“Au revoir Madame”

“Au revoir Madame”, said one small girl to me once. My feeling at this moment ? Very very bad. I felt like being a 46-year-old woman with four children, one husband, one house and a stable job. But, I’m only 22 years old, working as a volunteer for 11 months and not sure about I want to do next year … For sure, I’m not a Madame. Furthermore, to hear it in my own language, it was much scarier! It was also frustrating that I was not able to tell her, please don’t call me like that. Because, she was proud of herself, because she said French words and she wanted to be nice to me.

Furthermore, when I worked in the kindergarten, children were used to call me “domnișoară”, translated by Miss in English or Mademoiselle in French. It was also strange for me. I didn’t have the feeling to be a 46-year-old woman but a 36-year-old woman. Still too much for me !

It’s also in these circumstances that you feel becoming an adult and not only being a child or a daughter.. You are, even if you don’t want, a role model for all of these small people. They look at you, analyze you, make their own opinions about you. Some of them say to themselves I want to be like her or for sure I don’t want. When I was a child and I acted the same. I was like “oh, she is nice”, “oh, he is smart” and wanted to be a bit like them somehow.

With these children, as volunteers, we will influence them a bit in the same way. Even if right now, when I’m working with them, I don’t see any real influence. I won’t see. I only saw their beautiful smiles, when I interact with them. Thus, they saw you as adult, even if you consider yourself more like being part of the young people.

But it’s not only with them, that I have the feeling to more adult than I am. Actually, with everybody !!!! I’m feel like being 30 years old, when people call me simply Mallaury. I still don’t know, why people call me or try to pronounce my name. Because when someone asks me “What is your name?” and answer Mallaury. They just ask me to say it again but it’s not relevant. I think until now, the only people ,who can pronounce my name in the right way, are actually the French.

The best is to call me Mallau. Definitely! I have to make you a confidence. I switch my facebook name from Mallaury to Mallau. Because I persuaded myself, if someone reads it every day, he will start calling me like that. But well, just in my sweet dreams.

It’s also funny, because when I was 10 years old. It was prohibited to call me Mallau ! Because it was too childish for me at this time. But now, Mallaury is too much adult for me!

As I don’t want to be a 46-year-old woman, neither a 36-year-old woman, nor a 30-year-old woman. So please, call me Mallau. Just don’t write it. Because, between us, I know you are sometimes wondering if the ending is ri, rie or ry ;).

Nu vorbesc româneşte.

 

“Nu vorbesc româneşte.”. Certainly, the Romanian sentence that I use the most in Romania. I may fall in love with Romania, Bucharest and Romanians. But I have still some frictions with the Romanian language.

First of all, Limba română for Romanians or daco-romanian for the linguistics is a romance language. It’s the only country in the Balkans, where you can find people speaking a language inherited by the Latin. It has as background romance and Slavic languages. I learned Latin, Italian and Russian at school, my native language is French and I can tell you that it doesn’t help at all !!! In Moldova, Romanian is also the national language. For a part of the population, they don’t speak Romanian but Moldavian. It’s also a way for them to show their identities. In France, usually we say that in Moldova people speak Moldavian and in Romania Romanian. I should add that before coming there, I didn’t know that it was the same language (to be honest I had no idea about where Moldova was, for me it was just somewhere after the European Union and between Russian …).

Let’s close this short cultural moment and come back to my complicated relationship with the Romanian Language. 6 months I’m there, I have still the same level that I had 4 months ago. So frustrating ! I’m able to read quite easy texts. Yes, I can do it (at least) ! But it’s basically the only thing that I can really do … Speaking ? Well, my vocabulary is the same since months and still quite limited. They also rolled the R. Why ? The french R is the best! Oral comprehension? I am too slow to understand people speaking too fast. Writing ? I just can’t. Romanian is so random. Random grammar rules. Some words can have up to 3 i ! What’s the point honestly?! No rules for the plural. Also rules that I never experimented in any other languages! For example, articles at the end of the word.

At least I can still order in a bar, ask for the direction, say the basic greetings. “I can” is maybe still too much! In a bar or a restaurant, it’s still quite tricky because when you ask for something to order and then the waiter ask with or without vegetables in Romanian. I’m like “what did you say?” with my two big opened eyes. So they switched to a language that I understand English. (That is also strange, now I love English because we can admit that it saves my social life. But before coming there I never really enjoyed to speak English !) Sometimes, I’m in the metro and some people come to me and ask me something. I’m again with my big eyes and say “Nu am înțeles”. It is not for sure the appropriate sentence to say because after, it’s them who look at you with the big eyes ! Well, it was surely something easy and not complicated … So, it’s better to say Nu vorbesc româneşte. Much safer !!

Otherwise, I think where I experiment the most the barrier language is with the children. They want to tell you things, but you don’t understand. It’s frustrating for you but also for them. But it’s also when I’m with them that I have actually the feeling to speak a bit. Because they begin to tell you “Oh, but you speak Romanian”. You can’t tell them that you don’t speak, because well they will think you are a bit crazy. For them, if you can say “Facem un cerc”, it’s already a lot !. So you switch from “Nu vorbesc româneşte” to “Vorbesc româneşte un mic”. The children are just so happy and laughing at you, because they are like “Oh my god, she can say it !”. Even if you say only “mic” or “mare”. Sometimes you may want to say something and you say something else, that has no sense with your current discussion . One other funny moment, it’s when they want you to repeat after them. You are like, ok I’m not sure if I can, because you don’t really know what it actually means! These children know that!

Other funny moment with them, it’s when they try to speak with you in English or in your mother tongue (French for me). Sometimes, you understand pretty well, you answer them “Foarte bine, foarte bine!” Or the other time, you are wondering about what the child is actually trying to tell you. Occasionally, you are wondering, if actually you really want to understand! .

I hope that at the end of my EVS, so in 5 months, I will be able to improve my Romanian and even to say to adults “Vorbesc româneşte un mic” and not only to Kids.

ROCKY CONTEST: Romanian mountains VS Bulgarian Mountains

Ania and I went for a week-end to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. We didn’t have so much time to discover for the city, because on Sunday, we went to Bov next to the Svoge Mountains. Approximatively, one hour by train from the city and the ticket train costs around 3 leva (1,5€) for one way. 3 worthful leva. It’s a part of the Carpathian Mountains, the same as the Bucegi Mountains. Let’s do today a Rocky Contest between the two of them.

ESTHETIC

Even if it belongs to the same mountain chains, esthetically the Bucegi Mountains are much harder, look stronger, whereas the one next to Bov are much softer, more colorful. Yet, I have to say, that the panorama of the Bucegi Mountains are much more impressive. Bucegi 1 – Svoge 1

in the Svoge mountains

WATERFALL

In Bucegi and in the Svoge Mountains, there are waterfalls. Well, let’s say than the Bulgarian waterfall is just awesome and the Romanian one has the merit to exist. Bucegi 1 – Svoge 2

Waterfall in Busteni

Waterfall in Svoge

JEBANE SCHODY

In the part of the Bucegi Mountains that I visited, there is no Jebane Schody. There were these ones in Rasnov, but it doesn’t count, because it was artificial ones,built for facilitating the tourists to go the Citadel. (Minus 1 point ?). As you know, a trip without Jebane Schody is not a proper one ! Jebane Schody is the only reason why usually you are enjoying an excursion. But hopefully, in the Bulgarian Mountains, there were a lot ! Good ones, that is to say slippery, broken, difficult ones. A paradise for me as you know. Bucegi 1 – Svoge 3

SIGHTSEEING

I will just speak about what I saw. In the Bucegi Mountains, I saw citadels, a sphinx, a waterfall, a flag of Romania, monasteries, awesome views. And in the Bulgarian ones, I admired a waterfall, a lot of jebane schody, a nice river, an exceptional view, astonishing green rocks and an old car’s door. Bucegi 2 – Svoge 4

View from the Bucegi Mountains

View from the Svoge Montains

ENVIRONMENT

The first things that I saw arriving in the Bulgarian Mountains were the ground, indeed there was no waste on, maybe one or two packings but like everywhere. I was quite nicely surprised, because in the Bucegi mountains, it’s possible to ask yourself if the ground is not a new trend of dustbins. As I already wrote in this blog, it’s a real pity that Romanians don’t respect more the nature. Because, Mountains, rivers, forests will be much more enjoyable.  Furthermore, this area is a natural park. And I think when you give this kind of name to part of your country, you have to respect it. Bucegi 2-Svoge 5

As you saw, the Bulgarian Mountains won this Rocky contest. It was quite an unfair contest. As awesome as the Romanian ones, there are polluted. Maybe if there is no all these trashes everywhere, I wouldn’t have been so much surprised by the Bulgarian mountains. Because, I should say that the both mountains are worthful to visit. With one, you can enjoy by opening your two eyes, but for the other one, by closing one.

Photo took in the Svoge mountains by Ania 🙂

Recurrent questions. Same answers.

“Why did you decide for doing an EVS?”, that the recurrent question that we heard when for the first time, we met someone here. I have to say that it’s a good and difficult one. Before coming here, it was quite clear for me. First: Because I want Second: Why not ? Third: Because I want to do a break between my Bachelor and my Master. Forth: I want to develop myself and my soft skills. Fifth: Because I want to help. But now, it’s still clear but new questions appear. Are these reasons legitimate, selfish or wrong ? I don’t know and I think I will never know. Because it depends on my mood. Sometimes, it is “I was right” or “I was wrong”. But at the end, I just know that I don’t or won’t regret the choice to come here. If I wouldn’t have come, I would have regretted it for sure. Furthermore, my two last reasons were also a part of my expectations. I think that I achieved them. Even if I’m not totally satisfied with that yet, I still have five months and half. Knowing my character, I know that I will always want more.

But there are more reasons of why doing an EVS is so great. Here are some of them that I experienced and benefited:

1. You meet awesome people from different countries, with different personalities. But we have at least all of us something in common and it’s being a volunteer. Isn’t it awesome? Some of them will become so important for you.
2. You can travel in the country that you are living but also around it
3. You learn new languages. I’m trying to learn Romanian but also Polish. I enjoy telling tongue-twisters in Polish.
4. You improve your English skills. You get confidence in speaking.
5. You develop yourself and develop your soft skills in different ways.
6. You receive so many smiles from people, children that you work with. Even if sometimes, you are not satisfied with what you did.
7. You are doing human-size board games. Come one, it’s just awesome.
8. You discover new interests as Human Rights or Gipsy musics.
9. You dare to do things, that maybe before you wouldn’t have.
10. You will experiment a surprising path, with a lot of obstacles but always with the smile.

That’s what I get during these first months. I feel thankful for that. But I think it doesn’t depend only on doing an EVS but also on your willingness to experiment it. Because it’s your EVS, your adventure. You can share it with others but at the end you are the main character of your life.

After the second most recurrent question is “Why Romania?”. But for this one, I don’t have any answer. I don’t have any answer that can satisfy people. When I did my researches, I just know that I didn’t want to do my EVS in a country next to the French border and quite far away of France. I wanted to do it in a Central or East European country. So I choose much more the project in itself that the country. But I don’t regret this choice and I invite you to read my last article about it. Te iubesc Romana.

Obviously, the other recurrent questions are “Where do you come from ?”. “What are you doing there ?”. But my favorite one “How did you meet?” ❤

Te iubesc România!

I’m there since October and I felt in love with Bucharest and Romania. At the beginning, I was more like “Oh God What I’m doing there?”, “Why did I choose Romania to do my EVS?”. There were too much things that I didn’t like and still don’t like as the corruption, the no-respect for the nature, some cultural aspects of the personality and so on. But well, time passes and I learnt to cope with, to try to understand why Romania is like that. During these months, I also saw other sides of Romania and its inhabitants, that I want to share with you:

1. The Romanians have always a smile for you when you ask them for the direction and some information or in every situations (not like in France).
2. I always have the feeling to be welcome there and to be appreciated for what I am really.
3. I like Bucharest and its eclectic architecture. You can see old buildings just next to modern one, sometimes old building are mixed with a modern one. Bucharest just breaks all the theory about how a city is built.
4. Romanian mountains are just awesome. I only saw the Bucegi Mountains but the landscape that they offer us are just amazing and wordless.
5. I think that Romanian people are the only ones can come to you in the metro when you are in a very sad mood and tell you “Don’t cry” with a huge and communicative smile.
6. You can go to some gypsy concerts and having fun there.
7. Romanians like traditions and celebrate them with enthoutiasm. I don’t like Christmas but I think it was the first time since a moment that I really enjoyed this period. Or during the 1rst of March, they celebrate the celebration of Spring, where women receive small gifts with red and white threads.
8. Romania is in the Balkans closed to awesome countries with awesome people like Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina …
9. When you are walking in the street, you are just in the mood “time to reflect” and you don’t pay so much attention on what comes around you. By inadvertence, you go into someone. This person instead of telling you be careful, just tell you it brings “noroc” (luck).
10. When you are waiting in the metro for a friend, you can meet an old Romanian man telling you a French poem “La Seine” of Jacques Prévert, that you learnt in the primary school but you are unable to remember one sentence of it.

I wrote 10 reasons but I’m quite sure there are some other reasons that I forget or I will find out. Because Romania is always continuously surprising me.

Furthermore, since I began my studies I lived in different places, like Angers, Wernigerode or Charleroi. But that’s the first time that I feel like being home. Maybe it’s the EVS effect, yet I believe that it’s only one factor, one reason.

Through this article, I don’t want to say that Romania is perfect. Far from there, there are a lot of things that I’m still recalcitrant with. As I wrote before corruption, their ways of dealing with the environment, but also among others the omnipresent of the Orthodox Church.

Te iubesc România!

P.S. : I’d like to add something about clichés about Romania but I didn’t know how to introduce it in my article. So I will add a small P.S. . Before coming there or even when I came back from Bucharest to my hometown for the Christmas Break. I heard a lot of wrong and hurting comments about Roma community or Romanian people. People didn’t really understand why I decided to come to Romania to do my EVS there, why I decided to move there for nearly one year. I heard sentences like “Tell them that in France there is no work there”, “If you want to see some gipsies, you don’t have to go so far away” or “Did you come back by chariot? “. I just want to invite you to come there and to discover this country and its people. And not only for visiting, because the only comments that you are going to say are “it’s cheap” or “internet is pretty fast”. Romania is much more than these stupid, non-sense, wrong clichés like France is much than Baguette, Fromage and Vin. You will always feel welcome and important there, whereas in France we’ll just ignore, look down on them, and asking ourselves why there are there. Maybe next time, we will meet us, you will ask me how awesome Romania is and not how strange it is or which stupid idea you had to come there. My P.S. is finished.

Polish, German and French guys met Istanbul

On the 26th of November, we took a bus from Bucharest to go to Istanbul. We were  nearly to miss it, because we should have been at the Bus station 15 minutes before leaving. But we had some difficulties to find the place. We get the bus at 16:59, so 1 minute before the official hour of the departure.

Our trip began ! Our first stop was in Bulgaria. We saw that the homeless dogs were also a problem there and not only in Romania.

Istanbul, a city “stuck” between two continents Europa and Asia, is AWESOME. We arrived at 5am on Friday, so we decided to explore the city. Our city-trip began with the discovery of the European side of this city of about 14 millions of inhabitants, twice more than Bulgaria, 4 million more than Portugal or Greece. We met our first friends, homeless dogs. (But contrary to Romania, the City identified them). They followed us during our first steps in the Old Town. There, we enjoyed the contrast between the night and the illuminated buildings, the sound of the first prayer of the day and the cats.