Thursday 6 August 1998

The last mad market day I will see here! It was cooler today. The streets were, as usual, filled with fluorescent gypsies, drunk old men and woman, cows, horses and carts as well as the odd pig in a bag. It was manic as usual. The kids were as bad. I did lots of fun things though and calmed them all with massage. Both Lisa and I felt pretty ill and completely exhausted all day. We had no energy and no patience. We got pissed off when we normally manage to maintain self-composure. We ended up having to eat the most foul manky corn at Tante Chiriac’s and felt sick afterwards. In the afternoon, all we could manage was colouring. Corrina annoyed us all day. She is just too much to bear. But later she gave me some little cards and a picture she drew of me. It was so lovely - a really caring gesture. She is going to miss us terribly when we go. I am glad I have been so accepted and liked by these people, but sad as I will have to leave them.

After work, Lisa and I (it feels strange with just the 2 of us now) went for what was intended to be quick walk. However, somehow we got lost and ended up outside Bacau where it was beautiful - at the foothills of the Carpathians. I wanted photos but we were mobbed by a crowd of Romanian girls. They desperately wanted to practice their English and begged us to correspond with them. After various inventive excuses we relented and swapped addresses as the night fell. Nothing will come of it. They just want to get to England and marry an Englishman to have money. They asked me if I could get them an English boyfriend! Romanian people are loony.