Expat In Romania

Yesterday I wrote about 'the new normal' - wondered about it, rather. But it turns out that wasn't it and the new normal is something that is evolving and getting worse by the day. While yesterday's updated emergency measures, announced on Saturday, limited movement between the hours of 10 PM and 6 PM we are now, starting at midnight tonight, all quarantined. This means we have to stay indoors except for grocery shopping, urgent medical appointments, going to work, or exercise/walking the dog nearby (and alone). All of this, of course, provided you have filled out/printed a form containing your personal information with your intentions clearly stated. First of all, who the hell has personal printers anymore? The other aspect, which makes these measures sound particularly draconian, is the fact that people over 65 are forbidden from leaving home, period. Now, it sounds sensible to do the social distancing thing and to acknowledge that seniors are more at risk, but in w...

Weekend - March, 21-22 Saturday was a bit of a strange one. Romania announced new emergency measures: The closure of malls and dentists (except for emergency procedures), a curfew (10pm - 6am), and no gatherings larger than 3 people (not including those who live together). It's only a matter of time until a more severe and all encompassing lockdown is decreed. Romania wouldn't be able to face a hospitalization situation similar to Italy's though in Bucharest they've built two military field hospitals in preparation for a worst-case scenario. My wife said, "imagine there's an earthquake in Bucharest now?" Then it happened in Croatia. Luckily it wasn't massive, but calamities in times like these are that much more calamitous. Took another off road tour on the hills. It was windy and with the haze in the air  over Cluj provided the dystopian cityscape that angsty American teenagers can only dream of. The shameful amounts of garbage strewn all over fit...