  I finally was able to talk to David on the phone. He worked at the IIT this summer and was able to assuage my fears about the people, the organisation and the area. He told me that everyone is very nice but not to go out alone after dark. What I learned: a) My apartment is in a quiet residential area, about a 25 minute walk from downtown b) His apartment has prostitutes and pimps outside, not to mention bad 1970s shag carpet c) Another intern had an apartment on the main floor of a building.
Someone tried to break in. She called the cops and they told her to hit the intruder over the head with a frying pan d) The current hot look in Romania is the "Paris Hilton" look, where girls wear skirts that would put her to shame e) Everyone at the centre is super nice and anxious to practice their English. I hope they'll help me learn Romanian One more week. One more week. One more week. 
