September 6, 2008: “You are very strong, like the man of the mountain.”

Dear Friend,

I had another beautiful mountain climbing day, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Tibi’s apartment, being in one of the Communist blocks, is somewhat quaint. There is very little decoration, and the decoration that is there is somewhat unusual. Above the kitchen sink is a painted sun with a smiley face. Janelle told Tibi last night that he really had to get rid of it. So, waking up to see all my luggage actually adds something to my room.

The kitchen is small, just enough room for three people to eat in. The table is off in a corner and has to be pulled out to sit three people. Tibi wakes his younger brother Alex by opening his bedroom door and blowing a party kazoo, and then returns to setting the table. I’m really glad he doesn’t do that to me. Eventually the three of us are sitting down for breakfast. We had fresh fruit, which was wonderful.

Tibi had planned hiking for us today. He hikes every Saturday as part of his worship. Since Tibi is an Adventist (kind of a Seventh Day Adventist) he celebrates his Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, Saturday, and does so by going hiking. The three of us geared up, which really only meant boots and a Nalgene. I took my poles, too, which have turned out to be great conversation starters. “Do those really work?” “Yeah, for me they do.”

To get to the mountain in the backyard (which is essentially the privilege the citizens of Lupeni have) we had to go past the train station. The train station is actually abandoned and decaying, a still and silent testament to the rest of the area. There are some abandoned cars on the tracks which we have to climb over to get to our path. Stray dogs congregate at the back entrance to the building. I’m fighting the urge to enter it. Children shouldn’t play here, but I have a childlike curiosity that wants to explore.

Another obstacle impeded our progress to the mountain path Tibi was leading us to. It’s a bridge. Not a bridge made of cement or steel, but the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom bridge. It’s the kind of bridge you wouldn’t want to cross. I was on an adventure, though. Of course I wanted to cross it. Alex didn’t seem to want to, or he was just much more careful in crossing it than Tibi or I. I plodded across, doing rather well at keeping my balance while the bridge swayed. I laughed as I thought about Indy. It was a lot of fun crossing.

I’ve mentioned before how I’m quiet while I’m hiking. This is in large part because I’m expending so much energy hiking. I’m single minded in my task, using all my energy to powerhouse my way up the path. When we hiked to Straja Peak a couple days ago, I got a lot of comments from my peers about how I drive myself up the mountain. I must have figured out how to breathe while hiking, too, because I didn’t get as winded as I used to when we first arrived in Straja. Tibi noticed this, and with a smile told me, “You are very strong, like the man of the mountain.” So now I’m emulating Indiana Jones and Jeremiah Johnson. Hoo-rah!

It was a beautiful sunny day, so we were almost too warm as we hiked. I again had the feeling that I could do this everyday for the rest of my life. We didn’t hear or see any wild animals, probably because they sensed our presence and most of the areas we hiked through were within farm area, but we saw some tracks. Tibi told me a story about encountering some wild boars on one of his hikes. They saw him hiking and bolted back into the trees.

Tibi had told me before we started that we would find some berries on our hike. At one point we stepped into an area completely covered with blueberry bushes. The area was blanketed with these bushes. They don’t get very tall, maybe to my ankle, but they’re thick with berries. At another stop we found blackberries. These bushes are a little taller and aren’t as thick. Fresh blackberries are very, very delicious. Tibi often picks berries from each of these areas to make jams and ice cream.

We returned to Tibi’s flat just in time for supper, during which time Tibi informed me we would watch a movie afterwards. What he hadn’t informed me, until later, was that we would be using my computer. No matter. He told me it was a really good movie, about a really good man named William Wilberforce. I had seen this movie, it was rather popular at college, so I was excited to be watching it again. After I booted up my computer, Tibi handed me a disc with nothing on it except the words "Amazing Grace" written with sharpie. I then remembered that Romanians do a lot of downloading, so I was certain the copy of the movie I held was pirated. Whatever, what’re you going to do?

Tibi prepared popcorn and ice cream for the three of us while we watched the movie. Watching Amazing Grace with Romanian subtitles was rather different, but not by any means distracting. I’d like to say I learned something about Romanian language during this, but that didn’t happen. I enjoyed the movie, though, much more this time around than before. The film seemed to resonate more with me this time. I remember a scene where Wilberforce is told that he could be a politician and do the work of God at the same time. In the beginning, Wilberforce struggled to find whether he should be a politician or do the work of God. Eventually he discovered, with the help and urgings of many of his friends and supporters, that there’s no reason why the two occupations should be separate. That’s exactly how I feel about Theatre of the Oppressed. It only seems exclusive from Christianity, when in reality the two should work together. So much more could be accomplished.

After the movie the three of us went to bed. I felt very rejuvenated and inspired from the movie. Wilberforce spent his entire life fighting for the abolition of slavery and every new step seemed more laborious than the last. I felt it was an excellent example of perseverance, one I hope I’ll be able to recall during my time here.

Blessings.
Kailen