I have now been in Romania for nearly three months, and I'm beginning to observe some significant cultural differences. One of these concerns moving air. Romanians seem to have an instinctive aversion to any breeze or hint of fresh air that enters an enclosed space. I first experienced this in September during an unusal heat spell. I attended a meeting of inspectors in Brasov on a day with temperatures reaching the mid-90s. Fifty people packed themselves into a room designed to accommodate thirty and sat sweating as if in a hotbox. Not only was there no air conditioning, but every window was sealed. I had hoped that as autumn arrived I would get some relief. I realized that my hope was in vain on a crisp October day when I hailed a cab on my way to work. As I opened the taxi door a wave of heat blasted me in the face as if I had opened the door to Hades. I could almost hear the shrieks of the damned as I took my seat next to the driver. After a few minutes beads of sweat were appearing on my forehead and I was struggling to breathe the thick fiery air. I decided to take matters in my own hands, and I nonchalantly cracked the window a few inches. In a flash the driver exclaimed in horror, reached across me, and summarily rolled the window back up. For good measure he turned the heater up a notch (from BAKE to BROIL I think) and eyed me contemptuosly as if daring me to pull a foolish stunt like that again. This same Romanian need to superheat enclosed spaces extends everywhere. Trains, busses, classrooms, etc are all kept uncomfortably hot. I have begun toying with idea of working in my underwear. Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I entered a train compartment recently and found the window partially opened. I would never again dare to crack a window myself, but since I found it that way I chose to let sleeping windows lie. For an hour or so, I and my companions in the compartment enjoyed a pleasant journey through the countryside with the company of a wonderful light breeze. We then made a stop and were joined by a middle-aged couple dressed as if on a Himalayan expedition (I think their Sherpa guide was packed off somewhere in third-class). After a few moments they spoke to a young woman sitting next to me. The young woman then got up and closed the window about halfway. As I sat there reading my book, the couple muttered something else to the woman and left. The train journey continued on uneventfully for several hours when the young woman turned to me and spoke. "You know you offended that couple earlier", she said. "What? How?" I said, vaguely even remembering who she could have been referring to. "That couple that wanted the window closed. They said you were selfish for not closing it. That's why I closed it halfway. But then they just got angry with me and said that I was taking your side because you were a foreigner. So they left." My side? What side? Did I have a side? I was baffled. I had somehow caused an international incident by doing...well...by doing nothing. I suddenly wondered who else I might have affronted while minding my own business. My Romanian friends have assured me that this was not typical and I shouldn't worry, but still I have found myself a little paranoid. I have also found myself searching items on Yahoo for news about climbing accidents involving Romanian couples on Everest. Avalanche season is approaching.
