It is Inauguration Day in America. I am feeling the excitement.
I have just invited Mircea Maniu, fellow Fulbrighter, good friend and UBB colleague to join me at the apartment to watch the swearing-in ceremony. Here is his invitation:
Dear Mircea:
The Inaugural show starts at 10:00 AM EST, 5:00 PM here. The swearing-in is scheduled for noon, or 7:00 PM Cluj time.
If you would like to view the event with your resident American friend and experience an atypical evening and a typical supper at the McDougall Apartment, come at about 6:00, and I'll feed you Ciorba de Linte, Salată de Varză, şi Carnaţi Afumaţi cu vin roşu sau alb, sau bere blond. The service will be far from elegant, but the food will be plentiful. If you want to contribute, you may bring ice cream for dessert.
Buzz the buzzer, and I'll come let you onto the floor. If I don't come right away, call my cell. (I haven't had a visitor arrive here yet, so I do not know if the buzzer works.)
I would really like to share this event with you. Please RSVP when you receive this invitation.
Duncan
I am hoping that Mircea will accept.
5 comments:
Why do you think so many people from so many countries are interested in the swearing in of our president?
It kind of gives me an un easy feeling that so much of the world is putting such hope in one man.
He can't change anything without congress....
I pray with all my heart he is the best president we have ever seen..but it seems to me he is being set on way to high a pedastal..and we know what happens after that.
Welcome, Randy. Thank you for your views, so early on this hopeful day.
It has finally come! A new era begins. I hope you get to share this with your friend.
I watched from my office (at Plymouth State University). CNN did a nice job with their live feed. It sounds corny, but it was inspirational and exciting and I was filled with pride at the smooth transition of power. I enjoyed Obama's speech and am very hopeful that he can turn things around. Yes, it may be unrealistic to pin so much on one man, but I expect him to surround himself with good people - people who understand that the end doesn't justify any means.
From Mircea comes this e-mail of 22 January, which he has asked that I post, as he had "trouble with the technology" in trying to post a comment himself:
Dear Duncan,
I have a break right now. I had scheduled a mid day appointment with a fellow economist (nobody's perfect!) from Brown. You know, competition, Brown University, RI. For some reason he missed the plane, so I got some time to browse about 1 h on the net, got to your blog and discovered how rude I was on the Inauguration matter. Saw the comments too: it would be too simple and meanwhile too complicated to explain in a couple of words why on earth somebody like me, 5000 miles away (from D.C., coming from a completely different culture - why I am so interested, so excited and full of hope about this event. The process also needs a bit of alcohool, only in order to improve my English...that reminds me that I was stupid too, because Ciorba de Linte, Salată de Varză, şi Carnaţi Afumaţi cu vin roşu sau alb is no small fry (congrats Duncan, it is a 100% Romanian combo, you "grasped" right the place!)...well, I'll be sorry next 4 years. I'll remind you that, on January 2012. Sorry, it would not happen again, I mean grading would definitely not come again before red or white wine, even beer!
Take care, Mircea
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