Farewell and thank you!

Footprint in the sand

I suppose I leave just a small footprint of my passing here, but I take something of this place with me. It has been such a wonderful experience to work and live in Romania this last few months. The people have left such a sweet impression with me and I am thankful to all those who made my stay here such a pleasant one. One day I will come back!

Warmth and culture

If we look at Lewis model of Culture we find that the UK is Linear Active whilst Romania is Multi Active. Personally this model doesn't really fit with me I am hardly even close to a Linear Active person. But if I look at some of the aspects of social life in Romania I can see very much the warmth of people, people are more open with their emotions and I have noticed people are more tactile with friends than we in the UK are. I was invited to eat at the house of one of my supervisors sister. It isn't the first time since I have been here that I have been given such warm hospitality. Romania is one of the friendliest places I have visited. I have seen passionate outbursts during my work in the hospitals however, I think you would find this in any emergency unit as the pressure is intense. Just look at this amazing home cooking, ah strangers have rarely fed me so well. I really can't help but love this country from what I have experienced of it.












https://www.crossculture.com/latest-news/the-lewis-model-dimensions-of-behaviour/

A short cultural reflection.

As part of this blog I am need to make a few cultural comparisons. Here I will use Hofstede for the first one, I will try to fit this with what I have experienced here. However anything I say is entirely open to debate.
One of the main differences according to this model of culture is power distance, the UK appearing to have less than in Romania. This can really be felt in the hospital environment where the Dr is very much in the position of authority over the nurses. In the UK this is still in place to some degree and I can say Finland less so as it feels more equal there.
Uncertainty avoidance is high  and indulgence low in comparison to the UK. When you think about this it makes sense, there have been many social and economic difficulties in recent Romanian history, many of the people I have met focus on the practical things such as owning their own house and raising children. In the UK well many of us can't afford a house, and it feels like we tend to focus more on short term gains and personal leasure.




https://geert-hofstede.com/romania.html

St Mina Orthodox church

St Mina Orthodox church. This church is made entirely out of wood and at first glance it appears to be quite old. However it is less than ten years. It is very striking and atmospheric something I haven't really seen the like of before. I felt very drawn to it.  Orthodox Christianity is the main religion here. Romania is one of the most religious countries of Europe, this can be seen in the many churches that can be seen in any city. For me this is perhaps the  closest I have come to culture shock, being from the UK which is nominally Christian, I have found it at times surprising how deeply religious people here appear to be. 

Poppies

Poppies by the black sea.

Constanta

The city of Constanta is a jewel on the edge of the black sea. I am so glad I had the chance to explore this beautiful place.

Where does it lead to?

Side streets like this speak to me of unlikely adventures and fantastical possibilities.... probably just leads to a shop selling seaside tat, but allow me to dream. Sometimes it's better not to explore, it keeps the imagination alive.

Art Nouveau Casino

 

The Constanta casino building is a beautiful crumbling  Art Nouveau building that is found as you walk along the coast. This building excites my imagination so much, I really wanted to go inside and explore but sadly entry is prohibited at the moment. 

Carol I Mosque

This is the Carol I Mosque. It was built in 1910, and is a quite famous landmark in Constanta. I didn't get to see inside as their is a fee to visit it, however it is quite a remarkable building. Unfortunately my picture doesn't quite do justice to its beauty.

Yummy doughnuts!

Did someone say doughnuts? I stopped by the interestingly named doughnut library and had me some vanilla and Oreo cookie doughnuts!!! *drooling*

A little view of paradise

A breathtaking place to rest and take a drink in Constanta. The sun shone brightly, the sand and the sea make this perfect for me.

Time stops for Communism

A classic communist era clock tower I saw on my adventure in Constanta. The clocks faces are frozen in time, it almost seems symbolic of the end of communism, the marks of which can still be seen across this beautiful country.

Traditional music

Buna dimineata! Here's a link to some traditional Romanian music to cheer your morning!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcnSPs2OWOY

Soon to travel

My placement time is coming to an end, so now I will go and explore Constanta with my fellow Erasmus student. So keep your eyes open, soon there will be pretty pics of the black sea and more adventures coming to this page. Until then take care and be well!

Dog walking in Romania

One of the things that makes me feel at home here is taking my housemates dog for a walk. My dad has always kept dogs and as a result walking a dog makes me feel very at home indeed. This chappy is called Oscar and he likes walks, pets and his special love pillow :)

Refreshing Romania

 

This is a pic of my favourite coffee shop here in Iasi. Just look at the amazing selection of coffees and teas!  Most drinks are between 1 and 2 euro... so cheap!!!

Doggo do you a protec

This lil beauty is bank of Transylvania doggo. I posted a pic earlier in this blog where she is sleeping outside said bank. My fellow Erasmus student and I were walking home after a night shift and this cutey came over and started walking in front of us borking and occasionally coming back for pets. It was like she was protecting us... so cute, this lovely doggo melted my heart! I made this meme for her.

A trip out.

We had a fun time visiting the local monastery, there is an amazing view from the top of the hill where you can see the whole city. There were cute stray cats and of course monks as well as some cool old buildings.

Not strong not stable

Not far from where I am staying is a small river. I made a video earlier in the blog that shows this. Across this bridge lies the open countryside and I would really like to walk across but upon taking a closer look you will find it is rusting and you can see the river flow beneath it..... so yeah i gave it a miss.