The measles outbreak in Romania

The measles outbreak in Romania, which took important proportions in the first period of the year is really dangerous problem recently. Since the beginning of the year fell ill a huge amount of the people which is 935 cases. Because of an epidemic 6 people have died already. One of the victim was the 27 year-old woman and the one year-old girl.

 

The most affected area is located in the west of Romania near the border with Hungary in the city of Arad but the measles outbreak is visible in the whole country. There also a lot of cities in which this dangerous problem spreads really fast. The Ministry of Health announced that the cause may be really simple. Many children are now not vaccinated and that's why they aren't protected  against common life-threatening diseases.

The picture below presents the situation of the measles outbreak in the first eight months of the last year in Romania. Most of the cases appeared in the west side of the coutry and in the north  of Romania.

Mărțișor - Romanian Spring Festival

Very soon we will be celebrating arrival of the spring but today I would like to present how this thing looks like in Romania.
Mărțișor is one of the most important events in Romania in the whole year which take place on 1 March. It is a very special day when Romanians celebrate arrival of spring. Before the day comes, people prepare at home some decorations made from wool. This decoration has a red and white colour and it is a symbol of this day. You can also buy this kind of decoration in Romania during this special time and it is a good option for people who are lacking of abilities to make this by theirselves or for people who easily get nervous. Below you can see a traditional romanian decoration in the basic form but there are also the other option to do more complicated decorations from wool.

This day everybody wishes the best and they give each other the decorations. It is a proof of our friendship and love. Interesting is that the word  Mărțișor is the diminutive form of the name of the month - March. One thing which is really surprising is that supersticious traditions hold that if you carry this decoration you will live a healthy life for the next twelve months. After this time you have to attach your decoration to the fruit tree.

Mircea Eliade "Maytreyi"

Today I would like to write about the first romanian book that I have ever read. This book is called  "Maytreyi"and it is written by Mircea Eliade.
Mircea Eliade was born on March 10, 1907 and he died on April 22, 1987 in Chicago. He was a historian of religion, indologist, diplomat and professor at the University of Chicago.
In 1928–1932 he lived in India and he studied at the University of Calcutta. Eliade knew several languages and was fluent in Romanian, French, German, Italian, and English but also he could read in Hebrew, Persian, and Sanskrit. In 1933 he did the doctorate with the thesis "The comparative history of yoga techniques". He was known for its support for the Iron Guard which is also known as the Legion of the Archangel Michael. ( It was a ultra-nationalist and antisemitic movement in Romania)

 The main characters of this book are Maitreyi Devi who is daughter of the indian philosopher and Allan who is a foreigner who works in India. The action takes place in 1933 in Calcutta and tells the story about the love of these two persons. This book introduces readers into the mysterious world of India and the oriental customs and traditions.
The novel was translated into English as  "Bengal Nights" in 1993. It is considered as an autobiografic book because it contains many plots of the author's life.

Max Blecher "Scarred Hearts"

Today I would like to write about the book that I have started reading last week. This book is called "Scarred Hearts" and it's written by Max Blecher.
Max Blecher (1909-1938) is a romanian writer, jewish nationality. Shortly after he came to Paris to study medical science he was diagnosed with Pott disease (spinal tuberculosis). He spent the last ten years in his bed. He wrote three novels, one volume of poetry, diary and correspondence with Breton  and Heidegger. Max Blecher wrote "Scarred Hearts" in 1937 and the story is based on his own experiences. In 1938 he died after a long-term ilness.

 

 "Scarred Hearts" tells the story about Emanuel's life. He is a young romanian man which is studying in Paris. One day he finds out that he suffers from spinal tuberculosis. He goes to a sanatorium located by the sea where he must wear a plaster which makes him unable to move. During a few months in a special wheelchair he makes friends with other patients, he is a witness of their death and finally he falls in love with a girl from sanatorium. 

A story presented in this book is very simple. Describes a real life of a man which suffers from incurable disease. For a moment we can see how looks like life with the eyes of the main character.

Connect-R

Connect-R is a musician well known in Romania, who was born June 9, 1982, in Bucharest. His real name is Ștefan Relu Mihalache and he has a gypsy origin. Ștefan began his career at the age of 8. Then he was a danser and a member of the dance group Primăvara which in romanian means spring. When he was 15 years old he bacame interested in hip-hop and for the first time he entered the recording studio to record his first song "Observ". In 1999 he released a new song named "Operație pe suflet deschis" which means "Open-soul surgery". In 2000 he colaborated, for the first time, with the band R.A.C.L.A. which was a big star in romanian show business. In 2006 he bacame the first rapper which took part in the Eurovision Song Contest as a representative of Moldova. He performed a song named "Loca" with Arsenie Todera who is well known from the fact that he was a part of a trio "O-Zone" which in 2004 released the most famous song of the summer "Dragostea din tei". This event opened the door to his further career and in 2007 Connect-R recorded his first album Dacă dragostea dispare (in english If the love dissapear). Three years later he founded his own record company named Rappin’ On Production. In 2012 he recorded a new album "From Nothing to Something''.

Today Connect-R is one of the most popular artist in Romania and his songs gain more and more attention not only in his country but also in Europe. Thanks to a fact that he records his songs not only in romanian but also in english he can be listened in different parts of the world. His latest song "Se poarta vara" ("It's wearing summer") was recorded with Nicole Cherry - the new young romanian artist. The song describes the warmest time of the year.

"Vara nu dorm" (I don't sleep in the summer time) is one of my favorite songs because this song I have heard when I have visited Romania for the first time. I participated in the summer course of the romanian language and one day our teacher gave us a piece of paper with the lyrics of the songs about summer. One of the songs was "vara nu dorm" performed by Connect-R. Since then I have started listening to his songs because all of them give me a possitive energy.