Hello from places where spring just began and days are getting bigger and warmer 😀.
When I arrived here I had a surprise. People would confuse “Rumania” with “Alemania” (Germany) because of its similar Spanish pronunciation.
And that got me curious – what are the things known about my native country here, on the other side of the Equator.
To my initial surprise not much is known – apart from maybe the location on the map and the capital’s name. But I realized that before documenting for this trip I was in the same position … I knew almost nothing about South America.
I am coming from a country that was in the communist bloc for more than 50 years. And such a big amount of time leaves its negative mark on the population. After more than 30 years we are still trying to figure out what democracy is all about (to put it nicely).
I’m in love with my country, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I’m ashamed of its inhabitants. We even have a joke: “It’s such a beautiful country, too bad that it’s inhabited”.
So, in the past, when I had the chance to meet people from other European countries, my description of my country would be awful (based on the fact that these people know one or two things about Romania’s reputation).
But now, here I am – the first Romanian these people ever encounter. And they have almost no clue about Romania, so I have to find a way to present my country in an interesting and objective view.
Therefore – how do you spark interest about this beautiful corner of Europe? My top 3 hooks of interest are the following:
- Transylvania and … Dracula 🙂
- The first 10 in the history of gymnastics at Olympic games
- The fact that Romanian is a language half-latin
And from here on curiosity is sparked and questions start flowing. I might also mention the Transfagarasan and Transalpina roads, the Danube’s Delta and … the 2nd largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon (the People’s Palace).
When I started this trip I was wondering how I will view my country when I come back, after this experience of traveling and meeting new people and new cultures.
We’ll see how my perception changes. For now I leave you with the Romanian Rhapsody by George Enescu because I have to answer questions like:
- What is the significance of your name?
- Do you have snow in Romania?
- What kind of flowers, trees, foods are in Romania?
Nomadic Vlach 
Bravo Mircea…ai dreptate, am trait intr-un bloc comunist…nu din vina noastra…dar am invatat mult, am vrut sa cunoastem mult….si pe masura ce o sa cunosti alti oameni, o sa-ti dai seama ca nu suntem chiar inapoiati!( cum, dealtfel, toti credeam)…cel putin, nu toti! Poti sa povestesti multe…si despre Valcea… dealurile Dragasaniului, cu vinuri excelente… drumul romanilor( Calea lui Traian), Culele de la Maldarasti…(un mod original de a te apara de invazia migratorilor)… cupola bibliotecii…. daca mai imi vin idei…iti mai dau. Ma bucur ca cei de acolo te-au intalnit pe tine ca primul roman…nu o sa-si mai faca impresii gresite despre noi. Calatorie placuta in continuare si… asteptam vesti!!!…
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Mi-e clar ca nu suntem asa rau pe cat ne vedem, dar cu siguranta putem fi mai buni, mai umani :). Multumesc mult pentru ideile valcene, inca nu imi facusem o lista locala :). Si da, vin si vestile (poate mai rar, dar vin sigur :D)
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Beautifully written! I like the fact that you are able to summerize your experience to such an extent that i feel that i am there with you, thousands of kilometers away, but yet still here, being pround of my country with it’s good, bad and the ugly. Thank you for this glimpse into life’s complexity!
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