Intro Track
At 2:43 Greetings Xenophiles!
That was a song called For You, by Judie Tzuke in 1979. Why? No reason at all, apart form I love it and I love her.
It’s National Plum Pudding Day! Somewhere.
On this day in 1879 the first artificial ice rink opened in Madison Square Garden, New York.
In 1924 George Gershwin premiered Rhapsody in Blue. This… I still ldon’t know what a Rhapsody actually is.
In 1935 Robert Watson-Watt demonstrated how radar could be used to detect aircraft. They kept it secret, and when the Germans asked how the Brits could see the planes at night, the Brits invented the story about how if you eat lots of carrots you can see better in the dark.
On this day in 2012 Adele won a Grammy with this:
…and exactly 5 years later, on this day in 2017, she did it again with this:
And happy birthday to Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin – born on the same day 217 years ago.
This week, an episode in an occasional series – the Exit Interview, where we bring back an earlier guest to ask them why they are leaving us. Which means at least one of our guests has been here before.
Viki & Miki & Leia
1. How you met (where you were and what you were doing)
So, we technically knew each other for a while — we had mutual friends — but it wasn’t until the beginning of COVID that we really started spending time together. Like a lot of people during that time, we started talking more seriously about what we wanted from life.
And going abroad had always been something we wanted to experience. Romania wasn’t at the top of the list — in fact, it wasn’t on the list at all.
But Michi got a really interesting job offer, and during lockdown we came to visit Bucharest. It was quite eerie and so different to what we’re used to now.
19:18
2. How you decided to be here
It was a rather pragmatic decision. Michi had a really cool job opportunity and I was considering to change career, so it was pretty much a now or we’re-not -gonna-know-when-else decision. But to be honest it was also a bit scary;
I started a hybrid study, and knew I’d be looking for a new job in a new country in a new industry with zero social network.
19:33
3. What have you learned during your time here - how have your opinions of RO changed
Looking back, we came in with no real expectations — and honestly, no real clue. I still remember telling people we were moving to Romania, and most of them reacted with some version of: “Why Romania?” But the funny thing is — none of those people had ever been here.
What we found was beyond our expectations: People were incredibly open and welcoming. I had feared it would be hard to make friends as an adult — but I got lucky. Really lucky to have run into so many lovely people - honestly here shoutout to Crossfit ROA.
And Romania itself, stunning. Forests, mountains, coastline and the food. One learning tho, dont have mamaliga with branza and sausages in summer. Classic restaurant menus don’t do justice to Romanian summer cuisine.
But then again I think I was also very look to have run into so many lovely people.
Also — one of the most unexpected gifts of our time here was finding our dog Leia. She was an abandoned puppy we took in, and she’s now the baby.
I’ve been working for a shelter at the beginning of my time in Bucharest and it opened my eyes to the street dog situation here — which is something that will for sure always stay with me. I won’t go into the details, but I think anyone who lives here eventually understands that there’s a bigger challenge behind the dogs you see in the street.
What gives me hope, though, is seeing how many amazing people are working to change it. If anyone listening is curious or wants to help, I really encourage you to check out the work of Kola Kariola, Red Panda Romania, SOS Dogs Romania, and all the other NGOs, vets, and volunteers who are doing the both physically and emotionally hard work.
19:47
4. What’s next. Where and why…
Our next chapter brings us to Budapest. It’s bittersweet. We love Bucharest. But with a dog and family being far away, it feels like the right time to be closer to home. We’re excited, but it’s hard. The people we met, the friends that became part of our lives, the routines we built with them, thats gonna be the hardest to leave. But Bucharest will for sure stay our second home and one friend of us put it into perspective and said, well its not like you’re really far away. And of course we’re also getting married this year so there’s lots of change and something really exciting to look forward to.