Jackdaws, church bells, applying for residency, taking the train, starting school, and walking, walking, walking...
View from the rooftop of our third floor apartment in the City Center Building.
Jackdaws
The rooftop patio is as big as our apartment, about 100 square meters of a gravel filled surface where we have a glass top outdoor table with four chairs, an umbrella to shield us from the sun, and two laundry racks to dry our clothes. The first night we were in our new home, the sun was descending below the nearby buildings and we noticed a plethora of large, cawing birds making their way from east to west, positioning themselves on the apexes of the tiled roofs. Sometimes in bunches, sometimes alone, they filed in and perched. Since our arrival this has been a nightly occurrence. As the sun lazily sets, the jackdaws make their way further west, disappearing from the visible sky. In the mornings their audible squawks pepper the sounds of the morning traffic below, reminding us it's time to get up and fly.
Church Bells
So far we have experienced two cities in the region of Transylvania: Cluj-Napoca and Sighișoara. In both cities, we enjoy hearing what seem like the random tolling of bells, but know each time bells are rung, they have a purpose. Mostly they signal a call to the faithful to services or to pray, but in other times they have been used to protect the community by rejecting bad weather or storms on the horizon (see Holom, 2013). Their significance is great, and hearing them daily reminds us of the longevity of their cultural importance.
Saint Michael's church (Hungarian church in the main square, Piața Unirii, Cluj-Napoca); The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (Romanian Orthodox in Piața Avram Iancu, Cluj-Napoca); Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic church (Sighișoara) ©Elizabeth Bellows, 2023
Applying for Residency
I will not bore you with all the details or the list of items we had to obtain to apply for my temporary resident permit, but suffice it to say it took no less than three weeks of huffing it from place to place on foot, hiring a translator, visiting the notary several times, printing documents at the university office, purchasing health insurance, and making copies. We have submitted my documents, and once the immigration office emails me with an appointment date, I will get interviewed (at the mall!) and then we can move forward with obtaining the family's reunification visas. All of this was accomplished without us speaking Romanian! (Thank you Google Translate and the Fulbright Handbook! 🙏🏻)
Taking the Train to Sighișoara
Saturday morning after the kids' first week of school we walked about 1.5 miles to the Cluj-Napoca train station. Living in the center of the city has its perks! Despite the clear numbers printed on our tickets we had a very difficult time finding the appropriate car (we got on and off of several cars, haha). After finding our seats we were happy to notice the car had a snack and beverage cart, so the 3 1/2-hour trip was made more tolerable when the kids were allowed to have ice cream. I visited Sighișoara before when I was in Romania in twelve years ago, but only for the day. This time we stayed in an apartment that is listed with the UNESCO world heritage sites in the city. The owner of the apartment had let us know that the building next door would have a party that night, so she provided earplugs and asked again if we would be ok, and we assured her the party would not be a problem. We were expecting a party, but definitely not a RAVE (check out some of the party here). It was 2 a.m. before the DJ shut it down. It was LOUD. Right outside the bedroom window. 🙉 Despite this, we enjoyed the trip very much. Claire enjoyed wandering through the cemetery and Max looked for big doors to knock on. Sunday morning we let the kids sleep in and followed the church bells up to the top of the city. We researched the names of folks memorialized in statues, and Sândor Petofi, a revolutionary Hungarian poet, was my favorite (you can read a bit more about Petofi here).
photos above and below were taken in Sighișoara, Romania ©Elizabeth Bellows, 2023
Starting School
We made the decision to enroll our kids (Max, 7, and Claire, 13) in one of the international schools in Cluj-Napoca. The Royal School in Transylvania is a Cambridge accredited international K-13 school (children start kindergarten at age 4 here). The school is in a glass building about 1.2 miles from our flat in the city center. The kids had... let's say "strong feelings" about wearing uniforms, but now that we are in the fourth week of school, their complaints have subsided. So far we have learned that the curriculum is rigorous. Take a look at Max's schedule, for instance. At seven (Year 3) he is learning two languages--Romanian and Spanish--in addition to his other core courses. Claire is also experiencing a packed schedule, learning French and Romanian alongside her other courses. For their PE classes these next few weeks, the kids walk to a local gym to have swimming lessons. School is out at 3pm for the K-6 grades, and secondary grades go from 8:30 until 4 pm, so we opted to enroll Max in various clubs that take place from 3-4 each afternoon, except Friday. On Fridays we can pick the kids up an hour early at 3 pm, and the streets are buzzing with happy kids ready for the weekend. With the kids in school, Scott and I find ourselves walking about 7 miles a day, exploring, eating, and shopping. When you have a husband who is a chef, you have to explore *every* grocery store and buy fresh food every day. We are losing weight (!!) and will likely have to invest in some new clothes and shoes in the upcoming months... Enjoy these pictures of the kids and the school!
Pay no attention to Max's upset face in the class photo. He's fine. 😆 ©Elizabeth Bellows, 2023
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