up speaking English and wanting to use it with a natural speaker. She told me of the projects she tried floating through her school and community. She told me about her exemplary sons. She told me of the problems of her country. She asked me about my family, why I was here... etc.

Then she said, no, you don't smile too much! English is a language that makes you smile all the time!

Because it's so funny to speak?

Haha! No!

Because English speaking countries are filled with optimists?

No, but I have heard that about Americans.

I believe it, is it because you have such pleasure in speaking English?

No, it is because your vowels make your mouth stretch open. Every thing!

Our dipthongs?

Yes, I love your dipthongs.

Yep. That's how that went. Thus we swapped, my Darcy sequel for her bouquet of flowers. I wrote my name in it, she said she would find me on Facebook. I warned her this book was full of too much romance, and was in strange English usage.

I read Pride and Prejudice!

Ok! Here you go!

Her compatriot, a biology teacher complimented my aspect and Romanian and grinned to herself for the next two hours. They were going home to re-teach their school how to lay out long term and daily lesson plans, and I got to be their highlight...

I was so fresh and happy at school on Monday, and I was greeted with a fuming Ren over the leaving of Nat to go to that seminar I missed because I was teaching another seminar, but managed to discuss with returning other participants...

It's like the whole country is a small town.

Thus, the first week of spring's crises have to do with inspections and seminars. Coming home from mine I am confronted with Natalia having attended the same one as the woman I met on yesterday's ride home. Yep. Nat made herself go to Chisinau for her career. Renata is rather upset by this. She's more defensive and conniving than usual. She smiles more than usual. The more she plots, it seems, the pleasanter her aspect.

And... I had to go back to Chis to open a school bank account for our own project this week. And I have to go back on a working day, after 5 working days to pick up the ATM card...

But! The school has pulled together more than I had dared anticipated and collected their own 1400 lei for my project.