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This article was also published in the EU Observer in November 2009

Ever since Romania prohibited international adoptions in 2001 it has been pressurised by the leaders of France, Italy, Israel, Spain and the US to lift the ban.  Behind these politicians are private adoption agencies, adoptive parents and others interested in getting children for whatever reason. read more…

Preparing for disasters is an industry and also an attitude. There are lots of professionals flying around the world advising governments how to prepare for earthquakes, floods and natural disasters; thousands of humanitarian aid agencies rush in when disaster strikes and there are public officials everywhere whose job is to prepare the public for the worst — not to mention firemen, policemen, medical workers and soldiers who invariably form the front line of any disaster relief efforts. I have some experience of this profession. read more…

I got ridden to Laurentiu’s house in the dark on a road through the centre of Bucharest, a road that is usually crowded but at that moment was deserted because it was the middle of the night; Laurentiu appeared in his pajamas and handed over a disk, a memory stick, said farewell and we were off — but only for a bit as time was pressing and I got folded up and put in the back of a taxi as my Master feared we wouldn’t make it on time, and his fears were probably justified as it is rather a long way to the airport.

I could hear the taxi driver complaining about how expensive spare parts are for Dacia Logans, “more expensive than the most expensive German cars” he said, and he believes Japanese cars are the best and my Master concurred.  At the airport I was handed to a man in a tie who put me on a revolving machine and then wrapped me in thin polythene until I was hermetically sealed and almost unrecognisable — but then an unseemly argument ensued at the Lufthansa desk about their demand for a 70 Euro fee for putting me on the plane; we went to the cash office where negotiations resumed and the price fell to 35 Euro due to my diminutive stature. read more…

Last Christmas I bought myself an 80 megabyte iPod. This was a bit of a cheat considering it cost more than the presents I got for my loved ones, but I bought it through the company and justified it that way. Although iPods look amazing they are a pain in the butt because in order to use them you must download iTunes, Apple’s software, and this takes up 80 megabytes. And iTunes has its own way of organising your music, which I have still failed to understand, and this bugs me as I spent a long time thinking up a good filing system for my music. read more…

See my photos here

When I first heard about the Transfagarasan road it was described with a sense of awe, as  “the higest road in Europe”, as an engineering miracle commanded by Ceausescu who ordered it as part of his military strategy.  A quick look on the internet shows that it isn’t the highest road in Europe, but neither is the Col de la Bonette, the French claim which is challenged by the Brits from the Hidden Europe magazine who say: “There are tarmac roads in the Alps which are higher, and if you are prepared to take gravel roads into account, then many are much higher.”  But at an altitude of 2000m the Transfag is no slouch and I reckon it is about the 5th highest road in Europe. read more…

Making films is probably the most boring profession in the world — as well as the most glamorous.  They say making films is like going to war: lots of hanging around while not knowing what the hell is going on; and then a sudden, brief, unsatisfactory burst of action.

Although documentaries are generally more boring than feature films they can be more interesting to make.  When making observational documentaries, you follow an interesting character around and let him tell the story; this means you constantly hear unexpected things, get led into unexpected places, meet new people — none of which would be possible in a feature film in which every word, gesture and action is controlled. read more…

In Romania, as in every country, there are stereotypes about which places are worth visiting. If I tell people I am from Scotland many say they would love to visit Edinburgh but it is rare you hear people saying they want to see Glasgow, which is a more interesting city in many ways. When I travelled round India (20 years ago) everyone said I should avoid Calcutta (now Kalkota) as it is just a vast sprawling slum full of insolent Bengalis. But I found it to be the most compelling place in India. read more…

There is nothing more exciting and nauseating then staring at the little nervous line that smugly blinks in your face on a blank Word page. I know only one way to deal with it: start filling it with words until the little bugger is exhausted and begs for forgiveness. I am a merciful creature most of the time and know when to stop.

I love writing, it give me a sense of purpose and it comforts me because when I try my hand at fiction (I recently started and I am very defensive about it), I can break my everyday boundaries. I have no idea if I am good at fiction, I’m not even sure I want to find out. I do feel somewhat divided about the whole process. On one hand I am doing it for myself, because it gives me pleasure and a way to read more…

It came in a shiny tin box for Christmas.  The Romanian version, with credit cards instead of cash.

There were four of us: me and Alina; Lara, who is 9, and Luca who is 6.

We laid the board out on the floor of the kids bedroom, which is a bit cramped.  But we were enthusiastic, especially Luca whose only aim in life is to play, and we had the whole weekend ahead.

The game dragged on and on.  Hours passed before anyone won a street, without which you can’t sting people for rent.  Avoiding bankruptcy was a constant struggle.  I became irritable and annoying. read more…

People can’t see how amazing I am. I’m not even joking, I mean listen to this: I take care of my baby girl, I manage Productive International and I keep the house running. Granted there are million others just like me and they are amazing too. But to most people, it just seems natural that we do this, so banal, and this is really unfair. Should we complain more, should we expect more appreciation? For sure! This is what I am doing right now, and I want you to tell me how hard I have it and how great I am for not letting the ground slip from beneath my feet. But you need more information to fully grasp the level of my amazingness. read more…