I'm Baaaaack.....

So it's been a LOOOOOOONG time since I've written anything here. Main reason for that was not reliable internet where I am, plus only having a smartphone to blog with.  Well, I still have the smart phone, but now I have hubby's laptop.  Plus I finally got some semblance of high speed internet connection with no thanks to #Romtelecom, now #TelecomRomania.

  Anyway, so hubby has been some since end of June.  Italians bought the shipyard where he was working in Malta.  It's has now gone belly up.  The shipyard here in Tulcea was also bought by some Italians, and it too has gone belly-up.  What's up with that?!?  Italian buys a company and within a few years that company is bankrupt......there's something rotten in the state of Denmark, er.....Italy......

  So hubs has been home and looking for work.  Had GREAT prospect for a job, only to have it fall through because the employment agency here was either too stupid or too inept to do it's homework....they were working with a foreign employment agency, not the actually company the employees would be working for.  Employment agency from that country wanted 1000 euro per worker per month, leaving the workers with pretty much nothing.  Employment agency here said NO!  Good for them that they didn't agree to that, but boo, because they didn't research better before getting workers lined up and getting their hopes up.  We lost a good 3 weeks of job hunting because of this.

  I love Romania, but despise most Romanians.  Why you ask, well because, you find a job advert.  Everything sounds good, not great, but good, good enough to make a person decide to leave their home and family for months on end in order to do something good for said home and family.  Only to find out when you start talking to them, that they are basically throwing you to the wolves.  They pay you peanuts and expect you to support yourself in a foreign country on peanuts.

  These Romanian agencies KNOW all too well the conditions here in Romania, but continue to exploit their own countrymen for the own benefit.  I have decided to try to put myself out there as a head-hunter/recruiting agent.  Why should foreign companies put their trust in Romanian agencies who are only going to anger the workers, which will only hinder productivity, and create more of a bad reputation for Romanians throughout Europe and the world?!?  Why not deal with someone like me, who wants nothing but good for both the companies, and the recruits; and of course if I can make a little money out of it to help my family, why not?!?

  So everyone cross your fingers and toes, say a prayer, or chant or whatever, and lets hope that I can get something going to help EVERYONE!

Long Time No Write....

  So it's been about a year since my last post.  Not because I haven't wanted to write, but the lack of internet at my home makes it impossible.  The only company that has run the cables fro hi-speed internet in our little village won't run it up to  my house, because they'd have to run and additional 80+ meters of cable, plus install one or two more boxes to ensure good connection and speed, and for just one customer, even though I offered to pay for the materials, they won't do it. However I talked to another neighbor, she also wants internet, so maybe in the spring, we'll make the requests together and hopefully they'll get off their lazy buts and do it.

  So, we went to the states, had a good time, ate well, etc., etc. then got back to the daily grind.  This was a bad year for the vineyards in my area.  We all made very little wine this year.  I only got 120 liters instead of 400 liters.  BUT, it is VERY good this year, even if it is only a little bit.

  Marius found new job, he's no longer in Italy, but in Malta.  I'm with him now, using his internet, which is how I'm posting this blog.  I haven't seen much of Malta, but so far, i'm no impressed.  He's more in-land.  All the pretty stuff is on the coasts.  Tomorrow we're going to go do some sight seeing.  He's taking a day off.  He took off Saturday, to meet me at airport, I landed at 3 p.m.  Not much to see or do when your dead tired from having to take a five and half hour bus trip at 2 a.m. to get you from your house to the airport.  Then sit around the airport for 4 hours waiting for plane to leave, only to have said plane delayed 20 minutes.  Neither of us slept the night before so we were tired.  He took off Sunday, but everything is closed on Sunday's.  We spent about 80 Euro on a nice steak dinner Sunday night.  It was nice, but not great. Steak was cooked well, just not seasoned properly.  I've been siting in the apartment watching Downton Abbey and Grey's Anatomy online!  Catching up on shows I love and miss.  Today, though I'm going to venture out to the grocery store on my own.  I'm generally not apprehensive about going out on my own, cause I can generally find my way, easily.  But EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERY THING looks the same here.  Kind of hard to find a landmark, when there is no differential in any of the buildings or streets.  Oh and did I mention they drive on the wrong side of the road here.  Makes crossing the street confusing too.

  Hopefully I'll have some pics to post of our tomorrow or Friday of our tour of St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valleta, which is supposed to be really pretty. 

U.S. vs. Romania

  So I was lucky enough to get to take a trip home this summer, thanks to my dad and step-mom who doled out the cash for 4 round trip tickets for me and the kids.  Reason, being,  is that my brother has gotten married and had a baby in the 4 1/2 years we've been in Romania.  Bubba was missing me pretty bad, plus they all wanted me to see my niece as a baby.  It was great seeing my family and old friends.  I ate and ate and ate some more.  Put on close to 10 pounds, so did the kids!

  However after being away for so long here are few things that struck me that I had forgotten about. The first being the state of the roads.  America has great roads, even with the occasional pot holes.  The roads here in Romania are a complete nightmare.They build new roads and within 6 months to a year they are a disaster, with pot holes so big your car can get lost.  Which brings me to another difference.  The size of the cars.  Cars in U.S. are MONSTROUS compared to Romania, well all of Europe really.    Gas prices are cheaper there too.  For example we pay about $2.50 a liter here.  There are 4 liters in a gallon. So next time you are griping at the pump for paying $4-$5/gallon, just think you could be paying $10 a gallon like me.

  Speaking of size difference.  The cars aren't the only thing bigger in the U.S., the people are bigger too, and I ain't talking height either.  People there are massive.  I think it has to do with several things, the first being the food.  While tasty, it's full of chemicals, and hormones, or grown with GMO seeds, etc.  Second people don't walk there like they do here.  In U.S. you HAVE to drive everywhere, because everything is spread out that walking is not an option.  Here everything is close together making it easier to walk from point A to point B.  Thereby people here stay slim because of all the walking, plus the food is chemical and hormone free.  GMO's are banned im Europe.

  I do miss the size of the grocery stores, where you have enough space for people to move down without bumping into each other.  THAT was awesome, combined with the fact that people in the U.S. respected each others personal space and din't invade it!  I heard a choir of angels sighing HALLELUJAH for me!  ;)

  I missed the night sky here in RO, especially up here by my house.  It's so clear and clean.  I can see all the stars in the sky.  I love that.  I also love that there is very little humidity here.  It's the same temperature as in S.Louisiana, but without the humidity!  Whoo-Hoo!  I don't suffocate outside here!

  I will miss my brother's hamburgers, he has perfected his recipe to such a degree its sinful!  However he told me how to make them, and got me the seasoning I'll need!  :)  so I'll be grilling burgers when my hubby comes home next month!