“il dolce far niente” = The joy of doing nothing

Homemade burgers. Tushi Doina gave us the pickles (which she actually pickled) last time we visited.

Helllo family/friends/strangers!
I've not posted in a while but I'm here now, so lets begin.

I heard that this would happen eventually. The change was gradual, and I still have much to learn, but I am slowly starting to feel like I have a life here instead of "just visiting". I am getting comfortable with the metro, and finding my way around town easily enough. Plus the weather is muuuuuuch warmer and conducive to long walks about town. I much prefer Bucharest with flowers instead of snow.

One thing that has also been a shock to my system is the way of life here. I'm learning how to enjoy doing nothing, or “il dolce far niente”. A friend mentioned the concept to me and said I should watch the movie 'Eat Pray Love'. Here is the clip which I think really hits the mark about Americans (or this one at least):



Oh yea, and I'm meeting new and interesting people! At one point the situation unfolded like this: An American, Romanian, Russian and German walked into a Hungarian restaurant for lunch. It sounds a bit like a joke, no? These are the kind of things I would never have experienced had I not come to Europe. Aside from volunteering at Salveaza Vieti (NGO), I'm involved with an organization that teaches English.

Lastly, here are some photos from the past month (or two).