Let the slaughter begin

The XXI century, 9.30 AM, one of Bucharest's neighbourhoods drowned in never ending hills of snow. Cars with scared drivers desperately watching through the windscreen, hoping to make through the big crossroad where a well dressed police man stands...doing nothing. I carefully step on the paths made through the snow by morning walkers. At the end of the final cross stray dogs can be heard barking. I can see one of them sacredly watching towards the loud hounds form across the street, and I thinking that the poor dog is an unwanted intruder. But I am so wrong. As a put the final step on what used to be a clearly marketed white cross, I see a confused pig. A large red skinned pig, waving his large years, seeking for the right direction. His formerly pink skin is carved by small cuts, making it look bloody red. His back legs have been tight together, to make sure he has no way to escape. Behind him, two man guiding his direction with a stick...

This officially opened the pig slaughtering season for me. Every year, my grandparents raise two pigs for Christmas. They've been going through this ritual since they were born. While most traditions were lost, this one is still vivid at the country side. This is also something I attend every year, until my grandparents will no longer be able to raise the pigs. Even if pork meat does not represent a necessity anymore, like it used to in the old days, this habit cannot be taken from them. It's cruel, but it's a tradition and an unwritten law of the people. Considering that other cultures still murder or torture people to satisfy traditions, or apply the rule of death to punish the ones that do wrong in their community in the XXI century, the pig slaughtering doesn't sound so cruel. It is though something that will disappear...

Traditions make culture, culture makes us different and unique...

The magic three

I am talking about the three magic letters P M S. These three letters have the ability to completely transform a person's thoughts and body for a couple of days. The letters are a syndrome, a disease without treatment that can only be accepted by society. It manifests in women of course, as if it wan't enough. It's like for Eve's sin we have to pay with tremendous pains, monthly issues that disturb routine and all in all become routine and psychic mood shifts. I was reading that while women react with tears and sadness to depressions, men become aggressive. Imagine what a household would look when SHE and HE have PMS at the same time. While a month ago I spent my last PMS day vomiting on the street because of headache, this month I spent it making thoughts. Selfish thoughts, complemented by a similar behaviour .. I cursed a few people from my past in this period..a thing I might regret once I get good old me back. Someone just as PMS-ish as I am, told me that we even suffer a few physical changes and it's not really in our minds that "...we are the ugliest..." but it actually happens.

Strange, strange creatures...we live through a multitude of shifts...when is it exactly that we are as we are.?!..and say what we really mean to say?!

The fall...

After 20 years of living in the chimera of freedom, Romania had to choose her president. While other East European countries have been celebrating 20 years after the fall of the iron curtain with parades, concerts and speeches about their bravery to turn their face towards the West, Romania crawls in sorrow. The elections torn country in two apparently equal sides. For 1 month everybody turned political. People arguing, commenting and broken friendships, confusion and lies. When everything seemed to be over, it's actually getting worse and just like this time 20 years ago, political fights and changes are happening before our eyes. While at that time we were awarded with jeans and other products from the West, now it will be decided under whose Government we will start paying for our huge IMF debt. All the other problems became invisible...sour sour faces.

One way to fly

As usual I get information either to soon or to late. Fascinated as I am about flying and stuff, I always get curious when people talk about flying lessons or flight attendant courses. I never considered or heard about parachuting though...and I don't mean the Romanian expression...Anyway, this idea flew around my ears when Ana told me that you could get free lessons until you're 23...since I'll be 24 in April, I started making plans. A deeper research unraveled magic information like...you have to actually be between 16 and 22 and according to people who tried this, the equipment is a bit "extreme". I guess it's to supplement the adrenaline rush before the jump. Oh well...another wish on my chaotic list...maybe one day I will have a video with me jumping off a plane, flying.

I'll book this under "when I will be old I'll always say I wanted to do that to my nephews", next to wishes I previously expressed, such as driving a motorcycle and bungee jumping.

Perfect face

The plastic surgery obsession is everywhere and women can't deny the wish, the aspiration towards perfection. If a girl would tell me she has never ever in her life thought about this, I would call her a shameless liar. Of course there is a big step between thinking about this and actually doing it. You might have the money, but you fear the post surgical pain or you might have the guts, but lack financial founds. I find my self at this point, as well as my friend (girl - girlfriend) in the second category. The plan is made...what to do and when to do it...we just need the money and the time. Wanting a plastic surgery does not mean that you have a low self esteem...it has nothing to do with that, we don't consider ourselves ugly and we don't not hide from the rest of the world...and that is why I consider the denial towards great features a disease. You cannot be a woman if you refuse yourself that you like being beautiful...through whatever means needed.

Another wish on my chaotic list...booked under "this is who I used to be".

Speechless souls

Since my dog has been euthanised a part of our family feels like missing. We think we hear scratches on the door and the sounds she used to make. Because I was missing, when I came back home I was expecting her to bark and come before me, waving her tail chaotically and jumping on my legs to greet me. I still felt like asking "Did Loli go out?". The feeling started disappearing now...but I still have some speechless souls around me.

This is to Lolita and the big sad eyes of the stray dogs searching for love on the streets of Romania.

Adios, but I'll be back!

I'm talking about long distance relationships. Not those internet things, that happen only virtually, and people get to meet after they got middle way without partners actually touching each other. I am talking about those that start with touches, smells, images and sensory memories, but all of the sudden one leaves. He leaves because plans have been made before they knew each other, or in a shaky moment in the relationship. Everybody knows, but the hope of something happening meanwhile raises chances and takes the thought away.

I've been the one leaving somebody behind and left behind - I've been taken to the airport and took people to the airport. Though it may seem that the person leaving gets the easy way out, for me it wasn't like that. Sure, you go to new places and discover new things, but you constantly think about the memories you had at home. You always think that person you care about is still there and whenever they miss, they go there, remember and put a smile on their face. When you are gone you don't get this opportunity, and the slight feeling of depression makes you sour towards the new things that surround you. You don't want that...you want what you had. After the first euphoric month of reaching the place where you wanted to be all your life, you realize that you become so paranoid that it becomes hell.

When you are left behind, you still have your friends, your places, your activities...of course you miss...but you don't get depressions, you are an optimist in this position. You know it will be over...you get a bit of paranoia because of the new people they meet, but you know that at some point they will be back.

Unfortunately I can't speak about when you know that they will most likely never return. I will be close to somebody in this situation...but I don't really know how to act. I always feel like saying "it will be ok...he will be back"...knowing that chances are that it will not happen.

There are no such things as long distance relationships, when you know that your partner is gone for good. You cannot switch what you had at the beginning with a computer and a camera. You cannot imagine the feelings you once lived through together.

Working class hero...again

Last week I had my first day of work, in Bucharest, after a 1 year break. I work for a great international federation (no ass kissing, they really are http://www.iesf.com/index.php?p=home) and I have two lovely colleagues, which happen to also be my friends. We have a great office, close to my high school, so I am surrounded by wonderful feelings every morning. I am a marketing officer now (English job title, because the Romanian job code makes me something like "relation organizer" which to me sounds a bit like a PIMP, not marketing stuff). A few things seem to have changed since the crises. I have to mention that when I left the Romanian work force, it was the beginning of the crises in Romania and everything was still all rainbows and butterflies. I knew salaries drooped like crazy while life was more and more expensive, but my bubble of joy from across the border kept me away from this. Now - I'm back.

In order to get the salary I wanted (a pretty good amount for the Romanian market considering myself, but way lower than I made in Denmark while cleaning 3 hours/ day) I accepted to work with a civil convention, not a work contract. A civil convention involves only the payment of mandatory state taxes, taking out unemployment, health and retirement. My employer is not cheap, but in a crises situation most companies work like this, because taxes are pretty high (in case anyone is curious, this is how much a company pays for every employee in tax: http://www.calculatorsalariu.ro/). Since I'm young and I never know where my life goes, I took the agreement.

Today I went to register my work convention...of course not at the right place (maybe I should learn how to read Romanian state web sites, because it's the second time, or start using the phone). When I got to the right place I found out that the form I had was wrong, because in was on intellectual property...so I had to fill out another one. I applied everything without any problems...at least for 30 minutes. A nice lady tells me that she can't register my convention, because I don't actually own an authorization to offer my services...This is a special authorization given by the National Commerce Register to freelancers. So...now I am some sort of freelancer as a "relation organizer" which makes me officially a P.I.M.P. :P. To get this, you need of course tons of paper work, time and money (http://www.onrc.ro/documente/ghid/1_pfa.pdf).

My colleagues told me that since the crises most people work like this. Taxes go super low and it's a nice way to trick a bit the state, because you make your own accounting and you can deduct some amounts out of the final tax with regular bills. Sounds good, I guess...but I don't like running around the city and dealing with sour administration employees. I guess I need a secretary (if anyone is interested by this job, note that I am moneyless).

Still looking for solutions to fix this...I wish it would be easier...every time I hit state owned services my head starts hurting. I am not spoiled in anyway, but common...shouldn't these things be easier and shouldn't the state make our life wonderful, so we can work longer and with energy to feed it with taxes?!

P.S.

1.it's been 1 month since I applied my request letter to the Ministry of Education about my rights as an EU student...and still no answer

2. today I had taste for something with vitamin C, a fruit to be exact, and though I walked around the whole city center, I couldn't find one fruit/vegetable shop...until I got close to my office, where everything is super expensive...I could find clothes, pastry, tabbaco, cofee, junk food...eating healthy food could do good to our lives and the West loves healthy stuff...I guess we don't, though we still produce some and it could be cheaper.

Ok...I stop complaining here...maybe I should start asking myself the question everybody has on their lips "why the hell didn't I stay there, if it was so great?!"...I guess I did it for some people I missed.

Going somewhere?

I don't think Sleeping Beauty was sad she had to sleep for a while and wake up with a kiss and a forever-lasting story. I'm looking at the phone waiting for a sign and hoping that everything is ok the other side of Europe. I want to write something empathetic, but I don't know what...I would only like to change some things, but unfortunately they don't stand in my power. Maybe I can skip some months and put myself on fast forward. At least I have a great job I can focus on, while other things settle. I am a fan of the witch that put the curse on Sleeping Beauty. There are 100 songs describing my mood, 100 screenplays and 100 novels, but there's nothing like living a story that you learn about in fairytale words. I promise to leave my stubbornness aside and be patient because it is a virtue and I need it.

Loving Romania =4=

This post is closer to the people surrounding me, girls who are survivors of a systems that's pushing them to sentimental suicide. Since I came home, I mostly met with my girlfriends. I haven't seen or to talked to some in a while. They are all my age and we know each other pretty well and talk about everything and anything. I am talking about girls I know from highschool, work or university. Other than the fact that they are my friends, another thing they have in common is their relationship with guys. When I left everybody was almost "married" and now most are sad, lonely or in confusing situations. I feel like everything turned upside down. I am definitely not talking about myself now, but about all the girls around me, who feel bad and sometimes do stupid things not to think about "those who we don't speak about". I usually take the side of the opposite sex, because I know that girls can sometimes be difficult, but these days I've been a little confused. I don't get who's fault is it: girls or boys?! I don't know if these things were there before and I was to selfish to see them or I just missed for a while and forgot that it's not all rainbows and butterflies. I have not faced these problems for a while, not coming from other people than myself. I thought I was the only one having problems and going into odd situations.

Is it just because of the weather?! Is my generation mentally deranged and we will not manage to procreate, because we are all to confused to see into each others eyes?! Are we not willing to make sacrifices anymore and stopped believing in feelings?! Are feelings just another part of this world of consumption, and we started looking for the cheapest, because we know that if it will not work and we are not sad when we “throw it away and get another one”?! Do we all believe and live a fake Western life we are not yet ready to comply with, and we get lost and confused by the too many things we would like to have in a society that offers little to people my age?!

Loving Romania =3=

Fault 3 

We don't know. Go to Denmark!

The incident with the bus controller pushed me to finding more information about the transportation card released by the Ministry of Education for the 50% off.

Step 1: Try to find the needed information on the Ministry's of Education website. Total failure, as people like me don't really exist for them. Still, I found information about a place where you can get public information, a building that was a street away from the Ministry. The schedule on the internet for Monday was 8:30 - 16:30 (http://www.edu.ro/index.php/articles/c247/)

Step 2: I went there to find the information missing from the website. I found the place pretty fast, the building I mean. I pass into an entrance, a door on each side, one says International Students and the other Register. I go through the one that says International Students (department for foreign students coming to study in Romania), and ask about the place where I can get public information. I am directed to the door across the entrance, saying Register. Inside, I was expecting to find lots of cashier desks and people nervously demanding their rights. It was nothing like that, complete silence...and two door again, saying nothing. I knock at one of them and go in. I ask about the public information desk and a woman tells me she only works from 14. "...but, but...the website..." "I don't know what the website says, it's from 14" Still, I must admit she was kind enough to ask me what I want.

My text was: "I am a student in Denmark, without grant, on my own, and I would like to know what my rights and obligations are during my stay in Romania, because while I was in Spain I could get student reduction on my Danish student card, but here not!". Parts of her answers, "That was in Spain, herreee...." "Than go in Denmark!". Because she had no real answer for me, she sent me to the Ministry at the Department for Superior Studies, with an interphone code. I go there and call. After talking to two people, I found out that nobody raised this question before, and they don't have an answer. I basically don't exist as a student in Romania, though both countries belong to the European Union. I finally wrote a request, registered at the Registry where I have been sent again from the Ministry, for which I have been informed that I will get an answer in maximum 30 days. I wrote all the possible information there, to make it as clear as possible. I would have liked to help them and give them my e-mail, because in my naive imagination things would work faster, but the woman at the registry told me with a big smile on her face, that they don't have people sending e-mails there.

Oh, well! I already knew the system is bad. That is why I left. I just want to write about system related information I face during my stay at home. I know the bureaucracy is deep and these are only small examples. I think I would like to work for a newspaper, to get paid to try and find out different information, basic day to day information, people paying taxes need to make their life better...it would be fun.

Loving Romania =2=

Fault 2

Get well or die trying

My second fault is about how I don't understand the medical system. This week I had to go with my sister to the doctor's office to get a notice that she is able to perform during her sport's classes. Since I was little and she was born we were registered at the local health care office in our neighbourhood. The doctor loved us and knew everything about us. But last year she unfortunately died. Since than, my sister and I had no family doctor, though our files were still registered there. Now we moved to a bigger medical center, where you can find all sorts of doctors. First I went to a very bad family doctor to get a paper for analyses and than to a very good dermatologist. Nobody asked anything about my medical file. But when I went with my sister to the paediatrician’s office, the nurse asked me for her folder. I told her the story and she said she cannot let me see a doctor unless I have the folder, because the doctor needs to see her medical past. I went home, told my mother, and after two visits at the former medical office and several requests, she managed to get the folders, both my sister’s and mine. As we had my sister's folder, we went back to the medical office. Another nurse, another rule. They didn't actually need the folder, she only needed some information I gave her to make a new folder. I told her to also keep the old folder since we have it now and the answer was "No, it's better to keep it at home. It's safe at home!". So, not only the rules change from one day to another, but I should also understand that not even a paper is safe in that place. This is how, in one week we managed to get the medical notice for sports, that we could have gotten since the first time we went there.

After all, we had to take them from our old doctor, so it was ok. Now, personally, I am a bit confused. I have at home my medical folder with my medical past since I was born to this day and also my medical folder from school with all the vaccines I took. At the sane time I have the analyses from all the private clinics I went to and even the notice from the emergency room, from the car accident. All these are totally different papers, not related in any way or centralised in any system. I am thinking that in case anything might happen to me, they would be useful for the doctors analysing my case, because it would be easier to see where the problem starts. As I know, all the information I have at home in one plastic folder, is not centralised anywhere...a folder that tells my blood type, my allergies, my surgeries...everything. Should I carry it with me every time I leave the house, just in case? Would that make me paranoid or would it just help me in case I have a sudden accident?

I know the medical system has a lot of problems, and not only in Romania. Ana’s accident from this summer is a good example. Still, wouldn’t the feeling of at least knowing that if you have an accident you will not die because something you are allergic to might be administrated, could make people trust the system more and bring at least a superficial feeling of safeness?! Maybe I am doing something wrong...

Loving Romania =1=

Before taking the first flight to Denmark I had a fuzzy feeling about Romania. Living abroad made me see things differently and made me understand where that fuzzy feeling was coming from. I hated the idea of being Romanian and wished more than anything to get lost in the world. I realised that's basically impossible, because no matter what, I will always be Romanian just like my children, grandchildren and so on. Now, in the middle of the financial crises, most of the people I am meeting have the same feelings I had before leaving. Because arguments are the best way to understand the world and sustain your cause...I decided to bring everyday examples of why I hate the Romanian system and not Romania or Romanians.

Fault 1

No ticket, no ride

I am a hypocrite, because the only city I have ever travelled without a ticket during the day is Bucharest. Why don't I usually buy a ticket? I used to always have a monthly pass when I was in school, because it was 50% off. After I finished school, I never bought a ticket again:

1. though I continue being a student in the EU I don't get the 50% off anymore - I don't know if this is about an EU agreement or something, I hope I will find out soon;

2. the bus doesn't have a schedule and comes randomly, sometimes having to wait even for 20 min - it would be impossible for the bus to have a schedule in the madness of the traffic in Bucharest, it would be a lie – this how the system connects it’s faults and relates them one to another;

3. the bus is super crowded and in summer it becomes an impossible environment - no air conditioning system, sometime the windows are stuck, becomes it barely comes, just like in any other European capital a lot of people use the local transportation and of course it gets crowded...

...and other reasons everyone who travels by bus must know about.

So...I never buy the ticket, though it's my responsibility as a person getting on the bus. I am a bad person and I backstab the Romanian economy.

The same thing happened just a few days ago. I was going with my sister at the doctor and I didn't have a ticket and neither did she. (NOTE! All the brackets are bubbles of thought emerging above my head during the conversation I was about to have.) The control comes and I politely tell them that I don't have a ticket, and neither does my sister. He asks me where I am going (as if it was his business!) and tells me to get off at the next station. He tells me that my sister needs to have a ticket from the age of 7, but since she's not 14 and doesn't have ID he can't do anything (so why should she have a ticket from the age of 7, if he can't do anything about it until she's 14, it's polite, but who cares about politeness when you don't have enough money to buy bread!). Than he turns to me, he had my ID in his hand. He clearly tells that I cannot pay less now and more later as the law changed (actually the law changed only in the sense that I cannot pay him now and more later), so I can only pay a lot more later and only and the legal office of my district...and while he was saying this he was turning a green paper in front of my eyes. I told him that from what I saw in the bus it still says that I can pay half now and more later, but he says the law changed and they forgot to take the stickers in the bus off (very smart...bullshit!!!). Than he asks me:

“What do you decide?” (What are the options?)

"What are the options?"

"You decide miss, the decision is all yours!" (Oh no, he's asking for bribe and I am not giving him anything)

"I would like to get my normal fine, thank you"

"Do you have enough money to pay so much for a ticket" (excuse meeee!!!!! why do you care?!)

"No, I don't…but I will manage"

"Please think well, you cannot pay half" His colleague comes and tells us that we discussed for a while and we should make up our minds. (Great!!!). He says:

"So...I will make you a favour. (HA HA HA!!!!) I will write you a paper, with which you can pay half..." (Didn’t he just say that the law changed and it's not possible to do that anymore?)

"In 48 hours like before right?!"

"...no, I will let you till...hmm...Friday...if my computer, because I will check (HA HA HA!), says that you didn't pay I will send it to your district's legal office..."

I get my green paper, I say thank you and hit the road. Out of curiosity I read the paper he was till then waiving in front of my eyes. You can pay 50 lei in the first 48 hours everywhere you can find monthly subscriptions, just like before. It becomes between 100 and 150 lei (I don't who decides the exact amount) and if you don't pay, you get a request from the districts legal office to pay it within 15 days or you will get called for audition.

All he wanted was a small bribe. When I got home and told my mother, she asked why I didn't give him something to solve the problem. Well, this type of problem solving got us where we are, hating our nationality. I didn't pay the fine and I am curious about what will happen next.

Still September, not yet October

September 2009...back home. The same room, the same view and the same people. More or less, because a lot of things changed since I first left last year. The thought of staying home for a bit longer makes me take of my holiday coat and forces me to adjust to the life I am about to restart. I'm almost done with the intrenship report and school, till next year. I have been asked to start my thesis now, but I need a break, or at least that's how I felt just a few days ago, after arriving. I refuse to watch the sky anymore, because I am afraid of seeing airplanes. I will soon have a job again, start paying my credit and devide expences in order to save money for my next trip. I don't know what I have learned, but I know what I feel...and I know what would stop me from running away from I don't know what and moving from one place to another. Since I stoped travelling for now...September 2009 will be the last post about me and my adventures. I am not sad or disapointed, I feel like a curios child opening all the boxes, until what I have wished for pops up.

Till next time...I found a nice post: http://alexunu.blogspot.com/2009/05/balada-celor-neimbratisati.html

Moving on up to a delux apartment in the sky

A few days ago I was talking to a special someone (I miss you!!) and I remembered how, during my first classes at school I loved listening and absorbing the stories my classmates had after each summer holiday, they were talking about Disneyland and far away places where you could only travel by plane. I wished for that so much, and I never got it as they did. My only chance was to go and do something more, like study, dance or sing and work. I have never had a holiday abroad...I only crossed the Romanian boarder with a well established purpose. I get shivers every time I see a plane now, because I know I am going to be up there soon...what I wished for most became something frightening...I have never been twice in the same place or with the same people...I know that every time somebody else will be waiting for me at the airport or I will have to discover a whole new place by myself. I am addicted to traveling and if I would ever consider myself lucky in something…this would be it. I am not lucky in love and I always have just as much money as I need…I am a traveller.

I only met great people till now, with some I am still in contact and others I will never see again. The shifts I've been through every summer since I was 13 thought me great lessons of life and placed me in different weird situations...What I am always thinking about is what those people really think about me and what I have left behind. I would like to ask: what is the first thing or moment that comes to your mind when you think about me?

La noche en Blanco

I finished my internship this week. I wanted to write a few things about my feelings at the end of this experience, but I can't really put anything together. I can't even write my internship report...and this isn't because everything was bad, but because it left me sour and without words. I feel like a person who gets out of a relationship and instead of still loving or hating, doesn't care. That's how I feel after three months as an intern at the Romanian Embassy in Spain I don't care. I will manage to put myself together these days and at least write the internship report.

"La noche en blanco" marked Marketa's and Edita's visit. After 3 months of leaving Aarhus, seeing them brought a feeling of warmth back into me. I felt like we've never been a part and we just went on one of our trips from Aarhus. I hope this type of meetings will happen every three months because I love the feelings they bring back into me. They bought me a super cute mirror from Paris, because they know I love little things that seem insignificant to others, instead of big, posh gifts. I managed to mix them with all the others here and we hanged out internationaly. With them I also finished my tour of Madrid, seeing everything a tourist could. 

Cold September

Along with September the warmth of Madrid disappeared. The wind started blowing cold, shifting everything that comes in its way. The city and its people have no mysteries to unravel...it just became another city I have been living in, and discovered without playing the role of the Japanese tourist. One more week of playing behind the desk, and two more before becoming again a Romanian student abroad. The end of an experience that became difficult to conclude on paper for my internship report. Three months of living a life I have interacted with before and maybe will do it again...next time, if there will be, as the one holding the golden feather. Trust is rushing through my veins, but not in the people around me...only in the star I have carved on my skin and believe in. I changed my status and dare to do more than before. I have no hidden feelings, only hidden purposes. Another page is turning like every three months in my last two years. Another page full of friends, laughter and sleepless nights. Unlike before, my clothes are still in the closet waiting to be nicely put in my traveller’s bag…and I’m still acting like a person living here since forever. I hope that next weekend will help me make up my mind once and forever, as a part of the life I have left behind a few months ago is coming back, Marketa and Edita.

Last weekend of August

I feel a bit confused and unable to change anything in what and how I am. Though it may not be the best solution…I will just ignore everything and continue playing the game. This time last year I was leaving for Aarhus and saying goodbye to things I still miss and probably never be able to recover and catch up with. This time last year my life changed completely and I became a roomate. Life is different and the way I act towards it changed...

After a great week with horror movies and people I'm starting to love as days go by, yesterday I wanted to stay home and rest. The boys were supposed to return this weekend and I wanted to get ready for their crazy ways. But, 2 hours after going to bed...at around 3 a.m. Alex arrived with two of his friends from their 9 days - 9 countries tour. They were a bit tipsy and wanted to go out.

The Romanian state is continuing to take advantage of my free work...so this weekend I have to work from home.

On Sunday it was my Saint name day, a day a never celebrate because that is my name only in papers and I don't feel related to it. Still I went with Alex to Rastro, in La Latina, which is a street market full of colour  I bought myself a small, short, my new trade mark dress and some rings...and a nice Breakfast at Tiffany's wallet :). We also had Indian food at a restaurant in Lavapies. I loved the market...I will definitely go there again before leaving. I remembered today Irina telling me to visit Madrid, because it's a nice city to see and it hides lots of treasures. I realised that I cannot visit a city I live in, because I don't feel like in holidays and I don't feel like a tourist...I'm even shy to take out the camera. I never visited Bucharest, or Kiev and I never actually visited Aarhus either. If somebody would ask me what are the best things to see in these three places...I wouldn't know what to say. I will never probably see more of Madrid than I get to see while living here...and I don't mind because it already is a special city for me.

Lost in Madrid in August

Even though work at the Consulate takes more that half of my personal time and the boys weren't home this month...I still managed to spend some time out of the apartment. Summer doesn't seem to be as strong as it used to be at the beginning of July, when I arrived in Madrid. The Romanian news announced storms in Spain, but this happens mostly in the East, as I saw on the news here. I can feel the change in the morning when I go to the Consulate...I always think about taking something to cover my arms, but then when get to the never ending metro, I feel like loosing as much clothes as I can. I started using the normal stares at the metro, because since I started working at the Consulate I didn't have any time for running...so I am doing my exercises as I can, when I can.

Soon I will start writing my internship report. My classmates are announcing their return to Aarhus, and the end of their holidays...I still have no idea what I am going to do...my status is pending.

Out with Irina, Alex and others, the usual walking from bar to bar night (every time I'm going out with Alex and Andre we have to enter at least two bars, depending on how long the night is going to be, you never really drink two beers in the same place).

Plaza de Toros, sin corida (Plaza de Toros in Madrid is announced, by a big advertisement in front of it, as being the greatest in Spain. It's pretty close to my house and they seem to have coridas every weekend. The cheapest ticket is 5 euros, the view is bad and they announce you that you have to stand the heat of the sun though out the show. I would like to go, not till the end, because it's cruel, but at least to feel the vibe of the show) + Sushi night with Irina :)

With Andrei, Cristina and Florin at "El templo de Debod" at sunset (this is an original 2200 years old Egyptian construction, dedicated to Isis and Amon, which has been given as a gift to Spain by Egypt in 1968).

In love with Barcelona

The second city in Spain and Madrid's main competition. Full of colour and architectural styles, full of tourists and of noise... We left on Friday with the night train, which looks pretty much like a normal Romanian train...we were a bit disappointed when we saw it and the super uncomfortable night we spent in it, gave us the chills when we were thinking about the way back. We walked through the whole city and though our feet were killing us we kept discovering every corner of the city. The only two little days we had didn't allow us to visit everything on the outside, but we saw kind of everything Barcelona had to offer us. This is a super must see city, but maybe it would be better to visit it off-season to see everything. Catalan is different from Castilian and the people from Barcelona are different from the ones in Madrid...while there, I was thinking again about the remark I made with the differences between Spanish...and I continues to think that every region is totally different and they are a bit divided. The prices were extremely high...especially for museum and other tourist things and they were a bit taking advantage of everything they were offering. The beach was extremely dirty and the water too hot and blurry. I am the kind of person who likes to splash around but this time I didn't feel like it. The waves are super strong and you could feel the depth of the water immediately.

Still we saw the best of Spain and ate the best Paella, Pulpitos and Patatas Bravas in Spain :)

Roleplay

Life is a scene and we are all actors, but unlike those who choose acting as a profession, we don´t get applauses at the end...we get tears of sadness...because everybody knows that once one goes behind the curtain, he will never return for another performance. We all have role models ..usually our parents...who guide us through the script enough to confide that we became capable of choosing only the roles that fit us and we can perform best in. Without realising we play more roles than a professional actor does, but we don´t always fit in all of them. Most roles are common...especially those that lead us to knowledge and financial pleasures...the role of the student, the role of the employee...and here, depending on the profession, differences are made. When it comes to our personal lives...the role everybody is expecting is the role of the husband/wife and parent...but some of us play separate alternative and hidden roles. We all want and like to play someone who is not our usual self...we keep this role well hidden and we blush and get nervous if somebody discovers our secret script. We choose strangers as partners, because we are afraid of disappointing the ones used with our everyday characters. This role is not build on a role model and does not have a script...the script is being written while we perform and this is what makes it the role of our lives...because it becomes unique...not to the world, but to us. I discovered my hidden role a long time ago, but later I found out that the only thing that made it special was that it naturally came to me before discovering that I am actually interpreting a character that already exists...still this is my special role and will always be my Oscar worthy moment...

Lazy Madrid

An empty apartment and the silence of a Sunday. A double bed with a corner covered by the strong Spanish sun. A curtain slowly moving, blown by the hot wind of Madrid. The street under the window is quiet...a woman can be heard from time to time, moaning with pleasure...and another one calling somebody across the street. No footsteps, no cars...just the calming silence of nothing... disturbed by my hamsterish friends, that make squireling sounds from time to time. The air is dry...my lips are constantly dried and I even get nose bleeds here...Andre´s room is bigger and it´s easy to enjoy the breeze on his huge bed...huge comparing to mine. I´m already sleeping in his bed and enjoying the space it offers. Tomorrow Irina is coming and I will have to share my ocean of softness...I had a hard week...and I deserve my weekend of laziness ..I cleaned everything I could clean, except my mind...which keeps creating dreams that are difficult to understand in the morning.

My international studies

I came to Spain because I wanted to improve my knowledge in the international field. My internship is suppose to help me apply the information I learned through my studies. What I didn't think about before was that in this period I am trying to apply the Western style of teaching in Romanian methods of work. It's been a month since I've been in the embassy, between well-trained people. Unlike Ukraine, the people in this embassy are young and easier to communicate with. The work and procedure though it's pretty slow. This month I didn't have so much to work with...just translations, studies, a few meetings at the ministries and culture houses and reading the media daily, for news about Romanians. The problem is that people are on holidays in this period. I was expecting this, but I thought that they would still find something interesting for me to do. Till now I didn't apply any of the stuff I've been learning, but I learned a lot of great new stuff...which also applies to daily life...like paying super attention in everything you do. I begged them to send me to the consulate also...and because I perused and stressed them out they took me there today. The first thing I saw was a priest somewhere close to the consulate’s building, begging for money for the church. The image continued with people lying on the grass across the street in the shadow...waiting to come in. Inside there was noise...a thing that was missing at the embassy. Everybody seemed to be talking at the same time. I realised that I was behind the cashier’s office. They took me inside a room full of papers and registers. A woman greeted me...she said that she knows me from somewhere...and she actually has the same family name as me. She told me to sit and gave me one of the registers...for 9 hours I wrote down numbers and names of people applying for papers to go home. Because it's holidays and they want to go to Romania they realise that their legal forms have expired and they need new ones...and since the Consulate is the place where they are being released, this is where they come. People work together here more, and so the atmosphere is very different. I don't know if I like it more or not...but at least I get to observe the people from the diaspora. They tried to do the whole system by computers, but some people didn't agree, so even if the ambassador thinks that computers do everything, people write down everything by hand.

I will be here for one month at least...I will see...but I don't think I will stay there for 9 or 10 hours everyday.

Live healthy

We live in an age of technology and office work, which means sitting in front of a computer and working out only our fingers. The lack of physical activity and the stress we face on a daily basis usually leads to unwanted weight. It's better to prevent than to treat the weight gains that can lead to severe heart diseases and an inaesthetic look, which lowers our self esteem. Ageing also has a great impact on the outside and inside of the body, and so, the best way to maintain it, is by providing the right resources of energy. Being healthy is a better way to looking good than buying expensive clothes and putting on a ton of make-up and other cosmetic products.

+ eggs; low fat diary; beans; oatmeal; olive oil; oranges; whole grains; strawberries; cinnamon; tangerines; ginger; grapefruit; bananas; apricots; almonds; watermelon; fish (salmon, tuna); apples; chicken; hot chili peppers; turkey; kiwi; lentils; spinach; olives; dark chocolate.

Also there is a list of things that should never be combined if you want to maintain your body slim and healthy:

- milk should always be drank alone..and preferably it should be skimmed milk;

- meat should never be eaten with bread, diary products, fruits or other fats...but with green vegetables;

- bread with butter;

- pasta with ham and any diary products;

- cheese with bread...in this case the amount of calcium absorbed by the body goes down;

- potatoes with bread...the golden rule of NEVER;

- in fruit salads, sweet fruits should never be combined with sour fruits...that's why I never liked it so much, people usually put banana and pineapple with orange and kiwi;

- no fruits immediately after a meal

It's important to drink between 1.5l and 2.5l of liquids/day...water, green tea and home made juices. They help rebuild cells and clean unwanted elements from your body. Also exercising is a key factor, the best way to keep in shape is of course running, but if there is no time for going to the gym or jogging, a long walk can also be a good option.

Now, traveling thought me that we are different...we have different routines, different national dishes and different eating schedules. We should enjoy the way we are and not try to change just to stick to the rules. The foods mentioned above should not become an ONLY in our diets, but an EXTRA, they can be used as the 4-6 snacks every person should eat/day. It's important not to skip meals, so these food options could also be an "on the go" meal. We should always make time for breakfast, waking up 15 minutes earlier is not such a pain, and try not to eat for dinner the amount of calories that should have been eaten through out the day. Starvation is not the answer, don't forget that humans are like animals, and when the human body is starving it thinks that it will never get food again and starts building resources, fat resources.

Ah yes...reduce alcohol and tobacco and sleep 8 hours/night (not more not less).

My favorite websites with info about ab and glute exercises:

http://www.lose-fat-belly.com/

http://exercise.about.com/od/butthipsthighs/tp/butt.htm

White Party

Spanish celebrities, cameras, a fancy club and lots of white...this was my yesterday night. I and Alex went to a white party in Madrid, close to our home. Some of his friends from Galicia were promoting some alcoholic drinks they are producing and had invitations to this pretty posh party. Of course I didn't know any of the "celebrities" there, most of them being TV celebrities, but it didn't matter because they didn't know me either :P

Galicia

My first exit from Madrid since I arrived was this weekend in Galicia. We left on Friday afternoon, after Alex picked me up from work. It took us almost 2 hours to get out of Madrid, because everybody is leaving on Friday. So, all in all the road took us 6 hours...it was awful.

First stop: Cortegada

Andre's home to be exact…a small Spanish village, where, just like in Romania, everybody knows everybody. The area has a beautiful landscape, it's surrounded by mountains and the houses in the village bear the mark of history. This weekend was the days of Galicia, so the village was wearing celebration clothes. This is a good time for family meetings and partying together. And so it was. On Friday after we arrived, we had dinner with his sisters and then we went out. The club/bar where we went was pretty good and the people wonderful to observe. I stayed mostly with Andre's younger sister...and I spoke Spanish :D...We...or at least I...didn't drink a lot, but we stayed up till 8 in the morning, so the next day I felt completely wasted. It was the day when I had to move to Alex...but only after eating a huge launch with Andre's family. I thought the food would never end...it was delicious, but way too much for me. I had to get back to my senses for my next city...and so I did...for a while.

Next stop: Verin

Verin~Alex's home. Still in Galicia, but this time in a city. The city reminded me a bit of Aarhus, in size and maybe the atmosphere of the Festival. There was a water fight festival and we had our huge water guns, which we forts tried on the streets of Madrid on Thursday evening. I went from leaving with 2 boys to leaving with 5...which definitely raised the fun level of the day. The festival was great and at the end I was completely wet and cold. I had so much fun that for a few hours I forgot about how tired I was. But the evening it all came back...and I didn't manage to stay up later than 4 a.m. I slept for 10 hours...from 4 am till half past 2 pm, with a small break when Alex’s brother came to sleep next to me. On Sunday I was fresh, while the others were zombies...but the road back home killed me...6 hours in the car again...

People definitely love colours in Spain...and so they like to colour their life and make it a tiny rainbow. They enjoy everything they do and when they have fun nothing else matters. I am truly jealous for not being raised with the same spirit, because I love the rhythm life has here...and I have to admit, even the Danes had different festival where people were out on the streets.

Sad news from home, as it was happening when I was in Denmark. Ana had an accident in Greece and she's been in the hospital for a while and she will have to be there a bit longer. These things cannot be predicted and unfortunately they happen. I had a dream of her on Saturday...so the news today really struck me. I hope she's going to be ok.

Choose Madrid

In a few days, my first month in Madrid will end. A month that passed by so fast, that it makes it feel like a week...my days end in a glimpse. As I said before I was actually expecting to feel good here, especially after my Danish experience. Now, my problem is whether I should remain here or not. The pro's for this would be: living in a real European capital, earning enough money to live normally and becoming another person, culturally. The con's would be missing the people at home and constantly thinking about some of them, not being able to work in my field of studies...but on the other hand I am not so convinced about what Romania can offer me, so either way the only thing that would really change would be my social life. I already started looking for a job, so probably if I manage to find something in the next 2 months and nothing tragic happens, I will not go back home for a pretty long time. I am putting my future in the hands of serendipity, again :)

Ah, yes...Alex and Andre have been reading my blog and I have to correct some stuff:

1. Spain is not torn apart by it's political division, I read that in a newspaper...one...and the media here is politically manipulated...so one media source of information and no knowledge about the internal history of Spain is not enough;

2. My neighbors are not Spanish, they are Latin American...so my room doesn't have a Spanish sense and the music they/I listen to is not Spanish;

3. The apartment was not very, very dirty....it was a bit dirty and they were very good at cleaning it...considering that they are boys;

4. The post I deleted was not about my love life in Denmark, Andre!!!!

This weekend we are going to Galicia!!!

The fame

http://www.esi.edu

ESI Berkeley made me famous :)..and the title for my main photo fits me. Pfff it's been such a long time since I've been there, and it's still like a dream...one that I know it happened only because of the pictures I have, because my goldfish memory makes it feel like it never actually happened  The great US of A is still tempting for me, but though this didn't happen before, now the distance makes me feel unsure and makes me shiver at the thought of going and living there alone...but I'm not saying no yet...thank you David for the great photos that will forever make me remember Cali.

40 years of moonwalking

"One small step for men, one giant leap for mankind"...these are the words with which Armstrong conquered the Moon with Apollo 11 on the 21st of July 1969. This happened in a period of a great ideological war between USA and the USSR, and even though USSR send first Gagarin into space, basically winning the space race, USA sent the first man, filmed it and promoted it through a good PR campaign, which left the Russians in the shadow.

40 years after that, mankind continues to be dazzled by the Universe and its wonders. Recently I read an article about the existence of another 361 to 38000 civilizations in our galaxy only. The human imagination is extremely rich and we always wanted to discover these aliens, which in movies are either bad and ugly or good and sweet, they come in peace or to conquer us...Be it either, the sky for us has always been a wonder and it has been used both by religion and pagan rituals. God is somewhere in the sky, Jesus was born under a star, as well as, our life is guided by zodiacal signs reflected by planets or even ancient depiction of drawings showing the existence of some creatures coming from above. This is Scientology's favorite topic, so in case anyone would know anything...it should be them.

A problem in this case would if humans could procreate in space. A smart article says that: "sex in space is human sexual activity in weightless and extreme environments of space. The topic also includes conception and pregnancy in off-Earth environments. The topic has been hotly disputed to clarify its potential impact on human beings in the isolated, confined, and hazardous environment of space. Experts consider humanity's expansion into space crucial to survival, though it was considered taboo for decades of space faring exploration history. As of 2009, with NASA planning long-term missions for lunar settlements with goals to explore and colonize space, the topic has taken its respected place in life sciences. Scientist Stephen Hawking publicly concurred in 2007 that possibly human survival itself will depend on successfully contending with the extreme environments of space. In zero gravity there is no natural convection to carry away body heat and bodily fluids tend to pool around the body. The sweat from sexual activity could pool as floating droplets. Although zero gravity is a boon for saggy body parts, males might notice a "slight decrease" in penis size due to the lower blood pressure that humans experience in microgravity..."

Death row

Today I participated at a conference held in Madrid on the issue of the abolition of the death penalty in Arab States. There were a lot of stuff I had no idea about, so I found it pretty interesting. For example, though I've been studying political and ideological stuff for 4 years, I never new that the Muslim world, just like the Western world developed several schools of thought. Of course, while in the West these school are guided by the idea of power, in the Muslim world they are guided by the idea of religion. Religion was also the issue when talking about the abolition of the death penalty, which is very common in the Arab States. According to one of the schools (Wahabita School in Saudi Arabia) there are six reasons for which a person should be executed by hanging (this is the most common method): apostasy (which basically means leaving the Muslim religion), adultery (which is mostly applied to women, but there are cases when no matter which one of them has committed it, they are both killed because it is considered to have been the responsibility of both, or there are other cases where 4 witness are needed in order to prove it), premeditated murder (the killer could also be forgiven in case the family of the victim accepts to pardon him and get compensation or DIA as it is called in Iraq, which means "blood money"), sedition (this is also one of the most popular reasons for the death sentence especially, of course, because of the ruling regime), spying (a spy always has to be hanged, but is not very clear as it is not mentioned weather the person accused and sentenced could also be a non-Muslim) and the last witchcraft (it refers to the ones that refuse to pray or are atheist). The problem is that other reasons interfere in different countries and usually more innocent people die, for example, there is the Alacula, the family or tribe of the murderer, which is killed together with him because they are considered responsible for his education and actions. I was shocked about all the other stupid, to me, reasons I was hearing, but the scholars were really serious about this issue and they were trying to show how hard it is to make a decision. They are now forced by Human Rights Organizations, from all around the world, to stop this. The problem would be that in Arab countries religious writings (Sharia - the body of Islamic religious law) are used as a source of law, though they don't represent this and can be interpreted in various ways. They are struggling now to build a new, common legislation for all the Arab States, independent from any religious writings and based on the current international law. Their main argument could be that the Koran does not state anything about the death sentence, but on the contrary, talks about forgiveness.

As in the case of China, the media is forbidden to talk about this and so the public opinion doesn't really exist. China is a good example because it also uses the death sentence method and though it has been tried to be abolished, the public opinion surveys showed that they had no idea that this was happening in their country and had no opinion actually on the issue. The only shocking moment for the public opinion in the Arab States was Sadam Hussein's execution...which showed how cruel the procedure is and left people disgusted.

The Vatican had the same problem before 1962, when it had to separate religion from politics. Abolition has been common in European history, but has only been a real trend since the end of the Second World War when human rights became a particular priority. The death penalty has been totally abolished in almost all European countries (46 out of 50). A moratorium on the death penalty is a condition of membership in the Council of Europe and abolition is considered a central value to the European Union. Of all European countries, San Marino and Portugal were the first to abolish and only Belarus still practices capital punishment. Russia maintains the death penalty in law, but currently practices a de facto moratorium, the last execution officially taking place in 1996. Latvia has abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes but retains it for crimes during wartime. Italy was the latest country (March 3, 2009) to ratify the abolishing of the penalty for all crimes.

Since 1990, 85-90% of all judicial executions worldwide have taken place in China, the US, Iran, Saudi Arabia; the Congo Democratic Republic.

The whole debate brings me back to the brainwashing I am put to through my studies. In deed the West is more developed that the Rest, but it should look back at the steps it took, and the years that went by before the public opinion and the discourses were changed and not try to rush things and confuse societies that have no idea about what is actually happening and are brain washed by governments.

Cars vs. Dolls

This makes me wonder if it was good that God made Eve from Adam's rib and not his brain. Wanting to play fair...I will be a bit of a misogynist  if that can apply, and state that there are so many things where women should not have stick their nose. The gender race has never been so vigorous as these days and the differences between women around the world never so big. In one corner you find the ones that completely cover themselves, are mutilated and forced into polygamy marriages, sold for money, killed as babies or forced to work to sustain their brothers and in the other the ones that suit it up with short skirts, high heel shoes and branded bags. All these happen just to make certain statements and nothing is natural and the way it’s supposed to be. How many movies show women struggling to climb up the social leader, complain to their friends and talk for hours about random things, shop till they drop, having diet problems and of course talk about how their life partner is incapable of understating them?! I haven't seen till now any movies about men doing that. I have to admit that I actually like this type of movies, and I usually watch them with my friends when I am feeling low and need to see how a women can succeed and rule everything. Even if I know it's just a movie and I watch it for entertainment it makes my hormones go crazy and fill me up with trust. Applying my theory about why and when I watch this type of movies, and thinking about the number of movies released lately by the industry, makes me think about how low women got...they are using a movie to make them feel that they can. I found in the apartment a magazine which talks about the brain differences between men and women, I don't really understand everything, but I will try to because it looks interesting. Another fact I found appealing was about the DNA paternity tests that can be found in USA's supermarkets...just like pregnancy tests...hmmmmm...is this really necessary?! seems so...because they show that out of I don't know how many million tests taken in one year, 25% are negative, one quarter of the men who request this test find out that their partner not only cheated but lied to the extreme...why should it be like this, when we complain all the time about men cheating?!

My "rummys"

I almost finished my first weekend with my new roommates and I think I will have a hell of a good time in Madrid with them. It was absolutely crazy...Yesterday I was at the swimming pool the whole day, and came back at 12 in the night, not expecting them to be home...but they were and a bit tipsy already. I drank with them at home and then we went out in a club...a good club...but I was too busy with our own thing to notice the club. We had some markers from home and we ended up fighting each other in the club and got totally painted. My official nickname in the house is Rummy...because: I come from Rumania and Rum (it could have been any other drink, but this worked with the name)...

Today we cleaned the house because it was very, very dirty and they are pretty good, I was surprised.

Here come the gays!

This Saturday (04.07) I was at my first gay parade. I am open minded and I don't like to judge things by their cover, but I have to admit that I felt myself a bit homophobic. It as a bit yucky to see a lot of guys kissing guys, I think girls kissing girls is much better. The parade in Madrid is one of the biggest in Europe and usually there up to 3 million people participating (crowd included). I have no idea how many were this year, but it sure was a lotttt of people. It was very hot, like every other summer day in Madrid…but this didn't stop anyone from going out on the streets, where they were having water fights or people throwing water on them from balconies.

The parade is full of colour and costumes. Of course the most interesting are the guys...lesbians are a bit boring and normal considering that nowadays all girls wear pants...but the guys were amazing. Not just the drags...who had absolutely fabulous costumes, but also the others. I have a feeling they look so good on purpose to agonies girls...and the main song was "Dragostea din tei"...which I guess is some sort of gay anthem.

I went with Sara and Diego and ended up with Diego and a bunch of Erasmusers I knew from Denmark. We had a few drinks (a bit too many maybe) and the best was the mojito in a 1l plastic glass, of which I had two because it was absolutely delicious. The result was a bad hangover...again...and every time I do this I say I will never do it again...I spent my hangover day with Diego's family by the swimming pool and we developed a nice theory...20s=1 day, 30s=2 or 3 days, 40s=4 days and after 50s you should be crazy to drink that much and not learn your lesson :P

Espana y politica

The Autonomous Community (Comunidad Autónoma) is the first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "regions and nationalities" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities. These regional governments are responsible for schools, universities, health, social services, culture, urban and rural development and, in some places, policing.

- Andalucia

*Sevilla (Government)

*Granada (Court of Justice)

- Aragon

* Zaragoza

- Principado de Asturias

* Oviedo

- Islas Baleares

* Palma de Mallorca

- Comunidad Autonoma Vasca

* Vitoria

- Islas Canarias

* Santa Cruz de Tenerife

- Cantabria

* Santander

- Castila-La Mancha

* Toledo (Government)

* Albacete(Court of Justice)

- Castilla y Leon

* Valladolid (Government)

* Burgos (Court of Justice)

- Catalonia

* Barcelona

- Extremadura

* Merida

- Galicia

* Snatiago de Compostela(Government)

* La Coruna (Court of Justice)

- La Rioja

* Logrono

- Madrid

* Madrid

- Region de Murcia

* Murcia (Government)

* Cartagena (Parliament)

- Comunidad Foral de Navarra

* Pamplona

- Comunidad Valenciana

* Valencia

The problem is that thses communities instead of making the country stronger they tear it apart. There is a very strong competition between them and the national spirt dies with this. People don't see themselves as Spanish, but as representatives of their own region. The Spanish are the ones in Madrid.

First 7 days in Madrid

Day 1:

I am extremely tired, because my flight was too early in the morning. I had to fly from Baneasa Airport and I was so sad to be there. I pitied all the people there, people who bring half of the value of the country's budget by working outside Romania and leaving their families behind, and were given really low and uncivilised conditions for and before travelling. I no longer have any problems with sleeping on the plane, I guess routine just had to kick in to make me comfortable. I slept most of the flight and woke up just as the plane was going above the Iberic Peninsula. Spain is beautiful from above, it’s not green like Denmark it's super colourful, and I enjoyed looking out the window as we went towards the great capital. Ahm...nobody was waiting for me at the terminal, though my coordinator from the embassy told me that somebody would. I spent 2 hours in the terminal walking from one place to another hoping to find somebody with a paper with my name on it, but nothing…at one point I even started asking people. I tried to call the embassy from the public phones in the airport and nothing; they don't work on Saturday at all, because I tried to call all offices. You can't imagine how pissed I was. My luck was that Sara was there with a friend and I called her to pick me up too. She came...and she is great...she looks similar to me in everything and I got along with her from the 1st second :). I was no longer tired, so we went shopping. She works in PR and she has some events this week, so she had to buy some stuff...and this is how I found out that the sales period just started...and will be till the end of July or August (depends on the shop). Her apartment is great, it’s a dream place for me and I really don't mind sleeping on her couch for a few days. I also met her boyfriend, Antonio :).

Madrid...I feel weird. I don't feel like a stranger anymore. I feel like I blended in just as I put my foot here. I understand what people are talking, the weather is just like in Bucharest and the design of the city makes me feel like at home. I will take thousands of pictures of the narrow streets I just love. I feel like I'm in a small city, a small city that is actually big and has everything. Spanish people speak loudly on the street and you can hear absolutely every discussion...and they don't mind...they love to talk a lot anyway...a lot and fast...especially shop assistants, which I remember loving 3 years ago also :). Today I ate my first typical thing in Spain: GAZPACHO (Spanish cold creamy vegetable soup)-which you actually drink as juice, with ice cubes. I saw an apartment today and I will see another one tomorrow. The one from today was ok, but she was asking for too much as deposit...tomorrow I am visiting a guy's nest...I think I would like to stay there actually, so I can't wait to see it. I think these three months will be more than great and the greater they will be the better I will feel and come home fully charged and active…wake me up when September ends, but slowly, because I don’t want to forget the details of this soon to be, hopefully, beautiful dream.

Day 2:

I slept so well last night...I couldn't believe it. The street where I live now it's a bit noisy, but I didn't mind that at all. In the morning we went to Sara's aunt because her mother was also there and they helped her with a project she has this week. We had typical Spanish breakfast: chocolate pudding, porras and churros.

I love the way they design their houses...everything is Ikea, but so much different than it was in Denmark, because everything is somehow unique. I saw the guy's nest today and decided to move there. So, from the 2nd of July I will have two flatmates, this time, guys. It will be a good way to compare how is living with two girls and how is living with two guys :)...and 5 hamsters. We also had typical Spanish aperitivo...a glass of beer with lemonade and tapas.

I love this city...and the people...I feel really good here and I cannot compare it to Denmark, because it's like comparing people from two different planets. They have pets, the dress differently, the talk loud, they hug and kiss...The cultural shock wasn't so strong here, and I don't feel as depressed as I did in Denmark, even after living there for such a long time. I think at the end I will compare the four countries I know so well now (Romania – Ukraine – Denmark – Spain). Tomorrow I’m going at the embassy, I can’t wait to see how it will be…I hope they will give me stuff to do.

Day 3:

Today I had my first day of work. I left home in the morning with Sara, because she wanted to help me with the metro and also I didn't know at what hour I should be there, so I just left with her. The metro in Madrid is incredible...it's impossible to get lost and the metro/bus station I took today (Avd de America) had 4 floors underground...so it takes a long time to get to the right platform, but the metro is very fast.

My first day of work was a bit confusing. Everyone wanted to give me something to do, but I ended up getting a bit bored. Though I never said I am an expert in Spanish they were expecting me to make super translations, I managed, but it wasn't easy and fast...but they are patient. They are all young and easy going, but they don't really know what do with me yet...anyway...I have to be there from 10:00 to 17:00 so it's ok for me. I also have a colleague, a Romanian girl who lives in Spain for 10 years. She is not very pleased with the system and would like to move to Germany with her boyfriend, but she said she would never return to Romania (she brought her whole family here). She's very nice; I hope she will work with me for a while, even if she comes only two hours per day. I don't know what to say...I didn't really make an impression yet...but I will these days. Tomorrow I will receive the protocol, Romanian and Spanish. Today I went to see the other apartment I found, which is much cheaper, but they don't have internet and don't want to have...and to my surprise it was dirtier than the place where the guys were living. It's a bit closer to work, but pretty far from where I live now and the centre. Even if it's cheaper I prefer enjoying my stay here...and I need internet, so I am going to stay with the guys. I made my budget and I am on the limit, so next step is finding a job. P.S. I think Spanish people like me :)

Day 4

Today I went shopping for some food and other house stuff, so I will write something about price differences and goods. So, we went to Alcampo which is a sister company with the Auchan in Romania. The prices are tricky, because you see small numbers which make you want to buy everything. Because I am an impulsive shopper, even when it comes to food, I always tranfrom it in Lei and after that I realise how expecive it really easy. Still the prices are a bit smaller, and considering that their minimum wage rate is higher than in Romania, you can say that food is pretty cheap in Spain. They also have a lot of products that they produce here, and not only are they natural, but they are also cheap. The have a lot of sea food...and I love it...and olives and cheap olive oil. I think I'm only going to eat salads and fishy stuff here. As I was expecting they have very good food and to make sure I don't eat too much I will try to constantly weight myself. At the moment I am 50 kg, and I want to stay here..:)

Ana had her bachelor today and though I asked them to tell me no matter what, I don't know anything. I hope it's not bad news...it would be sad. I hope I will hear something about this tomorrow... Today I talked to the embassy guys, the ones I know, and told them that I don't want to work with papers but with people, and want to also work in the Consulate. They agreed because they need people there as well and though I have been worn that the work there is horrible...from my point of view perfect...chaos. Diana told me that she will help me find some work, maybe babysitting or cleaning. If I manage to find a job during the internship, I had a great ideea to stay here till February and also try to apply for a job at the Consulate, because they take people from the diaspora and if I will practice there I will know procedures and everything...and maybe if I can write my thesis from here, stay here forever or till i get bored, because I absolutely love it, and at home, except for my family and my few freinds which already have their own lives and their own stuff, in which I am not that involved anymore, I don't have anything to miss. And from here if anything happens it's easiertotake a plane or a bus and vice-versa. But this is just a thought, becuase I don't know how things will be...I am no witch, I'm just a devil in training. Tomorrow Diego is comming from Aarhus. I can't wait to hear the latest news and see pictures and talk about Aarhus stuff and have lemonade beer and tapas :) Ah, there are so many Romanians here, I hear them every morning in the metro, some of them singing there, others going to work. It's different than in Denmark, they are different and they fit in. It have a different feeling towards the Romanians here...I know they work hard and they don't do it for money, but for a better, happy life.

Day 5

My 5th day in Madrid and I feel like I've been here since forever. Work was normal, boring...I started writing the guide for the new diplomats in Madrid, but it's not very exciting, so I don't feel like I'm doing something fun. I can't wait to move to the Consulate and work with the Diaspora. They have a lot of salons, so I had my hair cut today. For 20 euros (including tip 5 euro) I had my tops cut and the hair around my face a bit shorter, because my Aarhus bangs had a little error on the sides and now t isn't visible anymore. I was sorry to cut it but it had been 6 months and it was a bit burned from the straightening iron. Now it will grow faster and more beautiful, hopefully. As I was saying Diego came today. I missed him somehow and he brought the Aarhus air with him. He was pissed at the heat in Madrid so we went to take an ice cream...which turned into a McFlurry. Because it's Wednesday and they have a big family and friends dinner usually, I was also invited...and a big dinner it was...15 people, all family members and neighbours in one balcony and a lot of Spanish food. I loved it and it was great to see them together. I even started communicating with them a lot better than before and Diego was helping me with the words :P...

Tomorrow I am moving...

Day 6

I moved...yeyyy...I finally moved to my new apartment/room. It's a very Spanish place, but I love it. The boys went playing football and when I returned home they were already sleeping. After moving my stuff, I went out with Antonio and Diego only, because Sara had an event with Kylie M. and had to stay there late. We had lemon beer and some Spanish food stuff. I don't know how people here can stay skinny if they have dinner at 11 in the night and eat all these super tasty stuff. So...I have a hugeligt room...I will have to clean a bit around the house, because there is a funny smell and it's not the hamsters...but all in all I like it. It's not so hot at night and it's very quiet. I guess my life in Madrid is just starting now. My window doesn't have a great green view like in Denmark, but it has a great feeling. My neighbours listen to old Spanish music and the mother is always singing the songs she knows, and the noises that come from their house give me a special feeling of normality and carino. For this special window I took the room actually...

My first week is almost over...and it has been good till now. I hope it will not get boring and depressing like Denmark at some point. Three months of this to go...

Day 7

My first week of living and "working" in Madrid. First impressions: I am in love with this style of life and with this city.

3 weeks at home

I'm packing again...as much as I wanted my internship to be in Bucharest...the city didn't seem to agree with my plans, and threw me again in Europe. This time: Madrid. Ah...the capital of Spain...good weather, good food, good music and a very good vibe, or at least this is what I am expecting. My bag is was too small, again...and I have to fit in all these fancy dresses and high heel shoes...because in Madrid I will have to be another me...not fake, this is not fake at all...I will just learn how to be stiff and diplomatic. A valuable lesson, I think, because I talk too much and too insignificant. If in winter I learned the valuable lesson of trusting love, now I learned the one about trusting friendships and I am honestly a bit disappointed and sorry to have went in a pile of garbage, but I just like to be honest to myself and have the right facts, I am official apologising to everyone I confused in my short 3 weeks...and Madrid will be a good way to settle everything. I am no longer mad and I deleted my upset mood writings...I am blending in.

3 weeks in Bucharest have been nothing but a blessing...I wonder if I would've done the same things, knowing that I will not be leaving again for 3 months, probably not. I fought and I cried, I danced and I smiled...I have a one day job at the Taiwan Trade Centrer  because money is too important to be ignored, even on holiday. My one day job turned into a two days job with a super nice Taiwanese woman. She didn't really use me for translations as it was panned but she was very nice and the payment worth it. I hope I will keep in touch with her...my other Taiwanese friend, Murri.

I've been to my favourite places, took a ride with a motorcycle and saw the mountains, rainbows, summer rain shower, thunders and lightning, which I missed for a whole year...I also missed watching all the crime solving TV shows on Discovery, Zone Reality...and the others I don't know their exact names. Not having a TV for a whole year sure left some marks on me, because I became totally impatient to watching TV and zapping from channel to channel.

Bucharest is better...as chaotic as it has always been, not only from a personal point of view...but what the heck it's the capital and I actually missed this. This time I wasn't shocked and didn't feel claustrophobic because of the windows of my room, but because of the stories around me. I returned willing to stay here in October and find a job, but the stories I've heard make my thoughts a little shaky...still I found an one day job and it wasn't hard...so I will try it first...hoping...still...Plan: return from Spain, find a job, move in alone or with somebody and try to survive...if I make it, this place is for me, if not...I will have to find something better.

I do miss Aarhus and look back at pictures from time to time. I know they will soon become only memories and some friends I have around the world…this is the weirdest experience I entered in my life and I feel I will be here for a pretty long time.

But now...a new trip...new cultural posts. I almost found a place to stay...as soon as I find it for sure, I will Google map it and put it on the leaving list :). I am uber excited...I pray that somebody will be at the airport tomorrow to pick me up.

Capote Truman

"...-Sarmana pisica, sarmanul natarau fara nume. E cam incomod ca n-are nume. Dar n-am nici un drept sa i-l dau; va trebui sa astepte pana cand va aprtine cuiva. Ne-am intalnit intr-o zi pe langa rau, dar nu apartinem unul altuia; e o fiinta independenta, ca si mine. Nu vreau sa posed nimic pana cand n-o sa simt ca mi-am gasit locul. Nu sunt prea sigura unde se afla acel loc, dar stiu cum trebuie sa arate - ca la Tiffany. Nu ca mi-ar pasa de bijuterii. Diamante, da, dar e cam ridicol sa porti diamante inainte sa implinesti patruzeci de ani [...] Riduri, oase, par alb si diamante. De-abia astept..."

The beginning

In a few hours I will be leaving Aarhus...and I am totally depressed. Not because I loved the city so much, but because I am sure that I will never see half of the people I met, never in my life again. I had the best days ever and even the weather was on my side. I can't decide on what I loved more about this place, but this semester was absolutely the best. I had work, school and tons of laughing...which for me makes a good life recipe.

I sold my bike today, exchanged my money, bought my train ticket and already said goodbye to some people...I have the worst feeling ever and I really hope that I will not be crying.

I took a bath in the sea for the last time...with clothes on because Diego was so nice to push me in.