Dual Thanksgivings.

Dual Thanksgivings. Nov. 28, 2005

Some of our Friends and Family back home were worried that we’d miss Thanksgiving. We had two!

The first came as an invitation to join some Americans here in Cluj for a Thursday feast. We had never met our hosts so we came armed with Snickers Bars and a Veggie tray as our contribution. The food was excellent, the friendship warm and the only Romanian in the group of twenty, we knew. It was a very pleasant surprise to run into Simona. She first approached us back in August as we shared the same bench in the Square in front of the Mathias statue. Our paths keep crossing and we are pleased that they do.

Thursday dinner was excellent. It seemed a little strange to be having a holiday meal when everyone else was going about the day as if it were nothing special at all. Romanians do not celebrate Thanksgiving but they’ve all heard and wonder about it. Simona had spent nine years in the States so she knew. If any of our holidays transfer to Eastern Europe, I hope it’s Thanksgiving and not Halloween that does.

On Saturday Nancy and I traveled via Maxi-Taxi 80 kilometers to the North of Cluj to the small city of Zalau. Maxi-Taxis are, usually, fairly new vans that seat about 12 or 14. The ones that go from Cluj to Zalau do not have a set schedule but wait until they have a full load before departing. It costs about $3.50 for the hour and twenty minute drive. No rest stops.

In Zalau we were hosted by three Peace Corps volunteers from our core group – ROM20, Alan and Autumn Henderson and Chris Puckett. The three of them had invited all the other 60 volunteers from our group and were a little disappointed that only about 25 showed up, but it seemed like a great turn out to me and it was good to see so many of the people with whom we had spent all summer struggling to learn Romanian. And the food was great.

I was designated carver perhaps because I was the only one old enough to know how. There were only two turkeys to feed all of us Americans and an almost equal number of Romanian guests. At least 45 people, but the turkeys were so big that I left half of one uncarved. The bigger of the two weighed over 22 kilos. I have never seen a bird so big. And it was fresh, as having given up its life only the day before. Turkey is not a popular meal in Romania, but it is not unheard of, and Autumn had found a farm willing to hand raise these two birds specially for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Everything was excellent. Zalau is the home of the only putt putt golf course in the country – a gift from a former Peace Corps volunteer – and so they held a tourney. Nancy declined entry so I had to do my best to represent the ‘senior circuit’. And if I hadn’t choked on the final playoff hole, I’d have had a chance to take all the marbles, but as it worked out, third prize was the best prize of all – a jar of Jiffy Peanut Butter.

We had a good time, saw a new part of the Country, and laughed with friends. On Sunday evening we hosted some of the party as they came to Cluj before departing for various sites further a field. Eight of us found the good Chinese restaurant in this city. It really was pretty good, unlike the other two that we’ve tried.

The next holiday is December 1st. The Romanian equivalent to Independence Day. We’ve been told there are fireworks. Not sure where yet, but if the weather is good, we’ll find out.