miercuri, 27 octombrie 2010

13 Months Later...

As the title suggests, it's been 13 months since I last wrote in my on-line diary. It sure feels like a long time ago and of course that each and every single day that passed in the last 13 months held its own story, it's own little victory or defeat with the end result of building my character and making me a bit more responsible.

13 months later, I am still in Brussels, finishing what I came to do here in the first place. I will not hide the fact that it has been by far the toughest challenge that I ever faced in my entire life.

Life abroad is very harsh sometimes and I also discovered by myself that once you hit the road and get the taste of the extremely subjective term of "Western Europe", you are no longer the person you were back home. No more "preferential" treatments on behalf of my cosmetician, my dentist, my family doctor ... but rather a skeptical look on the faces of those with whom I came into contact.

Being a young Romanian girl, you are labeled from the start, most of the times with the idiotic comparison or association to the Roma people. Second of all, you are not credible to the eyes of the Westerners, and this can be rather detrimental if you are job hunting. Last but not least, if you are a Romanian girl studying in Brussels, expressions of astonishment such as "Ah, une roumaine blonde" - French for "Ah, a blonde Romanian girl" should not come as a surprise.

So here I am, 13 months later, trying to make ends meet while working in a restaurant so that I can pay my exorbitant rent and finish my Master's Thesis. Good thing is that I am not completely alone, and that my friends make the difference. Every "best-seller story" to be has to have some sort of a love story underneath.This best-seller is no exception from the rule.

13 months later, I am back in Targu-Mures to visit my family and friends for a few days. My stay will reach an end tomorrow, when I will be heading towards mein Schatz, who will eagerly wait to pick me up from the Schuman metro station at precisely 7:15 pm.

Why this obsession with the number 13? Because I was born on the 13th...there is something magical about this number every single time :)


Cheers to everyone! It's good to be back!