{"id":2172,"date":"2019-02-16T18:36:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T16:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2019-02-21T21:34:19","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T19:34:19","slug":"romania-expectations-vs-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/2019\/02\/16\/romania-expectations-vs-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Romania: Expectations vs. Reality | Rom\u00e2nia: A\u0219tept\u0103ri vs. Realitate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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[EN] Before moving to Romanian countryside my knowledge of this country, its culture, cities, people, history and tradition were very limited. Of course, I could locate Romania on a map, name a capital city, and recall a few facts from high school history textbook about the disreputable period of Ceausescu’s regime but the picture in my mind was very vague and blurry. If I were asked to describe a typical Romanian city, I’d think of grey, socialist buildings, and if I were asked to describe a typical Romanian village, I wouldn’t have expected it to look any different then a village in my own country, Croatia. I would think of rows of small houses surrounded by big backyards with gardens organized around a village square in a labyrinth of small but neat streets. I most certainly wouldn’t think of horse carriages, of roads full of potholes, packs of stray dogs and houses without central heating and radiators.<\/p>\n

Among all the information I received about my new environment the fact that my new home will be in a very rural area was particularly emphasized but reading a list of instructions in an email and experiencing something first hand are two completely incomparable things. To specify, I was told that I would live in a traditional mountain house, that I would have to chop wood, make a fire in a stove, and I was warned that for the most of my stay here it will be very cold. Being the person who always bragged about excellent tolerance for low temperatures, soon after my arrival I was to discover that meaning of the word winter in Romania and in Croatia is not quite the same. But underestimating the power and cruelty of the weather conditions can be very educational experience. Once a person discovers importance of the extra layers of clothes the doors to the world of the magic of winter are unlocked. One can enjoy walks with a dog in the snow, view of the fairy tale like mountains, and seeing the dance of your own breath evaporating on a cold, winter morning.<\/p>\n

And after spending sometime enjoying the outdoor activities in the fresh air there is nothing better then to sit next to the warm stove with the cup of warm tea. That is to say, once you have made a good fire, relaxation time can begin. For people from this area the process of making a fire is everyday activity but for me it was a novelty and a source of frustration. Having seen big traditional stoves only in films, I thought that making a fire is a three minute job. When I tried it for the first time, it took me an hour and a half, only to see it completely burn out in fifteen minutes. I was very surprised, to say the least, but with the guidance of kind and patient housemates and coordinators, (This is me publicly thanking you for not letting me freeze to death!), I learnt how to arrange wood in right way, how to choose a proper size and sort of the wood,\u00a0 when to use pine tree branches and when the ones from the beech. After learning all the technical stuff, I could finally appreciate the warmth and the soothing sound of cracking of the burning wood.<\/p>\n

Living in Schiulesti made me understand better the importance of patience, of flexibility, and, (I’m writing this at risk of sounding corny), of all the little wonderful little things in life that sometimes go unnoticed. Moreover, I’m starting to see the difference between being a traveler and being a tourist, how the latter makes a see things on a very superficial level and the former makes us truly understand our surrounding and, in the end, ourselves.<\/p>\n

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[RO] \u00cenainte de a m\u0103 muta la \u021bar\u0103 \u00een Rom\u00e2nia cuno\u0219tin\u021bele.mele despre aceast\u0103 \u021bar\u0103, cultura ei, ora\u0219ele, oamenii, istoria \u0219i tradi\u021biile ei \u00eemi erau foarte limitate.\u00a0 Desigur, puteam localiza Rom\u00e2nia pe o hart\u0103, numi capitala, \u0219i reaminti c\u00e2teva chestiuni din manualul de istorie din liceu despre discreditata perioad\u0103 a regimului lui Ceau\u0219escu, dar imaginea din capul meu era foarte vag\u0103 \u0219i blurat\u0103. Dac\u0103 eram pus\u0103 s\u0103 descriu un ora\u0219 tipic rom\u00e2nesc, m-a\u0219 fi g\u00e2ndit la cl\u0103diri gri, socialiste, iar dac\u0103 mi se cerea s\u0103 descriu un sat tipic rom\u00e2nesc, nu m-a\u0219 fi a\u0219teptat s\u0103 arate diferit fa\u021b\u0103 de un sat din propria mea \u021bar\u0103, Croa\u021bia. M-a\u0219 g\u00e2ndi la r\u00e2nduri de case mici \u00eenconjurate de cur\u021bi mari cu gr\u0103dini organizate \u00een jurul unui centru al satului \u00eentr-un labirint de str\u0103zi mici dar \u00eengrijite. Cu siguran\u021b\u0103 nu m-a\u0219 g\u00e2ndi la c\u0103ru\u021be cu cai, la drumuri pline de gropi, haite de c\u00e2ini vagabonzi \u0219i case f\u0103r\u0103 \u00eenc\u0103lzire central\u0103 \u0219i radiatoare.<\/p>\n

Printre toat\u0103 informa\u021bia pe care am primit-o despre noul meu mediu, faptul c\u0103 noua mea cas\u0103 va fi \u00eentr-o zon\u0103 foarte rural\u0103 a fost foarte pus \u00een eviden\u021b\u0103, dar s\u0103 cite\u0219ti o list\u0103 de instruc\u021biuni \u00eentr-un e-mail \u0219i s\u0103\u00a0 experimentezi ceva pe pielea ta sunt dou\u0103 lucruri total incomparabile. Ca s\u0103 exemplific,\u00a0 mi s-a spus c\u0103 voi locui \u00eentr-o cas\u0103 de munte tradi\u021bional\u0103, c\u0103 va trebui s\u0103 sparg lemne, s\u0103 fac foc \u00eentr-o sob\u0103, \u0219i am fost avertizat\u0103 c\u0103 pentru mare parte din \u0219ederea mea va fi foarte frig. Fiind persoana care mereu se laud\u0103 de despre toleran\u021ba excelent\u0103 c\u00e2nd vine vorba de temperaturi sc\u0103zute, cur\u00e2nd dup\u0103 venirea mea am descoperit c\u0103 defini\u021bia cuv\u00e2ntului iarn\u0103 \u00een Rom\u00e2nia \u0219i \u00een Croa\u021bia\u00a0 nu e chiar aceea\u0219i. Dar subestimarea puterii \u0219i cruzimii condi\u021biilor vremii poate fi o experien\u021b\u0103 foarte educativ\u0103. Odat\u0103 ce o persoan\u0103 descoper\u0103 importan\u021ba straturilor \u00een plus de haine, u\u0219ile de la lumea magic\u0103 ale iernii sunt descuiate. Te po\u021bi bucura de plimb\u0103ri cu c\u00e2inele \u00een z\u0103pad\u0103, de priveli\u0219tea ca \u00een pove\u0219ti a mun\u021bilor, \u0219i de a vedea dansul propriei respira\u021bii evapor\u00e2ndu-se \u00eentr-o diminea\u021b\u0103 rece de iarn\u0103.<\/p>\n

\u0218i dup\u0103 ce petreci ni\u0219te timp bucur\u00e2ndu-te de activit\u0103\u021bile \u00een aer liber la aer curat nu e nimic mai bun dec\u00e2t s\u0103 stai l\u00e2ng\u0103 soba cald\u0103 cu o can\u0103 de ceai cald. Vreau s\u0103 zic, dup\u0103 ce ai f\u0103cut un foc bun, timpul de relaxare poate \u00eencepe. Pentru oamenii din zon\u0103 procesul de a face focul este o activitate de zi cu zi, dar pentru mine a fost ceva nou \u0219i o surs\u0103 de frustrare.\u00a0 Deoarece am v\u0103zut sobe tradi\u021bionale mari doar \u00een filme, am crezut c\u0103 s\u0103 faci un foc e o treab\u0103 de trei minute.\u00a0 C\u00e2nd am \u00eencercat-o pentru prima dat\u0103, mi-a luat o or\u0103 \u0219i jum\u0103tate, numai pentru a \u00eel vedea arz\u00e2nd de tot \u00een 15 minute. S\u0103 spun c\u0103 am fost surprins\u0103 e pu\u021bin spus, dar cu ajutorul\u00a0 bunilor \u0219i rabdatorilor mei colegi de locuin\u021b\u0103 \u0219i coordonatori (Asta sunt eu multumindu-v\u0103 public pentru c\u0103 nu m-a\u021bi l\u0103sat s\u0103 \u00eenghe\u021b de moarte!),\u00a0 am \u00eenv\u0103\u021bat cum s\u0103 aranjez lemn \u00een felul potrivit, cum s\u0103 aleg m\u0103rimea potrivit\u0103\u00a0 \u0219i s\u0103 sortez lemnul, c\u00e2nd s\u0103 folosesc crengi de brad \u0219i c\u00e2nd pe cele de fag. Dup\u0103 ce am \u00eenv\u0103\u021bat toate lucrurile tehnice, am putut \u00een sf\u00e2r\u0219it aprecia c\u0103ldura \u0219i sunetul lini\u0219titor pe care \u00eel scoate focul c\u00e2nd trosne\u0219te.<\/p>\n

S\u0103 tr\u0103iesc \u00een Schiulesti m-a f\u0103cut s\u0103 \u00een\u021beleg mai bine importan\u021b\u0103 r\u0103bd\u0103rii, a flexibilit\u0103\u021bii, \u0219i (scriu asta cu riscul de a suna siropoas\u0103), a tuturor lucrurilor micu\u021be \u0219i minunate din via\u021b\u0103 care uneori trec pe l\u00e2ng\u0103 noi neobservate. Mai mult de at\u00e2t, \u00eencep s\u0103 v\u0103d diferen\u021ba dintre a fi un c\u0103l\u0103tor \u0219i a fi un turist, cum a doua ne face s\u0103 vedem lucrurile la un nivel foarte superficial, \u00een timp ce prima ne face s\u0103 \u00een\u021belegem cu adev\u0103rat ceea ce ne \u00eenconjoar\u0103 \u0219i, \u00een final, pe noi \u00een\u0219ine.<\/p>\n

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Before moving to Romanian countryside my knowledge of this country, its culture, cities, people, history and tradition were very limited. Of course, I cou<\/span><\/div>\n
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