I cross all the seas, it's fine by me...

Ghiciti ce am facut de ziua mea?

2010-10-30T21:35:00.005+01:00

Da, m-am imbatat! Asta pe langa faptul ca am pregatit un tort si am facut un pic pe gazda (testand capacitatea camerei mele, caci nu avem sufragerie). Dar partea cea mai trista e ca asta s-a intamplat chiar daca am baut o cafea tare (acum doi ani, cand eram in Berlin, obisnuiam sa beau palinca pe rol de aperitiv) inainte de inceperea 'festivitatilor', care au constat in cateva bauturi la mine acasa, urmate de o iesire in club. Cu parere de rau, nu pot sa imi amintesc daca am ajuns, intr-un final, in clubul in care voiam sa mergem, Mittwoch (caci si-a schimbat locatia intre timp) sau intr-unul oarecare. Si, pe bune, chiar nu eram atata de turmentata miercuri seara (desi foarte obosita), insa mi se intampla uneori sa nu imi pot aminti multe detalii a doua zi.

Ah, si da, nu am luat degeaba 'Merit' pentru Master, dupa cum spuneam Daniel m-a invitat la el acasa, iar Kaisa era acolo, intr-un fel de vizita de serviciu (foarte bine sincronizata, de altfel), exact asa cum banuiam! Instinctele mele detective nu ma inseala niciodata! :) Am mancat foundue cu branza si strudel de mere, am baut vin (Busuioaca de Bohotin chiar) si a fost, intr-adevar, ca in vremurile bune...

Numai ca nu prea am reusit sa dorm pe cat ar fi trebuit in perioada asta. Miercuri noapte, spre exemplu, am poposit acasa la Mihai (ca sa nu mai astept un autobuz care nu stiam exact cand/daca vine), care a fost un gentleman si mi-a oferit patul lui, iar el a dormit pe canapea in sufragerie. Joi dimineata, insa, noroc cu Mihai ca s-a trezit la 09:15 (si pe mine, in consecinta), caci la 09:30 trebuia sa fiu la birou. Bine ca s-au inventat telefoanele mobile! Chiar daca Mihai avea zi libera joi, nici el nu a stat prea bine la capitolul managementul timpului, caci tot la 09:30 trebuia sa fie la aeroport, sa o ia pe Nicoleta, venita in vizita din Anglia...

Si tot joi am avut petrecerea de Halloween la ICD si se pare ca startea de mahmureala m-a inspirat grozav, caci am improvizat o tinuta foarte tare, dupa cum mi s-a spus: aveam deja o rochie neagra, am cumparat o bluza cu maneca lunga, tot neagra, pe care am purtat-o pe dedesubt, o esarfa neagra din dantela brodata si un suport (un bol mic) cu o lumanare. Am mai adaugat un machiaj negru "scurs" si am iesit o vaduva reusita! Cand nu radeam mi s-a spus ca era foarte inficosatoare. Maine avem de gand sa mergem intr-un club (luni e zi libera la munca) si sa serbam cum se cuvine Halloween-ul, asa ca o sa 'reproduc' tinuta, cu ceva imbunatariri sper.

Aseara am 'dezertat' de la orice activitati sociale si am adormit pe la ora 21:00, m-am trezit apoi in toiul noptii, dar am reusit sa adorm din nou in cateva ore, pana azi pe la pranz...Sper sa mai recuperez orele de somn pierdute zilele astea, caci week-end-ul viitor se anunta hardcore, dar nu precum miercurea si joia asta, cand macar am petrecut....

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Guess What I Did On My Birthday?

Yes, I got drunk!!! And I also prepared a cake and tested the capacity of my room (because we don't have a living). But the saddest part is that this happened after having a strong coffee (two years before, when I was living in Berlin, I used to have palinca as a starter) before the 'festivities' began - which consisted of hosting some drinks in my place and then going out to a club. Unfortunately, I can't really remember if we reached the club where I wanted to go, Mittwoch (they changed the location) or just a random one. And really now, I wasn't that drunk then but it happens to me sometimes that I can't really remember some details the next day.

Oh, yeah, there is a reason for which I got a 'Merit' for my Master's degree: as I was saying, Daniel invited me over for dinner, and Kaisa was there (on a very well synchronised business trip), exactly how I was suspecting! My detective instincts do not fail me! :) We had cheese fondue and apple strudel, we had wine (a Romanian one) and it was like "in the good ol' days" indeed...

The only this is that I didn't manage to sleep as much as I should of have during these days. On Wednesday night, for instance, I slept in Mihai's place (otherwise I would have had to wait for a bus I don't know for how long), who was a true gentleman and offered me his bed and he slept in the living room. On Thursday morning, luckily Mihai woke up (and me also) at 09:15 and I was supposed to be in the office at 09:30! I am so glad someone invented cellphones! Even though Mihai had a day off, he was also supposed to be at the airport at 09:30, to pick up his girlfriend, Nicoleta, who came to visit from England...

On Thursday we also had the Halloween party at the ICD and it seems that my hangover stated has been of a great inspiration to me, because I improvised a very cool outfit (as I have been told): I had a black strapless dress, I bought a long sleeved blouse (black as well) which I wore underneath, a black lace shawl and a small candle thingie. I added some black 'crying' make up and I got a very spooky widow! When I wasn't laughing I have been told that I looked very creepy. Tomorrow we are planning on going to a club (we have Monday off) to properly celebrate Halloween, so I'll recreate the look, with some improvements I hope..

Last night I 'deserted' from any social activities and I fell asleep around 21:00, I woke up in the middle of the night, but I managed to get back to sleep in a couple of hours, until today, around noon...I hope to recover the sleeping hours that I lost these days, because next week-end will be hardcore, but not like this Wednesday and Thursday, when we at least partied....

In Carusel

2010-10-24T15:35:00.005+01:00

Stiu, stiu, nu sunt cea mai activa prezenta in blogosfera in ultima vreme, dar nici daca as fi fost platita pentru asta nu as fi reusit sa scriu ceva. Cum in Berlin mereu se intampla ceva, e pacat sa spui nu unor invitatii de socializare...

Imi place foarte mult camera in care stau acum, cu toate ca nu petrec prea mult timp in ea. Spre exemplu, saptamana trecuta am iesit in fiecare seara, ba la film ('The Social Network', filmul Facebook-ului), ba la opera (mai neconventionala,ce-i drept - opera taiwaneza -, dar cu multe persoane importante din Asia), ba la un eveniment ICD. Cam aceeasi schema am aplicat-o si saptamana asta care tocmai se incheie, numai ca am reusit sa profit vreo 2 (maxim 3) seri de intimitatea camerei mele. Am ajuns si la muzeu, desi am aflat, cu parere de rau, ca de acum incolo joia nu mai este intrare gratuita in 16 muzee si galerii de arta berlineze (dar nu ma deranjeaza sa platesc aprox. 5€ pt ceea ce vad, cum ar fi Brancusi, 'Pasarea'), am avut si o cina internationala la birou (vineri seara), unde am trisat de 2 ori: am cumparat sarmale de la turci si am spus ca eu le-am facut (dar mamaliga a fost 'autentica') si m-am prefacut ca sunt spaniola si am pregatit tortilla de patatas.

Urmeaza multe pe lista si saptamana urmatoare: Daniel m-a invitat la cina la el acasa, desi el nu gateste (!), dar mi-a spus ca vor fi mai multe persoane si ca va fi "ca in vremurile bune" (romani, mi se pregateste ceva, sunt convinsa!); miercuri e ziua mea si pregatesc o iesire intr-un club (numit 'Miercuri' - Mittwoch - si deschis doar Miercurea), plus niste bauturi inainte, la mine acasa; joi vom avea petrecerea de Halloween (stiu, e foarte devreme), si cum institutul este la origine american, se pune mare accent pe asta, mai ales pe costume (iar eu nu am nici macar idee cand voi avea timp sa ma ocup si de asta)...Asa ca intr-un fel abia astept sambata viitoare (deja!), pt ca stiu ca atunci va fi singura mea ocazie sa dorm!

La 'serviciu'totul e in regula, in ultimele 3 saptamani am tot vorbit la telefon, sunand diverse universitati, institutii si organizatii (initial din Romania, apoi Croatia, Danemarca si Marea Britanie), pt a le spune de evenimentul din noiembrie (si pt a ii invita, logic). Asta cu toate ca acum sunt in alta echipa, USA Meets Europe, al carui eveniment se va desfasura in ianuarie, in Washington si New York (dar momentan nu am nici o garantie ca o sa merg acolo). In rest, momentan lucrez 8 ore pe zi, sper ca mai incolo voi face ture doar de 6 ore, caci vreau sa incep si niste cursuri de germana. Astept insa sa treaca evenimentul din noiembrie, cand toata lumea din organizatie trebuie sa fie activa si disponibila. Pt asta chiar am fost rugata (mai mult aproape obligata) sa fi fiu sofer (adica sa iau invitatii de la aeroport, sa ii duc la hotem s.a.m.d.), dar am precizat ca nu am mai condus de 3 ani, asa ca voi fi doar co-pilot. Ceea ce nu imi displace, caci voi reusi sa mai stau de vorba cu invitatii (sigur eu si Mihai o sa ii 'recuperam' pe Emil Constantinescu si Vasile Puscas) si chiar ma gandesc sa imi fac niste carti de vizita cu ocazia asta...Sper ca am ce sa scriu pe ele, mai ales ca acum am aflat ca am obtinut 'Merit' pentru Master (adica 2.1 in Anglia), ceea ce nu ia chiar oricine...Aplauze, va rog! :)

Pentru ca vineri mi-am uitat incarcatorul de la laptop la birou (si nu mi-am dat seama mai devreme, caci puteam sa il iau cand am fost la cina internationala) si timpul de care dispun este limitat, trebuie sa ma opresc aici. Noroc ca am un frate technology-obsessed, care mi-a dat o baterie nou-nouta (asta pe langa laptopul in sine, cu imprumut!), caci altfel nu mai scriam nimic...Ar mai fi probabil 3465736356 de lucruri pe care nu le-am mentionat, dar dupa cum vi-ati dat seama probabil, viata mea este acum extrem de intensa, cateodata parca as privi prin ochii altcuiva...Incerc sa nu regret faptul ca nu dorm atat de mult pe cat mi-as dori (adica 8 ore in fiecare noapte, fara exceptie), sunt nca tanara (cel putin pana saptamana urmatoare) si imi permit :) Dar, da, e ciudat sa ai un serviciu (sau ceva asemanator, in cazul meu), sa te trezesti dimineata devreme si sa incerci sa ai si o viata sociala, sa scapi de rutina acasa-birou-acasa. Doar ca martea trecuta, cand m-am trezit mi-am dat seama ca ar fi ideal daca nu as lucra niciodata in viata :)

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In a Carussel

I know, I know, I haven't been the most active person in the blogosphere lately, and I don't think I can perform better, even if I would get paid for doing this. And since in Berlin there is always something going on, it would be such a pity to pass some invitations to socialise...

I really love my current room, although I'm not spending too much time in it. For instance, last week I went out every evening, either to the cinema ('The Social Network', the Facebook film), either to the opera (a bit unconventional - Taiwanese opera - and with a lot of important persons from Asia), either to an ICD event. This week I kinda had the same 'routine', although I actually managed to take advantage of my room's privacy for 2 (maximum 3 nights). I went to a museum, but I sadly found out that from now on there is no more free entrance for 16 Berliner museums and art galleries on Thursday evenings (but I really do not mind paying around 5 € for what I could get, such as Brancusi's 'Bird'). We also had an international dinner party at the office (last Friday) and I actually cheated twice:"I bought 'sarmale' from a Turkish shop and I said that I made them myself (at least the 'polenta' was for real) and I pretended to be Spanish and I cooked tortilla de patatas.

There is more to come: Daniel invited me to dinner to his place, although he doesn't cook (!), but he said there will be more people and just like 'the good old days' (there is something going on, I have this feeling); on Wednesday it's my B-Day and I would like to go out in Mittwoch (a club open only on Wednesdays, as it's name suggests) and also to have some drinks in mine's in beforehand. On Thursdays we'll be having the Halloween party (since the institute has been originally founded in the US). So somehow I am very much looking forward to next Saturday already, because I know this will be the first occasion to have a proper sleep!

At work everything is quite OK, for the past 3 week I have been mostly on the phone, calling various universities and organisations in Romania, Croatia and The UK, in order to inform them about our event in November (and to invite them over, obviously). All this despite the fact that I swapped teams, I work for USA Meets Europe team now, who's event is going to take place in January, but in Washington and New York (although for the moment I have no guarantee that I'll be going there). Other than that, I am working 8 hours a day, on a daily basis, but I hope that soon I'll be doing 6 hours shifts, because I would like to start some German classes. I think this would happen after the event in November, when everyone has to be available during those days. For this event I have been asked to be a driver (to pick up people form the airport, to take them to the hotel etc), but I said that I haven't drove for 3 years now, so in the end I'll be a co-pilot :) Which is not that bad, because I'll actually have the chance to talk to the guests (I'm sure that me and Mihai will pick up Emil Constantinescu and Vasile Puscas, the two Romanian guests) and I'm actually thinking of making some business cards. I hope that I can write something on them, especially since now I found out that I got 'Merit' for my Master (that's a 2.1 in the UK), which is a bit better than the average :) Applause, please!

Last Friday I forgot the laptop charger in the office (and I didn't realise it on time, I could have got it back when I went for the international dinner) and my time was limited, hence the delay in translation. Luckily I have a technology-obsessed brother and he gave me a brand new battery. I think there are a gazillion thinks which I haven't mentioned, but my life here is so intense, sometimes I feel like I'm looking through someone else's eyes. I try not to regret the fact that I am lacking sleep a lot, I am still young and I can afford it :) But it's so weird to have a job (or something similar, in my case), to wake up early in the morning and to try to have a social life as well, to avoid the routine home-work-home. Just that last Tuesday, when I woke up I realised that it would be perfect if I would never ever work in my life :)

Viata Bate Filmul!

2010-10-04T23:51:00.007+01:00

Stiti filmele alea americane in care tot ce s-ar putea intampla rau chiar se intampla? Ei bine, asa s-ar putea rezuma prima mea zi de 'munca' in Berlin. M-am trezit la timp (si chiar fara ajutorul alarmei) si am facut totul 'ca la carte', dar se pare ca nu a fost suficient. Am plecat in graba, convinsa ca sunt in intarziere (caci fiecare ceas pe care il am arata alta ora) si cand eram aproape de statia de S-Bahn, am vazut trenul venind, asa ca am incercat sa fug, in speranta ca o sa il prind. Am incercat, am spus, caci un balerin mi-a scapat din piciorul drept (pe modelul 'Cenusareasa'), asta pe langa faptul ca dresul meu de pe piciorul stang a inceput sa alunece (probabil ca banda adeziva nu se mai lipea de piele) si a facut asta in permanenta pe tot parcursul drumului. Cum spuneam, nu am reusit sa prind trenul, dar abia cand am ajuns in statie mi-am dat seama ca oricum am ajuns cu 10 minute mai devreme si ca practic am pierdut un tren pe care nici nu trebuia sa il iau. Dar bucuria nu mi-a fost prea mare, caci trenul de la 11:10 a fost anulat, iar urmatorul a venit mult mai tarziu (cam in 20 de minute). Iar in urmatorul tren in care m-am urcat dupa ce am schimbat S-ul cu U-ul niste lautari romani (de fapt, o romanca si un roman) cantau "Ionel, Ionelule". Minunat! SAU NU! Macar am avut timp sa ma ocup de dres, dar doar pe termen scurt, caci m-a chinuit pe toata durata calatoriei, asa ca inainte de a ajunge la 'birou' a trebuit sa fac o 'escala' la un magazin si sa imi cumpar o alta pereche, dar din pacate nu am avut si timp sa o inlocuiesc.

Macar la ICD totul a fost in regula, am avut parte de o scurta inductie, apoi am stat de vorba si cu directorul institutului (pare OK, dar vorbeste foarte repede), numai ca asta s-a cam intamplat in timpul pauzei de masa, asa ca nu am reusit decat sa imi iau ceva de mancare de la un supermarket de jos, dar nu sa si mananc. Insa am putut sa imi rezolv problema cu dresurile :)

In rest, nu s-a mai intamplat nimic notabil la 'serviciu', doar in drum spre casa, la vreo 10 metri distanta de bloc iar am avut probleme cu dresurile (perechea noua!), dar am grabit pasul si am ajuns in scara si m-am bucurat enorm ca ziua se terminase.

Prima saptamana de munca a trecut fara prea multe evenimente iesite din comun. Am intalnit multa lume la ICD, toti tineri si foarte OK, am si iesit impreuna de vreo doua ori pana acum si cred ca totul o sa fie in regula din punctul asta de vedere, desi majoritatea sunt aici pentru 3 luni, deci lumea tot vine si pleaca la ICD. Momentan sarcinile mele nu sunt foarte complexe, amd facut baze de data in a doua zi de lucru, apoi am inceput sa sun la facultati din Romania, ca sa ii invit pe studenti si profesori la evenimentul pe care il organizam in noiembrie. Surprinzator, toti (si aici includ mai ales secretarele) au fost foarte deschisi, probabil pentru ca ii sun sin Berlin si nu se asteptau la o astfel de atentie. Acum trebuie doar sa ma obisnuiesc cu rutina trezitului de dimineata, mai ales ca e mult de lucru si nu mai facem ture (dimineata sau dupa-amiaza), asa ca in majoritatea zilelor merg de la 09:30- la 17:30. Partea buna e ca ajung nesperat de repede la birou, mai ales daca stau sa ma gandesc ca schimb mijlocul de transport de doua ori si strabat aproape jumatate din centrul orasului (iar cei care au fost in Berlin stiu ca asta inseamna mult).

In curand o sa va prezint si camera mea, dar momentan e inca putina dezorganizare aici, pur si simplu nu am avut prea mult timp ori chef sa aduc lucrurile la normal, dar lucrez la asta. Si pentru ca blogul nu a mai fost in sfera mea de interes de ceva vreme, va anunt ca nu o sa pun poze si nici nu o sa scriu nimic despre perioada petrecuta in Bucuresti ori calatoria in Danemarca (ambele au fost minunate), caci o sa vedeti fotografiile in cateva zile pe Facebook, iar pentru detalii ma puteti contacta in privat! :)

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Worse Than In A Movie!

Do you know those American movies in which everything that can go actually goes wrong? Well, this is the easiest way to sum up my first day of work in Berlin. I woke up on time, even without the help of the alarm clock and I did everything by the book, but it wasn't enough. I left in a hurry, convinced that I'm late (I wasn't in fact), so I tried to run, but I dropped one of my shoes ("Cinderella"style) and one of my hold-ups kept on getting lower and lower. I didn't manage to catch the train, but when I arrived in the station I realised that I was 10 minutes earlier anyways, so I had practically missed a train that I wasn't even supposed to get on. My joy soon faded though, because the 11:10 train (THE train) was cancelled and the next one came much later. After I finally got on a train and later swapped it, I came across to some Romanian singers, playing a very famous Romanian song on the accordion. Great! NOT! The only good thing about this whole messed up situation was that I had the time to take care of the hold-up, which bothered me the entire trip, but on the way to the office I had to stop to a shop and buy another pair, although I didn't also have the time to change.

At the ICD everything was fine, I went through a short induction, then I had a meeting with the director of the institute (he seems ok, but he speaks SO fast), just that this happened during the lunch break, so I only got the chance to grab something to eat, but not to eat it as well. But I managed to swap the hold-ups! Other than that, nothing really interesting happened...On my way home, about 10 meters away from my block I had another problem with the new hold-ups, but I rushed and entered the stairway, very happy that my day was finally off.

The first week of work passed without any unusual events, I've met a lot of nice people at the ICD, all very young-ish, we went out for a couple of times so I believe I'll have a nice company, just that most of my colleagues are there for 3 months.I don't have any demanding tasks, I did some databasing on my second day of work, then I started calling Universities in Romania and invite students and professors to an event taking place in November. Surprisingly, the secretaries were all very opened, probably because I was calling from Berlin and they were not expecting such kind of attention.

My biggest issue right now is getting used to the morning routine, especially since now there is a higher working volume, so I have to go from 09:30 til 17:30 every day. Luckily it doesn't take that long to get to the office, considering that I have to swap trains twice and I have to cross almost half a city centre (those who have been to Berlin know how much does that mean).

I'll introduce you to my room soon, but I was pretty busy and lazy later. Admittedly, I didn't focus too much on the blog lately, and so I won't be posting any previous photos, from my period in Bucharest or from the trip to Denmark, you'll probably see them on Facebook. For further details you can always contact me in private! :)

Si Acum?

2010-09-03T16:25:00.005+01:00

Cred ca nu puteam sa fi plecat din Anglia pe o alta vreme decat ploaie...Nu ar fi fost acelasi lucru...Speram ca si ultima zi sa fi fost ca si cele precedente - innorate, dar uscate - insa a inceput sa ploua (nu tare, ci englezesc, adica suficient cat sa te ude mai mult decat ai putea accepta) de pe la 16:00, asa ca degeaba m-am spalat eu pe cap in dimineata respectiva, caci a trebuit sa fug pana la posta si inapoi printre picaturi (umbrela era deja in bagajul care nu suporta in nici un caz sa fie deschis atunci). Iar taxiul a venit instant (nu in 10 minute, asa cum mi s-a zis), nici nu apucasem sa scot trolerele afara, iar soferul a fost cea mai nepoliticoasa persoana pe care am intalnit-o in Anglia: ma vedea ca ma chinui cu bagajele, dar a spus ca m-ar fi ajutat daca nu ar fi plouat asa tare. Doar replica mea ("nu e asa rau afara") l-a facut sa-si miste fundul din masina....La statia de autocar am asteptat iar in ploaie (nu avea rost sa ma chinui sa intru si apoi sa ies cu toate bagajele), protejata doar de o streasina si un aparat de aer conditionat.

Credeam ca toata situatia asta deloc comfortabila o sa imi intareasca dorinta de a pleca din Anglia, dar inevitabilul s-a produs: mi-a parut putin rau ca parasesc Albionul. Oricum, multa vreme in aeroport (cand nu citeam si aveam timp sa ma gandesc la diverse lucruri) and avut senzatia ca merga acasa doar pt o perioada determinata si ca ma voi intoarce in Anglia curand (sentimentul asta a continuat cateva zile chiar si aici).

Nimic special de povestit din aeroport sau avion - doar ca aveam cele mai mari bagaje (deh, eu nu eram turista), iar la aterizare lunch-boxul meu a 'fugit' de sub scaun (locul 25) si a alunecat pana in fata, la cabina pilotului, spre amuzamentul tuturor care au vazut asta.

Apoi zilele din Bucuresti au fost normale: acasa, caldura (suportabila), intalniri cu prietenii, iesiri dese prin oras, si, cel mai important, am terminat dizertatia! Asa ca acum simt ca viata mea este lipsita de sens, adica pana acum stiam ca asta trebuie sa fac, sa citesc si sa scriu pt dizertatie, iar acum ca am finalizat-o a inceput o stare de plictiseala (desi as putea gasi lucruri de facut: sa imi fac curat in camera, sa ma apuc - din nou- de germana etc). Partea cea mai proasta e ca acum, cand am tot timpul din lume, toamna pare sa se fi instalat definitiv: m-am trezit intr-o duminica si am crezut ca sunt inapoi in Anglia (deci slabe sanse sa mai merg la mare)!
Am totusi un sentiment eliberator, dar ma simt destul de ciudat, caci desi unii se intorc la scoala/facultate acum, pt mine capitolul asta s-a inchis definitiv (ma rog, relativ, candva ma gandesc sa fac un doctorat, dar sigur nu in urmatorii 5 ani)....

Acum doua zile am raspuns la un sondaj telefonic, iar la final am fost intrebata de detalii de tip statistic: varsta, ocupatie etc. Am spus sa ultimul nivel de educatie este masterul (desi oficial nu l-am absolvit trebuia sa ma simt si eu cumva importanta), dar nu am stiut ce sa raspund la ocupatie. Am spus ca am terminat masterul, sunt momentan in vacanta si urmeaza sa incep un internship in curand. Iar intervievatorul mi-a spus ca cel mai potrivit ar fi sa bifeze ca sunt "somer in cautare de loc de munca". A sunat cam dur, dar oare asta e realitatea? Daca da, atunci nu imi place, vreau alta va rog!

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And Now?

I don't think I could have left England on a different weather than rain ... It wouldn't have been the same thing ... I hoped that my last day was as the previous ones - cloudy, though dry - but it started to rain (not buckling, but typically English, which is enough to soak you more than you could accept) around 16:00, so it didn't make any difference that I've washed my hair that morning because I had to run to the post office and back (the umbrella was already in luggage that could not have been opened again under any circumstances ). And the taxi came instantly (not in 10 minutes, as I was told), so I didn't even had the time to move the trolleys outside and the driver was the most impolite person I've met in England: he saw that I was struggling with the luggage but he said that he would have helped if it had not rained that much. Just my reply ("it's not so bad outside") made him move his ass off the car....At the bus station I've waited in the rain again (there was no point to bother myself getting in and then out with the luggage), protected only by an eave and an air conditioner.

I thought this whole situation (not at all comfortable) would strengthen my desire to leave England, but the inevitable happened: I felt a little sorry for leaving the Albion. Anyway, for a long time in the airport (in the moments I wasn't reading so I had the occasion to think about random things) I had the feeling that I was going home only for a short period of time and that I will soon return to England (that feeling continued even here a few days) .

Nothing special happened the airport or in airplane - just that I had the biggest luggage (well, I was not a tourists), and when landing my lunch-boxing 'fled' from under the seat (the 25th place) and slid up all the way to the pilot's cabin, for the amusement of all who saw it.

Then the days in Bucharest were normal: home, heat (bearable), meetings with friends, frequent trips around town, and most importantly, I finished my dissertation! So now I feel like my life is meaningless, that is because before that I knew what I had to do, reading and writing for dissertation, and now that I finished a state of boredom has started (although I could find things do: to tidy my room, get on with some German language etc.). Worst part is that now I have all the time in the world, but autumn seems to have permanently installed: I woke up one Sunday and I thought I was back in England (so there aren't big chances for me to go to the seaside)!
I still have a liberating feeling, but it's quite strange, because although some are returning to school /Uni now, for me this chapter has finally closed (well, relatively, I am thinking about doing a PhD sometimes, but certainly not during the next 5 years)....

Two days ago I answered a phone survey and at the end I was asked for details of statistical type: age, occupation, etc.. I said my last level of education is the Masters (although I have not officially graduated, but I had to show off somehow, right?), but I didn't know what to mention as my occupation. I said I finished the masters, I'm currently on vacation and I'm about to begin an internship soon. And interviewer told me that the best option would be to tick that I'm "unemployed seeking a job". It sounded a little harsh, but is this truly the reality? If so, I don't like it, get me another one please!

Lungul Drum Spre Casa...

2010-08-19T19:15:00.000+01:00

Doua geamantane pline-ochi (dintre care unul e atat de mare incat aproape ca m-ar putea 'gazdui') si un laptop obosit si suprasolicitat zilele astea sunt gata de plecare. Ah, da, si eu!

Am in fata nu mai putin de 12 ore de calatorie (caci singura mea optiune de a ajunge la timp la aeroport este un autocar la ora 19:30; mai tarziu ar fi fost prea tarziu) si speranta ca o sa gasesc o priza in Luton (care nu e la fel de 'dotat' precum Stansted), sa dau o utilitate celor aproximativ 5 ore pe care le am la dispozitie pana cand avionul decoleaza.

Ma bucur ca zilele astea vremea s-a mai incalzit un pic (cel putin in week-end-ul trecut), caci desi abia astept sa dau de caldura mare (40 de grade sa fie!), nu am luat in considerare faptul ca imi va fi probabil dificil sa ma acomodez la trecerea (destul de brusca, zic eu) de temperatura. Noroc ca aterizez 'dimineata pe racoare' in Bucuresti.

Stiu ca atunci cand ma voi uita ultima oara la casa, inainte sa plec, imi voi da seama ca o sa imi lipseasca un pic Anglia...Am lasat, pana la urma, un an din viata mea aici...Dar ce-i mai bun abia acum urmeaza!

Asadar, buh bye England!

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The Long Way Home...

Two full trolleys (including a very large one, that could 'host' me also) and a tired and overworked laptop are ready to go. Oh, yeah, me too!

I am in for a 12-hours journey (my only option to get to the airport on time was a couch at 19:30; a later one would have been too late) and I am wishing for a plug in Luton (which is not as equipped as Stansted), to take advantage of the approximately 5 hours gap I have until the plane takes off.

I am really glad these days (well, at least the last week-end) were warmer, because although I'm really looking forward to searing weather back home (let there be 40 degrees!), I never took into consideration the fact that I might have a bit of an issue in adapting to the temperature. Luckily I'll be landing in Bucharest in the chilly morning.

I know that when I'll take the last look at my house I'll realise that I'm actually going to miss England a bit...After all, I've left here a year of my life...But the best is yet to come!

So, buh bye England!

Mai voiam sa spun ceva...

2010-08-11T16:18:00.003+01:00

....inca dinainte sa plec la Berlin, dar acum nu prea mai conteaza. Ideea era ca imi luasem bilete pt calatoriile pe care le-am facut deja, incepusera sa plece colegii mei de casa, in final ramasesem doar eu cu Sonali, apoi Nicoleta s-a mutat aici temporar, Sonali a plecat si ea, acum si Nicoleta este acasa, in vacanta, asa ca sunt singura prin casa de aproape 2 saptamani. Dar intr-o saptamana parasesc si eu Anglia definitiv (ma rog, sper sa ma intorc in noiembrie, pt absolvire) si zau ca abia astept! E foarte plictisitor aici, orasul este pustiu, au ramas doar africanii, asiaticii si cei care isi scriu dizertatiile. Vremea este foarte naspa, au fost zile in care nu am vazut soarele de loc (doar in ultimul timp a inceput sa fie insorit, si doar cateva ore la pranz), ceea ce ma deprima total, plus ca urasc sa fie singura si nu vreau sa ma salbaticesc. Dar, mai presus de toate, abia astept sa fiu acasa, cu tot ce insemana 'acasa', caci nu am mai ajuns in Bucuresti anul asta (stiu ca la un moment dat voi regreta ca am spus asta). Sper sa termin si dizertatia pana atunci, e multa munca, dar notele (impropriu spus, caci primesc procente) pe care le-am luat pana acum chiar mi-au dat impulsuri ca pot sa fac si treaba asta cu bine.

Pe de alta parte, am (de mult) o camera in Berlin, in Neukölln, o zona care se anunta a fi foarte mult in trend (desi nu inteleg de ce, e un cartier de imigranti turci, in principal). E foarte aproape de o statie de tren (S Sönnenallee), pe Ring, si la aproximativ 40 de minute de locul unde o sa lucrez (cam asa erau toate apartamentele pe care le-am vazut). Cladirea e in stil vechi, foarte frumoasa si complet renovata (imi place mult cum arata holul de la intrare), la fel cum este si apartamentul, iar camera este mare, de aproximativ 21 mp, am chiar si balcon si, cel mai important, este mobilata (inclusiv pat dublu si canapea)! O sa stau cu doi germani, un tip si o tipa si cred ca o sa ne intelegem bine. Desi nu asta a fost prima mea optiune, am acceptat-o inainte sa aflu raspunsul de la cei pe care ii preferam si a fost mai bine asa, pt ca aceia mi-au raspuns negativ. Oricum, doar locatia facea diferenta si in final sunt foarte multumita de alegere!

Momentan, asa cum spuneam, sunt foarte ocupata cu dizertatia, asa ca este destul de probabil ca asta sa fie ultima mea postare din Anglia. Pare putin trist (chiar e), mai ales ca am petrecut aproape un an aici si imi dau seama ca nu las multe in urma (nici macar nu o sa fac vreo petrecere de bun ramas), dar sunt foarte entuziasmata de ceea ce o sa urmeze si gandul asta ma alimenteaza acum...

................................

I Wanted to Say Something More...

...before I was heading to Berlin, but it's purposeless to enlarge upon that now. The idea was that I had booked my tickets for the journeys that I have already made, at that point my housemates were starting to leave, so it was just me and Sonali for a while, then Nicoleta temporally moved in, then Sonali left too and now Nicoleta is home, for holidays, therefore I am alone for almost 2 weeks. But in about a week I'll leave England for good (well, I hope I can return in November for the graduation ceremony) and I'm really looking forward to that! It's very boring here, the city is quite empty, there are only Africans, Asians and those writing their dissertations. The weather sucks big time, there were days when I haven't even seen the sun (only lately it started to be a bit sunny, but only for a couple of hours at noon), which depresses me a lot. Plus, I really hate being alone and I don't want to become totally savage here. But above all, I am really excited to go home, with all that 'home' means to me, because I haven't been to Bucharest this year at all (I know later I'll regret saying this). I hope I can finish my dissertation by then, it's a lot of work to do, but the marks (well, the scores) that I've got lately are really giving me a boost to think I can pull this off.

On the other hand, I already have a room in Berlin, in Neukölln, in an area which it's said to be 'the next best thing' (although I really can't understand why, it's a neighbourhood of immigrants, mainly Turkish). It's very close to a train station (S Sönnenallee), on the Ring, and approximately 40 mins away form the place where I'll be interning (it was kind of the same distance for all the apartments I have seen). It's an old-style building, very beautiful and completely renovated (I totally love the entrance), and so is the apartment. The room is big, about 21 sqm, I even have a balcony of my own and, most important, it's furnished (including a double bed and a sofa)! I'll be living with two Germans, a guy and a girl and I reckon we'll get along well. Although this wasn't my first option, I've accepted it even before I received an answer from the one I preferred, and it was better this way, because those guys gave me a negative answer. Anyway, it was just the location that made the difference and in the end I am really happy with my choice!

At the moment, as I was saying, I am very busy with my dissertation, so quite likely this might be my last entry while in England (and most probably it's the last one I'm taking time to translate). It seems a bit sad (it really is), especially since I've spend almost a year here and I realise that it's not much I'm leaving behind (I won't even organise a farewell party), but I am totally excited about what's coming up next for me and this though offers me a lot of comfort right now...

Sa Incheiem Conturile...

2010-08-07T23:26:00.001+01:00

Ma apuc acum, in miez de noapte, sa va insirui concluziile mult-promise ale calatoriei mele din Sicilia. Am senzatia ca daca mai astept mult nu o sa mai gasesc nimic semnificativ de spus (oricum am iesit de ceva vreme din starea "vara-soare-mare" pe care mi-o daduse Italia).

Si pt ca vizita in Italia a avut un scop cat se poate de precis, prima observatie pe care o voi face este legata de activitatea anti-mafia pe care o duc diverse organizatii si institutii din Sicilia. M-a uimit enorm curajul de care dau dovada oamenii astia! Pt ca dincolo de toata imaginea usor 'idilica' pe care o portretizeaza filmele americane cu mafioti, lucrurile nu sunt deloc ata de simple precum par. Nu stiu exact care este situatia acum, cat de periculos este sa fi procuror acum fata de acum 20 de ani, spre exemplu (am vrut sa-l intreb asta pe procurorul pe care l-am intalnit, dar o sa aflati imediat de ce nu am mai reusit), insa dupa cum ni s-a prezentat realitatea atunci cand am vizitat sediul Telejato, vad ca lucrurile sunt inca destul de serioase. Si nu numai pt cei care au fost mereu pe partea asta a 'baricadei', ci si pt cei care au fost 'dincolo' si au decis sa intre in legalitate. Sigur, vreau sa cred ca nu mai exista cazuri precum cel din 1993, cand fiul de 13 ani al unui pentito (mafioti care rup codul tacerii - omerta - cand sunt arestati si colaboreaza cu organele legale, practic devin informatori), caci la aceasta categorie ma refer, a fost rapit si tunit captiv doi ani, pentru ca apoi sa fie omorat si corpul sau dizolvat in acid (cautati cazul Giuseppe di Matteo daca va intereseaza subiectul). Si ca tot suntem la capitolul pentiti, este curios cum primul 'colaboratul al justitiei' (asa cum sunt numiti oficial), a mers la Politie candva in anii '70 si a marturisit multe crime si a expus tot ceea ce inseamna Mafia, dar nu a fost luat in serios. In final, a ajuns sa fie internat intr-un azil de boli mintale (pt ca a dezvoltat o serie de comportamente ciudate, cu tenta de auto-multilare, ca forma de eliberare).

Revenind la cei care lupta impotriva mafiei, am toata admiratia pt acesti oameni, in special pt tinerii care iau atitudine! Problema asta mi se pare atat de complexa si nu mi-as putea imagina cum ar fi sa te nasti intr-o societate in care sa fii mafiot este o chestiune care impune respect (ma refer la Sicilia de pana acum 10-20 de ani), iar acest lucru sa se perpetueze peste generatii si sa iti dai seama la un moment dat ca schimbarea trebuie sa inceapa de la tine, cineva trebuie sa ia atitudine si daca nu esti tu acela s-ar putea ca nimeni sa nu faca nimic in continuare. Printr-o comparatie (putin fortata datorita contextului historico-economico-social), ma gandeam cum noi, romanii, am ajuns sa pierdem aceasta speranta de mai bine si nu mai avem nici un optimism care sa ne impinga sa pornim un demers pt schimbare (in cazul nostru coruptia este cea impotriva caruia ar trebui sa ne mobilizam). In schimb, tinerii romani (si ma auto-includ in aceasta categorie), resemnati, prefera sa plece afara, sa fuga de ceea ce de fapt este responsabilitatea noastra si sa lasam 'sarcina' asta pt altii. Nu vreau sa dezbat subiectul mai mult, nici nu stiu daca pana la urma e mai greu sa lupti impotriva coruptiei sau a mafiei (la un moment dat devine aceeasi lupta), asa ca doar o sa concluzionez ca ai lor sunt mai bravi decat ai nostri! Si inca ceva ce nu intalnesti in Romania - drapelul national la ferestre, in fata caselor, in curti. Sunt convinsa ca nu avea legatura cu participarea la Cupa Mondiala, caci la acel moment echipa lor fusese deja iesita din competitie.

Si daca tot vorbeam de italieni, trebuie sa recunosc ca nu inteleg de unde a rasarit ideea ca ei ar fi bine imbracati. Desigur, nu am fost in nordul Italiei, unde situatia economica este mai buna, deci lumea mai prospera, si sunt probabil si altfel 'educati' din punctul asta de vedere. Insa in Sicilia rareori am vazut persoane bine imbracate (in sensul clasic al cuvantului) si cu atat mai putin ceva care sa iasa din tipare. Mi se pare ca stilul lor se aseamana foarte mult cu cel al romanilor, 'hai-sa-punem-niste-haine-pe-noi', si asta mi se pare surpinzator, caci au acces la mai multe branduri si inca de mai mult timp decat avem noi. Plus ca Italia a fost mereu o tara cu o puternica industrie textila (uite ca sunt bune la ceva si cursurile de Ev Mediu pe care le-am facut la facultate). Insa lucrul asta chiar nu se reflecta pe strazi, fetele tinere se imbraca inca dupa moda anului 2007: skinny jeans cu talie foarte joasa, in combinatie cu maiouri/bluze foarte mulate deasupra buricului. Sincer, mi s-s parut ca barbatii se imbraca de multe ori mai bine. Incercand o alta comparatie, ma gandeam ca in Spania, o tara cu relativ aceeasi clima (caci si asta influenteaza moda strazii) si situatie economica, oamenii au un stil mult mai rafinat, incepan de la tineri si terminand cu pensionarii.

Cand vad ceva frumos fac poza! :D In cazul asta mi-au placut pantofii, pe bune! Poza a fost facut in fata Tribunalul, asa se si explica stilul domnului din imagine.

When I see something nice, I take photos! :D In this case, I liked the shoes, really! I took the photo in front of the Court, so this should explain the style of this gentleman.

Continuand discutia despre haine, declar Italia tara fake-urilor! Sau cel putin tara vest-europeana a lucrurilor contrafacute. Si la noi exista 'Gucci', 'Armani', 'Channel' made in China, la fel si in Spania, cred ca si prin Anglia, dar le gasesti doar in anumite piete, nu la orice colt de strada. In putinul timp pe care l-am avut la dispozitie pt cumparaturi, am vazut ca sunt o groaza de tarabe numai cu marfuri contrafacute care imita marile branduri, dar, hey, partea buna e ca poti sa negociezi daca vrei neaparat o geanta care sa strige Louis Vuitton! Ah, si inca ceva: sa nu va asteptati la reduceri foarte spactaculoase, cel putin mie asa mi s-a parut. Din ce am vazut eu pana acum, nimic nu rivalizeaza cu Spania la capitolul asta.

Cum spuneam si in postarea anterioara, pot sa trec foarte usor drept italianca, asta pt ca in general noi romanii avem cam aceleasi trasaturi ca si italienii: in principal sateni/bruneti, pielea nu prea alba si aproximativ aceeasi constitutie corporala. Italiencele nu mi se par extraordinar de frumoase (chiar nu vorbeste invidia in mine, dar nu am vazut prea multe care sa ma 'dea pe spate'), insa tipii chiar arata bine, desi uneori parca sunt 'prea' bruneti, chiar si pt gusturile mele (nu credeam ca o sa ajung sa spun/scriu asta vreodata :D). Oricum, au intrat lejer in topul preferintelor mele, pe locul 4 (nu exista locul 5 :D), dupa suedezi, spanioli si germani :)

In rest, recunosc ca exceptand obiceiul de a pune ulei de masline pe paine (obicei pe care, de altfel, il au si spaniolii din sudul tarii), bucataria italiana mi se pare delicioasa! Evident, este bazata pe paste-orez-fructe de mare-pizza, dar mi-a placut mult faptul ca este perfect adaptata climei (in Romania, chiar si la 40 de grade, baza ramane tot carnea - 'cea mai buna leguma', in folclorul contemporan - de porc, sa fiu mai specifica). Am incercat diverse tipuri de preparate, in principal pasta (nu si carbonara, preferata mea, dar asta cu alta ocazie) si pot sa spun ca recomand pasta (tagliatelle) cu fructe de mare. Ceea ce din nou mi s-a parut de neinteles a fost faptul ca meniurile lor contin doua feluri de mancare, dar nici unul nu este supa (sau cel putin nu mai mult de 2-3 si nu peste tot), asa ca practic poti sa manaci la felul intai orez si la felul doi pasta, escalop sau mai stiu eu ce. Mi se pare foarte multa mancare pt o masa, dar bineinteles poti sa iti iei doar un singur fel.

Altfel, ceea ce nu am mentionat dar mi se pare important de precizat e faptul ca Sicilia este atat de contrastanta. Foarte multe cladiri sunt ceva mai vechi, fatadelor le lipseste tencuiala si am avut asa un sentiment de saracie acuta, nu stiu de ce. Poate pt ca pana si in Romania nu vezi cladiri de genul asta le gasesti doar in cartiere in care nu ai vrea sa te plimbi singur/a noaptea. Si cred ca de la aerul ala meditaranean, de vacanta (soare si mare, combinatia perfecta), de viata relaxata, spiritul latin, limba destul de apropiata de romana (cred ca daca as sta o luna acolo as ajunge sa vorbesc binisor italiana) am vazut Sicilia precum sora mai saraca a Spaniei. Relieful este fascinant: din oras vezi crestele pietroase ale muntilor si, totusi, intalnesti palmieri la orice pas. Trebuie sa recunosc, la inceput chiar nu am fost impresionata de insula tocmai datorita lucrurilor pe care tocmai le-am mentionat, dar dupa cateva zile chiar a inceput sa imi intre la suflet (sau 'it started to grow on me', cum ar zice englezu'). Sicilia e un loc special!

In alta ordine de idei, calatoria in Sicilia a fost ocazia perfecta de a imi cunoaste colegii si chiar am vazut ca sunt cat se poate de OK, chiar daca mi se parea mie ca englezii nu prea ies din 'zona lor de comfort'. Mi-am imbunatatit vocabularul cu ei, am vazut cam ce parere au ei despre diverse chestiunii (chiar si despre cum se percep englezii intre ei), am aflat de ce nu pot ei sa invete ei, in general, limbi straine si mi-am dat seama ca stau cam prost la capitolul organizare: de fiecare data cand voiam sa facem o poza de grup dura o groaza pana sa ne strangem cu totii, pt ca toata lumea vorbea cu toata lumea! La fel si dimineata, cand trebuia sa ne mobilizam sa plecam...

Apoi, cum am spus si data trecuta, am fost tare nemultumita de faptul ca mereu am fost pe fuga si ca lucrurile nu au fost prea in regula la organizare. Au fost multe situatii in care ceea ce urma sa facem depindea de noi (spre exemplu, cand trebuia sa alegem unde si ce vrem sa mancam) si Rino, profesorul italian, incerca sa ne faca pe plac si ne intreba mereu ce preferam. Numai ca banuiesc ca va imaginati ca e destul de dificil sa ajungi la un consens intr-un grup atat de mare, asa ca am fi preferat cu totii sa ia el initiativa si macar sa vina cu o propunere (caci in anumit context ne era indiferent ce se decidea, mai ales ca noi nu cunosteam locurile). Insa nu cu Rino am avut noi probleme, ci cu Jean Bernard (JB), cel de la departamentul de Programe Internationale, care a venit cu noi, chipurile, sa faciliteze noi legaturi. Insa el a fost mai mult in vacanta (caci oricum isi deconta orice cheltuieli) si, pe deasupra, a venit si cu 'temele nefacute'. Asa ca de foarte multe ori, profitand de faptul ca vorbeste italiana si ca majoritatea intalnirilor au avut loc in italiana (cu traducere), JB a pus monopol pe discutie si, mai mult chiar, a pus niste intrebari extrem de stupide. Spre exemplu, pe un procuror voia sa il intrebe care sunt ritualurile de a intra in mafie si chiar dupa ce ni se explicase ca in Italia datorita situatiei speciale (cu mafia) poti fi anchetat pt asociere de persoane (desi este contradictoriu Conventiei Europene a Drepturilor Omului), el s-a trezit sa intrebe de ce poti fi anchetat in Italia pt asociere! Incredibil! Am decis apoi sa vorbesc eu cu Rino in numele tuturor si sa ii spun ca suntem nemultumiti de ce se intampla si ca excursia este pt noi (evident, am fost Homo Diplomaticus). Rino isi daduse si el seama ca JB monopoliza toate discutiile si chiar nu s-a suparat ca am vorbit cu el. Si zau ca nimenit nu a fost deranjat de faptul ca Rino punea intrebari, caci macar ale lui erau pertinente si relevante. Iar pt JB cred ca ar fi fost cel mai usor sa isi satisfaca toate 'curiozitatile' cautand un pic pe internet sau, mai simplu chiar, uitandu-se la "Nasul". In fine, au fost mult mai multe lucruri/situatii in care cu siguranta ar fi trebuit sa dea dovada de mai mult profesionalism si decenta si care m-au facut sa imi schimb total parerea despre JB. Cred ca nimeni dintre cei care l-au cunoscut inainte de plecarea in Italia nu il mai vede cu aceeasi ochi acum...

Si ca sa nu inchei postarea intr-o nota negativa, iata ce se gaseste pe strazile din Palermo (costau 10€, daca imi amintesc eu bine):

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Let's Settle the Score...

It's almost midnight, but I really want to write the long-promised conclusions of my trip to Sicily (I don't want to delay it anymore because I am already out of the "summer-sun-sea" mood).

The whole visit had a certain scope, so the first observation which I'll make is be linked to anti-mafia activities of various organisations and institutions in Sicily. I was enormously surprised by courage shown by these people! Beyond the slightly 'idyllic' image portrayed by the American mafia movies, things are not simple as in reality. I do not know exactly what is the situation now, how dangerous it is to be a judge or prosecute now in comparison to 20 years ago, for example (I wanted to ask this question to the prosecutor we've met, but you'll find out later why I didn't), but the reality was presented to us when we visited the Telejato headquarters, I can see that things are still pretty serious. And not only for those who were always on this legl side of the 'barricade', but for those who were 'on the other side' and decided to go legally. Sure, I want to believe that there aren't cases like the one of 1993, when 13 year old son of a pentito (mobsters that break the code of silence - omerta - when they are arrested and start collaborating with the authorities, practically becoming informants), because it is this category I am referring to, was kidnapped and held captive for two years, then killed and his body was dissolved in acid (search for Giuseppe di Matteo case if you are interested in the subject). And if we're talking about penititi, is curious that the first "collaborator of justice" (as they are officially called), went to the police sometimes in the '70s and confessed many crimes and exposed all that Mafia means, but he was not taken seriously. Eventually he was hospitalised in a mental asylum (because he had developed a series of strange behaviours, with self-mutilating tint, as a form of release).

Returning to those who fight against the mafia, they have all my admiration, especially the young people who take action! This problem seems so complex and I could not imagine how it would be to be born into a society where being a mobster is a matter of respect (this was Sicily until 10-20 years ago) and this fact being perpetuated across generations and then you realise at some point that change must start from you, someone has to take action and if it's not you then nobody might do anything. By comparison (a bit forced, due to a different historical economical and social context), I was thinking about us, Romanians, and the fact that we've lost this hope of better and no longer have any optimism to make us start a change (in our case it is the corruption against which we should mobilise). Instead, young Romanians (and I include myself in this category), have resigned, preferring to go abroad, to get away from what actually is our responsibility and leave this 'burden' to others. I will not further discuss the subject, I do not even know if ultimately it is more difficult to fight corruption or mafia (at times is the same fight), so I only want to conclude that their people are more brave than ours! And something more that you won't see in Romania - national flags in windows, in front of the houses, in courtyards. I'm sure that was not related to Italy's participation in the World Cup, because at that time their team had been eliminated form the competition.

And speaking of Italians, I must admit that I do not understand how the idea they would be well dressed came up. Of course, I wasn't in northern Italy, where the economic situation is better, so it's more prosperous world, and the people are probably differently 'educated' in this point of view. But in Sicily I rarely saw well dressed people (in the classic sense of the word) and much less something edgy. I believe their style is very similar to that of the Romanians, 'let's-put-some-clothes-on-us', and it seems surprisingly, because they have access to even more brands and for a longer time than we do. Plus, Italy has always been a country with a strong textile industry. But this thing is just not reflected on the streets, where girls still dress after the 2007 fashion: skinny jeans with very low waist, paired with very short and clingy tops/blouses. Honestly, I thought that men often dress better. Making another comparison, I think that in Spain, a country with relatively the same climate (because this influences the street fashion as well) and economic situation, people have a more refined style, from young to old people.

Continuing to talk about clothes, I declare Italy the country of fakes! Or at least the Western European country of fake things. And we have 'Gucci', 'Armani', 'Channel' Made in China as well, as it is in Spain, and I think in England too, but you can only find these in certain markets, not at any street corner. In the little time that I have for shopping, I saw a lot of stalls merchandising only imitations of major brands, but, hey, the good part is that you can bargain if you want a bag that really cried Louis Vuitton! Oh, and another thing: don't expect spectacular sales it Italy or at least this is how I feel about this. From what I've seen so far, nothing rivals Spain at this chapter.As I said in previous posting, I can easily pass as Italian, because us the Romanians generally have about the same features as the Italians: mainly brown-haired/brunette people, having not a very pale skin and with about the same body constitution. The Italian women did not seem extraordinarily beautiful to me (I am not envious, but I really haven't seen too many outstanding ladies), but the guys look verrry good, although sometimes they seem to be 'too' dark-haired, even for my tastes (I never though I'd get to say/write this, never ever: D). Anyhow, they made it to my top, ranking no. 4 (there is no number 5 :D), after Swedish, Spanish and Germans :)

Otherwise, except for that habit of putting olive oil on bread (which is practised by Spaniards in the south as well), I find the Italian cuisine simply delicious ! Obviously, based on rice, pasta, seafood, pizza, but I liked that it is perfectly adapted to the climate (in Romania, even at 40 degrees Celsius, the meat - 'the best vegetable' in the contemporary folklore - remains the basis of meals, pork meat, to be more specific). I tried different dishes, mainly pasta (but not carbonara, although is my favourite, but that on another occasion) and I can say that I recommend pasta (tagliatelle) with seafood. Another thing that seemed incomprehensible to me was the fact that their menus contain two dishes, but none being the soup (or at least you don't have more than 2-3 to chose form and not in any place), so basically you can have rice for the first course and pasta or escalope or something else for the second course. It seems too much food for lunch, but of course you can chose you to take only one course.

What I haven't mentioned but I think it is important to note is the fact that Sicily is so contrasting. Many buildings are slightly older, the facades are lacking the plaster and I had such a feeling of acute poverty, do not know why. Perhaps because even in Romania you do not see buildings like that anywhere else but in neighbourhoods where do you want to walk alone at night. But I think that because the Mediterranean air, the holiday vibe (sun and sea, the perfect combination), the relaxed life, the Latin spirit, the language quite close to Romanian (I think that if I stay there one month I'd get to speak Italian well enough) I have seen Sicily as Spain's poorer sister. The landscape is fascinating: from the city you can see the rocky cliffs of the mountains, but also palm trees at every step. I must admit, at first I wasn't impressed by the island because of the things I've just mentioned, but after a few days it began to grow on me. Sicily is a special place!

On another note, the trip to Sicily was the perfect chance to get to know my colleagues and I saw they are OK, even if it seems to me that English people are a bit reluctant in getting out of their comfort zone. I improved my vocabulary with them, I saw what they think about different matters (even how they perceive each others, as English), I found out why they cannot learn foreign languages, in general, and I realised that they aren't too brilliant when it comes to organisation: every time we wanted to take one group photo it was taking us a LOT of time to get together, because everybody was chatting among the group! Same thing in the morning, when we were supposed to mobilise ourselves to get going ...Then, as I said last time, I was very frustrated that we were always on the run and things were not nicely organised. There were many situations when it was up to us to decide on certain issues (for example, to choose where and what to eat) and Rino, the Italian professor, was trying to please us and we were always asked about what we prefer. But I guess you can imagine it's difficult to reach a consensus in a large group, so I would have preferred Rino to take initiative and even come with a proposal (in certain contexts we weren't even bothered to decide, especially because we did not know the places).

But we had no problems with Rino, Jean Bernard (JB), from the International Programs department, was the issue. He came with us on the pretence of facilitating new connections, but he was more on a vacation (because anyway he claimed expenses) and, moreover, he came with his 'homework undone'. So many times, taking advantage of the fact that he speaks Italian and most meetings were held in Italian (with translation), JB has put a monopoly on the discussion and, indeed, he asked some very stupid questions. For example, he wanted to ask a prosecutor which are rituals to get into mafia and once after we have been explained that in Italy because of special circumstances (the Mafia) you can be prosecuted for association of persons (although it's contradictory to the European Convention of Human Rights), he asked why you can be investigated in Italy for association! Unbelievable! I decided then to talk Rino on the behalf of all and tell him that we are unhappy with what is happening and that trip is for our benefit (obviously I was Homo Diplomaticus in this circumstance). He has already figured it out that JB was putting a monopoly on the conversations and he wasn't angry that I approached him. And really none of us was bothered by the fact that Rino was asking questions, because at least his were pertinent and relevant. And as for JB, I think it would have been easier for him satisfy all his 'curiosities' by doing a little research on the Internet or better yet by watching "The Godfather". Finally, there were many other things/situations when he certainly ought to show more professionalism and decency and that made me totally change my opinion about JB. I think none of those who knew him before leaving for Italy it is now seeing him with the same eyes...

Because I don't want to end my post on a negative vibe, in the last photo you can see what is being sold on the streets of Palermo (it costs €10 if I remember well) :)

La Dolce Vita!

2010-07-22T00:05:00.002+01:00

Am incercat sa scriu cate ceva despre calatoria in Italia chiar in timp ce eram acolo, dar lipsa de timp si de rabdare (sa fi scris de pe telefon era un efort prea mare) si-au spus cuvantul. Asa ca o sa imi pun memoria la incercare acum si o sa public o postare lunga, deci o sa va testez rabdarea (si mie, de asemenea). Iar daca o sa imi scape vreun detaliu, o sa revin apoi intr-o alta postare.

De fapt, nici acum nu prea stiu cum sa incep, dar stiu ca nu ar mai trebui sa aman postarea asta, caci apoi sigur voi uita multe amanunte. Luand-o cel mai simplu si sigur de la inceput, calatoria pana la aeroport (Luton) mi s-a parut destul de lunga, desi este mai aproape decat Stansted si am avut cu cine sa vorbesc pe toata durata drumului. In aeroport am mai avut ceva vreme de pierdut, caci am ajuns cu vreo 2 ore inainte, asa ca intalnit cu ceilalti (caci nu am plecat chiar cu totii din Coventry), am mancat, am facut check-in-ul si toate cele. La controlul de securitate, pt prima data in viata mea (sau in memoria mea), am bipai si chiar am fost pusa sa ma descalt, desi purtam niste sandale cat se poate de decupate si cu vedere la picior.

Cu toate ca am fost printre ultimii in coada de imbarcare, am reusit sa prindem locuri bune in avion, la iesirile de urgenta din mijloc. Banuiesc ca orice persoana cu experienta intr-ale zburatului stie ca astea-s locurile care iti ofera cel mai mult spatiu pentru picioare, intr-o aeronava normala. Eu am stat comfortabil langa geam, asa ca am dormit pe aproape toata durata zborului (ca mai toti, de altfel), trezindu-ma din cand in cand si admirand culmile Alpilor si, evident, la destinatie. La aterizare in Trapani (caci nu exista cursa spre Palermo) am fost neplacut surpinsa de caldura si mai ales de umiditatea ridicata (era aproximativ ora 22:30!). Eram imbracata in blugi si o camasa subtire, caci in Anglia credeam ca va fi mai frig la plecare si oricum ma bazam ca va fi in regula noaptea, la sosirea in Sicilia. Insa era groaznic, era atat de cald incat pielea transpira si devenea lipicioasa! Yuck!
Ne-am intalnit cu ghidul nostrul, de la Libera Terra, am luat bagajele si masina inchiriata (caci am avut la dispozitie o furgoneta de 7+1 locuri, iar noi eram 10, asa ca s-a mai inchiriat o Lancia pt deplasari) si am pornit catre Marsala, o localitate in apropiere de Trapani, unde am fost cazati la un hotel.
Cum era deja tarziu, cam miezul noptii, am iesit in oras sa mancam ceva si asa am mancat eu prima mea pizza italiana! Era cam uleioasa, ce-i drept, si aveam sa constat mai tarziu ca italienii folosesc extrem de mult uleiul de masline, inclusiv pe paine! Asta contravine cumva normelor mele de alimentatie normala, dar nu am comentat niciodata, ci am incercat sa apreciez cat mai mult bucataria locala. Ah, da, inca ceva: nu va asteptati vreodata in Italia ca pizza sa va fie servita feliata! Va trebui sa faceti asta singuri si va spun ca sigur o sa va chinuiti putin, caci blatul este foarte crocant, desi subtire.

A doua zi, vineri, dupa micul-dejun de la hotel, am plecat catre Palermo, cu escala la o salina undeva pe langa Trapani (nu imi amintesc exact numele, caci sunt multe saline in zona, stiu ca era o mica insula numita "Mozia" in apropiere) si apoi la o plaja, unde am petrecut cateva ceasuri. Pt ca, asa cum am spus in postul anterior, nu aveam rogojina si nici nu imi place sa stau pe prosop cand merg la plaja, am mers putin pe marginea plajei, in cautare de vanzatori ambulanti, de unde sa imi cumpar una. Am gasit niste standuri, am hotarat sa iau una care se pliaza, dar cum era putin rupta am vrut sa cer alta, insa aceea mi-a fost oferita gratis ("regalo"), asa ca nu am refuzat-o. Iata deci avantajul de a fi fata si de a vorbi spaniola, caci, da, de multe ori spaniola m-a ajutat sa ma inteleg cu localnicii, caci altfel rareori dadeai peste cineva care sa stie engleza la un nivel multumitor.
Mai tarziu aveam sa vad si dezavantajul de a primi ceva de gratis, cand eram plina de nisip la 5 secunde dupa ce m-am asezat pe rogojina...

Salina di Trapani

Inainte sa ajungem in Palermo ne-am mai oprit si la Casa Memoriala "Peppino Impastato", un sicilian care prin anii '70 a infiintat un radio anti-mafia, prin care denunta actiunile criminale ale Cosa Nostra (asta cu toate ca tatal si unchiul sau erau si ei mafioti, dar de "rang mai mic") si care a murit asasinat in 1977, daca nu ma insel. Initial, mafia locala a vrut ca moartea lui sa para accidentala si sa ii creeze o imagine falsa (de terorist), dar in final reputatia i-a fost reabilitata. Viata lui a fost foarte interesanta si sta la baza filmului "I cento pasi" ("100 de pasi"), pe care l-am vizionat la facultate acum cateva luni (nu stiu daca am mai mentionat asta pe blog), un film pe care vi-l recomand, chiar daca nu sunteti prea pasionati de subiect. Revenind la vizita, la Casa memoriala ne-am intalnit cu fratele mai mic a lui Peppino, Giovanni, care a stat putin de vorba cu noi si ne-a povestit cateva amanunte din viata fratelui sau.

Imaginea iconica a lui Peppino

Alaturi de Giovanni, fratele lui Peppino

Mai tarziu, in Palermo, am constatat ca traficul din Bucuresti este absolut in regula, in comparatie cu cel din Sicilia: din doua benzi, plus cea de urgenta, palermitanii au facut 4, si nici pe alea nu le mentin. Lumea conduce total haotic, fara sa semnalizeze, iar scuterele se baga peste tot (inteleg si de ce se foloseste mijlocul asta de transport). Iar daca esti pieton si incerci sa traversezi, chiar si pe zebra, eu zic sa te incumeti doar cand nu se vede nici o masina/nici un scuter la orizont, caci altfel slabe sunt sansele sa ajungi pe partea cealalta (intreg): foarte putini iti vor ceda trecerea, indiferent cat de mult vei astepta.

Apoi ne-am cazat la un hostel, "Casa Marconi", unde ne-am luat camerele in primire - am stat cate unul in camera (desi erau camere de pana la 4 paturi), cu toate ca nu ne-ar fi deranjat sa impartim incaperile. Eu am nimerit intr-o camera de 2 paturi (asa ca unul a fost folosit pe post de depozitare a lucrurilor rasturnate din genti, cand ma hotaram sa le schimb), din pacate in partea in care nu se prindea conexiunea wireless, decat cumva langa geam (trebuia sa stau cu bratul foarte intins), asa ca de multe ori stateam pe scari si scriam mailuri sau vorbeam pe Skype (da, am si asa ceva pe telefon). Cel mai misto a fost ca desi eram practic cazati intr-un hostel, aveam serviciu de curatenie in fiecare zi, plus aer conditionat (bine, cred ca nu poti supravietui fara asa ceva vara in Sicilia).

A treia zi, sambata, am mers la sediul unei asociatii numite "Addiopizzo", care combate plata pizzo-ului (taxa de protectie) de catre comerciantii palermitani (ctre mafioti, evident). Organizatia a fost fondata in 2004 prin initiativa unor prietenii (printre care si Daniele Marannano, cel cu care ne-am intalnit) care voiau sa isi deschida un bar si, printre alte cheltuieli, si-au dat seama ca vor trebui sa plateasca si pizzo-ul. Asa ca au decis sa ia atitudine si intr-o noapte au impanzit orasul cu stickere pe care scria ''Orice popor care alege să plătească pizzo, e un popor fără demnitate''. Ideea e ca practic, cumparand de la un comerciant care inca plateste taxa se contribuie la sprijinirea mafiei. In prezent sunt peste 400 de afaceri (din diferite domenii) aflate in circuitul "pizzo-free" (care nu platesc taxa). Cum puteti observa pe blogul meu, exista un mic banner (cu un link ce va va duce pe site-ul organizatiei) in coltul dreapta sus, asa ca de acum sustin si eu campania Addiopizzo!

In stanga este primul sticker pe care l-au folosit, cu care au impanzit strazile din Palermo intr-o noapte.

Dupa pranzul pe care l-am luat in oras am mers la Centrul Sicilian de Documentare "Giuseppe Impastato" (da, acelasi Peppino), unde ne-am intalnit cu Umberto Santino, care ne-a vorbit despre istoria si evolutia mafiei (ce-i drept, eram la curent cu lucrurile astea, dar apreciez efortul) si globalizarea crimei organizate & trenduri actuale. M-am bucurat de asemenea sa vad ca un om la peste 50 de ani vorbeste engleza suficient de bine incat sa sustina cel putin o prezentare si o conversatie, caci abilitatile de a vorbi limbi straine sunt cam absente in Italia (cel putin in Sicilia), iar comunicarea poate fi o problema. Insa nu vreau sa comentez prea mult, sunt alte circumstate, noi suntem, ironic, un caz fericit din punctul asta de vedere tocmai pentru ca ne aflam intr-o situatie mai proasta. In fine, Centrul se afla intr-o vila veche, iar usa de la intrarea in sediu (un apartament) era masiva, iar noi ne-am gandit si am facut scenarii ca este o consecinta a activitatii duse, dar apoi am aflat ca de fapt asa sunt usile tuturor apartamentelor din vila. Amuzant, nu? :)

Rino, Umberto Santino si JB. As fi pus si o poza de grup daca nu mi s-ar fi descarcat acumulatorii. Dar va las sa observati (o parte din) arhiva Centrului.

Ne-am intors la hostel cu "metroul", pe care l-am luat dintr-un fel de statie de tren. Cand a sosit metroul propriu zis am crezut ca ne suim intr-un tren al groazei, parea foarte sinistru - compus din doua vagoane micute, aratand precum cele foarte vechi din Romania (cele albastre). Imi pare rau ca nu am facut poze, dar cred ca v-ati oripilat si voi. Si asta nu e tot, imaginea a fost si mai sinistra la destinatie, cand deja eram intr-o statie normala de metrou, dar absolut PUSTIE, in care nu as vrea sa ma aflu singura nici macar in timpul zilei. Asa ca marimea trenului si lispa oamenilor din el ma fac sa intuiesc ca sistemul de metrou nu este prea complex, si nici folosit (cred ca palermitani se bazeaza in principal pe transportul de suprafata).

In schimb am mai reusit sa facem niste poze prin oras...

Duminica, a patra zi, am avut-o libera, asa ca practic a fost program de voie. Unii s-au hotarat sa ramana in Palermo si sa viziteze orasul, iar altii sa mearga la plaja intr-un orasel numit Cefalu. Ghici ce am facut eu? Am mers la plaja, normal :D Si pentru ca eram 6 persoane care voiau sa mearga la plaja, Rino, proful italian de la modulul de Crima Organizata, Jean-Bernard (sau JB), directorul de la departamentul de programe europene si internationale (Erasmus, Leonardo etc), caci a venit si el cu noi, si 4 studenti, am decis ca noi, tineretul, sa luam trenul si sa mearga "profii" cu masina. Nici ca am luat o hotarare mai buna; am platit 10€ pt biletele de tren (dus-intors) si in cam o ora eram acolo, calatorind in conditii foarte bune (aer conditionat si punctualitate). Iar ei au facut cam 3 ore, din cauza traficului infernal (se pare ca multi palermitani pleaca in week-end in astfel de orasele/statiuni), plus ca nu si-au permis sa tina non-stop aerul conditionat deschis.
Am pierdut si noi ceva vreme cautand un loc pe plaja, era groaznic de aglomerat, apoi ne-am balacit in mare, timp in care au ajuns si cei doi in Cefalu, iar mai tarziu am luat pranzul (paste cu fructe de mare, delicios!). Trebuie sa recunosc ca Mediterana imi place mult mai mult decat Marea noastra Neagra, apa este, evident, mai curata, mai limpede (iti vezi pana si degetele de la picioare) si mai calda, insa mult-mult mai sarata! Nu m-am aventurat nici o secunda sa deschid ochii sub apa, caci numai cand imi intra putina apa in ochi ma usturau destul de tare. Insa nu fac prea multe mofturi, mi-ar placea sa inot zilnic intr-o astfel de mare...

Iata in ce conditii vitrege au calatorit colegii mei! Glumesc, am reusit cu totii sa stam cat se poate de comfortabil, chiar daca trenul a devenit mai aglomerat cu fiecare statie. Insa se pare ca nu toti si-au dat seama ca EXISTA aer conditionat in tren, asa ca au hotarat sa deschida geamul si sa lase tot aerul cald sa intre (am impresia ca un indian care cara tablouri l-a deschis). Nu puteam evident sa spun nimic, caci poate nu toti apreciaza cand le vorbesti in spaniola...

Nu am mentionat pana acum, dar in Sicilia (cel putin) este o cultura a "strazii", sa-i spunem asa, foarte ciudata: femeile sunt scanate din cap pana in picioare de catre barbati cu absolut orice ocazie!!! Si cand spun barbati ma refer la persoane de sex masculin la orice varsta si cam din orice categorie sociala...In fiecare zi mi-am auzit cel putin cate un "bella" si multiple fluieraturi. Daca imi amintesc eu bine, in Romania asta nu se intampla chiar in orice cartier si parca batranii sunt mai decenti (nah, nu orice pensionar striga dupa tine pe strada). Si cine stie ce alte chestii au mai spus italienii si eu nu am inteles...Asta ca sa nu mai zic ca oricum esti scanat si de batranele si copii (ce sa mai, de toata lumea) cand te vad ca esti strain sau te aud vorbind engleza! Pur si simplu se holbeaza la tine, iar tactica pe care o poti aplica in Anglia cand ti se intampla asta (de a te uita urat inapoi, eventual si a spune un "ce?" obraznic), nu functioneaza absolut deloc. Nah, eu pot parea (si sigur par) cat-de-cat italianca (mi s-a intamplat ca lumea sa imi vorbeasca direct in italiana, de exemplu la toaleta restaurantelor), dar cred ca englezii m-au dat de gol :)

V-am vorbit de lucrul asta pt ca in cefalu, cand am mers cu o colega sa luam niste apa pt a o avea pe tren, doi tipi (dintre care unul nu parea catusi de putin heterosexual) ne-au facut direct poza cand treceam pe langa ei, iar apoi la posterioare, cand eram in fata lor!!! Iar blitzul a fost insotit de exclamatiile de rigoare...Nah, e flatant sa auzi din cand in cand complimente, dar nu ORICAND si nu de la ORICINE. Nu cred ca as putea trai astfel, sa fiu privita, ca femeie, doar din prisma aspectului fizic. Noroc ca intotdeauna pe strada am avut ochelarii de soare (chiar nu se putea fara) ce imi sunt un pic cam largi si aluneca, deci trebuia sa ii ridic, folosind un deget...cel mijlociu :)

Inapoi in Palermo, am facut un dus si am iesit sa cautam un local unde sa vedem Finala din Cupa Mondiala si va spun ca nu a fost lucru usor, caci nu era mare interes prin oras pt partida asta, abia am reusit sa gasim o terasa cu un televizor (asta dupa ce am intrebat, in spaniola, pe un vanzator de pepene, care ne-a oferit loc langa taraba lui, la un TV cu un ecran nu mai mare decat laptopul meu). Am sustinut Spania, in cazul in care cineva s-a intrebat, caci asa am "planuit" de la inceput...Insa as fi fost mult mai 'pregatita' daca Germania ar fi trecut de semi-finala, caci mi-as fi luat tricoul "I love Berlin" si o ghirlanda gen hawaiana, dar in culorile steagului Germaniei, pe care mi-am cumparat-o din Berlin. Insa nu a fost sa fie...Data viitoare!

In a cincea zi, luni, aveam planificata o vizita la tribunal si intalniri cu niste magistrati & procurori asa ca eu, cel putin, m-am imbracat frumos. Am asistat la un proces impotriva unui tip cercetat pt trafic de masini, daca tin bine minte, caci abia a doua zi urma sa se faca arestarea a unui grup de 17 persoane ce fac parte dintr-o retea internationala de trafic de droguri. Am fost primiti si de un procuror care a colaborat cu celebrul Falcone (chiar in biroul in care lucrat si el pt o perioada), apoi am discutat cu magistratul Geri Ferrara despre o problema foarte grava in Palermo si in Neapole, si anume criza gunoaielor (in care mafia este, evident, implicata). Intr-adevar, Palermo si Sicilia, in general, chiar este la un moment dat sufocata de gunoaie, iar unele strazi miros ingrozitor, in special in zilele astea toride de vara.

Palatul de Justitie din Palermo este 'flancat', in partea frontala, de un gard anti-glont inalt de vreo 2 metri. Nu cred ca mai intalnesti asa ceva in alte parti, dar circumstantele sunt de inteles.

Intre Palatul de Justitie si Tribunal

Pe acoperisul Tribunalului. Nu am vrut sa scot limba la camera, doar s-a intamplat:)

Impreuna cu magistratul mai-sus mentionat.

Tot in aceeasi zi, dupa-amiaza, am fost la o intalnire a unei alte organizatii aflata pe frontul anti-mafia, Libera Terra, care practic foloseste pamanturile confiscate de la familiile mafiote si produce vin, ulei de masline, paste etc, cumva in sistem de cooperativa. Au chiar un magazin in incinta sediului, de unde mi-am luat o geanta de panza (pe care o port acum in exlusivitate) si ciocolata picanta :) As fi vrut sa iau vin, dar singura nu mi-ar fi placut sa beau si era prea complicat sa il iau cu mine in Anglia ca apoi sa il trimit in Romania. Activitatea lor este onorabila, dar nu prea am fost noi multumiti de prezentarea care ni s-a oferit, de raspunsuri si de maniera in care abordeaza anumite chestiuni. Initial, unii dintre colegii mei, inclusiv Mihai, trebuiau sa faca practica acolo, tot prin programul Leonardo, dar asociatia s-a razgandit si iata ca e mai bine asa...

Nu am poze de la aceasta intalnire (din nou am ramas fara baterii la camera), dar printre picaturi am reusit sa vizitez Catedrala din Palermo in acea zi...

In drum spre Catedrala am trecut pe langa Opera si alte cladiri minunate....

...si multe detalii interesante.

Catedrala este cumva simplista in interior...

...dar exteriorul este deosebit.

Marti, a sasea zi, a fost una extrem de lunga. Am plecat de dimineata (de fapt in fiecare zi ne-am trezit foarte devreme) spre Corleone, unde am vizitat Centrul International de Documentare despre Mafia si Antimafia. Si cine altcineva, in afara de mine, ar putea uita camera in hostel exact la o astfel de vizita? Bine ca au fost unii oameni destepti si au inventat "telefoanele inteligente: (iar eu am fost si mai desteapta si mi-am luat unul cu o camera buna). Oricum, nu a fost mare lucru, totul se bazeaza mai mult pe fotografiile expuse (facute de Letizia Battaglia, o faimoasa fotografa italiana specializata pe tema asta) si pe explicatiile primite de la ghid (care pt noi nu au fost o noutate). Din pacate, nu am petrecut mai mult timp in Corleone, caci in principal toata vizita asta in Sicilia a fost constant pe fuga. Mi-ar fi placut, de exemplu, sa vedem mai multe proprietati care au apartinut mafiotilor si pur si simplu sa ne plimbam prin oras, caci sincer, nu poti sa iti dai seama de dimensiunea fenomenului, nu poti sa realizezi ce inseamna sa traiesti intr-un tinut controlat de mafie pana cand nu ajungi acolo.

Biblioteca Centrului de care vorbeam.

Un bar celebrul datorita filmului "Nasul". Se numeste marketing, in general.

In fine, macar am reusit sa imi iau niste suveniruri pana sa plecam spre a vizita o crama care a fost construita pe un teren confiscat de la mafioti, iar apoi ne-am indreptat spre "Portella della Ginestra", la Cooperativa Placido Rizzotto, unde am luat pranzul, gustand exclusive produse din circuitul Libera Terra (paste, vin, paine, inghetata etc.). Locul in sine a apartinut, de asemenea, unei familii de mafioti si asta nu ma mira, caci locatia este excelenta (cumva ascunsa ochiului public), iesind de pe un drum adiacent, intr-o zona pustie si deci linistita. Din nou, iar am fost pe fuga (pur si simplu am terminat masa si a trebuit sa ne ridicam si sa plecam), ceea ce m-a enervat la culme, din mai multe motive: nu poti sa te urci direct in masina, dupa ce ai mancat, pe o caldura infernala si sa mergi pe serpentine cu 70km/ora (Gabriele, ghidul nostru, conduce foarte repede, iar drumurile sunt foarte serpuite in Sicilia, chiar daca nu era nevoie sa le construiasca asa, ci au fost proiectate astfel din cauza mafiei); iar apoi pe tot parcursul sederii noastre, nu ni s-a comunicat deloc in avans ceea ce urma sa facem exact in fiecare zi (ni s-a dat un program, ce-i drept, dar in italiana, si fara prea multe ore stabilite), asa ca mereu am fost pusi in fata situatiei ca "in 5 minute trebuie sa plecam". Dar am scris despre asta in feed-backul pe care ni l-au cerut acolo si voi mai scrie din nou cand v-a trebui sa facem un raport si pt facultate.

La crama din circuitul Libera Terra.

In locul in care am mancat, Portella della Ginestra.

Peisaj tipic sicilian.

Partea cea mai buna a zilei insa abia urma: am fost apoi intr-un orasel numit Partinico, unde am vizitat sediul unei televiziuni locale anti-mafia, Telejato, care condamna in mod direct actiunile Cosa Nostra, facand nominalizari (cum ar spune englezii, 'name & shame'). Initial nu ne-am dat noi seama ce ne asteapta (oricum tot ce s-a intamplat a fost destul de spontan), ne-am trezit intr-un apartament de trei camere (si o baie, foarte importanta pt activitatea televiziunii, veti vedea), unde cativa tineri de varsta noastra practic tin in viata televiziunea, sub indrumarea lui Pino Maniaci (un nume predestinat, as spune), un omulet simpatic si uscativ (probabil din cauza celor 3 pachete de tigari fumate pe zi), la vreo 50 si ceva de ani. I-am prins chiar in momentul in care emiteau in direct (iar asta se intampla doar cate 2 ore/zi), am stat putin de vorba cu Pino, avand drept traducator pe una din fetele de acolo (careia ii era la un moment dat rusine sa traduca unele cuvinte gen "va fan culo" sau "cazzo"; eu oricum le-am inteles).
Omuletul asta este un personaj, facea misto de multe chestii negative care i s-au intamplat datorita activitatii sale, glumind chiar ca atunci cand li se face frica, se duc la baie (acum ati aflat care e treaba cu baia). La un moment dat Pino s-a gandit ca ar fi o idee buna sa inregistram noi ceva si anume sa citim unele stiri in italiana. Pt ca tocmai aflasem ca el a fost amenintat si chiar batut (moment in care a vrut sa renunte, dar fata lui cea mica, si ea parte din echipa, l-a indemnat sa mearga mai departe), masina televiziunii a fost incendiata si inclusiv s-a tras inspre ei, am acceptat, in gluma, doar daca inregistrarea va fi difuzata dupa ce plecam din Sicilia :) Insa am luat lucrurile in serios, iar eu am fost prima care am trecut la pupitrul stirilor (caci Pino a recunoscut mai tarziu ca avea o slabiciune pt mine, probabil pt ca par un pic de a lor si poate pt ca paream interesata, caci intelegeam ce spunea) si am prezentat ceva despre o masina aruncata in aer. A urmat apoi o caterinca generala, caci aproape toti am citit cate o stire, si chiar daca restul nu intelegeau italiana (sau poate mai ales de asta), Pino nu s-a ferit sa faca misto - pe un coleg numit Rob l-a intitulat "Robin Hood din Anglia", pe o alta colega a intrebat-o daca ii place marijuana, iar ea, afland traducerea de la Rino, a raspuns, tot la misto, afirmativ. Restul e istorie! Din pacate, inregistrarea a fost transmisa a doua zi, cand noi nu aveam acces la televizor si nici nu reusesc sa vad difuzari pe site-ul televiziunii, dar cumva sigur tot voi reusi sa intru in posesia filmarii.
Cand am iesit din cladire ne-am uitat in stanga si-n dreapta, pt ca stiam ca zona este plina de mafioti, si nu voiam sa fim vazuti parasind sediul (caci toata lumea stie de televiziune acolo). Am baut o granita cu Pino, apoi am avut 10 minute la dispozitie sa aruncam o privire prin magazine (intr-un timp asa de scurt nu am putut sa gasesc nimic interesant), caci trebuia apoi sa ne intoarcem in Palermo si sa punem punct acelei zile incredibil de lungi.

In redactia Telejato.

Pe o strada din Partinico + un peisaj surprins din masina, la intoarcerea spre Palermo.

In a saptea zi, joi, se preconiza cumva o zi mai linistita, dar din nou ne-am trezit devreme ca sa ajungem la "riserva dello Zingaro" ("reserva Tiganilor"), o plaja aflata cam la o ora si jumatate de Palermo, in fapt o reservatie naturala, dupa cum ii spune si numele. Locul este superb, desi trebuie sa depui putin efort ca sa ajungi acolo, caci lasi masina intr-o parcare iar apoi (dupa ce platesti bilet), mergi vreo 20 de minute pe o coasta pentru a gasi o plaja izolata (dar nu pustie), fara urma de nisip, ci doar pietricele. Apa a fost din nou foarte limpede, cumva la vreo 50 de metri de mal erau si niste pietre masive pe care puteai sta. Desi eu sunt orice numai nu o mare inotatoare, am reusit, cu ajutorul fetelor, sa inot pana la intrarea intr-o grota, unde apa era rece si intunecata (nu stiu daca era din cauza lipsei de lumina sau chiar era adanca), asa ca ne-am intors pe piatra cea mare din larg, piatra pe care am botezat-o "Rocky England" ("Anglia Stancoasa") si am inceput sa facem control de pasaport celor care veneau acolo. Eu m-am auto-delegat Ministru de Externe ("Foreign Minister"), pt ca sunt straina ("foreigner").

Nu ne-am dat seama cand a trecut o ora balacindu-ne in apa, cert este ca nu am avut prea mult timp la dispozitie sa ne uscam si sa stam la plaja, caci iar am auzit "in 10 minute plecam". Dar am negociat si am reusit sa ramanem mai mult timp, nu prea mult insa, caci ni se facuse foame si zona este efectiv pustie. Singurul loc de unde iti poti cumpara ceva de mancat si de baut (fara a avea o oferta prea mare, totusi) era in parcare, aflata la 20 de minute distanta. Dupa ce timpul "ne-a expirat", am mers intr-un satuc, unde in sfarsit am mancat ceva, iar apoi ne-am intors in Palermo.

Reveniti in oras, am avut de ales intre a ramane la hostel si a ne pregati rapid pt a iesi la o plimbare si o scurta sesiune de cumparaturi (caci in rest, sincer, nu am avut timp sa achizitionam mai nimic din Palermo, nici macar suveniruri). Eu am ales, evident, varianta a doua! Si astfel m-am ales cu o rochita alba, cumparata de la un magazin de indieni (nu aveti idee cati pot fi si in Italia). Mai voiam si un tricou "I love Sicilia", pt colectie, dar nu a fost chip sa gasesc, intr-un timp asa de scurt.

In seara respectiva era sarbatoarea Sfantei Rosalia (patroana Palermoului), asa ca ne-am intors la hostel, am luat cina, i-am imbatat pe cam toti cu palinca (am avut grija sa iau cu mine o sticla, normal) si apoi am pornit in oras sa vedem festivitatile. Se sparsese conducta cu oameni in Palermo in seara aia! Fiind o tara foarte religioasa, toata lumea era in strada, sa asiste la procesiune, care incepe de undeva de la Catedrala si am inteles ca se termina undeva pe plaja, printr-un foc de artificii. Noi am prins "alaiul" exact intr-un loc central, unde era si o fanfara, apoi din nou aproape de plaja. Am vazut si o parte din focul de artificii, care zau ca depasea nr. de decibeli admisibili, dar la un moment dat ne-am plictist si am plecat spre hostel (iar focul nu se terminase; s-a incheiat abia dupa vreo jumatate de ora). Cu toate ca eram destul de obositi, ne-am oprit sa bem ceva, non-alcoolic, caci era incredibil de cald (desi mie cu siguranta imi trecuse efectul palincii).

In aceeasi seara am descoperit ca Nicolae Balcescu a murit in exil, la Palermo.

Cum ziua urmatoare, a opta, era si ultima, ar fi trebuit teoretic sa ne facem bagajele, dar nu m-am preocupat de asta in seara respectiva, caci, surprinzator, a fost singura zi in care ne-am permis sa dormim mai mult. Trebuia sa eliberam camerele pana la ora 11:00, asa ca am avut somn de voie pana la 09:00, apoi am coborat la micul dejun, iar bagajele nu au necesitat mai mult de 40 de minute pt a fi facute (intotdeauna e mai usor la plecare, chiar daca eu imi pun mereu hainele in sifonierul din camera in care sunt cazata).
Apoi am plecat spre aeroportul din Trapani, dar nu inainte de a ne opri intr-un orasel, al carui nume nici nu m-am obosit sa il retin, sub pretextul de a manca. Nu inteleg de ce am facut escala asta, daca IAR am fost pe fuga. Zau, nimic nu ma enerveaza mai tare decat sa trebuiasca sa mananc pe fuga, ca apoi sa sar in masina. Si nu mi-am luat cine stie ce preparat sofisticat, ci un sandwich si o cutie de limonada, pe care a trebuit sa le termin in masina!!! Mai bine mergeam direct in aeroport si mancam acolo ceva, desi oferta nu ar fi fost prea variata, dar macar ne-am fi hranit in tihna.

Cireasa de pe tort: la aeroport o betoniera a intrat pur si simplu in cladire!!! Si a mers vreo 10-15 metri...Credeam ca lucruri de genul asta se intampla doar in Romania, intr-un loc numit "Caracal"...Dar, nah, lumea e mica!

Nu prea le au sicilienii cu securitatea la aeroport: eu am trecut fara sa imi scot cureaua de la pantaloni (si va amintiti ce s-a intamplat in Londra datorita nasturilor metalici pe care ii aveam la blugi), iar o alta colega (care, culmea!, isi face dizertatia pe tema securitatii in aeroport), a bipait la controlul de securitate, insa nimeni nu s-a obosit sa o verifice apoi. Zborul a fost in regula, dar aterizarea a fost cea mai nasoala din viata mea, dar am avut grija ca pilotul sa afle asta, caci am repetat asta de 2 ori cand am coborat pe usa din fata a aeronavei. Iar daca in Sicilia muream de cald in pantaloni scurti si o bluza subtire, in Anglia am inghetat instant si nici nu am avut timp sa imi scot blugii, caci am incercat (si reusit) sa luam un autocar mai devreme spre Coventry, ca sa nu trebuiasca sa asteptam vreo 3 ore prin aeroport. In Coventry incepuse sa ploua marunt cand am ajuns si noroc ca m-a dus acasa o colega, nu am mai dat bani pe taxi si nici nu am mai asteptat autobuzul. Acasa am stat de vorba cu Nicoleta, care mai ca nu voia sa ma primeasca pt ce eram prea bronzata (sic!), m mancat o ciorbita facuta de ea si apoi am urcat in camera sa imi duc bagajul. Evident ca dupa ce m-am intins "doar putin" in pat am avut nevoie doar de cateva secunde ca sa adorm, imbracata cum eram. M-am trezit pe la 03:00, m-am schimbat si demachiat si m-am bagat inapoi in pat.

Voi reveni in curand si cu niste concluzii (diverse) ale calatoriei, caci acum vreau sa inchei (temporar) epopeea siciliana (caci oricum mi-a luat o vesnicie sa o scriu).

Ciao!

...........................

La Dolce Vita!
I tried to write something on the blog during my trip to Sicily, but I lacked the time and patience (it's too much of an effort to write from my phone). So this entry is going to be very long, testing my memory and your patiece.

In fact, I still do not really know how to start, but I shall just take it from the beginning> The journey to the airport (Luton) seemed quite long, although it's closer than Stansted and I had someone to talk throughout the entire road. At the airport we had pleanty of time to spare, because we got there about 2 hours earlier, so we've met with the others (because we all went to the airport by different means), we ate, we checked-in the luggage and all. At the security check, for the first time in my life (or my memory), I beeped so I had to take off my shoes, although I was wearing sandals.

Although we were among the last one at the boarding queue, we managed to catch the best seats on the plane, at the emergency exits in the middle. I guess anyone with experience in flying knows that those are great places, it offers plenty of space for your legs, even in a normal aircraft. I sat comfortably next to the window, so I slept almost the whole duration of the flight (as everyone, in fact), waking up from time to time and admiring the peaks of the Alps. Upon landing in Trapani (because there is no flight to Palermo) I was unpleasantly surprised by the heat and especially the high humidity (and it was about 10:30 p.m. time!). I was wearing in jeans and a thin shirt, because in England I thought it was slightly cooler and I though it would be the same at our destination. But it was awful, it was so hot that the skin was sweating and becoming sticky! Yuck!
We met our guide, from Libera Terra, got our luggage and the rented car (because we had a van of 7+1 places, and we were 10, so we rented a Lancia for travelling purposes) and left for Marsala, a town near Trapani, where we checked-in a hotel.
As it was already late, about midnight,we went out to eat something and so I had my first real Italian pizza! It was pretty oily, it is true, and I was to find out later that the Italians use olive oil very much, including on bread! This contravenes the rules of my normal diet, but I never commented, just I tried to appreciate as much as possible the local cuisine. Ah yes, another thing: don't you ever expect in Italy to be served sliced pizza! You will have to do this by yourselves and will certainly say that is a bit of a torture, because the crust is very crisp, although thin.

The next day, Friday, after breakfast at the hotel, we went to Palermo, with a stopover somewhere at a saline (do not remember the exact name, because there are many in the area, but I know that there was a small island called Mozia "nearby) and then to a beach, where we spent several hours. Like I said in previous post, I had no mat and I don't like to sit on the towel when going to the beach, I walked a little on the beach, looking for vendors, where do I buy one. I found some stands, I decided to take one that folds, but was a little torn so I wanted to ask for another one, but then I was offered that one free of charge ("regalo"), so I took it. So there you have the advantage of being a lady and speaking Spanish, because, yes, often Spanish helped me communicate with the locals, because otherwise seldom you'd run into someone who speaks good English or at least at a satisfactory level.
Later I was to see the disadvantage of receiving something for free when I was full of sand just five seconds after I sat on the mat ...

Before we arrived in Palermo we stopped and the Memorial House of Peppino Impastato, a Sicilian who founded, in the '70s, an anti-mafia radio, denouncing the actions of the Cosa Nostra (although his father and uncle were also mobsters, but form a "lower class") and who died assassinated in 1977, if I remember correctly. Originally, the local mafia wanted his death to look accidental and create him a false image (of a terrorists), but in the end his reputation was rehabilitated. His life was very interesting and made the basis for the film "I Cento Pasi" ("100 Steps"), which I watched in college a few months ago (do not know if I mentioned this on the blog), a film which I highly recommend, even if you are not too keen on the subject. During the visit at the memorial house we've met Peppino's younger brother, Giovanni, who stayed for a chat with us and told us a few details of his brother's life.

Later, in Palermo, I came to see that the traffic in Bucharest is absolutely sane, compared with that of Sicily: there two bands plus the hard shoulder, but the drivers of Palermo transformed the road into a 4-lane one. Total chaotic diving, almost no one indicates when changing lanes or directions and scooters are everywhere (and I understand why they are used as means of transportation). And if you're a pedestrian trying to cross, even on the zebra, I'd say you should only do this when you do not see any car/scooter on the horizon, because otherwise there are poor chances to reach the other side (one piece): very few drivers will give you passage, no matter how much you'd wait.

Then we checked into a hostel, "Marconi House", where we each got a key of a room (there were rooms up to four beds), although we would not have minded to share rooms. I got a room for two beds (so one was used as storage of stuff falling from my bags when I decided to change them), unfortunately on the side of the hostel where the wireless signal is very poor and I only managed to get internet somehow near the window so I often sat on the stairs and writing emails or talking on Skype (yes, I have that on my phone). The coolest this was that although it was basically a hostel, we had daily cleaning service and air conditioning (well, I guess you cannot survive without something like in Sicily during the summer).

On the third day, on Saturday, we went to the headquarters of an association called "Addiopizzo" that combats payment of the pizzo ( the extortion money) by businesses of Palermo (to the mafia, obviously). The organization was founded in 2004 at initiative of a group of friends (among them Daniel Marannano, whom we met with) that wanted to open a bar, and realized that among other expenses they'd have to pay the pizzo as well. So they decided to take attitude and one night they've studded the city with stickers which said "A whole people who pays the pizzo is a people without dignity.'' The idea is that practically buying from a dealer who pays the tax is a for of contribution/support to the mafia. Currently over 400 businesses (from different domains) are in the "Pizzo-free" circuit (don't pay the tax). As you can see on my blog there is a small banner (with a link that will take you straight to the site of the organization) in the upper right corner, so now I'm supporting the campaign and Addiopizzo myself!

After lunch that we had downSicilian Center of Documentation "Giuseppe Impastato" (yes, the same Peppino), where we've met with Umberto Santino, who spoke to us about the history and evolution of Mafia (well, we were already aware of these things, but I appreciate the effort) and the globalization of organized crime & current trends. I also enjoyed seeing a man in his late 50s speaking English well enough to hold a presentation and conversation, because the ability of speaking foreign languages is pretty much absent in Italy (at least in Sicily) and communication can be an issue. But I do not want to comment on this too much, there are other circumstances, we (the Romanians) are, ironically, in a better position from this point of view precisely because we are in a worse situation. Finally, the Centre is in an old villa and the entrance door (in the apartment) was massive and we've thought about it and made scenarios - it must be a consequence of the activity pursued -, but then we found out that actually it's the same type of doors for all apartments in the villa. Funny, huh? :)

We got back to the hostel with "The Tube", which we took from a train station. When it arrived I thought it's in fact a train of terror, seemed very sinister - consists of two tiny compartments, looking like the very old trains in Romania. Sorry, I have no photos, but I think I was too horrified for that. And that's not all, the image got more sinister at destination, when we were already in a typical subway station, but absolutely deserted, that kind of station where I wouldn't want to be alone even in daytime. So the size of the train and the lack of people makes me assume that the subway system is not too complex, nor used (I think the citizens rely mainly on surface transportation).

On Sunday, the fourth day, we had a free day, so it was practically a loosen program. Some have decided to stay in Palermo and visit the city, while others to go to the beach in a town called Cefalu. Guess what I did? I went to the beach, obviously: D And since we were six people who wanted to go to the beach, Rino, the Italian professor lecturing the module of Organized Crime, Jean-Bernard (or JB), the Director of the Department of European and international programs ( Erasmus, Leonardo etc.), who came with usin this trip, and four students, we decided that us, the youngster, would take the train and the 'grown-ups' would go by car. There couldn't have been a better decision on our side, we paid € 10 (each) for train tickets (round trip) and arrived there in about an hour, travelling in very good conditions (air conditioning and punctuality). And they took about 3 hours due to the infernal traffic (it seems that many are leaving Palermo during the weekend heading to such towns/villages) and also not able to keep the air conditioning open non-stop (it was gas-consuming).
We've also lost some time looking for a place on the beach, it was terribly crowded, then we all got together as the two of them arrived in Cefalu, had a bath, some sun and later we had lunch (pasta with seafood, delicious!). The Mediterranean Sea, I must than is lovelier than our Black Sea, the water is obviously cleaner, clearer (you even see your toes) and warmer, but much-much more saltier! I have not ventured any second to open my eyes under water, because it was burning pretty much only when I got some water in my eyes. But I won't be too picky, I'd like to swim every day in such a great sea ...

I haven't mentioned before, but in Sicily (at least) there is a very weird "street" culture of "street", I'm telling you: women are scanned from head to toe by men with absolutely any occasion! And when I say men I mean male at any age and any kind of social category ... Every day I heared at least one "Bella" and many whistles. If I remember well, in Romania it is not happening in every neighbourhood and the elderly are more decent (not every pensioner calls you names on the street). And who knows what other things they've said and I did not understand... Not to say that anyway you are scanned by old women and children (needless to say, by everyone) when they see you're a foreigner or they hear you speaking English! They just stare at you, and although there are some tactics you can apply in England when this happens to you (an ugly stare back and a possible naughty "What?"), this does not work at all in Italy. Well, I could look (and I certainly do) Italian (it has happened with some occasions that people spoke directly to me in Italian, for example in the toilet restaurants), but I think the British people accompanying me gave me away:)

I talked about this thing because in Cefalu, when I went with a colleague to get some water, two guys (one of which did not seem under any circumstances heterosexual) took photos of us when we passed by them, and then of our bums when we were in front of them! And the flash was accompanied by unexpected exclamations ... Well, it's flattering to hear compliments from time to time, but not ALWAYS and not from ANYONE. I could not be able to live and be regarded like this, as a woman, only in terms of physical appearance. Luckily I always had sunglasses on the streets, which are a bit loose and they slip of my nose, so I must lift them up, by using the middle finger :)

Back in Palermo, I took a shower, and then we went to look for a place to see the World Cup final and I must say it was not easy, because there wasn't great interest for this game in the city, we've barely managed to find a terrace with a television (and this after I asked, in Spanish, a watermelon seller, who offered us his place next stall, in front of TV with a screen no bigger than my laptop). I supported Spain, in case anyone wondered, this is how I "planned" from the beginning (I supported England, Germany and Spain) ... but I would've been more 'prepared' if Germany had made it to the final, because I've got an "I love Berlin" T-shirt and a wreath like the Hawaiian ones, but in the colours of the German flag, which I bought it in Berlin. But it was not meant to be ... maybe next time!

On the fifth day, on Monday, we had planned a visit to the Courthouse and met with some prosecutors, magistrates & so I, at least, I dressed nice. We attended a lawsuit against a type for car smuggler, if I remember well, and just the next day they were suppose to arrest a group of 17 people part of an international network of drug trafficking. At first we've met with prosecutor who has worked with famous Falcone (we even been in his office where he worked for a while), then the magistrate Geri Ferrara and talked about a very serious problem in Palermo and Naples - the garbage crisis - in which the mob is obviously involved. Indeed, Palermo and Sicily in general, are suffocated by garbage, and some streets smell terrible, especially in these hot summer days.

The Palace of Justice in Palermo is flaked, in the front side, by a bullet-proof fence, 2 meters high. I don't think this is common practice anywhere else, but it's understood in these circumstances...

On the same day, in the afternoon, we went to a meeting with another organization working on the anti-Mafia front, Libera Terra, which basically uses the land confiscated from mafia families and produces wine, olive oil, pasta, etc., somehow in a cooperative system. They even have a shop on the premises, from where I bought a canvas bag (which I use now almost exclusively) and spicy chocolate:) I wanted to take wine, but I wouldn't have liked to drink it alone and it was too complicated to take with me to England and then send it to Romania. Their work is honourable, but we were not too happy with the presentation we were provided with, the answers and the manner in which they addresses certain issues. Initially, some of my colleagues, including Mihai, were supposed to do practice there through the Leonardo programme, but the association changed its mind and it seems it's better this way ...

I have pictures from this meeting (again the camera batteries got empty), but between drops I managed to visit the Cathedral of Palermo that day ...

Tuesday, the sixth day, was extremely long. We left the hostel pretty early in the morning (in fact every day we woke up very early) heading to Corleone, where we visited the International Centre of Documentation about the Mafia and Antimafia. And who else but me, could forget the camera in the hostel room right on such a visit? Well, luckily there were some smart people who invented the "smart phones (and I was even clever and I bought one with a good camera). However, there wasn't a big deal, everything is based more on pictures (took by Letizia Battaglia, a famous Italian photographer specialized on mafia photography) and the explanations received from the guide (which for us wasn't much of a novelty). Unfortunately, we didn't spend more time in Corleone, mainly because, as all our visits in Sicily, we were constantly on the run. I would have liked, for example, to see more homes that belonged to mafia and simply walk through the city, because frankly, you cannot realize the dimension of the phenomenon and you cannot realize what it means to live in a land controlled by the mob until you get there.

Finally, at least I've managed to get some souvenirs before we go to visit a wine cellar which was built on a land confiscated from the mafia, and then we headed to "Portella della Ginestra, at the cooperative Placido Rizzotto, where we had lunch, tasting products obtained exclusively from the Libera Terra circuit (pasta, wine, bread, ice cream, etc.).. The place itself belonged also to a family of mobsters and this does not surprise me, because the location is excellent ( somewhat hidden from the public eye), coming from an adjacent road in a quiet wilderness area. Again, we were on the run (we literary just had finished lunch and had to get up and going), which annoyed me enormously, for several reasons: you cannot just jump directly in the car after you ate on a hellish heat and drive with 70km/hour on serpentines (Gabriele, our guide, is driving very fast and there are very winding roads in Sicily, even though there was no need to build them so, but were designed because of the Mafia businesses) and then throughout our stay, we were not communicated at all in advance exactly what the plan was for each day (admittedly, we were given a program, but in Italian, and without too many hours written down), so we always had to face the situation that " we gotta go in five minutes." But I wrote about it in the feedback that we've been asked to give there and I will write again when we'll have to do a report for the faculty.

But the nice part of the day was only yet to come: we then went to a small town called Partinico, where we visited the headquarters of a local anti-mafia television, Telejato which directly names & shames the actions Cosa Nostra. Initially we didn't know what it was due to happen (however everything was quite spontaneously), so we found ourselves in a 2-rooms apartment (and bathroom, very important work for television, you'll see) where some young people around our age basically keep alive the television, under the direction of Pino Maniac, a funny little man and very lean (probably because of the three packs of cigarettes smoked per day), about 50-old years. We got there when they were broadcasting live (and this happens only 2 hours each day), we've chatted a bit with Pino, having as translator one of the girls working there (who was at one time ashamed to translate some words like "va fan culo" or "cazzo", but I've got them anyway).
This little man is a character who makes fun of many negative things which happened due to his activity, even joking that when they are afraid of what might happen they go to the bathroom (you know now what's the deal with the bathroom). Pino then thought it would be a good idea to record us reading some news in Italian. Cause just before that we had learned that he was threatened and even beaten (at which point he wanted to quit, but the younger daughter, herself part of the team, prompted him to go further), the television car was burned and they were even shot at, we accepted, in jest, only if the recording will be broadcast after our departure from Sicily :) But I took things seriously, and I was the first that took over the news desk (because Pino later admitted he had a weakness for me, probably because I seem a bit similar to then and maybe because I genuinely looked interested in what he was saying, as I understood his Italian) and I presented something about a car being blew up. A generic mega-fun followed, and because the rest did not understand Italian, Pino could not help himself of making fun of them - he named, Rob, one of our colleagues, 'Robin Hood from England', he asked another colleague if she likes marijuana, and she said yes, after getting the translation from Rino. The rest is history! Unfortunately, the recording was broadcast the next day, when we had no access to television and I can't manage to download it, but I'm sure somehow we'll manage to get the recording.

When we left the building we looked to the left and right, as we knew that the town is full of mobsters and did not want to be seen leaving the premises (because everybody knows the TV station there). We had a drink with Pino, and then we had 10 minutes available to take a look at the stores (in such a short time I could not find anything interesting), because then we had to return to Palermo and to end that incredibly long day.

On the seventh day, Thursday, one day anticipated somehow quieter, we got up early again to get to "Riserva dello Zingaro" ("Reserve of the Gypsies"), a beach located about an hour and a half of Palermo - in fact a natural reserve, as the name suggests. The location is superb, although some effort has to be made to get there, because you leave the car in a parking lot and then (after paying a ticket), walk about 20 minutes on a coast to find an isolated beach (but not empty), without a trace of sand, just pebbles. The water was very clear again, and some 50 meters from the shore there were some massive rock on which you could actually stand on. Although I am all but a great swimmer, I managed, with the girls' help, to swim into a cave where the water was cold and dark (do not know if it was due to the lack of light or because it was deep), so we went back on the big stone which we called "Rocky England" and started to do passport control to whomever had came there. I was self-delegated Foreign Minister because I'm a foreigner myself.

We did not realize when we time passed while we were wallowing in water, the fact is that we did not have much time to get dry on the beach because we heard, AGAIN, "in 10 minutes we have to go." But we negotiated and managed to stay longer, but not too much because we got hungry and the area is actually empty. The only place where you can buy something to eat and drink (without any great array of choice, though) was in the parking lot, located 20 minutes away. After that time we had "expired", I went in a small village, where we finally ate something, and then we returned Palermo.

Back in town, I had to choose between a stay at the hostel or a quickly preparation followed by a walk in the city and a short shopping session (because otherwise, frankly, I had no time to buy anything from Palermo, hardly any souvenirs). I chose, obviously the second option! And so I bought a white dress, from an Indian shop (you have no idea how many Indians you may find in Italy). I also wanted a shirt "I love Sicily", for my collection, but there was no way to find one, in so short a time.

That night there was Saint Rosalia Feast (the patron saint of Palermo), so we returned to the hostel, we had dinner and we all got drunk with palinca (I took a bottle with me, obviously) and then we went into town to see the festivities. The people pipe broke with in Palermo that night (as we say in Romanian)! Being a very religious country, everyone was in the street to attend the ceremony, which starts somewhere in the Cathedral and it terminates somewhere on the beach, with a fireworks display. We've had central "seat" for the pageant, where there was a fanfare and then we saw the crowd again close to the beach. We saw some fireworks that were beyond any admissible limits of decibels, but at some point we got bored and went to the hostel (and the firework was not even not finished by then, it ended only after about half an hour). Although we were pretty tired, we stopped for a non-alcoholic drink, because it was incredibly hot (but the palinca no longer had any effect on me, though).

As the next day, the eighth, was the last one, we theoretically ought to do our luggage, but I didn't not worry about it that night, because surprisingly it was the only day that we able to sleep more . We needed to vacate the room until 11:00 so I had gladly sleept till 9:00, then went down to have breakfast and my luggage did not require more than 40 minutes to be done (it's always easier at return, even though I always put my clothes in the wardrobe of the room I'm accommodated in).
Then we went to the airport of Trapani, but not before we stopped under the pretext of eating in a town whose name I didn't bother to remember. I did not understand why this stopover, if again we've been on the run. Really, nothing pisses me off greatly than having to eat on the run, and then jump straight into the car. And I didn't order any sophisticated food but a sandwich and a can of lemonade, which I had to finish in the car! It would've been better go directly to the airport and eat something there, although there wasn't much of a choice there, but at least we have nourished in silence.

Top of the cake: A concrete mixer just entered the airport building! And went about 10 to 15 meters ... I thought this sort of thing happens only in Romania, in a place called "Caracal"... But well, it's a small world!

Sicilians hardly care about their airport security: I passed through the security check without my pants belt on (and remember what happened in London because of some metal buttons on my jeans), and another colleague (which, figure it out! , is writing her dissertation on the airport security), then beeped at the screening, but no one bothered to check her after that. The flight was okay, but the landing was the worse in my life, but I made sure the pilot found out, because I repeated this 2 times when I descended the stairs of the front door of the aircraft. And if in Sicily I was melting because of the heat, wearing shorts and a thin blouse, I froze instantly in England and I had no time to get my jeans on because we tried (and succeeded) to take an earlier bus to Coventry, not have to wait in the airport about 3 hours. In Coventry it was raining when we arrived but lucky a colleague took me home, so I didn't need to spend any money on taxi nor to wait for the bus. Home I talked with Nicoleta, I ate a soup made by her and then I went to my room to leave my bag. Obviously after I stretched "a little" in bed, it took me just a few seconds to fall asleep, dressed as I was. I woke up at 3:00, I changed and removed my make up and I was shoved back into bed.

I'll be back soon with some (various) conclusions of your trip, because now I want to (temporarily) end the Sicilian saga (because anyway it took me ages to write and translate it).

Ciao!

Ciao Bella!

2010-07-08T12:43:00.000+01:00

Valiza e gata, ochelarii de soare sunt in geanta, lipsesc rogojina si crema de plaja, dar nu imi fac griji, le cumpar de acolo.

Am plecat sa ma intalnesc cu niste mafioti!

Arrivederci!

..............................

Ciao Bella!

The suitcase is done, the sunglasses are in the bag, the beach mat and the sunscreen are missing, but I'm not worried, I'm going to buy them there.

I left for a meeting with some mafiosi!

Arrivederci!

Din nou in Albion!

2010-07-06T02:00:00.005+01:00

De aproape o sapatamana acum, iar reclimatizarea (la modul propriu) nu a fost prea usoara: de la 30 de grade si mult soare am revenit la temperaturi de 24 grade si nori. Sonali mi-a spus ca toata saptamana cat am fost plecata vremea a fost foarte buna, dar asta nu m-a incalzit cu nimic cand am ajuns aici. Ma rog, unii ar da fericiti vremea din Bucuresti pe cea de aici, dar va spun eu, asta nu e vara cand inca mai porti o jacheta (subtire) in timpul zilei.

Ca sa imi inchei, temporar, socotelile cu Berlinul, va anunt ca inca nu am luat o decizie in legatura cu apartamentul, astept sa vad ce imi spun si cei pe care i-am vizitat. Am pus in balanta ceea ce am vazut in saptamana respectiva, am verificat si cat ar dura drumul zilnic pana la "serviciu" si facut un fel de clasament. Prima mea preferinta ar fi, totusi, o camera de vreo 21 mp, in Mitte (zona buna, bloc renovat), mobilata, 300€. Caci am observat ca nu e usor sa gasesti o camera in care mobila sa ramana, deci iau in considerare si optiunea asta, camera nemobilata. Insa nu e panica, in Berlin este foarte usor sa gasesti piese de mobilier la mana a doua, la preturi cat se poate de decente (si chiar mai ieftine decat la Ikea), uneori chiar si gratis, singura problema ar fi transportul. Dar om trai si om vedea, intai sa ma vad eu cu o camera la Berlin. Sper doar ca voi primi raspunsurile toate in aceeasi perioada, caci nu as vrea sa ma vad pusa in situatia neplacuta de a alege o camera inainte de a stii care sunt optiunile viablie ramase (temandu-ma ca nu voi avea nici o camera in final) si nici nu as vrea sa taraganez un raspuns pt o persoana asteptand vesti de la o alta.

In week-endul asta a fost Godiva Festival aici in Coventry, cel mai mare festival gratuit din UK - de asta nu ma si mira ca nu sunt nume cunoscute sau actuale :) Insa atmosfera e in regula si asta a fost principalul motiv pt care am mers. Am fost cu Nicoleta la 2 zile din 3 (vineri si sambata), dar destul de tarziu, caci ea termina lucrul spre seara. Sambata chiar ne-am dat intr-un fel de 'ciocane' (caci festivalul include si un parc de distractii), pt prima data in viata mea si a fost o experienta ciudata, tinzand la un moment dat catre naspa, caci am avut niste senzatii nu tocmai placute in burta (dar nu de voma) si nici nu am avut ochelarii (mi-ar fi cazut), asa ca nu am putut tine ochii deschisi, m-ar fi ametit prea tare sa nu disting bine ce e in jurul meu. Dar chiar si asa, nu regret momentul, dar probabil ca nu o sa repet experienta prea curand. In seara respectiva, la intoarcere spre casa ne-am ratacit, caci mergeam in directia opusa centrului orasului (nu stiu cine ne-a pus sa ascultam de un tip beat cand l-am intrebat de indicatii), deci am ajuns tarziu acasa - mai ales ca ne-am oprit si la o bere intr-un bar irlandez (caci la Festival standurile cu bere s-au inchis foarte devreme).

Joi plecam, in sfarsit!, in Sicilia, desi toata organizarea asta a atins cele mai absurde cote la un moment dat: pe langa faptul ca abia am reusit sa stabilim o data de comun acord si apoi sa ne strangem sa rezervam biletele, am avut probleme si cu obtinerea fondurilor pe care Universitatea le promisese. Intial era vorba sa ni se dea o suma care sa acopere cheltuielile de transport, apoi ni s-a promis mai mult, ca in final sa aflam ca nu mai exista bani si ca persoanele care nu au apucat sa aplice pt fondul asta nu or sa mai primeasca nimic. Eu aplicasem chiar in week-endul precedent (anuntul a venit intr-o zi de marti), dar nu primisem nici un mail de confirmare, deci eram intr-o situatie incerta. Nu mai spun ca altii nici nu apucasera sa trimita documentele...Asa ca ne pregateam deja de o rascoala, cu furci si topoare (a se citi e-mailuri si scrisori), caci toata treaba ni s-a parut lipsita de profesionalism. In fine, nu o sa intru in detalii - mie mi-au confirmat acordarea grantului, iar pt ceilalti s-au gasit surse de finantare. Asa ca de pa 8 pana pe 15 iulie o sa va salut cu drag din Palermo! :)

In alta ordine de idei, sambata au inceput sa ma doara amigdalele, dar am scapat repede de asta si am ramas doar cu un nas care imi curge incontinuu si cu starnuturi. Mi s-a mai intamplat chestia asta prin mai, cam aceleasi simptome si nimic in plus: nu tu febra, nu tu dureri de cap. Aici se tot vorbeste de 'hay fever', 'febra fanului' in traducere, sau mai exact 'rinita alergica'. Insa asta e provocata de polen, iar in familie chiar nu eu am fost persoana afectata de vreun fel de alergii. Probabil ca o sa imi treaca subit, asa cum a fost si data trecuta. Dar cum o 'nenorocire' nu vine niciodata singura, am impresia ca imi iese o (alta!) masea de minte! Tot jos, dar in partea staga de data asta. Nu sunt 100% sigura momentan, dar simptomele mi se par cunoscute. Stiu ca oricum maseaua poate iesi incet, asa ca ar fi bine sa mai astepte pana ma intorc acasa, caci m-am chinuit enorm data trecuta si chiar nu imi permit asta acum.

Azi mi-am dus telefonul in service, caci aveam unele probleme, si tot azi l-am luat acasa. Sper ca totul o sa fie in regula acum, doar ca trebuie oricum sa ii refac setarile pe care le aveam (practic sistemul a fost formatat) si ma enerveaza acum ca nu reusesc sa revin la tema pe care o aveam pe ecran - rosu si negru -, ci e un fel de gri...Zici ca e un televizor alb-negru!

Am senzatia ca mai trebuia sa mai adaug ceva, dar momentan mi se inchid ochii de somn, asa ca o sa ma gandesc cu alta ocazie.

Pe curand!

PS: Am reusit sa stau 2 ore la soare in Berlin, mai mult nu am putut caci trebuia sa merg sa vad o camera, dar nici nu as fi reusit - era atat de cald! Insa tot am capatat un bronz frumos, dar o sa ma 'lucrez' la el in Sicilia :D

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Again in Albion!

For almost a week now and it wasn't easy to get used to the climate again, to switch from a lovely sunny weather of 30 degrees to clouds and 24 degrees. Sonali, my housemate, told me that during that week there was really hot weather in Coventry too, but that's not helpful at all now. In Bucharest many would trade this weather, but this ain't no summer if you have to wear a light jacket during the day, I'm telling you.

To temporary close the Berlin topic, I'm just saying that I haven't decide on a room yet, I'm also waiting for the e-mails of those I've met. I weighed up what I saw, I checked how long would it take me to reach my "job" from each apartment and I made a sort of top. My first preference would be a 21 sqm room in an apartment in Mitte (good area, renovated building), furnished, 300€. I realised it's not that easy to find a room with furniture included, so I'm also taking into consideration this option - unfurnished room - because I cannot afford to be picky now. However, no panic, in Berlin it's not a hassle to find second-hand pieces of furniture, at decent prices (sometimes cheaper than Ikea), even for free in some cases, so the only problem would be the transport. But we'll see, my main concern now it's getting a room. I really hope I'll get some answers kind of in the same period, I definitely wouldn't fancy choosing a room before knowing which are all my valid options (fearing that I won't get a room at all) and I also wouldn't like to delay a reply to a person waiting for news from another one.

This week-end we had Godiva Festival here in Coventry, the biggest free festival in the UK - that's why I'm not surprised there aren't any familiar or up-to-date names :) But the vibe is nice and that's the main reason I went there, with Nicoleta, at 2 out of 3 days of festival (on Friday and Saturday), although pretty late, because she was working till evening. On Saturday we even hopped onto a thrill ride (a spinner), as the festival includes also an amusement park. It was a first-time experience for me , a weird one, not-so-cool-anymore at one point: I experience very bizarre sensations in my stomach (but I didn't feel like vomiting) and plus I could wear my glasses as they would have fallen, so I kept my eyes closed (it would have made me too dizzy otherwise). Even so, I don't regret doing it, but most probably I won't repeat the action any time soon. In the same evening we managed to get lost on our way home, because we were walking in the opposite direction from the city centre (this is what you get when you listen to the indications of a drunk chap), so we arrived home very late - but we also stopped for a beer in an Irish pub (since at the Festival the beer stalls closed very early).

On Thursday we're finally going to Sicily, although the entire (dis)organisation reached absurd proportions at some point: as if it wasn't enough that it has been very difficult to reach an agreement concerning the dates and then to book the plane tickets, we had issues in getting the grand the University has promised to us. Initially they were supposed to give us money to cover only the travel expenses, but afterwards they promised more, but in the end they have announced that there aren't any money in the International Experience fund and so the persons who didn't manage to apply for the grant by then won't get any money. I applied in the previous week-end (the announcement came on a Tuesday), but I had not received any confirmation e-mail, so my situation was very unclear. Other didn't even get the chance to send the documents...So we were getting ready for a riot, with pitchforks and axes (please read e-mails and letters), considering that the Uni has handled the situation in a very unprofessional manner. Finally, I won't give you too many details - but they have confirmed my grant and they found some ways of funding for the other. So I'll gladly salute your from Palermo between the 8th and the 15th! :)

On the other hand, on Saturday my tonsils started aching, but I got rid of this quickly and now I only have a runny nose and I'm sneezing a lot. It had happened to me before in May, when I had the same symptoms and nothing more: no headaches, no fever. It's probably 'hay fever', although I never had issues with allergies before. I hope one morning I'll wake up and it will all be gone, as it happened the last time. But since a woe never comes alone, I think I'm getting 9another!) wisdom tooth! In the lower part, on the left. I'm not 100% sure right now, but the symptoms are very familiar to me. I know that it can grow very slow, so it'd better wait until I get home, I don't have time for this now.

Yesterday I went with my phone in service (it had dome malfunctions) and I got it back the same day. I hope everything will be fine from now on, just that I have to get back to my personalised settings (the system has been reinstalled) and it really pisses me off that I can't get my old screen theme back - red & black - but just a sort of grey. And it looks like a black'n'white TV!!!

I have the feeling that I should be mentioning something more, but I really can't remember now, so perhaps some other time!

See you soon!

PS: I managed to get 2 nice hours of sun in Berlin so I'm quite tanned right now, but I'm planning to work on it in Sicily!

In Direct din Berlin! (II)

2010-06-28T13:14:00.002+01:00

Scriu de pe mobil, asa ca o sa fiu 'saraca' in cuvinte.
Am vazut ieri meciul Anglia - Germania, in aer liber, noi si alte zeci de mii de oameni. Nu va imaginati ce nebunie a fost la fiecare gol si cum se stropea cu bere in toate partile (deh, Germania). Nu cred ca o sa mai fie aceeasi atmosfera sambata, cand se va juca impotriva Argentinei. Tin in continuare cu germanii, dar sincer argentinienii au echipa puternica.
Am mai vazut niste apartamente, dar pe unul deja il tai de pe lista, din mai multe considerente. Sa spunem doar ca e dragut ca doi caini sa te linga si sa lase par pe tine, dar doar pt o zi; nu as putea trai asa timp de sase luni. Mai am de vazut si alte camere, un chiar in seara asta, deci nu e panica.
Este atat de cald aici, nu ma asteptam - ce-i drept, nu se compara cu verile toride din Romania. Probabil ca maine, dupa ce mai vad alte doua apartamente o sa merg la un 'strand' (vorba vine, aici totul e amenajat pe lacuri ori pe piscine enorme), ca sa nu imi fi luat degeaba costumul de baie cu mine.

Acum mananc ceva de pranz si plec prin oras apoi.

V-am pupat!

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Live from Berlin! II

I can't really translate this post, as I am writing from my phone, but please feel free to use Google Translate if you want to make sense of what is written above :)

In Direct din Berlin!

2010-06-25T19:07:00.002+01:00

Am reusit sa indes totul intr-o singura geanta (fetelor, puteti sa treceti cu o penseta in bagajul de mana, va spun eu), sa supravietuiesc unei nopti de nesomn (caci am calatorit din nou noaptea) si sa ajung in Berlin!!! Unde se lucreaza de zor pe la diverse linii de metrou/tren, deci nu e asa cum l-am lasat, ci in continua schimbare...

Aici e foarte cald, calculatorul arata 25 de grade acum, dar se simte mai mult cand mergi pe strada, mai ales in soare. Orasul asta este extraodinar vara, desi mi se pare extrem de zgomotos si aglomerat - poate datorita turistilor, poate din cauza faptului ca vin din Coventry acum...

Am vazut cateva apartamente, inca nu dau 'pronosticuri', diger doar, caci oricum mai sunt altele de vazut in zilele urmatoare. M-am dezobisnuit total de traficul din Europa continentala: nici nu puteti inchipui ce provocare este sa traversez strada acum!

M-am tuns, dar nu va arat inca poze si va tin inca in suspans. Va spun doar ca sunt foarte multumita de rezultat (noroc ca am vorbit in engleza cu tipa care m-a tuns :P). M-am plimbat o groaza zilele astea (am fost inclusiv la East Side Galerry, din nou, sa vad noile desene de pe Zid, caci nu erau toate terminate in noimebrie), pt ca nici nu prea am altceva de facut in afara de vazut apartamente si intalnit cu lumea cunoscuta (care, din pacate, nu e asa numeroasa). Pt ca nu am reusit sa stau in Berlin pe timpul verii, acum incerc sa recuperez si sa ma plimb peste tot posibil...Ah, da, azi am fost si la Institutul unde o sa fac practica, voiam sa vad exact unde e, ca apoi sa imi dau seama si in ce zona ar fi mai bine sa stau.

Miercuri a fost meciul Germaniei in Campionatul Mondial, nici nu va puteti imagina ce nebunie a fost in oras (inainte si dupa)! Duminica joaca din nou, cu Anglia, si chiar daca acum sunt rezidenta in Albion, o sa tin cu Germania (pe considerente de "imi place mai mult Germania"). Cred ca o sa imi cumpar si un steag nemtesc :)

Acum sunt destul de obosita, ma dor picioarele, ma doare spatele (se resimt plimbarile de zilele astea) si vreau sa ma intind putin.

Ne "auzim" data viitoare :)

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Live from Berlin!

I managed to tuck everything in a bag (ladies, I'm telling you, you can get with a tweezers in your hand luggage), to survive a sleepless night (I travelled by night once more) and to arrive safe an sound in Berlin!!! Where there are many constructions going on, for the tube/train lines, so I can't actually say it's the same way I left it, but rather changing...

It's very warm here, the computer shows 25 degrees now, but it feels much hotter in the sun. This city is extraordinary in the summer time, although now I find it somehow noisy and crowded - perhaps because of all the tourists, perhaps due tot the fact that I'm coming from Coventry...I'm totally dishabituated with the traffic in continental Europe: it's such a challenge for me to cross the street now!

I saw some apartments, but I'm not drawing any conclusions yet, just digesting what I've seen (there are more to visit anyway).
I've got a new haircut, but I'm not showing you any photos for now. I'll just say that I'm very happy with the result (Luckily I spoke English to the hairdresser). I walked a LOT these day, I even got to the East Side Gallery, to see the new drawings (not all were ready in November last year). That's because I haven't got much to do here, except for visiting apartments and meeting people (unfortunately there aren't too many familiar faces left). And since I haven't experienced Berlin during the summer, now I want to see as much as possible...Oh, yeah, I also went to see where I'm going to do the internship,to check the distances to different areas where I might live.

On Wednesday Germany played in the World Cup, you can't imagine the craziness in the city (before and after)! On Sunday there are playing again, against England. Although I live in the Albion now, I'm going to support Germany (I like better this country). I might buy a German flag as well :)

I'm pretty tired now, my legs are paining a lot, so is my back (due to all these long walk) so I really need to rest my body for a bit.

Till next time!

Am multe de povestit....

2010-06-22T23:15:00.002+01:00

...dar foarte putin timp. Asa ca o sa o las pe alta data!
Acum sunt ocupata cu ultimele pregatiri pt plecatul la Berlin (in vreo 2 ore plec spre statia de autocar), unde o sa stau pana pe 30 (ma rog, ajung inapoi in Coventry pe 1 iulie propriu-zis).

Merg sa caut apartament, caci mi s-a confirmat internship-ul. Initial credeam ca spatamana asta la Berlin o sa fie un esec din punctul asta de vedere, caci trimisesem o groaza de e-mailuri si primisem doar 2 raspunsuri. Astfel ca am renuntat sa mai scriu ca sunt romanca sau ca vorbesc romaneste si iata ca am primit mult mai multe raspunsuri. Nu stiu daca asta sa fi fost de vina, dar nu se stie niciodata...
O sa vad cam 10 apartamente (sper eu, pt unele trebuie sa mai dau cate un telefon de confirmare) si apoi, in functie de ce imi place (si de cum ma plac si ceilalti), o sa iau o decizie.

Gata! Nu mai am timp de pierdut!
Pe curand!

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I've Got Stories to Tell...

...but just a bit of time, so these will be told some other time...

Now I'm making the last preparation for my trip to Berlin, where I'll be going tonight (in a few hours i have to be in the coach station). I'll be coming back on the 30th (actually I'll reach Coventry on the 1st of July).

I'm going to see some apartments, since my internship is officially confirmed. Initially I though that this trip will be a waist of time and money - I had sent loads of e-mails and received only 2 answers. So I stopped saying that I'm Romanian or that I speak Romanian and thus I started getting more replies. I don't know if that's to balme, but you never know...

I'll be viewing about 10 rooms (I hope, I still have to give some confirmation calls) and the, depending on what I like (and if the others like me too), I'll take a decision.

OK, I'm running out of time now!
See you soon!

Prin Albion: Leamington Spa

2010-06-08T01:05:00.002+01:00

3 destinatii diferite in mai putin de o saptamana...Nu e rau, nu?

Dupa Cardiff am continuat sa ma prefac ca am o viata cosmopolita si martea imedia urmatoare am mers in Leamington Spa (nu este un spa!!!), un orasel la o ora distanta de Coventry, sub pretexul unei vizite gratuite la un oftalmolog (uite cu ce te poti alege cand pierzi vremea aiurea pe internet).
Stiam ca pot sa iau autobuzul nr. 12 ca sa ajung acolo, stiam deci si cat timp dureaza calatoria, asa ca am mers la statia centrala, Pool Meadow, mi-am cumparat bilet de o zi si am asteptat putin pana soferul s-a contrat (nu certat) cu un pusti de vreo 16 ani caruia ii expirase abonamentul cu o zi in urma si care pretindea ca nu stia in ce data este. Eu i-as fi sugerat sa mearga la scoala sa invete sa citeasca in calendar, dar aici nu se face mare 'tam-tam' in situatii ca astea; doar niste batranele i-au spus ca e obraznic si ca ar trebui sa coboare, ca ne tine in loc.

Nu imi amintesc cand si daca am mai ajuns prin zonele din Coventry pe unde a trecut autobuzul, cert este ca am mers destul de mult pana am iesit din oras (prin sud-vest), iar cand eram prin zona Universitatii Warwick (adica fix la marginea orasului), masina a inceput sa tiuie ingrozitor. Degeaba a incercat soferul sa opreasca motorul si sa stationeze ceva mai mult de cate ori a avut ocazia, zgomotul nu a incetat si pace! Cum sunt zero la mecanica (si la masini & condus in general), nu as putea sa ma dau cu parerea legat de cauzele tiuitului, poate doar sa il fi pus pe seama supraincalzirii motorului...

Plecasem de acasa destul de devreme, si imi rezervasem cam o ora si jumatate pt drum. Dar stateam in autobuz, intre Coventry si Kenilworth (caci abia apoi urmeaza Leamington Spa) si imi dadeam seama ca drumul va dura mai mult de o ora (care se cam scursese deja) si va fi aproape imposibil sa ajung la programarea de la ora 13:00, mai ales ca imi uitasem pelerina de zbor acasa!

Cum, necum, autobuzul s-a mai 'tarat' putin (la un moment dat zgomotul s-a oprit, pt scurt timp insa), a trecut chiar si de Kenilworth (frumos orasel!) si chiar cand eram la intrarea in Leamington Spa (aveam sa imi dau seama mai tarziu) s-a oprit si soferul a decis ca e mai bine sa asteptam urmatorul autobuz, care urma sa soseasca in 10 minute. S-a inecat precum tiganul la mal! Dupa ce aproape ca ne-a omorat urechile, nici macar nu a fost in stare sa ne surzeasca pana la capat. Mda...trebuia sa cer banii inapoi, ca vad ca tot se obisnuieste asta aici, pt absolut orice prostie...Nu m-ati crezut cand v-am spus de karma proasta pe care o am cu autobuzele/autocarele, nu? Si au mai fost situatii, nu's "incepatoare"...

In fine, am ajuns in centrul orasului, caci acolo te lasa autobuzul, am mers jumatate de minut si am dat de cabinet, am completat o fisa, am stat de vorba cu asistentii de pe acolo (mama unuia era chiar romanca, din Curtea de Arges), apoi cu doctorul bla bla bla, nimic interesant...Pentru ca totul s-a terminat destul de repede, m-am plimbat apoi un pic prin oras, ar fi fost si pacat sa plec direct! O sa va spun cateva impresii despre locurile pe care l-am vazut in ziua respectiva, apoi va las sa va delectati cu poze.

Leamington Spa este un orasel tare sic si dichisit, chiar daca este mic (aici are statutul de 'town', nu 'city' - nu pot sa fac distinctia in romana), cu vreo 45 000 locuitori. A fost (si este) intr-adevar un oras de bai (spa), probabil echivalentul Bailor Felix/Herculane la noi, dar nu bag mana in fc. Cand am ajuns era foarte aglomerat, multi tineri pe strazi, unii pareau de varsta mea (ma intreb de ce nu erau la facultate), dar si multi pensionari, foarte eleganti. Cladirile au o arhitectura clasica, in stil victorian si georgian (inca o data mi-am spus ca am nimerit in cel mai urat loc din Anglia) si se vede ca orasul nu este unul de studenti, este mult mai ingrijit. Totusi, cand m-am indepartat putin de centru parea ca nu mai arata asa bine. Dar am traversat un parc/o gradina care arata pur si simplu superb (am aflat acum ca se numeste Gradina Jephson), avea si un fel de sera, legata, pe de o parte, de un restaurant si, pe de alta parte, un fel de sala de seminarii pt un colegiu. Per total, din ceea ce am vazut, pot spune ca mi-ar fi placut sa stau intr-un oras ca Leamington Spa.
Se facuse cam ora 16:00, imi era foame si chiar daca erau destule locuri unde as fi putut lua pranzul, detest sa mananc singura, asa ca m-am gandit ca puteam sa mai rezist o ora, pana in acasa. M-am postat, deci, in statia de autobuz si am plecat, fara sa cumpar (caci nu am vazut pe nicaieri) 2 vederi, cum fac de obicei - una o trimit in Bucuresti, alta o pastrez pt mine...Nu-i nimic, se gasesc in Coventry :)

Pe drum am trecut din nou prin Kenilworth, as fi putut sa cobor si sa ma plimb putin prin oras, caci arata foarte frumos, cum spuneam, dar e foarte plictisitor sa fcai asta singur. Poate o sa ma intorc intr-o zi sa vizitez castelul de acolo, ma rog, ruinele. Apoi am trecut iar pe langa Universitatea Warwick, care era foarte populata la ora respectiva, probabil ca se terminau cursuri. Universitatea asta este literalmente in mijlocul pustietatii, dar campusul (zona universitara, ca sa definesc mai precis) este extreeeem de mare, cred ca mai mare decat toate cladirile/locatiile Universitatii din Coventry puse in acelasi loc, desi noi avem Parcul Tehnologic, laboratorul aerospatial si chiar acum se construiesc doua noi campusuri (dintre care unul va fi cam cel mai performant din UK pe domeniul IT), plus ca au deschis si unul in Londra (pt programe de licenta pe business&marketing + MBA). Practic, Universitatea din Warwick este un orasel in sine, cu magazine, cafenele si baruri, exact cum vezi prin filme. Au un teren mare de sport si multe facilitatitati de gen, multe dormitoare studentesti, rasfirate peste tot. Cred ca ambele universitati au cam acelasi nr. de studenti (dar ai lor par mai desteptin:P), dar la Warwick parea asa de 'aglomerat', poate pt ca la noi nu prea exista un punct central al campusului si ne amestecam si cu locuitorii din oras...

Ma gandeam ca, daca ar fi sa o iau de la capat (cu un Master, in nici un caz licenta), mi-ar placea ori sa merg intr-un oras mare ori la o astfel de universitate, unde sa fie spritul asta de studentime, caci aici nu prea am simtit eu ca am dus o viata asa grozava din punctul asta de vedere (era mai misto pana si in Bucuresti). Sigur, aici fac un master, deci am mai putine cursuri pe saptamana, am mai putini colegi, dar nici o clipa nu au existat "excese" de prietene sau macar idei de genul "Haideti la o bere" dupa ultimul curs dintr-o zi si nici eu nu mi-am dat silinta, caci sunt genul de persoana care se descurajeaza repede cand da de obstacole de genul asta...In fine, spuneam ca mi-ar placea sa experimentez si traiul intr-un campus exclusiv studentesc, desi categoric asta spun doar momentan, m-as plictisi enorm sa fiu izolata, deja ma plctisesc acum, iar centrul este la doar 15 minute de mers pe jos (deci nici macar nu sunt rupta de lume). Si, bineinteles, nu as mai alege o universitate britanica decat daca ar fi moca si m-ar mai si plati...

Chiar ascultam (nu ma puteam abtine) conversatia a doi tipi in autobuz, aflati cateva randuri in spatele meu, unul parea asiatic dupa voce si accent, altul nu imi amintesc...Din cate mi-am dat seama, caci imi mai zburau si mie gandurile admirand peisajul, studiau ceva legat de matematica sau fizica, stiinte exacte oricum. Tot vorbeau de examene si cursuri, iar unul dintre ei (asiaticul) a inceput sa se planga la un moment dat ca nu este multumit de facultate, de nivelul studiilor etc. Si eu care credeam ca asta se intampla doar la Coventry!!! Celalalt l-a intrebat de ce nu a mers in alta parte, iar raspunsul a fost ceva de genul: "Pt ca nu am intrat la Oxford si nu am primit un raspuns in timp util de la Imperial College". Mi-a picat fata: Warwick, o universitate aflata constant in Top 5 in UK, sa intre in categoria "nu am avut o optiune mai buna"!? Pt mine Warwick ar fi fost o universitate prea buna (si prea scumpa - un master in domeniu ar fi costat cel putin 5000 de lire). Atunci cred ca eu ar trebui sa spun numele universitatii si sa bag repede capul sub nisip, precum strutii, cand ma intreaba cineva unde invat...Ma rog, ma bucur sa aud pareri si de la alte universitati, venite din partea unor studenti straini, caci pana acum nu stiam daca ar trebui sau nu sa pun toate nemultumirile legate de universitatea mea pe principiul "cat dai atata face".

Cred ca ar fi cazul sa nu mai deviez de la subiect si sa trag concluziile: Leamington Spa & Kenilworth = frumoase & cochete; Warwick Uni = aer de studentime.
Acum pozele!

Baile Regale (Royal Pump Rooms and Baths) + Biserica Tuturor Sfintilor, de la distanta (All Saints Church, from the distance)

Memorialul Jephson, comemorand bravura parasutistilor armatei eliberate a Cehoslovaciei, aflati in exil in Warwickshire, care au participat in Operatiunea Anthropid, menita sa il asasineze pe Generalul nazist Reinhard Heydrich.

Jephson Memorial, honouring the bravery of the parachutists of the Free Army of Czechoslovakia, exiled in Warwickshire, who took part of the Operation Anthropoid, designed to assassinate the Nazi general Reinhard Heydrich.

In Jephson Garden

Primaria (stanga, cladirea rosie), avand in fata statuia Reginei Victoria + Biserica Tuturor Sfintilor

The Town Hall (left side, the red bricked building), with Queen Victoria's statue in front + All Saints Church

Ultimele 3 poze sunt de la Universitatea din Warwick

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Around the Albion: Leamington Spa

3 destinations in less than a week...Not bad, huh?
After returning from Cardiff I continued to pretend I have a cosmopolitan life and the following Tuesday I went to Leamington Spa (it's not a real spa!!!), a little town just a hour away from Coventry, under the pretence of a free visit to an eye doctor (look what you can get when you're waisting your time on the Internet).

I knew that bus no. 12 would've got me there, I knew the duration of the journey, so I went to the central bus station, Pool Meadow, I bought an one-day ticket and I've waited a bit for the driver had an argument (not a big fight) with a 16 year old kid, whose monthly ticked had expired the previous day and who was complaining that he didn't know what's the date. I would've suggested him to go to school and learn how to 'read' the calendar, but people tend not to overreact; just two old ladies told him he's being cheeky and he should get off, he's keeping us on the spot.

I don't remember exactly when and if I had ever reached some areas of Coventry which the bus had passed, but it surely took a lot of time until we got out of the city (south-west) and when we where just in the zone of Warwick Uni (so at the outskirts of Coventry), the bus begun screeching. The driver tried to stop the engine and to take advantage of every moment when we were stationed, but it was all in vain. As I am crap when it comes to mechanics (and cars & driving generally speaking), I couldn't tell what was the cause of that terrible sound, perhaps the overheated engine...

I left home quite early and I reserved 1 and a half hours for the journey. But I was there, sitting in the bus, somewhere between Coventry and Kenilworth (only after that it comes Leamington Spa) , realising that it will take more than an hour to reach my destination and it will be impossible to get to my 13 o'clock appointment, especially since I had forgotten my flying cape at home!

One way or another, the bus 'crowled' a bit (at some point the screech actually stopped, but only for a short period of time), managed to pass Kenilworth (beautiful town) and right at the entrance in Leamington Spa it had stopped and the driver decided it can't go any further and we should wait for the next bus, which was due to arrive in 10 minutes. Well, I should ask for a refund since this is such a common practise here, for absolutely anything. And you didn't believe me when I told you I have a bad karma in relationship with buses/coaches, did you? And there have been more situations, I'm not a "rookie"...

However, I got into the town centre, where the bus dropped me off, I walked for a half a minute and I reached the clinic, I filled in a form, I chatted a bit with the consultants over there (one of them was half Romanian), then with the doctor bla bla bla, nothing unusual...Since everything ended quite rapidly, I walked a bit around the town, it would've been a pity not to!

Leamington Spa is a very chic and posh town, even if it's small, with around 45 000 inhabitants. It was (and still is) a spa and when I reached it it was pretty crowded, loads of youngsters on the streets, some of them my age (so I was wondering why weren't they at Uni), but also many pensioners, very tastefully dressed. The buildings have a classic architecture, Victorian style (one again I told myself I got to live in the ugliest place in England) and you can see it's not a student place, it's neat. Although when I got a bit further of the town centre I could've seen that it doesn't look that good anymore. But I crossed through a park/garden which looked just superb (I just found out it's called Jephson Garden) , it had also a kind of greenhouse, connected on one side to a resaurant and on the other side to a sort of a seminar room. Per totally, from what I've seen, I can say that I would've liked to live in a place like Leamington Spa.

It was already around 16:00 so I was getting hungry and although there are many places where I could've had a decent lunch, I hate eating alone so I decided that I can handle my hunger for another hour, until I'd be getting back home. Therefore I left, without buying 2 postcards, as I always do - one to be sent to Bucharest (not to Coventry hahaha) and one to keep it for myself...But that's OK, there are plenty of postcard with Leamington Spa in Coventry :)

On my way back I passed again through Kenilworth, I could've stopped to visit it a bit, but it's really boring to do that when you're alone. Perhaps I'll return one day and visit the castle over there (well, the ruins, to be more precise). Then it came again the University of Warwick, which was very populated at that time, probably some lectures where finishing. This Uni is literally in the middle of nowhere, but the campus (the university area, to be more accurate) is extremeeeely big, perhaps bigger that all the buildings of Coventry Uni put all together, although we have the Technological Park, the aerospace lab and now they're building 2 other campuses (one of which will be kind of the most innovative IT campus in the UK) and, in addition, they've just opened one in London (for Business & Marketing Bachelors and for MBAs). However, the Uni of Warwick is practically a town of its own, with bars, cafes, shops, pubs, as you'd see in the movies. They have a huge sport fields and many adjacent facilities, lots of student residences, spread around the area. I believe both Unis have more or less the same number of students (their looked smarter :D), but at Warwick it seemed more crowded there, probably because we lack a kind of central point of the campus and we get mixed up with the inhabitants of Coventry...

I was thinking then that if it were to start again (another master, definitely not a Bachelors), I'd like to go to a big city or to a Uni like Warwick, where you get that lovely student spirit, because I haven't quite felt I had such a great life here, in this respect (even in Bucharest it was better). Sure, I'm on a Master, so I have less lectures a week, less colleagues, but there weren't any friendship "excesses" by far, or not even ideas like "Let's go for a drink" after the last class of the day. I didn't do much about this myself, because I'm that kind of person who gets discouraged when facing these type of situations...Oh, well, as I was saying, I would like to experiment the life in a student campus as I've seen in Warwick Uni, although I'm positive that I'd get bored rapidly, especially in such isolation - I'm already bored now, and I'm only 15 minutes away from the city centre (so I'm not that remote). And, plus, I wouldn't start over at an English Uni, perhaps only if it would not cost me a dime and they'd also pay me to study there...

In the bus, I was actually listening (cuz I couldn't help it) the conversation of two lads a few seats behind me. One of them seemed Asian, judging by it's voice and accent and the other one, well, I can't remember...As far as I came to notice, they were studying something like maths or physics, science-related anyhow. They we're talking about exams and lectures and one of them (the Asian chap) started complaining about the fact that he's not satisfied with the Uni, the level of the modules etc. And I thought that was happening only at Coventry University!!! The other asked him why didn't he go somewhere else and the answer was something like: "Oh, I didn't get into Oxford and I didn't receive a response on time from the Imperial College". My jaw dropped in that very instance: Warwick, a constant presence in Top 5 British universities rankings, was just a I-had-no-better-option university!? To me, it would have been a too good option 9and too expensive - a master in my field would've costed at least 5000 GBP). I guess that in this case I should say the name of my Uni and bury my head in the sand, like an ostrich, when someone asks about where I study...Oh, well, I'm glad to hear opinions about other Unis, coming from foreign students, because until now I had doubts if my negative feed-back is all related to the tuition fees (or "you only get what you're paying for").

I think it's about time to stop straying from topic and to conclude: Leamington Spa & Kenilworth = beautiful & chic places; Warwick Uni = student vibe.

Enjoy the photos!

Prin Albion: Cardiff!

2010-06-01T11:03:00.009+01:00

Cum declaram cu muuult timp in urma, dupa ziua petrecuta in Londra nu am apucat sa stau decat o zi acasa, caci, asa cum spuneam, Pauline s-a intors cu sora ei si o prietena, si ne-au propus o alta destinatie: Cardiff. La inceput ezitam, eram destul de obosita, dar m-am gandit apoi ca nu se stie cand voi mai avea ocazia sa calatoresc, mai ales cu fetele, iar Cardiff era o destinatie pe care imi propusesem sa o bifez in timpul anului petrecut aici.

Asadar, am rezervat bilete prin Megabus cu o zi inainte (sambata), am pregatit sandvisurile, am dormit putin (din nou), caci autocarul pleca destul de devreme din Coventry (pe la 06:45). Cum nu eram decat noi in autocar, cel putin pana in Birmingham, ne-am permis sa ne intindem care pe unde am apucat si sa dormim. Nu ca nu am fi facut asta si cu "public", caci si cei care s-au urcat la opririle ulterioare au facut acelasi lucru. M-am trezit la un moment dat si mi-am dat seama ca nu mai suntem in Anglia, ci deja in Tara Galilor (Wales). Primul reper a fost peisajul minunat, ce nu il gasesti prea des in Anglia, cel putin nu in Midlands. Apoi, indicatoarele de pe marginea drumului erau bilingve si am constatat cu stupoare ca galeza nu seamna absolut deloc cu engleza si ca nici macar anumite cuvinte de baza, care sunt cat-de-cat universale in diverse limbi, precum 'student', 'centru', nu sunt comune. Nu mai spun ca pana si denumirea tinutului este total diferita - Cymru in galeza...

Am ajuns pe la 10:00 in Cardiff, era pustiu pe strazi si ne-a luat ceva vreme sa gasim un loc unde sa putem dejuna, caci ba nu erau inca deschise, ba nu functiona ceva esential in bucatarie. Am aterizat, intr-un final, intr-un local foarte dischisit, cu bar/bistro la parter si club la subsol. Localul era de gay, deci va imaginati ca era mult mai stilat decat multe altele din zona. Micul dejun a fost mare si bunicel, dar carnatii nu mi-au placut de nici o culoare, deh, cred ca erau englezesti, Richmond. In timp ce mancam si inclusiv cand am iesit din bistro a plouat, intr-un mod tare ciudat, dar eu am fost pregatita, venisem cu umbrela de acasa.

Ne-am plimbat putin pe strazi, am ajuns la Castelul Cardiff, am vrut sa il vizitam, dar am decis ca e prea scump (nu mai stiu cat costa, tin minte doar ca ni s-a parut prea scump), asa ca ne-am intreptat spre mare, oprindu-ne, pe drum, in Catedrala.

Scrambled eggs, fasole, carnati, bacon...Mic dejun traditional...

Locul unde am mancat...

Castelul

Catedrala, mult mai simplista in interior fata de altele pe care le-am vizitat pana acum

Stadionul

Desi nu a fost soare, am avut noroc ca nu a mai plouat apoi si nici vantul nu a fost atat pe puternic pe cat ne asteptam. Dupa un drum destul de lung (aproape 30 de minute, pe jos), cumva prin mijlocul pustietatii, am ajuns la MARE. Bine, impropriu spus mare, caci era de fapt un golf. Chiar acolo se afla Millenium Centre, pe care chiar voiam sa il vad (pt ca era singura chestie de care stiam in Cardiff, caci atat apucasem sa citesc pe internet inainte sa plecam). Credeam ca e o sala de expozitii sau ceva de genul, dar este doar un complex pt spectacole. Tot in jur mai este un fel de catedrala (cred), cea mai veche cladire din oras, daca imi amintesc bine, si Biserica Norvegiana, transformata acum intr-un fel de muzeu, dar la care nu am mai apucat sa ajungem.

Mijlocul pustietatii si Milenium Centre

Nu stiu daca se observa, dar de pe coloana din stanga curgea apa + Catedrala de care spuneam

Nu era soare, dar era totusi multa lumina. Normal ca ne-am luat ochelarii de soare! :)

Am mai pierdut apoi vremea plimbandu-ne prin zona, care era destul de animata, banuiesc ca majoritatea oamenilor erau tot turisti si, la un moment dat ne-am hotarat sa luam un vaporas ca sa ajungem in Port...banuiesc ca ala era port, oricum, eram intr-un loc din care nu mai vedeai pamant daca te uitai in larg, doar o groaza de pescari in jur (neamatori, judecand dupa echipamentele detinte). Am stat un pic pe acolo, pana ni s-a facut frig si foame; plus ca nu puteam ramane mai tarziu de ora 16:00, cand vaporasul cu care am traversat facea ultima cursa inapoi (caci altfel banuiesc ca trebuie sa mergi destul de mult pe jos ca se te reintorci in golf). Realizez acum ca nu prea am ideea pe unde am fost exact, doar am ramas deschisa sugestiilor fetelor, fara sa fiu 'la carma' si chiar e minunat asa, doar sa te relaxezi si doar sa te lasi purtata de situatie...

La intoarcere, dupa cele 30 de minute de mers pe jos pana in centrul orasului, ne-am oprit intr-un bar sa bem ceva, iar apoi am decis ca ar fi cazul sa mergem spre autocar, sa nu avem vreo surpriza si sa nu ajungem la timp, mai ales ca nu stiam exact unde e statia de plecare. Surpriza a existat, dar nu din partea noastra: autocarul a intarziat cam jumatate de ora, caci venea din Londra, unde se desfasura un maraton, timp in care noi voiam sa mergem la toaleta (ne bazasem pe cea din autocar). Dar, ce sa vezi, era defecta! Am crezut ca facem atatc de panica! Noroc ca sofetita a fost draguta, caci eram multi in aceeasi situatie, barbati si femei deopotriva, si la prima ocazie (dupa vreo 2 ore, totusi!!!) a oprit intr-o parcare ce avea si toalete publice, moment in care a inceput o competitie - cine ajunge mai repede la baie.

Sigur eu sunt de vina, va spun eu, am o karma proasta in ceea ce priveste autocarele! Si bine ca a oprit atunci, caci traficul a fost extrem de aglomerat in zona Birmingham-ului, astfel ca am ajuns in Coventry cu cel putin o ora intarziere. Pun pariu ca in Romania nu ar fi dat doi bani pe faptul ca aveai tu nevoie la toaleta, desi gasesti benzinarii pe toate drumurile...

In cazul in care v-ati intrebat ce inseamna dragonul, cand v-am dat indiciul referitor la destinatie: este simbolul Tarii Galilor!

Si ca sa vedeti cum suna/arata limba galeza...

De la stanga la dreapa: sora Paulinei (Lou); Fiona; Pauline;
prietena Pauline (Margot) si eu.

Si gata, c'est fini la comedi! Cand am inceput sa scriu postarea, mi-am dat seama ca am uitat sa imi cumpar un magnet din Cardiff, pt colectia din Bucuresti :( Eh, data viitoare!

Realizez ca nu reusesc sa scriu de mai mult de 2, maxim 3 ori pe luna pe blog. De multe ori e vorba de lipsa de timp, alteori de inspiratie, cateodata simt ca scriu degeaba...Mai am cateva (multe) lucruri de povestit, am ramas mult in urma si ar fi pacat sa nu vedeti unele poze (cei care nu le vad pe Facebook), iar apoi o sa hotarasc 'soarta' blogului. O sa urmeze si o perioada monotona la un moment dat, deci sigur nu voi avea chestii interesante de scris.
Acum trebuie sa inchei postarea, caci sunt enorm de multe lucruri pe care trebuie sa le finalizez in perioada asta (pana vineri).
Revin!

PS: La multi ani, copiilor! Se presupune ca a venit vara, nu? Nu si in Anglia - azi a fost vreme foarte ploioasa...

Later Edit: Soarele s-a intors in Coventry! Yeeey! O sa ma bronzez! Din nou! :D

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Around the Albion: Cardiff!

As I was saying a looong time ago, after the trip to London I only spent one day home since Pauline proposed us to go to another destination: Cardiff. I was hesitating a bit at the beginning, but the I thought that I might not get the chance to travel there and surely not with the girlies. Plus, I actually planned to see Cardiff this year.

So we booked Megabus tickets the evening before (on Saturday), we prepared some sandwiches, we slept just a bit (again) because the bus was leaving Coventry very early (06:45 a.m.). At least until we reach B'ham we were alone in the coach so we took the best seats and tried to sleep. I woke up at some point and I realised we're not in England anymore, but already in Wales. The first hint was the beautiful landscape, the type that you can rarely see in in England, or at least in the Midlands. Then the traffic signs were bilingual and I was astonished to see that the Welsh language has absolutely nothing to do with English. Not even some basic words that are similar in different languages ('student', 'centre') do not sound alike. Even the name of the region is totally distinct in Welsh - Cymru...

We arrived in Cardiff at around 10:00 a.m., the streets were quite empty and it took us some time to find a place to have breakfast - some were not opened yet, some had malfunctions in the kitchen. We finally ended up in a quite posh place, with a bar/bistro at the ground floor and a club below. It was a gay venue, so you can imagine it looked far more stylish than anything around. The breakfast was pretty big and good, though I didn't like the sausages at all, I guess they were English, Richmond. While we were eating and even when we got out a very weird rain started, but I was prepared, I had an umbrella in my bag.

We wandered a bit on the street, we got in front of the Cardiff Castle, we thought about visiting it, but we decided it was too expensive (don't remember now how much, just that it seemed a rip-off), so we headed to the sea, with a pit stop at the Cathedral.

Though it wasn't sunny, we were lucky it stopped raining and the wind as strong as we expected. After a pretty long walk (around 30 minutes) in the middle of nowhere we reached the SEA. Oh, how I missed it! Well, not really the sea, to be honest, it was rather a bay. Right there it was the Millennium Centre, a place I really wanted to see (because it was the only sightseeing thing I knew in Cardiff, it was all I got to read on the Internet before leaving). I though it's something like an exhibit place, but it's just a show venue. In the same area there is this cathedral (I think), the oldest building in the city, if i remember correctly (the red-bricked building in the photos). Just a bit further there is the Norwegian Church, a museum now, but we didn't get the time to go and see it.

Then we waisted some time walking around the quite animated area. I assume most of the persons there were tourists...At some point we decided to take a barge to get to the Harbour...I think that was the harbour. Anyhow, it was a place from where you could only see the sea and nothing else. There were A LOT of fishermen there, professional ones, judging by their gears. We stayed there until we got cold and hungry; plus we couldn't have stayed later than 16:00, because that's the time when the last barge can take you back (otherwise I assume you have to walk a lot to get to the bay). I actually realise now that I don't have a clue of what I've visited exactly, I was just saying 'yes' to the girls' suggestion. I wasn't in charge of the sightseeing and it was great just to relax and go with the flow...

On our way back, after the 30-minutes walk to the city centre, we stopped by for a drink in a bar, then we thought it's wiser to head to the bus stop, in order to avoid any unwanted surprises, especially since we had no idea were the stop was exactly. There was a surprise, but not from our side: the coach was a half a hour late, because it was coming from London, where there was a marathon that day. Meanwhile, we really wanted to go to the loo - we didn't go it the bar just before leaving, we were counting on the one in the coach. But, what do you know, that one was out of order!!! We thought we'll be having a panic attack! Luckily we had a nice driver and since we were many persons in the same situation (both women and men) and she pulled over as soon as possible (2 hours later, though!!!), in a parking line where there was a toilet facility.

I'm sure it's me to blame, I'm telling you, I have a bad karma when it comes to buses/coaches! And thankfully she stopped then, the traffic was hectic around B'ham, so we arrived in Cov at least one hour late. I bet in Romania they wouldn't have bothered that you need to go to the toilet in a similar situation, although you come across with gas stations (and consequently toilets) on every road...

I can see now that i only manage to write on the blog twice, maximum trice a month. Most of the times it's because I'm very busy or I lack inspiration and sometimes just because I feel I'm writing in vain (I don't think this blog reaches the persons it's supposed to)...I still have (many) things to tell you about, I'm way behind and it would be a pity not to show you some photos (if you can't see them on my Facebook account) and then I'll decide the future of this blog. There is a very dull period coming up next, so probably I won't have much novelty to share anyway.
Now I've done the translation, me going to bed!
But I'll be back soon!

PS: Happy Children's Day to all the kids out there! It's supposed to be a summery time now, right? Well, not in England, where it rained the whole day...

Later Edit: Sun is back on track here in Cov! Yuppy, going to get tanned! Again! :D

Marea Britanie are Premier!

2010-05-11T23:28:00.004+01:00

Sau s-a terminat cu "Bear with us for a moment", celebra expresie standard englezeasca, ce te poate scoate din minti daca nu esti din Albion, caci iti este servita aproape zilnic si care a fost folosita chiar si de Nick Clegg in ultima perioada (eu as traduce-o si adapta-o in "Aveti putintica rabdare").

Asadar, Dl. David Cameron ar trebui acum sa ii multumeasca frumos lui Nick Clegg, caci l-a facut cel mai tanar premier din 1812 pana acum. Nepopularul Gordon Brown si-a dat, intr-un final, demisia, caci nu ar fi reusit in veci sa formeze un guvern (si in nici un caz unul al partidelor mici, invinse - sau "coalitia curcubeului", cum a fost numita), si s-a retras inclusiv de la conducerea Partidului Laburist. 13 ani de guvernare laburista s-au incheiat. Iar Regina l-a invitat pe Cameron sa formeze guvernul, in coalitie cu liberal-democratii. Sa vedem cat va dura, caci britanicii au multe traditii, dar nu si pe cea a guvernelor de coalitie.
Si, cum v-am mai spus, situatia asta a unui hung parliament s-a mai intalnit in februarie '74, cand a fost cam acelasi scenariu, dar inversand situatia intre laburisti si conservatori, si cu diferenta notabila ca liberalii nu ar fi reusit sa sustina un guvern condus de nici unul din cele doua mari partide (datorita scorului strans pe care l-au obtinut), astfel ca s-au convocat din nou alegeri generale in octombrie a aceluiasi an.

Revenind in mai 2010, iata cum un personaj care a obtinut un rezultat dezamagitor a reusit sa joace un rol atat de important acum. Caci Nick Clegg este acum Vicepremier! Conservatorii au platit si ei un pret: au cazut de acord sa accepte reforma sistemului electoral, care a adus Regatul in situatia politica in care s-a aflat pana acum cateva ore si care defavorizeaza total partidele mici (caci promoveaza sistemul de doua partide). Plus ca au negociat asupra unor chestiuni legate de impozite.

Telefonul lui Cameron trebuie sa fi sunat, asadar, in seara asta mai mult decat oricand. Merkel chiar l-a invitat la Berlin cu proxima ocazie, desi conservatorii sunt cei mai sceptici dintre britanici - exista o minoritate semnificativa in partid care ar dori ca Marea Britanie sa se retraga din UE. Nu inteleg atunci de ce au batut de doua ori la portile Uniunii (ca sa li se deschida abia a treia oara)...Eh, las', ca nici Europa nu ii place prea tare pe conservatori...

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Britain's got....Prime-Minister!

Or no more "Bear with us for a moment", the famous standard English expression that can drive you crazy if you aren't from the Albion (because you get to hear it everyday) and which has been used even by Nick Clegg during the last political events.

Therefore, Mr. David Cameron should nicely thank to Nick Clegg for making him the youngest Prime-Minister since 1812. The unpopular Gordon Brown had to finally resign, as he would never have managed to form a government (definitely not one of small defeated parties - a "rainbow coalition", how it had been called) and he stepped down form the leadership pf the Labour Party. 13 years of Labour governance came to an end. The Queen invited Cameron to form the government, in a coalition with the liberal-democrats. Let's see how much will it last - the British have many traditions, but certainly not one of coalition governments.
And, as I previously mentioned, this situation of a hung parliament resulted in February '74, when there was a similar scenario, but with a reverse situation between labour and Tories and with the notable difference that the Lib-Dems weren't able to support a government led by one of the two main parties (due to the very tight scores they had obtained) and thus there were held new general elections later that year, in October.

Back to May 2010, we can see how a character who has obtained a very disappointing result managed to play such a significant role. Nick Clegg is the Deputy Prime Minister now! The Tories had to pay a price: they agreed to accept the reform of the electoral system, the one which brought the United Kingdom in the political situation it had been until a few hours ago and which puts at a disadvantage the smaller parties (promoting the two-party system). Plus, they have negotiated on some tax issues.

Cameron's phone must have rung more than ever tonight. Merkel even invited him to Berlin with the earliest occasion, although the conservatives are the most euro-sceptics of the Britons - there is an important minority in the party that would like Britain to step back from the EU. I don't understand then why did they bother to knock twice at the Union's door (they've been answered the third time)...Oh, well, it's OK, Europe doesn't like the Tories too much either...

Prin Albion: LONDRA!

2010-05-08T18:40:00.002+01:00

NOTA BENE: Mi-a luat 3 zile sa finalizez postarea, din lipsa de timp/inspiratie/conexiune decenta la internet si datorita complexitatii ei. Si cu siguranta nu am reusit sa scriu tot ce imi propusesem initial.

Postarea asta s-a lasat asteptata pt ca am avut parte de o perioada super-haotica. Atatea lucruri s-au intamplat intre timp...Dar va voi povesti de toate pe rand...Sa incepem, deci, cu Londra!

Prima observatie pe care am facut-o, in momentul in care eram in autocar, in drum spre capitala, e ca trebuia sa imi fi luat un carnetel sa imi notez toate gandurile care ma napadeau in clipele respective.
Am plecat de dimineata, dupa doar cateva ore de somn (am constatat mai tarziu ca am dormit aproximativ 7 ore in 2 zile), cand orasul inca se odihnea si inca nu se crapase de ziua. Era ora 05:30, de altfel...Puteam sa iau o cursa si mai tarziu, dar cum era vorba de o calatorie de o zi, am considerat ca e mai bine sa ajung cat mai devreme, mai ales ca Fiona sosea in Londra in jurul orei 08:30.

Pe drum chiar nu am reusit sa dorm si poate ca a fost mai bine asa, caci am profitat din plin de primele raze de soare care se aratau. Peisajul nu e foarte spectaculos, trebuie sa recunosc, desi sudul nu arata rau. Am intrat in zona metropolitana a Londrei in jurul orei 07:00, iar autocarul trebuia sa ajunga la destinatia finala la ora 08:20. Deci va puteti imagina ce mare e orasul (ce-i drept, traficul nu e de vis - dar nici atat de infiorator ca in Bucuresti). In cartierele marginase domnea un sentiment de liniste, era inca devreme si lumea abia incepea sa misune. A fost o alegere inspirata ziua de vineri - e o zi de lucru, deci vezi cum se misca in mod normal lucrurile in marele musuroi londonez, dar ai si sentimentul ala placut de week-end.
Venind din industrialul Midlands am fost absolut incantat de frumusetea caselor din diversele cartiere londoneze pe care le-am vazut din autocar. Am fost, insa, 'egoista' si nu am facut poze, caci nu am vrut sa pierd absolut nici un moment din punctul asta de vedere.

Planul initial a fost sa ma intalnesc cu Fiona in fata la National Gallery, asa ca am decis sa merg pe jos din Victoria, unde urma sa cobor din autocar, pe un drum de aproximativ 30 minute, caci am observat ca ar fi fost mai complicat sa iau metroul. Traiasca Google Maps & smartphones! M-am ghidat dupa poza hartii zonei, pe care am facut-o cu telefonul si chiar daca traseul era, in linii mari, destul de simplu, tot am reusit sa ma ratacesc. Vazusem dinainte numele strazilor prin care trebuia sa trec, dar imediat dupa Buckingham Palace am luat o directie gresita (am facut prea repede dreapta) si mi-am dat seama, la un moment dat, ca nu trebuia sa ma aflu pe strada respectiva. Am avut un mic moment de panica, caci traiul in Coventry 'm-a salbaticit' sau, mai bine spus, m-a 'domesticit' prea tare si nu mai sunt obisnuita cu aglomeratia...Eu, nascuta si crescuta intr-un oras agitat, cea care nu se vede traind altundeva decat intr-o mare metropola, m-am simtit atunci total dezorientata. Ce mai, eram pierduta, desi toata situatia mi se parea comico-absurda! Nu avem nici un ghid al orasului, nu aveam nici o idee unde ma aflam si nici curaj sa opresc pe cineva sa cer indicatii (zau ca imi era rusine)! Dar mi-am revenit repede si m-am amintit ca punctul meu de intalnire cu Fiona era in Trafalgar Square, asa ca m-am uitat putin de jur imprejur dupa coloana lui Nelson (da, istoria iti poate salva viata!), dar cum toate cladirile jur erau foarte inalte (mai tarziu mi-am dat seama ca ma aflasem in Westminster, in fata Parlamentului - degeaba ma uit la BBC!) nu am reperat nimic. Prin urmare, m-am indreptat catre primul colt de strada, stiind ca sigur voi gasi un indicator. Asa a si fost si nu a trebuit decat sa merg drept pe Parliament St (acum ma uit pe harta si vad ca am trecut si pe langa Downing St fara sa imi dau seama).

Cum si Fiona a incurcat destinatiile, am avut la dispozitie vreo 30 de minute in fata Galeriei sa ma bucur de soare si sa intru putin in ritmul alert al orasului. Astfel am observat ca nu exista piste de biciclisti si toata sulfarea de pe doua roti merge in fata masinilor (sau pe langa ele), ceea ce eu nu as avea vreodata curaj sa fac. Lumea se imbraca extraordinar de bine (si asta e valabil pt orice conotatie a cuvantului 'bine') si de divers, fara acele momente penibile de holbare pe care le-ai intalni in Romania la vederea unei tinute iesite din tiparele noastre anoste. Eh, probabil ca eu chiar ma holbam, dar ochelarii de soare mi-au oferit o acoperire perfecta :) Londra este, intr-adevar, plina de turisti. Ii recunosti, probabil, dupa tricourile "I heart London", caci nu cred ca rezidentii simt nevoia sa isi manifeste apartenenta prin astfel de mesaje. Prin comparatie, nici eu nu as purta tricoul cu Berlin in Berlin...
Si daca tot vorbeam de oameni, trebuie sa va spun ca daca nu esti in stare sa mergi repede, cel putin la ore de varf, atunci ai face bine sa te dai din calea celor care se grabesc. Pur si simplu totul este pe 'fast-forward' acolo, asa ca trebuie sa deprinzi repede niste miscari de slalom (sau macar de zig-zag)....

Intr-un final, a sosit si Fiona la locul de intalnire, si ea la fel de nedormita ca si mine (daca nu mai rau), am facut niste poze in jur si am decis sa mergem catre Podul Humgerford, pt a ne indrepta spre Tate Museum. S-ar putea sa va dau detalii gresite, dar acum 'refac' un pic traseul cu ajutorul pozelor si a hartii.

Pe strada pe care NU trebuia sa ma aflu

Pe drum ne-am oprit sa luam micul-dejun (eu mai luasem unul, pe la 3 dimineata, dar l-am considerat de fapt cina zilei anterioare :D), englezesc, evident. Nu a fost tocmai ce cautam, ne asteptam la ceva cu fasole (da, aici fasolea se mananca oricand, inclusiv la micul dejun), dar nu am avut motive sa ne plangem, a fost foarte bun si consistent. Apoi mergand usor-usor pe 'faleza' am ajuns la Tate Museum, un mega-monolit, al carui turn m-a dus cu gandul (nu stiu de ce) la furnalul crematoriilor din lagarele de concentrare naziste. Sau la ceea ce am vazut aici, la Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg (este Monumentul Eliberarii Sovietice). Cred ca structurile astea monolitice nu imi priiesc...Ce-i drept arhitectura se explica prin faptul ca la baza contructiei sta o fosta centrala electrica.

Ca sa nu spuneti ca va mint, iata dovada!

Fiind vorba de un muzeu de arta moderna, lucrarile expuse ies din sfera traditionala. Am facut multe poze, dar nu o sa le postez, cred ca puteti sa le vedeti si pe site-ul oficial. In perioada respectiva aveau expuse chiar si cateva piese a lui Brancusi, in cadrul unei expozitii internationale, dar care nu era gratuita. Si, da, am stat pt prima data in fata unui Warhol, cel care a facut cunoscuta miscarea Pop Art (si expresia "15 minute de celebritate"). Si, da, aveau o sala in care erau expuse exclusiv postere cu mesaje socialiste din Uniunea Sovietica. Ce interesant pt unii! Ce oribil pt altii!

Dupa vizita de la muzeu ne-am oprit sa bem ceva si ne-am minunat de cate persoane puteau fi pe marginea Tamisei. Si nu vorbesc de tinerii iesiti la soare cu paturica, ci de oamenii imbracati business ce ar fi trebuit sa se afle in The City (zona economica a Londrei), la munca. Nu mai spun ca noua ne era cam frig, nefiind obisnuite cu vantul, iar multi erau in tricouri/fuste/pantaloni scurti/cu sandale etc. Ne-am decis sa continuam drumul pe malul Tamisei (relativ), pt a ajunge la Tower Bridge.

Vederea din fata Tate-ului

Pe drum am dat de corabia lui Francis Drake...

...si de o catedrala foarte frumoasa, al carui nume nu mi-l amintesc.

Am facut cateva poze in jurul Tower Bridge, apoi am luat si noi loc pe iarba pt cateva momente. Trebuie sa recunosc ca Tower Bridge nu m-a impresionat atat de mult. Sincer ma asteptam la mai mult, iar accentele alea albastre ii dadeau un aer de plastic, de lego, ca sa nu merg mai departe si sa spun ieftin si kitschos.

Alta dovada: am fost, intr-adevar, la Londra cu Fiona, si nu singura!

Apoi ne-am hotarat sa mergem in Camden Town, cartierul hip al Londrei, si cum timpul era limitat, ne-am urcat in metrou. Ne-a luat ceva timp sa ne dam seama ce si cum, dar ne-am descurcat. Metroul londonez (The Tube) mi se pare ridicol de scump: pt un bilet de o zi, zona centrala, am platit in jur de 5,7 lire/persoana. Valabil doar la metrou! Iar daca vrei un tichet de o zi, pt toate zonele, te costa 7,5 lire. In Berlin cu 6,9 € te plimbi prin TOATE zonele (ABC), cu ORICE mijloc de transport in comun. Plus ca nu este asa eficient - la un moment dat te opresti in mijlocul unui tunel si ti se comunica faptul ca trenul stationeaza cateva minute (si nu intotdeauna primesti o scuza clara).

Revenind la Camden Town, zona asta m-a bulversat total. Inca nu stiu daca imi place sau nu. Citisem despre ea inainte si stiam ca e partea boema, cool, hip, alternativa, funky, excentrica, vibranta bla bla bla (ati prins ideea) a orasului, dar nu ma asteptam sa fie asa cum am gasit-o. Nicaieri pe unde am ajuns in Europa nu am vazut ceva asemanatator. Si, repet, nu o spun nici cu ton negativ, nici pozitiv! O groaza de ciudati (si, nah, eu sunt destul de liberala) in toata aglomeratia aia, un amalgam de orice vrei. Din pacate, nu am avut timp decat sa mancam ceva, asa ca poate cu alta ocazie o sa explorez mai bine zona, inclusiv celebra piata/targ de acolo.

Calatoria noastra in Londra se apropia de sfarsit asa ca nu am avut incotro si ne-am indreptat catre metrou, pt a ajunge din nou in Victoria, de unde trebuia sa luam un autocar. Pt ca ne-a lasat in alta parte a Coventry-ului (undeva foarte in sud), la aproximativ 1,5 ore de mers pe jos, si pt ca nu stiam exact ce autobuz putem sa luam de acolo catre centru si oricum am avut intarziere (trafic + lucrari de intretinere a drumului), am apelat la solutia comoda a unui taxi. Dar cum autocarul te lasa chiar in fata unui centru comercial, inca deschis la ora respectiva, am zis sa fim fete destepte si sa ne facem cumparaturile in Tesco (un retailer de genul Cora), daca tot nu aveam de ce sa ne facem probleme in a le cara :)

Ajunse inapoi in 131 Humber Avenue, am constatat ca s-a umplut casa :) Pauline a revenit si ea din Franta in aceeasi zi (cu avionul), impreuna cu sora ei si o prietena, aflate in vizita pt cateva zile. A fost o draguta si ne-a adus (mie si lui Sonali, non-frantuzoaicele din casa) cate o oglinda dubla, pe a carei parte superioara este gravat turnul Eiffel si "Paris". Sunt foarte incantata de ea, caci arata chiar foarte sic!

Ah, si sa nu uit: abia in taxi mi-am dat seama ca am nimerit in Londra chiar de Sf. Gheorghe (St. George), patronul Angliei! Este corespondentul St. Patrick pt Irlanda si a St. Andrew pt Scotia, doar ca festivitatile nu sunt asa de spectaculoase precum in celelalte doua regiuni. Insa asta explica toate steagurile engleze (nu britanice) pe care le-am vazut peste tot (la ferestre, la masini, la oameni pe strada) prin Londra si Coventry.

In loc de epilog, o sa adaug ca vizita in Londra m-a readus la viata, reusind sa mai evadez putin din monotonia unui oras (fost)industrial din mijlocul tarii. Mi-am dat seama ca as putea trai fericita si linistita chiar si la Londra, asa ca am decis sa imi mentin orizonturile deschise (in ceea ce priveste optiunile profesionale). Nu stiu, insa, unde ar fi mai greu sa imi fac un viitor, la Berlin sau la Londra. Clar, in Anglia ar fi avantajul ferm al limbii deja cunoscute, dar ma gandesc daca mai exista loc in furnicarul asta londonez in care atata lume isi pune sperante. E o asa mare diversitate de natii acolo (nu spun ca e un lucru rau), incat nu poti sa nu te intrebi care sunt adevaratii londonezi si in ce proportie este metropola populata de feluriti indivizi veniti de te miri unde. Si nu ma refer doar la imigranti, ci si la migranti din toata Britania, care, mai devreme sau mai tarziu, tot isi incearca norocul pe malurile Tamisei.

Toate ca toate, acum am vazut ca Anglia NU inseamna Coventry (sau invers) si probabil ca as fi judecat altfel tara asta (poate as fi si iubit-o) daca locuiam in alt oras. Caci nu am apucat sa diger bine experienta londoneza, ca am si pornit in alta directie, in mai putin de 48 de ore :) Nu va spun unde, aflati data viitoare...Indicii: mare si dragon!

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Around the Albion: LONDON!

NB: It took me three days to complete this entry due to lack of time / inspiration / decent Internet connection and because of its complexity. And certainly I did not write everything I originally planned.

This post was left pending because I had a super-hectic period. So many things happened meanwhile... But I will tell you all, everything at its time ... Let's begin, thus, with London!

The first observation that I made, when I was in the bus, on my way to the capital, is that I should have taken a notebook to write down my thoughts filling my mind in those moments.
I left Coventry really early in the morning, after just a few hours of sleep (I realised later that I slept around 7 hours in 2 days), when the city was still resting. It was 5:30 pm, for that matter... I could have taken a later ride, but since it was a one-day trip, I thought it's wiser to go early, considering that Fiona was due to arrive in London around 08:30.

In the coach I didn't manage to sleep and maybe it was better that way, because I profited greatly of the first rays of sun. The landscape is not very spectacular, I must admit, although the South doesn't look too bad. I entered the London metropolitan area at around 07:00, and coach was supposed to reach its final destination at 08:20. So you can imagine how big is the city (justly, it's not a dream traffic - but not so scary as in Bucharest). In the suburbs a sense of peace prevailed, it was still early and people were just starting to teem. It was a good choice to visit London on a Friday - is a working day, so see how things typically move in the great heap of London, but you still have that pleasant feeling of weekend.
Coming from the industrial Midlands I was absolutely charmed by the beauty of the houses that I saw from the bus in various neighbourhoods of London. I was, however, 'selfish' and I haven't taken any photos, because I did not want to lose absolutely no vista from this point of view.

The initial plan was to meet Fiona in front of the National Gallery, so I decided to walk from Victoria, where I got off the bus, on a 30-minutes route, because I noticed that it was more complicated to take the subway. Long live Google Maps & Smartphones! I was guided by a picture of the map of the area, which I had on my phone and even if the route was largely quite simply, I managed to lose my way. I noticed in advance the names of the streets that I had to pass, but after Buckingham Palace I got on a wrong way (I turned right too early) and I realised at some point that I wasn't supposed to be on that particular street. I experienced a little moment of panic, because living in Coventry 'made me wild' or, better said, I 'tamed me' too much and now I'm not accustomed to crowdedness anymore... I was born and raised in a restless city and I do not see myself living anywhere else than in a large metropolis, but there I was, totally disoriented. I was lost, although the whole situation seemed comic and absurd! I had no city guide, I had no idea where I was and no courage to stop someone to ask for directions (yeah, I was really ashamed)! But I snapped quickly and I remembered that my meeting point was in Trafalgar Square, so I looked around for a bit, trying to see Nelson's column (yes, history can save your life!). But since all the buildings around were very high (I later realised that I was in Westminster, in front of the Parliament - I uselessly watch BBC!), I spotted nothing. Therefore, I went to the first corner of a street, knowing that I will find an indicator. I was right so now I only had to go straight on Parliament St. (now while I'm checking the map I realise that I passed by Downing St. and without I noticing).

Fiona also mixed up the destination point, so I had about 30 minutes in front of the Gallery to enjoy the sun and get along in the rhythm of the city. Thus I noticed that there aren't any bicycle paths and all the cyclists ride in front of cars (or aside them), something I would never ever have the courage to do. The people are extraordinary well dressed (and that goes for any connotation of the word 'well') and diverse, without those awkward moments of stare that you get in Romania whenever you see/wear an outfit that goes beyond our dull ideas. Well, I was probably staring, but the sunglasses offered me a perfect cover:)
London is, indeed, full of tourists. You can probably recognise them by the T-shirts "I heart London", because I really don't think that any resident of the city would feel the need to express his/her belongingness through such message. By comparison, I wouldn't wear my Berlin tee in Berlin...
Speaking of people, I have to tell you that if you aren't capable of walking fast, at least during the rush-hours, you'd better step aside! Everything there is literally on 'fast-forward' so you should learn some slalom moves (or at least zig-zag)...

Fiona finally arrived to our meeting point, she was as tired as I was (if not worse), we took some photos around and decided to go to Hungerford Bridge, heading for the Tate Museum. It might give you wrong details, but I'm 'restoring' a bit the route by checking pictures and maps.

On the way we stopped to have breakfast (I had taken one before, at 3 am, but I actually considered it the dinner of the previous day :D), English, obviously. It was not quite what we were looking for, we expected something with beans (yes, here they eat beans anytime, including at breakfast), but we had no reason to complain, it was very good and filling. Then, walking by the 'promenade' we arrived at the Tate Museum, a mega-monolith, whose tower got me thinking (don't know why) at the crematory furnace in Nazi concentration camps. Or what I saw here at Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg (it's the Soviet Liberation Memorial). I think I genuinely dislike these monolithic structures... Indeed, the architecture is explained by the fact that the museum sits on a former power plant construction.

Being a museum of modern arts, the works exhibited are outside the traditional area. We took many pictures but I will not post them, I think you can see them on the official site. During that period, there were exhibited a few pieces of Brancusi, in an international exhibition, but it wasn't free admission. And yes, I gazed for the first time in front of a Warhol, the one who made Pop Art movement known (and the words "15 minutes of fame"). And yes, they had a room where they displayed posters containing only socialist messages from the former Soviet Union. How interesting for some! How horrible for others!

After visiting the museum we stopped for a drink and we couldn't stop being amazed by the numerous people we were able to see on the bank of the Thames. And I do not refer to young people out in the sun, with their blankets, but to office-dressed people should have been in the City (London's economic zone), at work. Not to mention that we found it quite cold, since we weren't accustomed to that wind, whilst many others were in shirts/skirts/shorts/sandals etc. We decided to continue our trip on Thames' bank (relatively) towards the Tower Bridge.

On the way we saw Francis Drake's ship and a beautiful cathedral, whose name I can't remember.

I took some pictures around Tower Bridge, then we sat on the grass for a few moments. I must admit that Tower Bridge didn't impress me so much. Honestly I was expecting more, and those blue accents gave it a touch of plastic, Lego, not to go further and say cheap and tacky.

Then we decided to go to Camden Town, London's hip district, and as time was limited, we jumped on the subway. It took us some time to figure it out the directions, but in the end we got the right train. London Underground (The Tube) seems ridiculously expensive: a day-ticket, central area costs about 5.7 pounds per person. Valid only on the tube! And if you want an all day-all areas ticket, you have to pay 7.5 pounds. In Berlin for 6.9€ you can travel through all areas (ABC), by whatever means of transportation. Plus it's not that effective (in London) - at some point your train can stop in the middle of a tunnel and you are being told that your train is stationing for a minutes (and you don't always get a clear excuse).

Returning to Camden Town, this area totally confused me. I don't know yet if I like it or not. I read about it before and I knew that it was the bohemian, cool, hip, alternative, funky, eccentric, vibrant blah blah blah (you get the point) of the city, but I did not expect it to be as I found it. Nowhere in Europe where I've been I saw something similar. And, again, this is not a negative or positive critique! A lot of strange people (and,yeah , I'm pretty liberal) in all that crowd, a mixture of whatever you want. Unfortunately, we only had time to eat something, so perhaps next time I'll explore better the area, including the famous market.

Our trip to London was about to end so we had no choice but to head back to the subway, in order to reach back to Victoria, from where we took a coach. Because it dropped us in another part of Coventry (somewhere very South), about 1.5 hours walk, and because we did not know exactly what bus to take from there towards the city centre and it had a delay anyway (traffic + road maintenance works), we turned to the easy solution of a taxi. However, the coach leaves you right in front of a shopping centre, still opened at that time, so we decided to act like the smart girls that we are and do our shopping in Tesco (a retailer), since we didn't need to worry about carrying the stuff :)

Reaching back to 131 Humber Avenue, we found that the house was full :) Pauline had returned from France on the same day (by plane), along with her sister and a friend, visiting for a couple of days. She was a sweetheart and brought us (me and Sonali, the non-French women in the house) a double mirror, on whose upper part is etched the Eiffel Tower and "Paris." I'm very thrilled about it, because it look very chic!

Oh, and do not forget: in the taxi I realised that we were in London on St. George's Day, England's patron! It's the correspondent of St. Patrick for Ireland and St. Andrew for Scotland, just that the festivities here are not so spectacular as in the other two regions. But that explains all the English (not British) flags I've seen everywhere (on windows, on cars, on the people on the street) in London and Coventry.

Instead of an epilogue, I want to add that the trip to London I brought me back to life, I managed to escape the monotony a little (former) industrial city in the middle of the country. I realised that I could happily and peacefully live in London too, so I decided to keep my horizons opened (in terms of professional choices). I don't know, though, where it would be harder to make myself a future, in Berlin or London. Clearly, the strong advantage in England would be the language that I already know, but I wonder if there is any place left in London, a city in which so many people put their hopes. It's such a great diversity of nations there (not saying it's a bad thing), that you cannot stop question which are the true Londoners and to what degree the city is populated by various individuals arriving from who knows where. And I'm not referring only to immigrants but also to migrants from all over Britain, which, sooner or later, are all trying their luck on the banks of the Thames.

All in all, now I know that England does not mean Coventry (or vice versa) and probably I would be judging this country (maybe even loving it) if I had lived in another city. Because I did not have the time to digest well the London experience, and I went in another direction, in less than 48 hours:) I will tell you where the next time...Clues: sea and dragon!

Alegeri in Marea Britanie!

2010-05-07T14:27:00.006+01:00

Initial imi propusesem sa scriu despre calatoria la Londra, dar acum am decis sa aman putin lucrul asta (am inceput deja postarea, este in ciorne si va fi publicata cat de curand), caci am devenit pur si simplu fascinata de viata politica si alegerile din Marea Britanie.

Probabil ca nu v-am mentionat ca la un moment dat, prin noiembrie, cineva a venit la usa noastra si a cerut detalii legate de numele si nationalitatile noastre, pentru alegerile generale de luna asta. Initial am fost putin sceptica, spunand ca oricum nu e nimeni cetatean britanic in casa, dar mi s-a spus ca daca suntem parte din UE sau Commonwealth putem vota. Am furnizat, deci, datele si am uitat complet de cele intamplate. Asta pana in vacanta de Paste, cand am primit prin posta niste carduri de alegatori, practic niste hartii A3 nominale, continand detalii legate de modalitatea si locatia de vot.
La inceput am crezut ca aceste carduri sunt valabile pt alegerile generale - mi-a luat ceva vreme si cercetare pe internet sa aflu cum se 'alege' guvernul aici si cum functioneaza mecanismul democratic - dar apoi am vorbit cu niste colegi, englezi, care mi-au spus ca cel mai probabil cardurile se refera la alegerile locale. Apoi am observat ca, intr-adevar, asa este specificat, Local Government Election, si acum stiu ca doar cetatenii britanici pot vota in alegerile generale. Trebuie sa recunosc ca asta mi se pare putin absurd - poti sa votezi pt consiliile locale, indiferent de cat timp te afli acolo (sau cat timp vei mai sta), dar nu poti sa alegi un parlament care sa reprezinte. Eu mi-am imaginat un alt sistem, nu foarte complicat, dar probabil mai greu de pus in practica datorita nr mare de imigranti. Astfel, fiecare rezident, non-britanic, ar trebui chestionat cu privire la momentul sosirii in UK si la perioada de timp pe care isi propune sa o petreaca aici (probabil ca unii se afla in Marea Britanie, la fel ca mine, doar pe o perioada determinata) si, in functie de asta, sa li se acorde sau nu drept de vot absolut (pe principiul 'totul sau nimic'). Dar cum nu am studiat niciodata Stiinte Politice (ci doar Relatii Internationale & co) desigur ca nu consider opinia mea una super-competenta.

Oricum, ma gandeam ca nu ar fi corect sa votez intr-o tara in care nu as vrea, momentan, sa traiesc. La urma urmei, nu m-au prea interesat alegerile din tara mea natala (nu ca as vrea sa locuiesc acolo, de asemenea). Pe de alta parte m-am gandit ca poate votul meu ar fi unul mai responsabil decat al unor cetateni britanici (caci multi nu mi se par deloc capabili sa inteleaga 'jocurile politice'). In fine, viata politica britanica este foarte interesanta si am hotarat, indiferent de stimulente (a putea sa votez sau nu), sa fiu atenta la platformele electorale si la dezbaterile politice aferente.

Nu o sa intru prea mult in detalii: sunt trei partide importante - ma rog, mai mult doua. Partidul Laburist a lui Gordon Brown, Partidul Conservator a lui David Cameron si mai 'micutul' Partid Liberal-Democrat a lui Nick Clegg. Cei trei mai sus-mentionati au fost si cei trei candidati la functia de Prim-Ministru. Fiecare la prima confruntare cu alegatorii (caci, pt cei nestiutori, Brown nu a fost niciodata 'validat' de catre electorat). Mai exista si partidele locale, Scottish National Party (in Scotia), Plaid Cymru (in Wales), dar si altele, precum controversatul British National Party (datorita programului sau radical de dreapta). Temele centrale ale alegerilor au fost economia, educatia, sanatatea, imigratia, siguranta publica, dar si capabilitatile nucleare, relatia cu UE sau sistemul electoral.
Campania electorala a inceput in urma cu o luna. De fapt, nu exista un moment precis in care se da startul sau un termen anume pt mandatul parlamentului. La maxim 5 ani dupa ultimele alegeri devine destul de clar ca trebuie sa aiba loc un nou scrutin. Astfel, Primul-Ministru are datoria sa convoace noi alegeri si sa fixeze data - in mod traditional, intr-o zi de joi.

Marea Britanie este, intr-adevar, o tara a lumii intai, dar asta nu inseamna ca viata politica este perfecta aici. In primul rand trebuie sa observam ca aici Camera Lorzilor nici macar nu este aleasa in mod democratic - practic, daca te nasti intr-o anumita familie ai o mare sansa sa obtii o functie pe viata; abia acum se gandesc cum sa schimbe sistemul electoral si sa devina o democratie reala. Apoi, in 2009 au existat diverse acuzatii cu privire la modul in care anumiti membri ai Parlamentului (din mai multe partide politice) au cheltuit banii publici. A fost un mare scandal care, in final, i-a costat locul in parlament pe unii politicieni la alegerile de ieri. Pt mai multe detalii, click aici, aici si aici (sau in engleza aici, la Sf. Wikipedia).
De asemenea, am mai observat ca interperlarile Primului-Ministru in Parlament (cred ca treaba asta se intampla in fiecare saptamana, dar nu sunt sigura) nu sunt tocmai cele mai civilizate - de lasa cu rasete, huiduieli, intreruperi si vorbit unii peste altii. De multe ori speaker-ul Camerei Comunelor (camera inferioara a Parlamentului) trebuie sa fie foarte priceput in a mentine ordinea in timpul dezbaterilor. Cred ca este echivalentul Presedintelui Camerei Deputatilor la noi, cu diferenta notabila ca in cazul britanicilor speaker-ul trebuie sa renunte la orice afiliatie politica in momentul preluarii functiei (asta nu se intampla la noi, nu?).
Cu toate astea, aici politica pare mult mai civilizata si matura (poate pt ca este...?). Felul in care vorbesc candidatii, chiar si cand se intrerup unii pe altii, este 'mai' normal, nu se ridica vocea, nu se aduc jigniri, asa cum se intampla la romani. Dezbaterile sunt cu adevarat moderate si controlate, iar vorbitorii se opresc cand li se spune sa este suficient si ca altcineva trebuie sa ia cuvantul. Intrebarile din public sunt de bun-simt si la obiect si, de obicei, primesc raspunsul asteptat ('de obicei', caci si politicienii britanici se eschiveaza sau dau un raspuns vag - sunt insa taxati pt asta de catre moderator).

Revenind la campania electorala, aici se desfasoara in 'parametrii' normali. Pliante si fluturasi peste tot, poate mai putine afise, intalniri cu publicul, discursuri, dezbateri politice, dar si gafe. Probabil ca stiti deja de celebrul episod cu Gordon Brown si Dna Gillian Duffy din Rochdale, pe care a numit-o 'bigota' (= fanatic, habotnic). Si asta cu 8 zile inainte de alegeri! Din cate am citit apoi, doamna in cauza s-a simtit mai mult ofensata de apelativul 'femeia aia' (ar fi preferat sa fie numita 'doamna aceea') decat de cuvantul 'bigota' si, desi este un suporter laburist din totdeauna, a decis sa nu mai voteze in aceste alegeri.

Scrutinul asta a fost (si inca este) unul istoric pt Marea Britanie si din start se astepta un scor foarte strans intre laburisti si conservatori. Liberal-democratii se asteptau si ei la un mare succes, la un progres major (unii oameni din presa chiar l-au numit pe Nick Clegg 'Obama Marii Britanii'), dar in final au avut parte de o dezamagire.
Am stat azi-noapte pana tarziu sa urmaresc rezultatul alegerilor (urnele se inchid oficial la ora 22:00), care s-a transmis live pe BBC, inclusiv pe internet. Mi s-a parut incredibil cum rezultatele oficiale erau anuntate rand pe rand in diferite circumscriptii (evident, aici lucrurile sunt la alt nivel - poti inclusiv sa iti delegi votul), totii candidatii si echipele lor gasindu-se in aceeasi sala si afland pe loc rezultatul (fiind si investiti tot atunci). Totul este, deci, transparent!

Asa se face ca am vazut ca si aici sunt probleme serioase: la unele circumscriptii electorale din Londra, Manchester, Leeds etc s-au format cozi foarte mari astfel incat unele persoane nu au reusit sa voteze (eu banuiesc ca s-au 'trezit' prea tarziu), in altele nu au existat suficiente buletine de vot (asta mi se pare absurd si inacceptabil) si au existat cazuri in care unele persoane nu s-au aflat pe lista si nu li s-a permis sa voteze. Nu stiu daca am inteles corect, dar undeva in Birmingham s-a permis ca o sectie de votare sa ramana deschisa pana la 22:30 (sper ca am inteles gresit!). In orice caz, am fost impresionata de efortul pe care autoritatile il depun pt organizarea alegerilor: s-au constituit sectii de votare in cele mai diverse locuri - scoli, caravane, castele etc. Desigur, totul a fost umbrit se incidentele pe care le-am mentionat mai sus, aducandu-se critici legate de exemplul democratic pe care Marea Britanie doreste sa il impuna in alte tari (precum Irak sau Afghanistan), dar pe care nu reuseste sa il mentina pe propriul teritoriu.

Acum, in momentul in care scriu aceasta postare, mai sunt 2 locuri parlamentare de adjudecat (din 650), iar rezultatul indica: 305 locuri pt Conservatori, 258 pt Laburisti, 57 pt Liberali-Democrati, 6 pt Scottish National Party, 3 pt Plaid Cymru si 19 pt altii (incluzand independenti, banuiesc). Iar daca mai adaug ca pt a obtine majoritatea este nevoie de 326 de locuri, va dati si voi singuri seama ca situatia e departe de a fi roz. Laburistii au pierdut foarte multe locuri care le apartineau in mod traditional, inclusiv in zona industriala a Midlands (imaginati-va, spre exemplu, ca in Nuneaton, o circumscriptie de langa Coventry, si-au pierdut locul, pt prima data in 17 ani!), dar cred ca este o situatie normala in perioada asta lunga de criza economica. Exceptand Germania si Italia, nu exista nici un stat european democratic si matur in care guvernul sa nu isi fi pierdut suportul popular (mai e si Romania, dar am spus 'stat democratic matur', ok?), asta pt ca Merkel este foarte precauta si impaciuitoare, iar Berlusconi e pur si simplu foarte carismatic.

Asadar, vorbim de un parlament fara majoritate, in care nici un partid nu e capabil sa formeze un guvern stabil. Aici se numeste hung parliament si am aflat ca situatia asta nu s-a mai intalnit in ultimii 36 de ani! Lira a scazut deja in comparatie cu dolarul si, evident, toata lumea este ingrijorata de implicatiile negative pt economie (in principal pt investitiile straine).
Prin urmare, acum se fac scenarii si predictii. Prima informatie pe care am auzit-o dimineata (am dormit cu laptopul deschis, eram curioasa sa vad rezultatul pt Coventry, caci a existat o informatie precum ca s-a facut o renumarare, fiind un rezultat strans; in final, laburistii si-au mentinut pozitia, desi suntem 'inconjurati' de conservatori) e ca Regina il va ruga pe un anume politician (nu i-am retinut numele, caci nu am mai auzit de el) sa formeze guvernul, dar cred ca era prea devreme si nu am inteles bine. Apoi am vazut ca procedura normala ar fi ca Brown sa formeze guvernul, caci inca este primul-ministru in oficiu, pentru care ar avea nevoie de o coalitie cu Liberal-Democratii. Iar daca acest lucru nu reuseste, Cameron va fi invitat sa constituie executivul, dar din nou in alianta cu Lib-Democratii. Nu sunt insa sigura daca am inteles corect aceste ipoteze (abia ma trezisem), in orice caz, Clegg va juca, in final, un rol important in toate aceste discutii. Acum vad ca se vorbeste de negocieri intre conservatori si liberal-democrati, dar totul este incert inca.

Sunt convinsa ca Marea Britanie va avea un guvern cat de curand si sunt foarte entuziasta sa aflu care va fi componenta. Nu cred ca o sa va tin la curent cu evolutia situatiei, caci nu sunt corespondent de serviciu si probabil ca o sa aflati si voi uitandu-va la posturile romanesti. Dar a fost un exercitiu interesant sa observ ce inseamna alegerile cu adevarat (caci circul de la romani nu se pune), cu reportaje pertinente si in timp real. Chiar e impresionant cum oamenii astia (reporteri si politicieni) au stat treji si lucizi o noapte intreaga!

Acum trebuie sa ma intorc la ale mele, caci zarurile au fost aruncate. Sper ca postul asta v-a atras atentia cel putin la fel de mult pe cat m-a preocupat pe mine subiectul alegerilor din Marea Britanie. Daca exista cineva cu mai multa expertiza decat mine in domeniul politicii domestice britanice si are ceva de adaugat/corectat la ceea ce am scris mai sus, va rog, nu ezitati! Declar opinia mea total amatoare :)

Data urmatoare postez despre Londra, promit!

PS: Am ales sa nu votez, in final! :)
PPS: Cred ca uneori imi pierd fluenta/coerenta in limba romana. Scuze daca am inceput sa inventez cuvinte! :D

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Elections in Great Britain!

Because I do not have the patience to translate the entire post now, please find a Google Translation here. I know it's far from being perfect and it has major issues in some cases, but it's the best that I can provide right now. Perhaps later I'll have the time to complete the proper translation myself.

Pe fuga...

2010-04-22T18:05:00.007+01:00

...o sa va povestesc putin cum mi-am petrecut ultima perioada, caci apoi iar raman in urma cu postarile.

Am luat, intr-adevar, masa afara in week-endul de dupa Paste, mai tarziu decat planificasem initial, caci eu am fost la sala (unde am aflat de tragedia poloneza...cred ca sunt singura persoana care se uita la BBC cand alearga), iar Sonali si Anuj s-au trezit tarziu. Am pregatit din nou tortilla de patatas si tzatziki, iar Sonali a facut ceva asemanataor cu pita noastra romaneasca, numita 'Aaloo Prantha', dar mai complicat, caci a adaugat si cartofi (evident ca a fost si mai consistenta). Am mai incercat alta specialitate indiana, ceva care tradus ar fi "muratura dulce", practic un gem de fructe (mango in cazul asta), dar mai picant.
Dupa cum vedeti, chiar daca nu prea mai era soare, noi tot am facut putin pe snobii :)

Ah, am uitat sa va spun ca dupa Paste, luni, am avut o surpriza mai putin placuta - am ramas fara curent! Pe la vreo 12 noaptea, deci ne-am speriat putin (plus ca nu ni s-a intamplat pana acum), mai ales ca eram doar eu si Sonali. Noroc ca avem generator de urgenta, asa ca am avut lumina pe hol, la parter si la etaj...

Ce altceva important as mai avea de spus? Ah, da! Tot intr-o zi de luni, dar pe 12, am avut interviul pt programul leonardo (pt care am aplicat in ianuarie), interviu pe care trebuia de fapt sa il am pe 30 martie, dar a fost anulat in ultimul moment pentru ca persoana care trebuia sa ma intervieveze s-a imbolnavit. Despre ce e vorba? Pai, despre un internship la Berlin! Da, inapoi la Berlin! Si am trecut interviul (care a fost mai mult o formalitate), deci acum am inceput sa imi caut deja camera acolo si in curand imi voi rezerva si bilete de avion, probabil pt sfarsitul lui iunie. Internshipul ar trebui sa inceapa in octombrie (caci asa am specificat ca sunt disponibila), dar trebuie sa merg sa vad apartamente, nu? Cred ca asta a fost cel mai bine pastrat secret de-al meu pana acum...Yey! Ma intorc la Berlin! (chiar acum port tricoul cu "I <3> Berlin", ce coincidenta frumoasa...)

Apoi miercuri am fost la Londra la expozitia de Counter-Terrorism de care va spuneam. M-am trezit la 5 dimineata ca sa plecam la 7 din Coventry!!! Am ajuns relativ repede in capitala, am lasat masina intr-o parcare si am luat metroul (ce bine ca m-am incaltat in balerini!) si la destinatie, am constata ca TOATA lumea din metrou mergea in acelasi loc ca si noi. Asa ca am stat la coada aproximativ o ora si chiar a fost mai frig decat ma asteptam, dar noroc ca am colegi de treaba si nu a fost asa de rau. Chiar faceam misto - daca vreun grup terorist s-ar fi gandit sa lanseze un atac, in Londra in mod special, eradicau toata miscarea asta anti-terosista dintr-o suflare... :D
Sa nu imi cereti poze, nu a fost timp si nici cazul, doar i-am imortalizat pe acesti pseudo-hipioti-fosti-punkeri, genul ala de oameni care nu sunt in stare sa aiba o slujba decenta, dar care cred ca stiu ce e mai bine in politica externa (si in afacerile statului in gereral):

La intrare, o alta surpriza: numele meu nu se gasea pe lista, desi m-am inregistrat cu cel putin 2 saptamani inainte! Tipa de la calculator parea cam depasita de situatie, asa ca a intervenit un supervisor, cam iritat de fel. Mi-a cerut o "carte de vizita sau un act de identitate", caci nu aveau cum sa stie ca eu sunt persoana in cauza (desi le dadusem pasaportul, cel mai important act pe care il poate avea o persoana in Marea Britanie!!!). In mod normal, nu cred ca puteai sa te inregistrezi pe loc, dar cred ca asta au facut pana la urma, caci le-am explicat ca nu as fi venit din Coventry fara sa am o certitudine ca pot sa intru...In fine, s-a rezolvat, bine ca mi-am facut niste carti de vizit, cum mi-a sugerat un coleg!
Inauntru - mai mult tehnologii, chestii nu tocmai feminine :) Au fost si cateva standuri ale unor publicatii, companii de recrutare, am vorbit cu cineva de la standul NATO, am auzit romana vorbindu-se langa mine....chestii d-astea banale! M-am simtit foarte tanara si in minoritate, mai ales cat stateam la coada afara (caci inauntru lumea s-a amestecat si chiar nu mai conta), caci in principal erau numai barbati, si in nici un caz de varsta apropiata. Oare se simt amenintati de noua generatie care vine din urma? :D Nu paream chiar singurii studenti de acolo, asa ca uite ca exista interes din mai multe parti...Una peste alta, am avut o prima incursiune in lumea in care speram sa profesam, intr-un fel sau altul...

Un moment asemanator a fost acum cateva saptamani, cand BBC Radio a organizat o dezbatere la noi in universitate, pe tema "Afganistan - prezentam adevarul?". Nu s-a pliat exact pe ceea ce am facut pana acum, a fost mai mult o perspectiva jurnalistica, dar per total a fost interesant, mai ales ca am vazut cum se face o transmisie live :)

Simt ca ar mai fi ceva de spus/scris, dar acum ma grabesc putin...am venit de la facultate, am depus o lucrare (as putea lucra drept consultant pe probleme de reglementare a companiilor private de securitate, pentru Sierra Leone) si nu am dormit foarte mult aseara. Iar acum tocmai am primit o invitatie de la prietenii din Albany Road, la o bautura si niste carnati nemtesti. Nu pot sa nu o onorez, dar nici nu voi sta mult, caci maine de dimineata merg la Londra. Fiona, colega mea de casa, se intoarce in Anglia si cum ajunge devreme (cu trenul), vrea sa petreaca o zi in Londra, asa ca m-a intrebat daca nu as fi interesata. Bineinteles ca sunt! Mai ales ca nu prea am ocazii sa merg la Londra, iar cu Fiona pot spune ca am "compatibilitate turistica" (si nu mi se intampla des sa gasesc astfel de persoane).

Acum chiar trebuie sa plec!

PS: Va imaginati ca daca veneam acasa de Paste, eram inca acolo? Ce inspirata sunt, ca si de Craciun, cand la fix am plecat din Anglia/Romania!

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On The Rush...

...I'll tell you a bit how my last weeks have been, cuz later it will be more difficult to catch up...

We have, indeed, had lunch in the backyard the first week-end after Easter, a bit later than planned, because i was at the gym in the noon (where I found out about the Polish tragedy...I think I'm the only person watching BBC while running), and Sonali and Anuj woke up late. I made again a tortilla and tzatziki, and Sonali prepared something similar to the Romanian pita, called 'Aaloo Prantha', but more complicated - she added potatoes too (so it was more filling). I tried another Indian speciality, "sweet pickle", a kind of fruit jam (mango in this case), but spicier.
As you can see in the photos, even though it wasn't that sunny any more, we still played snobbish a bit :)

I forgot to mention that on the Easter Monday we had a not-so-pleasant surprise - we had a power cut! It was around midnight so it was a bit scary (especially since it has not happened before), plus that it was just me and Sonali. Luckily we have an emergency generator so we had light on the hallway, upstairs and downstairs...

What else it there to tell? Oh, yeah! On another Monday, the 12th, I had my interview for the Leonardo programme (for which I have applied in January), that I was actually supposed to have on the 30th of March, but it got cancelled due to staff sickness. So what does it mean? It means an internship in Berlin! Yes, back to Berlin! And I passed the interview (it was rather a formality), so now I started looking for a room there and soon I'll be booking a flight there, probably for the end of June. My placement should start in October (I said I'm available then), but I still have to go and view apartments, right?I think this has been the best keep secret that I've ever had until now...Yey! I'm going back to Berlin!!! (by the time I was righting the post in Romanian I was wearing my "I <3 Berlin" tee, what a nice coincidence...)

Then, the following Wednesday, I went to London to that Counter-Terror Expo that I kept telling you about. I woke up at 5 a.m. to leave Coventry at 7!!! We arrived in London quite rapidly, we left the car in a parking lot and took the tube (I'm so glad that I wore my flats!) and at our destination (Olympia Hall) we realised that EVERYONE for the tube was going to the same place as we were. So we queued for about an hour and it was much colder than I expected, but I'm lucky to have nice colleagues and it wasn't that bad. We were actually joking - if a terrorist group had though of another attack, on London particularly, they would have eradicated the whole counter-terror movement in the blink of an eye...:D Don't ask for pictures, there was no time or the proper occasion, by I did captured those pseudo-hippies-ex-punkers (in the photo above), those type of persons that aren't able to have a proper jib, but who think that they know what's best for foreign affairs (or state politics, generally speaking). At the entrance I had another surprise: my name was not on the list, although I have had registered at least 2 weeks in advance! The lady behind the computer seemed overwhelmed by the situation so a supervisor intervened (he was quite irritated). He asked for a "business card or a photo ID", beacuse how were they supposed to know I'm the person I'm claiming to be (although I gave them my passport, the most important document a person can have in the UK!!!). Normally you weren't able to register on the sport, but I think this is what happened in the end. I explained them that I wouldn't have come all the way from Coventry without a certainty...Whateva, we got it done, lucky I followed the advice of one of my colleagues and made business cards! Inside loads of technologies, not that feminine stuff! :) There were some stands of publications, recruitment companies, I spoke to someone at the NATO stand, I've heard Romanian spoken right next to me...just the usual stuff! I felt quite young and in minority, especially while queueing outside (inside people got mixed up and it really didn't matter). There were mostly men and definitely not a close age. I wonder, do there people feel threaten by the new generation coming up next? :D We didn't seem quite the only students over there, so there is interest in this field...All in all, I had a great first experience in the domain we are hoping to work, one way or another...

A similar moment was a few weeks ago, when BBC Radio 4 organised a debate in our Uni, "Afghanistan - are we embedding the truth?". It wasn't that appropriate to what I'm studying, rather a journalistic approach, but it was very interesting and I saw how a live transmission is made :)

I feel there is something more to tell/write about, but I was in the hurry by the time I was writing the initial post...I was just coming back from the Uni, I submitted a paper (I could work as a consultant on issues of regulating the private security and military companies in Sierra Leone) and therefore I have had not slept too much the previous night. And by the time I was typing I got an invitation form my friends in Albany Rd, to have some drinks and German sausages. I couldn't have said no, but I tried not to stay long - the next day (yesterday) I was supposed to go to London. Fiona, one of my housemates, was coming back from France (by train!) and she was thinking of spending a day in London so she asked me if I would be interested in. Of course I was! Especially since don't get too many occasions of visiting the city and I can say I have a "touristic compatibility" with Fiona (and that doesn't happen with every person I know).

Soon I'll tell you all about my trip to London!

PS: Can you imagine that I would have still be home if I had come there for the Easter break? I'm very fortunate and make good decisions, like Christmas time, when I left England/Romania just on time!

Masa de Paste si Altele...

2010-04-10T01:37:00.012+01:00

Cu mic, cu mare si o intarziere de o ora (deh, nu e usor sa fii bucatar, am constatat), ne-am deplasat (cu masina!) spre 31 Siddeley Avenue, nu inainte sa ne oprim la magazinul de la colt, sa cumparam o punga de orez...Asta pentru ca Anuj, prietenul lui Sonali (indianca din casa mea) a varsat tot orezul in chiuveta, incercand sa il scurga (in prealabil Sonali varsase si ea o parte prin aceeasi operatiune).
Pana atunci eu nu mai fusesem acasa la Mihai si Nicoleta, deci nu stiam exact cum arata casa, asa ca am sunat la nr. 31, sperand sa raspunda cine trebuie. Daca s-ar fi aratat altcineva la usa, as fi spus ca suntem de la firma de catering si ca am gresit adresa. Oricum, paream din acelasi film, cu o groaza de pungi cu mancare si bautura.

Cu putina timiditate, ne-am pus pe treaba - mai intai pe baut si apoi pe mancat (si iar baut). Iata cum au iesit bunatatile:

Tortilla de patatas (de care spanioloaica din mine e tare mandra!) si piepul de pui vienez

Puiul curry (orezul era inca la fiert), nepicant, spune Sonali (nu si Antony ) si cozonacul + ouale multicolore vopsite de Mihai si Nicoleta

Aparent, indienilor le place obiceiul nostru de a ciocni oua. Sonali il suspecta, totusi, pe Anuj ca avea un ou de lemn, caci mereu il spargea pe al ei:

Apoi ne-am jucat Monopoly, eu si Nicoleta am trisat mult (pentru ca stateam una langa alta). Unii chiar au falimentat (Sonali), unii au dus-o chiar bine (eu), iar altii au dat cu pumnul in masa de ciuda, spargand un pahar si udand tabla (Antony - un francez).

Si cam asta a fost...Ne-am intors acasa pe la vreo 3 (banuiesc) si am inceput sa curatam bucataria, caci nu a mai fost timp inainte sa plecam si era dezastru! Dar stiti ce repede se termina treaba cand esti beat?

Pe de alta parte, aici e inca vacanta de Paste (inclusiv saptamana urmatoare), dar englezii chiar muncesc. Proprietarul a trimis un 'om bun la toate' (Mike) sa faca niste reparatii mai mult sau mai putin minore prin casa. Pe langa faptul ca ne-a inlocuit furtunul de la dus si s-a ocupat de izolatia geamului de la living, a mesterit si la unul dintre picioarele fotoliului.

Banuiesc ca nu stiati ca la petrecerea de ziua lui Guillaume (mai bine spus 'dupa'), Valou, unul dintre francezi (semi-coleg de casa, caci e mai mereu aici), a simtit nevoia sa se incline un pic spre dreapta, cu tot cu fotoliu, rupandu-i un picior. O vreme am stat cu el asa, de forma, incercand sa nu ne asezam prea tare. Dar proprietarul a venit sa repare internetul la putin timp dupa petrecere (de care nu a aflat, evident) si s-a asezat pe fotoliu, dand la o parte niste cabluri pe care eu le pusesem special acolo, sa nu ia loc. Nu va puteti imagina in ce situatie eram: ma bufnea un ras, uitandu-ma la Fiona si Guillaume (si ei de fata) cat de seriosi erau, dar trebuia sa ma prefac uimita de cele petrecute. Am bajbait ceva de genul "Parea cam instabil fotoliul, dar asta nu s-a intamplat pana acum", desi nu cred ca a muscat galusca (nah, proprietarul nu are "ciunga-n par"...asta pt ca e cam chel oricum :D). Apoi, pana miercuri, fotoliul a aratat cam asa:

Tot Mike ne-a adus, de la prorietar, o masa plianta de plastic (gros)...MOV! Si cum a venit primavara, maine planuim sa luam masa afara, caci in garaj (da, avem garaj, desi poarta & aleea sunt prea inguste pt orice masina) avem si scaune de plastic, pe care trebuie doar sa le stergem. O sa fac din nou tortilla, ca vad ca le-a placut mult indienilor! Chris nu este invitat (s-a intors ieri, a fost plecat o saptamana in nu-stiu-ce-oras-de-care-nu-am-auzit, langa Oxford), iar gratarul (avem si asa ceva in garaj) il lasam pt cand se vor intoarce si ceilalti. Un picnic pana atunci e totusi tentant...

Joi au venit 2 tipi sa taie copacul din spatele casei si a durat o zi intreaga! Nu mi-am imaginat cata munca poate fi. Cand m-am uitat prima data pe geam, curtea era plina de ramuri. Saracul pom, e chel acum...Iar cei doi "taietori de copaci" au facut un gest frumos si au curatat apoi curtea, caci langa poarta era plina de mucuri de tigara. Erau ei cam dezgustati de ce vazusera, dar le-am zis ca nu e problema mea, cei 3 fumatori din casa ar trebui sa se ocupe de asta. Mi-au sugerat sa ii impusc...Le-am zis ca ar trebui...

Maine voi face poze si la masa noastra "primavarateca"

Pentru comparatie, copacul asta-iarna!

Azi am fost un pic prin oras si m-am bucurat de vremea frumoasa...De cateva zile este soare si caldut (12-15 grade) si speram sa o tina tot asa. Florile (narcise, braduse, ghiocei etc.) au aparut, totusi, de mult prin parcuri, pe langa facultate, prin curtea vecinilor...Dar abia azi au rasarit si niste rate...mie a asta mi-au semanat. Voi ce ziceti?

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Easter Dinner and More...

We arrived at 31 Siddeley Avenue one hour later than scheduled, but not before making a pit stop at the corner shop, because the whole rice that we were supposed to have with the chicken curry has been spilt in the sink, first in a smaller quantity, by Sonali, and then all of it by her boyfriend, Anuj.
Until then I haven't visited before Mihai and Nicoleta's house, so I didn't exactly know if we were in the right place. So we rand at no. 31, hoping that the right person will open the door. Had someone else show at the entrance, I would have said that we are from the catering firm and we made a mistake (we looked like that kind of people, with a lot of bags of food & drinks in our hands).

A bit shy at the beginning, we started our routine: drinking-eating-drinking. Above you can see how our dishes looked like (my tortilla de patatas & Vienna chicken, Sonali's chicken curry - not spicy, she says - and Mihai and Nico's painted eggs & cozonac, a specific Romanian cake that we have for Christmas and Easter).

Apparently, the Indians really liked our tradition of tapping the painted eggs. We usually tap the front and then the bottom and the person who taps first says: "Christ has risen!" and the other replies: "Truly, he has risen!". And then vice-versa. The point is you should not get you egg broken, unless you really want to eat it.
Sonali was constantly suspicious that Anuj had a wooden leg, because he was always breaking hers.

Later that night we played Monopoly and me and Nico were cheating a lot (we were next to each other). Sonali went bankruptcy, I had a pretty good financial status, but Antony, our French friend, got really pissed off at a moment and he strongly hit the table with his fist, breaking his glass and wetting the board (plus the surrounding money and properties), so we had to stop.

And that was it...we came home around 3 a.m. (I assume) and we started cleaning the kitchen, because we had no time before leaving the house and it was a big mess! But you have no idea how quick the cleaning can go when you are drunk...

On the other hand, we are still on holiday here, but the English people really work during it. Our landlord sent a carpenter aka handyman (Mike) to do some repairs around the house (replacing the shower cord in one of the bathrooms and taking care of the lounge window). He also fixed our armchair, because I didn't tell you that at Guillaume's B-Day party Valou (another French semi-housemate) broke one of the legs. For a while we just kept it like it was and we tried not to sit too much on it, but the landlord once came to fix the Internet and he sat on the armchair (although I've put some stuff there, on purpose). You can't imagine the whole situation: I wanted to laugh sooooo badly (especially looking at the serious faces of Guillaume and Fiona) but I was suppose to restrain myself from doing that. I said something like "Oh, the armchair seemed quite unstable, but this never happened before", although I have the feeling he didn't bit the story...Then, until Wednesday, when Mike came, the armchair look just like you can see it in the above pictures.

It was Mike again who brought us a table sent by our landlord. It's plastic and...MAUVE! And since the springtime is here to stay (I hope!), we are planning to have the lunch outside tomorrow. We have some plastic chairs in the garage (yes, we do have a garage, even though the pathway is to narrow for any type of car) and they only need a wipe out. I'll cook another tortilla, since the Indians really loved it! Chris is not invited (even though he just got back from I've-never-heard-of-this-town-before, near Oxford). We'll probably have a barbecue when the others will return...

On Thursday two guys came to cut the tree behind the house and it took them an entire day! I never imagined how much hard work it can be! When I first look through my window the back yard was full of branches. The tree is bald now..And the two "tree choppers" made a really nice job and clean the yard, although there were many many cigarette butts. There were pretty disgusted by the status of the yard, but I told them that it's not my problem, since I don't smoke and the 3 smokes in the house should have taken care of this. They suggested I shoot them...I said I should...
In the photos you can see how our backyard looks like now and, for comparison, how it looked last winter!

I went a bit downtown today and I really enjoyed the nice weather! It's been really sunny and warm for the past few days (around 12-15 degrees), but we do have loads of spring-ish flowers (snowdrops, duffs etc.) around the city, in parks, in the neighbours' yard for some time now...But today I also saw some ducks...or at least this is what it seemed to me...What do you think?

Paşte Fericit!

2010-04-03T18:22:00.003+01:00

Cum in studentie roaming-ul e prea scump, o sa va urez, cu ajutorul tehnologiei moderne un "Paste Fericit!", sa va infruptati si sa dormiti boiereste zilele astea!

Azi am facut curat in camera, putin prin casa, dar nu am terminat inca (e mai greu cand au ramas doar 2 persoane sa se ocupe de lucrul asta), iar abia maine avem masa "oficiala". Initial voiam sa o organizam aici, la noi, dar Mihai si prietena lui, Nicoleta (care au ramas si ei aici in perioada asta), au propus sa mergem la ei, caci e mai mult spatiu.

Desi credeam ca va fi primul Paste cand voi vopsi oua rosii, pana la urma voi face asta probabil la anu', caci cei doi au luat in primire sarcina asta (oricum nu voi vopsi multe, nu are rost), si, in plus, vor incerca sa faca un cozonac. Eu le urez succes, caci vor avea nevoie! hahahahaha
Partea mea de meniu va consta in piept de pui vienez, torilla de patatas si tzatziki (desi de cel din urma nu prea e nevoie, dar am zis sa fie, caci e universal :D). Dupa cum vedeti, "exclusiv" mancaruri romanesti. Totusi, am cumparat ieri malai (aici se numeste polenta), daca ma hotarasc sa schimb macazul (desi nu mai am sarmale).

In seara asta (intre 20:00 si 21:30) e un spectacol cu lumini, foc dansatori, teatru de papusi pe Far Gosford Street (la 5 minute de casa mea), ce va spune povestea strazii (una din cele mai vechi din oras). Poate voi merge, mai ales ca multe afaceri (restaurante, baruri) vor fi deschis pana tarziu, desi vremea este foarte descurajatoare (ploua)...
Ma gandeam ca poate maine va fi o slujba de Paste la Catedrala, dar nu stiu inca sigur si banuiesc ca va fi devreme. O sa ma uit pe site (da, au si site).

Acum ma duc sa mananc ceva (nici eu nu stiu ce), ca sa nu lesin! :D

PASTE FERICIT inca o data!

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Happy Easter!

Since roaming is too expensive for a student like me, I'm going to wish you a very "Happy Easter" through my blog! Have a nice time and enjoy the holidays!

Today I tidied up my room a the house, but I'm not done yet (it's really difficult to clean such a big house when we're only 2 persons left) and tomorrow we're having the "official" Easter lunch. Initially we were supposed to have it here, but Mihai and his girlfriend, Nicoleta (they both are staying here this holiday), proposed to have it in their place because it's bigger.
Although I though that this would be the first year when I'll be painting the red eggs myself, I guess I should wait until the next year, since the two of them took over this task (they won't be painting too many anyway, it's pointless) and they decided to bake a specific Romanian cake (called cozonac). I wish the good luck, they'll need it! hahahahaha

My part of menu will consist of Vienna chicken, tortilla de patatas and tzatziki (although we won't be needing this in particularly, but just in case, it's multi-purpose :D). As you can see. "exclusively" Romanian dishes. Nonetheless, I bought polenta, if I decide to change track.

Tonight (between 20:00 and 21:30) there will be a show featuring lights, fire, dancers, puppets theatre on Far Gosford Street (one of the oldest in the city), telling the story of the street. maybe I'll go, many of the area businesses (restaurants, pubs) are opened till late, but the weather is not motivating at all...

I was thinking that perhaps tomorrow there will be the Easter service at the Cathedral, but I'm not sure and I assume it will me early in the morning. I'll check the website (yes, they do have a website).

Now I'm going to eat something (haven't decided what) so that I won't faint! :D

HAPPY EASTER once more!

Noutati

2010-03-30T23:21:00.009+01:00

Doamnelor, domnisoarelor si domnilor, dupa cum puteti observa, mie nu prea imi place sa scriu pe blog. Nu sunt nici foarte talentoasa la lucruri simple, in general, si simt ca scriu degeaba (atunci cand o fac). Prin urmare, blogul nu e updatat prea des. Dar cum pana si distinsul familion mi-a semnalat ca nu mai este la zi cu noutatile vietii mele, o sa recuperez acum. O sa aflati, deci, detalii pe care eu nu le gasesc importante la momentul respectiv, dar care acum mi se par semnificative, caci, de fapt, mare lucru nu mi se intampla.

Cu liniuta, ca asa-i frumos:
- In primul rand, nu am murit! Si in nici un caz de foame, chiar ma descurc rezonabil la capitolul 'in bucatarie', doar ca uneori imi lispeste inspiratia. Iar daca am slabit cumva, tind sa cred ca mersul la sala isi face efectul. Ma duc destul de des in ultima vreme, descopar noi aparate si e foarte distractiv. Pacat ca acum, in vacanta, programul e mai redus (iar duminica inchis).
- Si daca tot merg la sala, atunci era si cazul sa incep sa beau milkshake-uri, nu? Am descoperit intr-o zi, din joaca, ce bun e si de atunci beau cu regularitate. Eu il prepar cu banane, lapte (evident), miere, praf de cacao (gen Nesquick) si 2 cuburi de gheata! Yummy! Cred ca nu mai trebuie sa precizez ca va trebuie un blender sau shaker (eu am unul de cocktailuri, primit de ziua mea :D).
- Am luat permisul de munca (hai ca asta v-am mai spus) si, chiar azi, am primit acasa, Numarul de Asigurare Sociala (National Insurance Number - NIN). Acum astept sa primesc si un loc de munca! :)) Ma ambalasem mai mult decat necesar pt "interviul" de acum o saptamana (pt NIN): puteam sa ma fi dus si in pijamale, nimanui nu i-ar fi pasat...
- La mijlocul lui aprilie o sa mergem la Londra, la o Expozitie de produse si tehnologii pt combaterea terorismului (CounterTerror Expo 2010). Ne deplasam cu masina unui coleg, deci o sa fie misto, doar ca eticheta se cere a fi formala (asa ca o sa ne calcam camasile si o sa ne lustruim pantofii cu o seara inainte). Cam nasoala treaba asta, stiu, mai ales ca o sa stam vreo o ora si jumatate in masina si or sa ni se sifoneze hainele, iar apoi o sa luam metroul si o sa aratam ca niste corporatisti. Dar, nah, o sa avem o imagine a cum o sa aratam cand o sa avem noi joburile alea super tari pt care invatam acum! :P
- Am inceput niste cursuri de germana la universitate, initial m-am inscris la incepatori, dar era mult prea simplu (chiar si pt mine :D), asa ca am trecut la intermediari. Nici aici nu e mare chestie, nu invatam prea multa gramatica, dar macar auzim germana ("profa" e o nemtoaica si ea studenta aici), fara vreun accent specific, deci e usor de inteles. Plus ca asa mai cunosti lume noua...
- M-am uitat la niste filme misto in ultima vreme, pe care chiar o sa le recomand: "Satanas", un film columbian foarte violent, dupa un caz real (prietenul meu columbian, Daniel, spune ca el nu vizioneaza filme de-ale lor, ca e ca si cum s-ar uita la stiri); "Up", o poveste animata (Disney-Pixar) fooooarte frumoasa; "Die Welle"/"The Wave" sau cum sa instaurezi o dictatura in zilele noastre (dupa un experiment real); "25th hour", despre ultima zi de libertate a unui traficant de droguri, condamnat la 7 ani de inchisoare; "Into the Wild", bazat pe povestea reala a lui Christopher McCandless, care, dupa absolvire, decide sa traiasca in salbaticie; "Alfie", un film mai slabut, dar bun pentru o seara in care nu ai ce face. Da, stiu, nu prea sunt la curent cu noutatile cinematografice, am multe de recuperat. De aceea, dupa ce termin postarea asta o sa ma uit ori la "Trainspotting" ori la "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
- Am decis sa nu mai vorbesc deloc cu polonezul de la mine din casa, Chris. Am incercat de vreo 3 ori sa discutam cu el (mai calm sau nu) si sa il dam pe brazda, dar se pare ca nu a mers. Este total nerespectuos cu noi, il rugam sa nu mai faca unele lucruri (gen trantitul usii la baie, facut curat in casa), el spune "OK", dar nu trece la fapte. Asa ca am hotarat nici "Buna" sa nu ii mai spun. Si vad ca am reusit, mai mult sau mai putin, sa ii intorc pe toti din casa impotriva lui :D Oops! Ma rog, cel putin l-am izolat :) Azi am trecut la faza a doua a ofensivei (ca sa nu credeti ca daca nu mai vorbesc/vorbim cu el s-a facut baiat cuminte - desi a avut cateva tentative, dar cu o floare nu se face primavara, nu?): am lipit niste afise prin casa, cu mesaje mai mult decat evidente (gen "Nu mai tranti, dom'le usa!"...cam asa ar suna in romana). Evident, le-am scris la calculator, caci deja toata lumea din casa imi recunoaste scrisul, asa ca am facut o treaba anonima, cica. Astept reactiile! >:)
- In alta ordine de idei, am fost la teatru acum cateva saptamani, la un piesa numita "The Dark Side of the Buffoon" ("Partea Intunecata a Bufonului"). Extraordinal cum 2 actori (frati!) pot face un asa spectacol, interpretand personaje atat de contrastante. Ca sa nu mai spun de rapiditatea cu care isi schimabu costumele si de elementele de teatru contemporan (proiectii video) inserate! Plus ca am intrat gratuit pt ca avem sub 26 de ani :D
- Am fixat (pana data viitoare cand ne razgandim) o data pt excursia din Sicilia: 8-15 iulie. Deci merg la mare si anul asta! hahahahaha Acum asteptam un raspuns din parte organizatiei pe care o vom vizita acolo si sper sa rezervam biletele de avion cat mai repede, ca sa fim sigur ca nu ne mai razgandim. Cum zicea si un coleg: "crima internationala DEZorganizata" :)
- Merg acum la un curs de "Human Rights in Europe", care a ajuns sa imi placa foarte mult, desi ma temeam la inceput ca nu voi face fata, caci e un modul de Drept si sunt alte cerinte (si necesita un limbaj adecvat). In principal dicutam pe baza Conventiei Europene a Drepturilor Omului si a articolelor sale, plus cazuri semnificative aduse in fata Curtii Europene a Drepturilor Omului, si e absolut uimitor ce interpretari se pot face!
- Intre timp, am mai terminat o lucrare, am aflat raspunsul la toate punctajele de pe primul semestru (punctaje bune si foarte bune, zic eu), asa ca am deja 50 de credite (doar nu credeati ca o sa pic, nu?). Acum urmeaza sa ma apuc de alte lucrari, caci asta e unul dintre motivele pentru care am decis sa nu vin acasa de Paste.
- Am tras concluzia ca nu exista notiunea de "primavara" in Anglia. Ne-a amagit vremea de cateva ori, dar in ultimele zile, fara exceptie, am avut parte de dimineti insorite (pana la maxim 2 p.m.), apoi ploaie. Nu am scapat niciodata fara o burnita, un dus scurt sau macar o mocaneasca...Iar azi a fost extrem de frig (mai ales ca e sfarsitul lui Martie)! Ce mai incalzire globala...
- Si daca tot vorbeam de Anglia, am descoperit de ce englezilor le place asa mult ceaiul. Nu pot sa va spun exact de ce, doar va sfatuiesc sa incepeti sa beti unul pe zi si va garantez ca nu o sa mai fie cale de intoarcere ;) Cu lapte, normal, si asezonat cu briose, croissant, biscuiti simpli sau scones. Va averizez ca va crea dependenta! Eu am acum in dulap ceai de vanilie si unul marocan, cu menta si spice (condimente), care e pe terminate, asa ca o sa cumpar altul...va fi probabil de caramel, pt variatie.
- Mi-am luat un demachiant nou, de la Neutrogena (ca tot mai am niste produse de care sunt multumita, de la aceeasi firma)...Si nu mi-am mai luat haine noi (doar 2 lucruri de care chiar am nevoie pt ceva FOARTE important) si planuiesc sa imi cumpar un balsam de par de la Tony &Guy, caci am ramas fara...Asta in cazul in care chiar voiati sa aflati TOT ce am mai facut in ultima vreme!

Cred ca nu mai am nimic de spus/scris, momentan, si sper sa nu va mai asteptati la alte noutati in urmatoarea luna! Glumesc, stiu ca mai trebuie sa scriu despre Manchester...
Gata, la film cu mine! Dar mai intai un ceai...

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Update

Ladies and Gents, as you can see, I don't really like blogging. I'm not too skilled with writing, generally speaking so this blog is not updated too often. But now even my family has complained that they don't know much about my life nowadays, therefore I'll make up for the lost time. I'll find out things that I don't find interesting when they happen, but later become significant, because, in fact, there isn't much going on in my life.

- Firstly, I'm not dead! And I didn't starve! If I lost some weight I tend to "blame" it on the gym, where I go quite often lately. I'm discovering new machines and it's fun! Too bad that now, during the Easter break, the opening times are reduced and it's closed on Sundays.
- Since I'm going to the gym I have started, out of fun, drinking milkshakes and now I'm having them regularly. I mix bananas, milk (evidently), honey, coco powder (like Nesquick) and 2 ice cubes. Yummy! You'll also need a blender or shaker (I use a cocktail shaker that I've received for my B-Day :D).
- I got my working permit (but I've mentioned that before) and today I received my National Insurance Number. Now I'm hoping to receive a job! :)) I got overly nervous for the "interview" for the NIN: I could've gone in my pyjamas, no one would've noticed...
- In mid April we'll be going to London, to the CounterTerror Expo 2010 (exhibiting counter-terrorist products and technologies). We'll be driving there (using a colleague's car) so I'm expecting it to be fun, but the dress code is business (so the night before we'll have to iron our shirts and polish our shoes). This kinda sucks, I know, especially considering that we have to literary sit down for about 1hr and a half so our clothes will crease and then we'll take the tube to the venue so we'll look like a bunch of corporate employees. But hey, at least we'll get a preview of how we've going to look like when we'll get those über-awesome jobs for which we're studying now! :P
- I started some German classes at the Uni, I initially signed up for beginners, but it was too easy 9even for me :D) so I swapped to intermediate. It's not big deal though, we aren't being taught too much grammar, but at least we get to hear German (the "teacher" is a German student at our Uni), without any specific accent, so it's easy to understand. Plus that you get to meet more people this way...
- I watched some great movies lately: "Satanas", an extremely violent Colombian movie, based on a real case (my Colombian friend, Daniel, says he doesn't watch national films, it's like watching the news to him); "Up",a veeeeery beautiful animated story (Disney-Pixar); "Die Welle"/"The Wave" or how to impose a dictatorship nowadays (based on a real experiment); "25th hour", about the last day of freedom of a drug dealer, condemned to 7 years of imprisonment; "Into the Wild", based on the real story of Christopher McCandless, who decides to life in the wilderness, after his graduation; "Alfie", a softer movie, but perfect for a I-don't-know-what-to-do-tonight evening. Yes, I know, I'm not too updated with movies, but I'm recovering, starting tonight, when I'll watch either "Trainspotting" either"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (after I'm done with this entry).
- I decided not to talk any more with my Polish housemate, Chris. We've tried, several times, to talk to him (nicely or not nicely) and to get him on the right path, but it didn't work. he's totally disrespectful to us, he always says "OK" when we ask him to do some stuff (like cleaning the house or not slamming the bathroom door), be we don't see any real actions. So I'm not even saying "Hello" to him. And somehow I managed to make the others act the same or at least we've isolated him :D Today I commenced the second phase of my offencive (don't you think that if I/we don't talk to him he's behaving now - although he had some attempts, but not enough): I pus some posters around the house containing some more than obvious messages (like "Stop banging the bloody door! Don't you know how to use the handle?"). Since everyone in the house is familiar to my handwriting, I printed the messages. Waiting for reactions now! >:)
- On the other hand, I went to the theatre a couple of weeks ago, to a play called "The Dark Side of the Buffoon". It's extraordinary how two actors (brothers!) cam make such a great show and swapping so contrasting characters . Not to mention their rapidity in changing the costumes and the inserted elements of contemporary theatre (video screenings) . We got in for free because we're under 26 :D
- We settled down the date for our trip to Sicily: 8th-15th of July (that's only we change our mind again). So I'm going to the seaside! hahahaha Now we're waiting for a confirmation from the organisation we are going to visit and hopefully we'll book the plane tickets. As one of my colleague said: "international DISorganised crime" :)
- Now I'm attending a lecture in "Human Rights in Europe" that i ended up likening a lot, although I was very afraid I won't cope with at the beginning, because it's a Law module and there are different requirements (and you must have a certain style). We are mainly discussing issues based on the European Convention of Human Rights and its articles, plus significant cases brought in front of the European Court of Human Rights and it's absolutely amazing what interpretations you can get!
- Meanwhile, I finished another paper, I found out the scores to all my modules of the 1st semester (good and very food scores, I'd say) so I already got 50 credits (you didn't think I'd fail, did you?). Now I should start working on the other assignments, this is one of the reasons I decided not to go home for Easter.
- I reached the conclusion that there is no such notion of "springtime" in England. The weather deceived us a few times, but for the past few days, no exception, we got sunny mornings (no later that 2p.m.) and then rain. We never got away with at least a hail or a quick shower...And today it was extremely cold, thinking that it's the end of March! So much for the global warming...
- Speaking of England, I found out why the English people like tea so much. I can't tell you exactly why, I can only advise you to start having one per day and I'll guarantee that there is no turning back ;) With milk, evidently, and muffins, croissants, crackers or scones. I'm warning you, it's addictive! I have a vanilla tea and one from Morocco, with mint and spice, but the latter is almost finished so I'll have to buy another one...It will be caramel!
- I bought a new make up remover, form Neutrogena (I have some other products from them and I'm quite satisfied)...And I didn't buy any new clothes (just 2 items that I really need for a very important thing) and I'm planning to purchase a new hair conditioner from Tony&Guy, as I have none left...This was just in case you really wanted to find out EVERYTHING about me lately!

Nothing to say/write for now and I hope you're not expecting news in the following month! Joking, I know that I've still have to write about my trip to Manchester...
OK, movie time! But first a cup of tea...

Prin Albion: Stratford-upon-Avon

2010-02-28T22:49:00.007Z

La inceputul lui februarie ne-am hotarat, rezidenti ai 131 Humber Avenue & fanii nostri, sa calatorim un pic impreuna, iar ziua de nastere a Fionei (una dintre colegele mele de casa din Franta) a fost un alibi perfect pt a ne tine de cuvant.
Ne-am strans o mana (sau 2) de oameni si sambata dimineata, pe 6 ale lunii, am plecat spre oraselul lui Shakespeare, sa bem un ceai la el acasa. Eu am luat si un mic bagaj, pe care l-am lasat la statia centrala de autobuze/autocare din Coventry, caci urma sa ma intorc aici, sa il ridic si sa ma indrept spre gara (in aproximativ o ora). Destinatia mea finala a fost Manchester, unde Ana, prietena mea franceza pe care am cunoscut-o in Berlin face practica, iar Tamara, madrilena, a venit special in Anglia sa ne viziteze :)

Pentru ca nu sunt intamplari de povestit, o sa las (MULTELE!) pozele sa vorbeasca:

Pe acest loc a existat casa pe care Shakespeare a cumparat-o in 1597 si
in care a murit in 1616. Resedinta a fost demolata de catre autoritati in 1759.

Iata Casa Memoriala a lui Shakespeare (locul de nastere). Am refuzat sa intram, pentru ca biletul costa 11,5 lire! Fara vreo reducere pentru studenti. Jaf la drumul mare, categoric!

Oraselul este foarte bine prezervat si extrem de cochet, dar ceva lipseste cu desavarsire: barurile!

t

Mormantul lui W. Shakespeare

Jos cortina!

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Around The Albion: Stratford-upon-Avon

At the beginning of February we (the 131 Humber Avenue residents & our fans) decided to travel a bit together and Fiona's B-Day (one of my French housemates) was the perfect alibi to keep our promise.
So we gathered almost a dozen of people and on Saturday morning, the 6th, we were of to Shakespeare's town, to have a cup of tea in his place. I took a small luggage and I left it in Pool Meadow Bus Station, because I was supposed to come back here, pick it up and go straight to the Railway Station (in approximately one hour). My final destination that day was Manchester, where Ana, my French friend that I've met in Berlin, is doing an internship, and Tamara, la Madrilenia, came to England to visit us :)

Stratford-upon-Avon is a well-preserved place and extremely coquette, but it definitely lack proper pubs. We haven't actually visited the Shakespeare Centre and his birthplace, because it the entrance fee is 11,5 GBP (and no student discount)! Total rip-off! Instead we decided to visit the Cathedral where he has been buried and the surrounding areas.

There ain't much more to tell, so I'll let the (MANY!) photos do the talking.

Curtains down!

Recapitulare III: Inapoi in Albion

2010-02-12T17:05:00.005Z

Spuneam ca la intoarcerea in Anglia am avut parte de multa zapada, drumuri blocate (din fericire, asta nu m-a afectat) si lume panicata. Din pacate, colegii mei de casa nu sosisera inca, asa ca nu ne-am batut cu zapada si nici nu am facut vreun omulet. Dar noii nostri vecini au fost suficient de draguti incat au aruncat cu bulgari in fereastra mea si geamul de la baie. A fost amuzant la inceput, apoi era chiar enervant, caci zapada era cam inghetata si ma asteptam chiar la un geam spart. N-a fost sa fie...

Mai ziceam ca am avut multe lucrari de scris in perioada imediat urmatoare revenirii pe insula. Asa ca intr-o luna am scris aproximativ 10 000 de cuvinte, pentru 3 module. Cam tot atatea cuvinte (15 000) voi avea de scris pentru dizertatie, pana in septembrie, asa ca nu mi s-a parut prea echilibrat. Cumva tot am dus-o la capat, iar unele rezultate chiar au inceput sa soseasca si nu sunt deloc rele...

Trebuia sa ajung si la Londra, sa ma intalnesc cu Adriana si prietenul ei, Luci, dar a trebuit sa anulez toata calatoria tocmai din cauza unei lucrari pe care urma sa o predau si pe care nu am reusit sa o termin mai devreme. Dar, asa cum era stabilit, ei au venit si in Coventry:

Din punct de vedere al vizitelor primite, pot spune ca, pana acum, a fost o perioada prielnica. Cu toate astea, nu pot sa inteleg de ce nu m-a vizitat nimeni (familia nu se pune, da?) in Berlin, unde chiar sunt muuulte lucruri de vazut si nu termini turul orasului intr-o zi. O sa pun totul pe seama accesibilitatii limbii (desi, personal, nu as evita sa merg in Islanda doar pt ca nu vorbesc islandeza)...

Deoarece nu sunt un blogger serios (maxim part-time, mi-am dat seama de asta de curand) si nu scriu foarte des aici, realizez ca sunt multe lucruri pe care le-am facut intre timp: am aplicat pentru permisul de munca (l-am si obtinut chiar, in 3 saptamani!!!), m-am inscris la cursurile de germana, la incepatori (nu stiam exact ce inseamna asta) si m-am plictisit enorm pe prima lectie, am inceput un nou semestru, m-am ocupat de viitorul meu de dupa finalizarea masterului (va voi spune despre ce e vorba cand voi avea certitudini), m-am inscris la sala (da, ati citit bine!), am cunoscut lume noua in orasul asta mic, m-am reintalnit cu Ana si Tamara, prietenele mele pe care le stiu inca din Berlin, am vizitat locul in care s-a nascut si a murit Shakespeare (dar despre vizitele astea doua va voi povesti in cate o postare dedicata)...In final, au fost cateva chestii notabile, deci viata mea aici nu e atat de plictisitoare pe cat mi se pare mie. Acum caut un loc de munca, daca tot am suficient timp liber (scazand timpul acordat facultatii).

In rest, totul e in regula aici, scoala nu merge ca nu are picioare, vremea e foarte nasoala (e mai frig acum decat in decembrie si cateodata chiar ninge), casa inca mai e intreaga, desi nu foarte curata (o sa iau atitutdine, caci s-a terminat smecheria!), iar viata mea sociala este pe drumul cel bun...Sunt in schema!

Asadar, toate bune in Albion!
Aveti legatura!

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Recap III: Back in the Albion

I was saying that when I returned to England there was loads of snow and road blocks (lucky I haven't been affected by this) and many panicked persons. Unfortunately, my housemates weren't here yet so we had no snow fight or snowman. But our new neighbours were kind enough to throw snowballs into my window and it was pretty funny at the beginning, but later it has become quite annoying, since the snow was frozen and i was afraid that they might brake the window. It wasn't the case...

I was also stating that I had loads of assignments so within a month I wrote approximately 10 000 words, for 3 modules. I should be writing almost the same amount (15 000 words) fro my dissertation, until September, so I don't find it too fair. However, I managed to pull it through and I even got some results, which aren't bad at all.

Meanwhile, I was supposed to get to London, to meet Adriana and her boyfriend, Luci, but I had to cancel my trip because I had to turn in a paper and I didn't manage to finish it earlier. But, as we decided in advance, they came to Coventry so we had the chance to spend some time together.

Taking into considerations all the visits that I've received by now, I can say that it has been a favourable period. Although I can't understand why nobody (my family doesn't count, OK?) visited me in Berlin, where there are sooooo many things to see and you can't finish the city tour within a day. I shall put this on the accessibility of the language (though I wouldn't hesitate to go to Iceland just because I don't speak Icelandic)...

Since I'm not a serious blogger (maximum part-time, I saw this recently) and I don't write to often, I came to realise that there are many things that I have done in the last period: I applied for the working permit (and I actually got it, within 3 weeks!!), I registered for the German classes, beginners' level (because I didn't quite know what that means) and I got really bored during the first lecture, I started a new semester, I took care of my future after I graduate (I'll tell you all about this after everything will be certain), I enrolled for the gym (yes, that's true!), I've met new people in this small city, I reunited with Ana and Tamara, my friends that I've met in Berlin, I visited the birth and death place of Shakespeare (I'll fill you in with more details about these visits in dedicated posts)...In the end, there have been some interesting things that I've done, so my life here is not as dull as it seems. Now I'm looking for a job (any offers, please? :D), since I have enough spare time (apart from the time grated to the Uni).

Other than that, everything is fine here, although the weather sucks big time (it's colder now than in December and we get snow showers from time to time), the house is still one piece, not that clean (but I'm going to take a stand, no more games!) and my social life is on the right path.

Therefore, all is good in the Albion!
Back to you now!