Iasi Photos

On Wednesday, my uncle and me went to the Iasi region. My mom went to university in this city.

We first visited the house of a lady painter. They have a huge wine yard.

 These are not wine grapes. They are just plain old delicious eating grapes. Super sweet and juicy.

They have a bunch of varieties. White and red too.

And then we went to an exposition of art done by painters who hadn't studied professionally to paint.

 These were the ones that impressed me the most. 

And these are all the artists. They got a catalog and a certificate. My uncle is the man with the white shirt in the middle.

I took a break from the festivities and went for a little walk around the art gallery. 

I stumbled upon this abandoned lot with two really pretty looking abandoned buildings. 

I wish I could have gone in to see, but the gate was locked and it was pretty high... too high to jump over.

Bucharest Photos

Here are some of the lovely photos I got from Bucharest with my cousin.

 In the first morning, Irina is preparing our breakfast.

 This is the view from her balcony. In the distance, you can see the big building that's now the 3rd largest in the world.

 The cars parked downstairs. There was a car there that sold used books. I stopped and looked, and decided to buy an old Romanian book with legends.

 BREAKFAST!! "Tochitura". Sausage, eggs, polenta and cheese. YUM!!!!

 The buttons of the old-style elevators.

 Delicious chocolate filled donuts. OMG!

 My personal pizza. We went for dinner on Saturday, before we went clubbing. 

 In the club where we went, they had a photographer, and after hearing I'm from Canada and here visiting my cousin, he took our photo and later came back with this magnet, and a shot of vodka for each. Fantastic guy!

 A walk in one of the many beautiful parks in Bucharest.

 BUMPER CARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SO MUCH FUN!!

They are waaaaay more forceful than what I remember.

 I kept getting hit and thrown around in those little cars.

My cousin Irina and her boyfriend Ionut.

She's a classy gal :P

Where to make it?

Well, it's become more and more apparent that I can't make a decision on where to buy some land and build up a home.

Canada: too cold and very expensive, but I speak the language, have lots of opportunities and would know how to start what I want.

Thailand: love the weather, it's cheap, lots of opportunities, but it's too far and I don't speak the language.

Romania: the land is cheap, I speak the language, I like the customs and food, it's easy enough to travel to and from, but I don't know how to start anything here and I don't think the general mentality is very open my idea of living.

Costa Rica: great weather, close to family and easy to travel to and from, but I only have theoretical knowledge about this place. I haven't been there yet and don't know what can be done.

So, until I go to Costa Rica and see it for myself, I still can't make a decision.

I think Thailand is definitely out of the picture.

Romania, I want to own some land here. I want to keep a part of it for myself.
And I might just do that...

It's a choice that I'm not ready to make yet, and I don't think I need to make it yet.

People all around here are living such a different life. Everyone is so practical, very smart when planning their future. But in a very different direction than me.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just running away from difficult decisions, or that I'm just trying to justify my shortcomings and not work harder.

But then I remember that I already have an idea of the life I want to live. And the process, just as much as the end result, is a journey I want to make in a certain way.

I know people try to tell me the things I need to do, the steps I need to achieve, or say that time is running out, or that I need to settle down... they are not saying it with bad intentions. But I also know that their reality is not my reality, and I fully believe that you can make your life and your existence exactly what and how you see it.

1st week in Romania

Well, I had an awesome time in Bucharest with my cousin... I wrote a blog about that earlier but Im just waiting to upload pics.

But, since Ive been in the north with my uncle and aunt, I can honestly say Ive been drunk pretty much every day.

I got here on Monday, and now its Saturday, and Ive been drunk pretty much every day. Every day, I have a shot to help me wake up, another to help with my appetite, another to help with my digestion, another just for fun, another to keep me warm, another to help me sleep. And there are a lot more when I go visit other people with my uncle and/or aunt. I love this conty and its generous and welcoming attitude. Thank you Romania for making me feel at home.

Ive enjoyed beeing here very much.

But...

I am trying very hard to keep in mind my own ways and aspirations.

Romania and its people are very practical, and live life simply. I cant do that. I dont follow the same life pattern. Im more confused and complicated and unsure.

Ive got some good ideas for here. I want to learn more traditional crafts, especially when it comes to the kitchen.

This weekend Im in Moldova with my uncle and aunt. Today we picked amazing tomatoes and tomorrow we will make toamoe juice. All healthy, organic, additive free. Im hoping Ill be able to get some seeds and when I go next year to my farming internship, Ill be able to plant some and do the same.

They have bees here too... which petrifies me. But I want to visit and check it out.

People here live a lot simpler lives. They all know the patterns of live, because they will do the same as as their parents and grandparents did before them, and how their friend and current family are doing now.

Go to school, find a partner, get married, have kids, take over the land your parents leave you, and take care of the grandkids... rinse and repeat.

Kind of nice, if thats what you want. But for me... well, I ended up in a similar place, but I would not have been happy with the limited experience and world view.

This country is beautiful, and the people are fantastic.

I wish I could stay here longer. Stay on a farm for a few months and learn some proper skills.

Thank you for the opportunities Romania!!!

(picture to come soon)

First Stop - Romania

Well, I've been in this country only 3 days and it's already been amazing.

I reconnected with my amazing cousin. I never had a close relationship to any of my few cousins. And it was just incredible.

I experienced the capital with young and lively people. I was part of it! It was fantastic!!!

After a couple of full days of excitement, I took the train up to my uncle and aunts house in the north of the country.

It's wonderful to be here. I'm so happy to be close to this part of the family again.

My time

Regardless of where I am in Canada, the majority of people here live to work.

I on the other hand am sitting at a restaurant drinking a cold beer and eating a delicious gluten free quesedia with guacamole and sour cream.

I'm living in the now, and looking to change my life to continue this way.

Work should be there to sustain your life, not to BE your life, with just some rest and shopping in between.

It's all possible.

It really is!

Struggles

Everyone has a label.

Accountant, working in IT, photographer, nurse, general labourer...

Everyone has a label.

I don't feel qualified for anything here. Which is wrong! I know it is.

Buy my self esteem and confidence is at an all time low.

I need to go on a farm for a few days and remind myself of what I want to fight for.

I think I need to re label myself from teacher to farmer.

And this time, I wholeheartedly want it, and must throw myself into that medium.

But being stuck in a city such as Toronto, not even downtown, but up in the suburbs, and on top of that I don't even have internet or a cell phone. It's driving me up the walls.

I feel so scattered and unfocused. I can't get organised and plan things properly.

Being back here is completely not like I expected it to be.

The food is not agreeing with me, and I find I've become very shy when dealing with people here.

This is a very lonely struggle. Noone here can quite relate to what I'm going through, nor do they have time to listen and help me work things out.

I miss my friends from Korea.

I miss being able to talk to Maya about how I'm processing things and to get some really interesting way of looking at a situation.

I miss talking to Logan and completely forgetting my worries.

I miss talking to Bernard and feeling his happy carefree vibes.

I miss talking to Liz and being able to say the things I feel without the fear of being judged.

I was so lucky to have had that experience in Korea.

I just have to remember my own ideas, stay focused and follow through.

I know what I want.

I must be strong and persistent.

My lifestyle is possible.

I've arrived

Finally, after a very long journey, I'm back.

It feels so normal, like nothing has changed.

Nothing has changed, everything is as it should be.

I am back in my parents house and I don't feel that dread I thought I'd feel when I was younger. That feeling and idea of never moving back in with my parents is gone.

I know this is temporary, and even if it were for a longer period of time, I'm not too worried about it.

Abby is such a sweetheart. She hid when my mom brought her home, but I managed to coax her out of hiding, and is now snuggled up to me on the bed. She's so much happier and relaxed now that I'm here too.

I hope tomorrow's other animal introduction will go well.

But I do miss something.
I miss the country sounds of...
The birds,
The dogs,
The frogs,
The cicadas.

Driving around

It's such a strange way to know your neighborhood.

You only know it from the distance as you quickly drive by in your car.

You then are naturally detached and unaffected by its destruction.

I already miss walking, even though I didn't do much walking when I was in Korea, I scooted around most of the time. But the idea of walking, the feel of the heat, the people you smile and say hello to, the dogs you try to avoid...

So many simple things.

Fancy

So I got to the Philippines.

I got an overpriced taxi to my hotel, but I came to terms with it quickly. I didn't want that to get me down.

My hotel was pretty nice. Basic, but clean and convenient.

The bed was FANTASTIC!

Queen sized bed, soft, big pillows, comfy blanket, crisp and white sheets.

l stretched out on it and I could feel all my cells sighing and relaxing.

I even called for room service. Fancy stuff.

In the morning I ordered a breakfast, and gave the guy exact change. He was surprised and looked at me kind of odd. And then I realised I'm not in Korea anymore, where you only pay for your purchase, and the service is included.

I don't like tipping.

I especially don't like expected tipping.

I'll tip if the service is exceptional.

Tipping culture is annoying.

I suppose I must get used to it.

Or at least figure out a way to make people work for their tip.