Just one week left; and more Romanian hits!

21 May, 2010. Universitatea de Nord din Baia Mare, camera șase, cāminul trei.

I am due to leave Baia Mare, and Romania, in one week. 30 May is my departure date.  I am now in the midst of winding things down. The university term officially continues into the first week of June, but I've made arrangements to work around this.  Regardless, there is a big public servant strike (including teachers) planned for 31 May, to continue as long as necessary (to protest recent 25% government mandated salary reductions -- and if you knew what teachers made before that 25% cut, I guarantee you'd be shocked). So, in the end, my absence will probably make little difference.

Most days, when I'm in Baia Mare, at least, I tend to eat at least one meal at a local pizzeria/pub called Kroko.  There's nothing particularly special about Kroko, but the food is decent and the price is decent too.  In recent weeks, one of the two regular waitresses has gotten brave and speaks to me in English now.  I've become something of a "regular," I guess, and I've come to feel comfortable in the place (as long as a smoker doesn't sit at a table next to me, that is).  Anyway, at Kroko -- as in most restaurants and cafes in Baia Mare -- there is a flat screen television on the wall constantly tuned to KissTV.  Several months ago I posted links to some of the more memorable videos I've observed on this all-video channel.  And before I go, I thought it appropriate to post some more.  The videos seem to be rotated on about a monthly basis, so for a good month you get a strong dose of the same songs over, and over again.  Here are some that caught my attention these last few weeks:


"Locul potrivit" (Place) by Guess Who.  This video and song has got a tonne of play around Romania for more than a month now.  I'm not sure how this fellow manages to use the same moniker/name as the legendary Canadian rock group, The Guess Who, but the song is a fairly intelligent commentary (as far as I can tell) on the contemporary economic diaspora of Romanians to western EU countries like France, Italy, and Spain. And, after repeated listens, I have to admit I kinda dig the sound...

"Lollipop (Param pam pam)" by Alexandra Stan. This song is pure comedy.  I mean, it has to be ironic, right?!? Sadly, I'm not actually sure the minds behind this song realized they were putting together a 3-minute comedy piece.  It makes me laugh out loud every time -- the images and the lyrics! hahaha....


"VIP" by Puya feat. Kamelia. The constant rotation of this song has died down a little now, but for all of April I swear I heard this song everyday at least once....  Puya's hits of late seem really to be riding on the vocals of Kamelia.  Really I think it should be "Kamelia feat. Puya"....  Anyway, this video seems to be taking a jab at the all-too-popularity of style over substance, particularly amongst younger generations of Romanians...  but maybe I'm reading too much into it...

Besides the more or less obvious messages these songs and video clips may or may not be trying to say about contemporary Romania, the representation of young women in this country still spins my head around. As these video clips profess, and Debbie Stowe in her volume, Romania: Culture Smart! says, there is still an "entrenched view that a woman's chief value is in her physical appearance.... semi-naked women appear on everything from the sports pages to bottles of antiseptic." Not to say such representations of women are not common in other countries, or in the popular music of other cultures, but such attitudes and uncritical acceptance of woman as mere sex-symbol is very much pervasive here.  And while provocatively dressed women may imply a degree of sexual liberation, as Stowe states (and I tend to agree with), "this is not typically the case." Romania is highly conservative, and religion strongly dictates "what constitutes appropriate sexual behavior."  All this to say, don't be mislead by Alexandra Stan and her lollipop....

A final trip in Romania

Black Church and Mt. Tampa, Brasov

I took what will almost certainly be my final trip in Romania last week (I am planning my departure on 30 May). I did the stereotypical "tourist in Romania" journey to Brasov and nearby Bran Castle (a.k.a. Dracula's Castle). In actuality, however, Bran Castle is more a monument to the Romanian Royal Family than it is to Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. Dracula, thanks to Bram Stoker). This is fitting, since this was not Tepes' castle at all -- it's merely been labelled as such for tourism. The Castle is stocked full of portraits and photos of Queen Marie (but none, curiously, of her Canadian boyfriend, Joe Boyle), while below in the village of Bran locals (even Nuns) sell Dracula souvenirs.

 

Still Here, in Baia Mare

Gypsy horse and cart, Str. Victoriei, behind Gold Plaza (under construction).
Originally uploaded by Krasny Fotograf
I took a walk around Baia Mare last evening, photographing some of the more curious and perhaps less-celebrated parts of the city.

This particular photo was taken behind the much lauded "Gold Plaza," which although advertised in tourist literature, and already appearing on maps as "the shopping and entertainment center of Baia Mare," is still under construction and at least a year away from completion (in my estimation). The Roma horse and cart passing by (a common sight throughout northern Romania, in cities and countryside) provides an interesting contrast, I think.