3. The theme of this number is „Words of folk wisdom”. Which is the perspective of U.S.A population regarding words of their folk wisdom? The USA is such a young country when you compare it to the rest of the world. We are also a country made up almost entirely of immigrants, most of whom have lost much of their original culture and tradition. When you say „folk” with respect to the USA, I think only of a type of music from the 40s, 50s and 60s led by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan. But from my time in Romania, I know that there is a deeper and richer possibility. In Romania, and specifically in Moldova, there is a folk tradition that goes back to a time before anyone can even remember. You have hand-painted eggs for Easter and people dressing in goat masks and bear costumes for Christmas. You have a day where you pick Sânziana flowers and braid them into crowns for the beautiful young women of your villages. The list could go on and on, and these wonderful, ancient traditions make me long for something like this in my own country and my own life. Maybe in 1,000 years we will have something as rich and beautiful as Romania has today. 4. Write for us a „word of wisdom” about Romania regarding what you experienced here. One of my favorite things about Romania is the hospitality I felt when I was there as your guest (even if it was for two years). I hope that you never lose this tradition. Every time I went to a friend’s house, there was hot borș on the stove and a cold drink in the refrigerator. I never felt like a stranger there. 5. I know that you traveled a lot. Tell us a little about the countries you visited, the places that have something you found special about. Every place I have been has its own unique beauty. The mountains in Montenegro are more beautiful even than the mountains of my home in Colorado. The city of Taipei, Taiwan is so crowded that I felt a little like an ant in a colony, but it was also extremely vibrant and exciting. I think I could be happy living there. Sarajevo, Bosnia is also one of my favorite cities, even though I only spent one night there. The mixture of religions and cultures was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
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