Dîn Dallas la Rampa

Astazi, Vera şi eu am mers la rampa (aka the garbage dump here in Cluj) to visit Andrea. Dallas is situated by the dump and the people in the community go there to scavenge for reusable and recyclable materials but there are a few families that actually live right on the dump. Andrea with her pregnant belly, her husband, and toddler moved to the ramp with in-laws (in a one-room/one bed shack)after they were displaced from their home in Dallas because a company purchased the parcel of land on which their house sits. She isn't very happy at the ramp and suffers from a bad tooth infection. She can't take antibiotics because she is pregnant. She and her family have little access to the mild comforts of Dallas, like the shower house (cabine de duş), toilets, or food exchange with Domnul Ion. Now they live in a swarm of mosquitoes engulfed in the mephitic stench of rotting garbage (with this lovely view to wake up to in the morning). The trade-off is that they better access to the wares of the dump. Little consolation but hopefully this is not a permanent situation (if a housing solution can be found. The shurch organization will probably build them one).
On a lighter note (barely), Vera and I took a walk around the perimeter of the dump, swatting mosquitoes from our faces and keeping alert for snakes (we picked wildflowers from the hillside too. If only the beautiful hills weren't obscured by the dump it would be so picturesque). We actually had a lovely encounter with some children, who live there. We took lots of pictures and will deliver them next week when we return. Again, I won't post them just yet. The beautiful thing about children is that they are oblivious to the misery that plagues their senior generations as long as they know no other lifestyle. These kids were playing and so full of laughter. The dump is their school and playground and it suits them just fine. They followed us around, played with the dogs, mimicked our every move, and romped through the fields with us. The one little girl doesn't have shoes and I was really worried about her running around on all the broken glass but she didn't seem to know any different. Still, we should get her some shoes before we return, to protect her little feet. All in all, the morning was actually kind of fun but at the same time I feel in my heart that there is more to do here than research... Perhaps though, a discussion for a later blog entry.
Here is sweet Vera sporting her shiny red rubber boots (mine are drab grey) that Domnul Ioan insisted we put on our feet before venturing to the ramp... a smart move. Thanks Domnul Ioan. The black, foamy run-off water meandering through the fields and snake warnings (we didn't actually encounter any) were enough to make us more than grateful. Vera is an amazing assistant and also a friend. This chick is hard core and will go the distance. She also has the biggest heart and has the love and respect of every person she knows. She is utterly devoted to the folks at Pata and surrounding communities and they to her.
Oh, and here are a couple of happy horses settling down after an exhausting morning. ahhh... finally, nap-time.

Paşte la Pata Rât

Paşte a fost minunat la Dallas ieri. For you non-Ro speakers, I mean that Easter was just lovely yesterday. Here in Romania, Orthodox Easter (Paşte) is celebrated the week after Protestant/Catholic Easter. The Protestant population here, at Dallas for example, is quite small so they tend to follow the tradition of celebrating the Orthodox (or Romanian) Easter. The other one is called the Hungarian Easter.


Here's Sanda's family all dressed up for Paşte















Pretty ladies coming from church















Oh, and the underdressed anthropologist (oops!)

















If you are intersted in learning about the Orthodox Easter tradition and how it is different from the Protestant and Catholic tradition, check out Amy's blog http://summerjourney2005.blogspot.com/. She explains it all. Paşte Ferecite!

Toto, we're not in Texas...

Just to clarify because there seems to be a bit of confusion among my readers. When I make references to Dallas, I am not referring to Dallas, Texas USA. I am referring to the community called Dallas at Pata Rât in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. No, I am not flying back and forth from Romania to Texas every week to conduct research and take pictures. Whew, that would be exhausting...

The Dallas story in Romania is actually pretty interesting. From what I hear, during communism, Dallas was one of the few American TV shows permitted in Romania. During the years of Ceauşescu-era deprivation, the show came to represent wealth, freedom, capitalism, indulgence... all that American stereotypical stuff. So, now that communism is over here and Dallas is no longer on the air, it left its mark by remaining a representation of these things. Dallas is a big theme here and everybody knows about it. I even met a dog named Bobby (after Bobby Ewing) a couple of years ago. There are a fancy boutiques called Dallas, brands, etc. Well, the naming of Dallas at Pata Rat is ironical. The people who established this community obviously had a sense of humor. They named their garbage-scavenging squatter community after the wealthy oil-tycoon Ewing community. I love it!

So, for future reference:


This is Dallas, Texas













This is Dallas, Romania














The Ewings at Southfork



















Again, the Ewings at Southfork

Everyone's favorite gypsy... beautiful Carmen

It was yet another lovely evening at the opera starring my favorite tenor, Romeo Soleno, playing Don Jose (he's the cutie in the suit behind Carmen). Of all the lovely things in Cluj Napoca, the opera is by far the best thing going on. The performances are top-notch, accessible, affordable, and exhibit a wealth of talent. Maybe not Romania's best kept secret anymore...
Here is a shot of the stage where it all begins at Teatrul National here in Cluj and (above)the exquisite cast of Carmen. I have lost count of how many operas I have seen since I have been here and have yet to see one distasteful to me. Madama Butterfly was the most emotionally moving (Ah, Romeo). However, Carmen has always held a special place in my heart. If it wasn't for my grandfather's insistence on making my sweet sister and me sit through hours of our precious childhood summer vacations listening to it, I never would have known the total sensory experience and beauty of opera (although I didn't fall in love until many years later). Last night marked the first time I have seen any opera three times and it was on the night of my late grandfather's birthday and it was Carmen. Precious...

A few faces at Pata (Dallas)

Cu prieteni la Dallas astazi

This is Andrea's family outside their former home in Dallas and then me with a couple of the Pata gals... So there is this whole height thing I mentioned here in Romania...
Next week will be very exciting Vera (my assistant) and I are going to the ramp at the dump, where the people scavenge for recyclables. Today we went to visit Andrea's family at Dallas but they have moved to the ramp because the city is widening the road (path) on the hillside to the dump for the trucks so many families are being displaced in the process. So, now we will just have go to the ramp to see her. I hope we can get, past the guards (city property)... Plan A is just to tell them we are visiting a family. If that doesn't work, Titi will take us in a back way over the hills. If all else fails, we'll dress the part and go in a horse cart with our pals. I think Plan A will work but it is always good to have a backup plan.

Dallas, getting started

This is where it all begins... Pata Rat (Dallas) is home to a large Roma community who sustain their livelihood by using and selling recyclable materials they scavenge from the city landfill in Cluj Napoca, Romania. Community members use salvageable materials from the garbage dump to build and furnish their homes. They also sell collected glass, metal, and plastic to a local recycling company to earn a small income for food and other necessities. This method of livelihood contributes, albeit unitentionally, to global environmentalism as well as to active participation in the capitalist economy. Since the end of communism in Romania, aggravation of social inequalities has increased and and participation in the economy is more challenging. As Romania prepares for accession to the European Union, there is uncertainty about how this community, and others like it, will continue to develop strategies to adapt to increased trade and marketization.

I have some pictures here of the community as well as of piles of glass, washed and sorted, ready for recycling. I have been so fortunate to fall into the graces of a church group who has done work with the Pata community for over ten years. They have generously given me access through their activities there. In one of the pics you can see a new home, built by the organization as a gift to a family in the community. This summer they plan to build four more like it. I have made friends here and hope to extend my dissertation research into a lasting relationship with this community and others like it.


This project is merely a beginning. I digress... I haven't mentioned why I am here. Of course now my project here is twofold now... What I haven't discussed is that I am here to acquire data about how access and quality of healthcare has changed for Roma communities throughout Romania's transition period from communism to capitalism. I.e, my primary research questions: 1) What are the effects of citizenship laws, educational disparities, cultural barriers, and resurgent nationalism on Roma access to healthcare in Cluj Napoca? 2) How does the persistence of old, and emergence of new, economic inequalities among the Roma affect access to healthcare? 3) Have transformations in the healthcare system aggrivated class and ethnic divisions between the Roma and other ethnic groups in Romania? Answering these questions and taking part in strategizing change are my primary objectives here, however, since I have been at Pata I have noticed other important areas of anthropological query... So, on the side, I am pursuing this other interest in the participation in the informal economy through recycling and its implications. I can't write two dissertations (fortunately!) but I will continue to pursue this other interest in the course of my research and Romania's critical transition period to the European Union.

Please visit the links on the sidebar for more information about activism in Roma rights or the pursuit of equality and health for all people in this world.

restaurant bun in beograd

That's Amy hiding behind the sausage!

Okay, so we have no idea what the restaurant is called but it was so great that we ate there two nights in a row. Foarte bun!

fetelor iau beograd!

So, here we are... Amy si eu la un restaurant cu sausage ciudat. Amy had the mystery sausage (brave fata). I had a lunch of assorted cashews and peanuts. The advertised olives never made it onto the plate.
Other than the bombed-out buildings, Belgrade was a pretty standard European city. Big, commercialized, lovely in its own right. The company and constant laughs was the best part. On my own, not nearly as much fun.
Okay, so here was one touristy thing we did... we went to castle on Friday after train-induced delirium. So pretty and quite a change from the adventurous train ride, including the layover at the Timisoara station where we hung out (drinking bad expresso) in a bar full of barbati ciudati (drinking beer at 5am) and witnessed an even stranger barbat ciudat care a facut sexual automatic in fereastra trenului in Timisoara. Our disgust didn't beat out our insane laughter at that bizarre sighting. The bathroom is a poveste pentru alte timp. Scarbos is sufficient to describe that (but refer to Amy's link to catch the details).

Pa pa acasa... lovely Romania. There is a stinky train tiolet behind me. You just can't see it.
Welcome to Beograd! What the sign says... well that is about as confusing as our entire trip. The best part is that we spoke in Romanian at least 50% of the time. Our own private language (and great practice)... We communicated with the natives via hand signals and series of nods... stay tuned. more to come.