Hello welcome to Rumblestrip Vermont. Today I'm featuring a story by my friend

Larry Massett called The Eyes of Sibiu. A few years ago Larry took a trip with public radio personality Andre Kudreskew.

Andre is a Romanian and grew up in Romania in times of hardship,

but he's been a US citizen for over 20 years now and he feels he's lost the

local taste of the land where he spent his youth.

Larry records the story of a man now in the role of tourist in his radically changed

native land.

Here's the Eyes of Sabieu by Larry Massett. Welcome. Hello, is this the American embassy? My friend Andre travels with a make-believe cell phone.

I would just like to make sure that I have correct information about the earthquake,

because I heard that there is an earthquake coming coming and I want to make sure that all American citizens will be informed and that you have a good basement for them.

He has a real one too, but when he gets restless, he grabs the ghost phone and calls up strangers.

Yes, not a basement?

No, no, not an attic because it's an earthquake.

Actually, the part about the earthquake is true.

Everyone in Bucharest says an earthquake is about to hit.

Maybe this is just Romanian pessimism.

Yeah, okay, well anybody?

Oh no, just American citizens that's good thank you

Andre's been an American citizen for 20 years now and he's lost to the local

taste for quakes crashes and collapses He thinks we ought to rent a car and get the

hell out of town. The car is new and has about 4,000 kilometers. It's not hit by anybody. It doesn't have any dents, necks, cuts or teeth marks.

Is there anything else we should know on the road is to be stopped for speeding?

...