I am freezing!

I am freezing. I have no idea what the temperature is inside our apartment but it is dipping to the upper 30s at night and the low 50s in the day. In the states, this would be when I walk over to our thermostat and, REGARDLESS of the reading, I would "bump it up". This is the problem in Bucharest. First, there is no thermostat, there is a dial on each radiator with a vague numbering of 1-5. Second, even when I turn the little dial there is no heat because the government turns off the heat in the summer. And I am still freezing.

I learned last night at language lessons that they will turn on our heat when it is less than 10 degree Celsius (50 degree Fahrenheit) for three days straight. They'll also turn it off again if it warms up for a couple of days! But there is tons of discussion about when to turn it on and off each year. I have a novel idea, even though my brain is partially frozen. Let the individual people decide for themselves when it is "too hot for heat" and "too cold for no heat". Wow!!! I have met quite a few Romanians now and I am completely confident that they could handle this concept! This would be one less responsibility for the government to concern itself over. Call me an American (and a freezing one too!) but, I believe that if I can pay for heat, and I'm cold (which I am), then I should be able to turn up my heat. Even if it's the middle of August, and its 105 outside. It really is my business! Do I sound as much like my Daddy as I think I do?!? Man, even the tip of my nose is cold.

So anyway this is what Maria and I looked like yesterday. She went to her bed in the afternoon, in her jacket, to read and be warm. I piled up in a chair in THREE shirts and a blanket to do sudoku! I am freezing. I think we'll bake cookies today, just to heat up the house!




We thought they would turn on the heat during the night and set our "dials" with hope that in the morning we would have heat. No luck, I'm still freezing! I think we'll be going through some of the brown sugar we brought back with us. Did I mention that I'm freezing?