Only memory remains..

Good-bye to you, beautiful Belgium. Good-bye my Erasmus friends.

My first Easter without my family.

I know that in this special moment for Christians, it’s a family meeting, but this year I skip this meeting. We did our best to prepare a similar party.

London Called…So I Went!

My impressions from London

I absolutely love London! I love the public transportation, and the attitudes of this city. I like all the public gardens, parks and public areas. I had the feeling of diversity in this city, there’s a great mixture of people and cultures in London (in special polish people). There are people from all over the world in London, just there to explore the city’s beauty, art and history. It’s a great feeling! If i will have to chose i place where i would like to live and spend some time, London can be one of my favorite destination. But you have to take in account, that London is one of the most expensive places from the whole world.

What I did in London

The time was very short and London is not a place for couple for hours. I checked out the, Tower of London, Millennium Bridge, Big Ben, House of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Oxford Street and many, many of the streets, parks and lakes. And I really took my time to take photos for each location. When I got tired I took lunch with my girlfriend somewhere around to Oxford Street.

What I Liked Most

The thing that I like most about London is because it hasn’t just one attraction, but the general feeling and experience of the city makes London a great city to explore. Maybe for most of us, their English accent can be quite annoying from time to time, but I could listen English spoken as it really should be. And it’s beautiful to hear! We were like because we had a beautiful day, we were scared that it might rain. It was an awesome day!

I am sure that London is going to be one favorite memories.

Gelsenkirchen. Düsseldorf. Köln

In my trip in Germany I visited 3 big cities: Gelsenkirchen, Dusseldorf and Koln. In each city the weather wasn’t so friendly. We didn’t pay to much attention on this bad weather and we tried to enjoy every moment in each place.

Gelsenkirchen is looking for a new image.

In this place I came back to rest and sleep. I had the chance to stay to some friends of mine. In the past, Gelsenkirchen used to be known “city of a thousand fires” for the flames of mine gasses. It was the most important coal mining town in Europe. Today in Gelsenkirchen there are no mines any more and Gelsenkirchen is searching for a new image. There no many things to see in Gelsenkirchen, but it’s a very nice place to stay and live. Is has all the ingredients: clean, peacefull place, nice pubs and restaurants, etc.

Dusseldorf, the best place for shopping and tasting a beer.

Düsseldorf is a city where everything is close together: just near the well known shopping street, the „ Altstadt” the old quarter of the city, you can also find more than 260 pubs and home-brew taverns, a place witch is well known as “the longest bar in the world”.If you want to see a great view of the city, you can you in the top of the light house.

Köln – Dom is an important World Heritage Site.

It is one of the oldest cities in Germany. Köln is known as an important media centre. Several radio and television stations are based in the city. Köln is well-known for its beer, called Kolsch . Was it is incredible is that at the end of the Second War World, 90% of the city was complete destroyed. It took some time to rebuild the city, but I have to admit that I really admire what they have done with the city. It’s a complete new city. The most important place to visit, it’s of course, the famous Dom. Construction of the Gothic church began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete – a period of over six hundred years. This famous cathedral described by UNESCO as an “exceptional work of human creative genius”. This building is one of the most important World Heritage Site.

Back home from Germany

I just come back from Germany and even that I am tired and sleepy I don’t have sleep if I don’t share to you some short opinions about my trip in Germany. You will see that in all my opinions I coming back to my Belgium experience trying to find out some differences between Belgium and Germany. Maybe you will ask yourself, why I don’t compare my experience from Germany with Romania and why I prefer Belgium? I don’t have something with my country and believe me that I would like to write about Romania, but unfortunately, there is nothing to compare with Romania. Romania is not Germany and it won’t be.

You need just 6 hours from Kortijk to Gelsenkirchen. In Gelsenkirchen I met my Romanian friends, they are studying there and that’s way I had a place to stay over the night. Nowadays is very hard to meet people like them.

In the next post, I will tell you more about the places I visited, but for now some short and general thoughts about Germany:

Trains. If you are coming for the first time in Germany, you will be surprised how big there are the railways stations, how clean, fast and comfortable can be. I think that every station has at least 11 or 12 platforms. And of course, all the trains are coming in time. It’s incredible how discipline, organize, punctual can be these people. It’s hard to admit, but these words like “punctual”, “organize” and “discipline” doesn’t have any meaning for Romanian people.

English. I couldn’t find so many people speaking English like in Belgium. If you are going in a supermarket or you are in a tram and you lost your way, I’m afraid that you won’t find so many people who can give you a piece of advice in English.

Weather. The weather wasn’t so friendly with us. It’s still winter there. Most of the time, it was raining and from time to time it was snowing. That’s way we couldn’t do so many things and we preferred to run from a pub to another.

Music. I am not very good in music but in the place where I stayed I had the chance to listen some german songs. I don’t understand all the lyrics, but from my point of view is more noise than music.

Beers. You will be very surprised to see people drinking beer in the street or in the tram. It’s not forbidden to take your beer and drinking it outside. In America, Belgium or Romania this habit is punished. They don’t have so many kinds of beers like in Belgium but they drink as much beer like them. Their famous beer is Beck’s, but is not the best beer from Germany.

Girls. From all the young girls I’ve seen in Germany most of them have at least one “piercing”: in the nose, in the eyebrow or in the tongue. It must be very painful. For those who have “piercing” in the tongue, I’m wondering how they could eat a chocolate bar full of nuts. A girl with a piercing in the tongue told me that most of the boys are really happy when they kiss (french kiss) a girl with a piercing. Can be a reason, why not?

Prices. The prices are really good compared with the Belgium prices. I dare say that the prices are really close to Romanian prices. That’s one of the reasons to believe that they have a strong economy.

I’m going to sleep.

Good night, Germany!

The secret to true friendship is simply to first realize

Maybe I should have start this blog writing about friends. I’ve realized that you can have real friends much better with foreign people. I don’t know way, but from my previous experience I’ve seen that I can socialized much better with them. The language can be like a wall sometimes, but every time I convince myself finding reasons that this is not a problem.

Because I start to write about friends a have to mention 3 crazy guys: Bart (Poland), Aytac (Turkey) and Can (Turkey again). I mentioned only them because I spent most of my time with them and I had great moments with them. Every one is special in his own way, they have different sense of humor, different stories etc. It’s so nice when you find out that we have common words, common habits, same challenges, and same problems.

All students from all over the word are the same. They really know what it means to save money, to be with out any penny in your pocket, the same stories about parents, girls and parties.

Here is for you Bart, Aytac and Can. I salute you !!!

Cheers Brothers.

A trip in Paris and another few words…

Saturday I will have the chance to be in Paris, with all the Erasmus students from Katho University. The price wasn’t so expensive, only 25 Euro, and also including some tickets for the main museums. As far as I can see, they can be an institution of once word, they respect their promises.

I was thinking, maybe they don’t do something special for us; at least I don’t think that we have a different status from Belgium students. We receive every thing as a great effort from them, but in my point of view, this is the way how they do their job. No differences. They have a job, and they are trying to do their best. It’s very easy to notice all these changes, in special, if you are in a country like Belgium.

About Erasmus students, things are like this: everyone is trying to show me something. But it starts to be very uncomfortable for me. They should start to wear natural, but I think it will take some time.

See you around.

Spirite religioase lipsite de religie

Daca traiti in Bucuresti, cu siguranta nu ati trecut neobservat multimea de oameni din fata mitropoliei care se intinde pe sute de metri, pentru a se inchina la moastele Sf. Dumitru. Nu bag mana in foc, dar cred ca marea majoritate, nici nu stie cine a fost Sf. Dumitru..important e ca “a fost om bun”. O data pe an ne afisam cat de credinciosi suntem. Oare nu putem si in restul anului? Sau pur si simplu sa te inchini la o icoana a Sf. Dumitru? . Din punctul meu de vedere “a fi credincios” e prost inteles. Faptul ca nu ratezi nici o slujba nu inseamna ca esti mai credincios. Pentru mine a fi credincios inseamna sa te respecti pe tine, sa-ti iubesti familia, sa incerci sa fi mai bun, mai curat, mai civilizat, mai educat. Degeaba pupi toate icoanele, tii toate posturile, mergi la biserica…daca continui sa “prostesti” lumea, sa injuri si sa scuipi, sa continui sa deranjezi vecinii cu muzica in fiecare duminica, sa copiezi la examene, sa nu mai arunci tigarea pe jos etc. De fapt noi nu suntem un popor credincios, ci mai degraba unul superstitios. Asta o aflam si din romanul “Baltagul”, cand Vitoria pentru a afla soarta sotul ei plecat cu oile, se duce si la baba ca sa-i ghiceasca in farmece, dar mai mergea si la biserica. Pe scurt, cam asta e credinta inteleasca si acum.

Si ca sa fie tabloul complet, pe langa enoriasi, mai sunt si o gramda de tarabagii, care vand ciorapi, strampi..si baloane. Mai trece si o masina cu o muzica impresionant de tare pentru a-i mai dezmorti putin pe mii de credinciosi. La 2 statii mai jos de tranvai, se pregateste o nunta tiganeasca. Pregatirile sunt in toi: maneaua se aude inca aproape de mitropolie, o masa e intinsa in strada, iar o baba e prinsa in joc, dansand de una singura.

Tramvaiul 32 care trebuie sa ma duca la Unirii, se misca in “suturi”. Mirosul e de nedescris. Un tampit da drumul la celular la o manea. Si daca cobori, dai in strada cu nunta tiganilor.

Ce e mai rau, e ca nu poti traversa obscenitatea fara sa te contaminezi si tu..

Cu profesorii la interviu

Imi doresc profesori care sa-si propuna sa atinga anumite probleme, sa fie destul de matematici in expunerea problemei de curs, sa-si propuna sa rezolve ceva in fiecare curs.
Nu e de ajuns sa vii la catedra si sa incepi sa vorbesti in cuvinte mari. Nimic parca nu are un inceput si un sfarsit. Totul e o poveste, care s-ar putea intinde si pe anul 3 (noroc ca nu mai facem 4 ani). Fiecare curs e o continuare la cursul anterior. Nu intelegi care e problema care incearca sa o rezolve, cand trece la o alta problema, care sunt ideile de baza, care sunt fondatorii, ce merita de notat, ce merita de citit din curs si din alte carti legate de aceasi problema.
Faptul ca primim o lista de carti, nu inseamna mai nimic. Fiecare carte ar trebuie sa lamureasca o problema din curs..si nu pur si simplu “ca asa trebuie”. Ca doar nu citim romane politiste. Trebuie sa existe o ordine si aici.
Aveam profesori la liceu care stiau perfect ce aveau de facut pentru fiecare ora. Nimic nu era o intamplare, povesti, amintiri..nu ieseau de la clasa pana cand nu isi terminau ce aveau de spus. Totul avea o ordine, pentru ca profesorul avea o ordine in exprimare si in gandire.
Iar asta presupune sa inveti in continuare si sa-ti faci temele in ficare zi, nu doar noi, studentii.

Amintirile noastre se modifica odata cu noi, sau raman constante?

Intr-o zi de 9 septembrie, primesc de la o prietena foarte buna pe celular o intrebare care m-a surprins. O intrebare pe care, cred, ca v-ati pus-o cu toti, dar ati amanat sa raspundeti. “La intreabarea asta m-am gandit si eu !!” Amintirile noastre se mondifica odata cu noi, sau raman constante???

Am sa dezvolt doua situatii ipotetice in care am sa demonstrez ca amintirile noatre raman constante, si un alt exemplu pentru a sustine ca amintirile se “modifica”.

1. Amintirile noastre raman constante

Sincer, cred ca daca m-as izola pe o insula, departe de sociatate, amintirile mele ar ramane constante. Amintirile noastre sufera modificari de interpretare datorita schimbarii la sociatate. Iata si exemplu pe care l-am construit pentru aceasta situatie. Va propun un joc de imaginatie: Ne aflam Gemania, in jurul anului 1939, cand populatia evreiasca a cazut prada dezlantuirii naziste prin aplicarea “solutii finale”. Sa persupunem, ca esti un neamt, care chiar crede in aceasta solutie, si ma mult iei parte la represiunile impotriva evreilor. In viziunea ta ,,evreii sunt un popor inferior si slab”. Sa persupunem ca esti mutat pe o insula pustie pentru foarte multi ani, fara nici un contact cu lumea si evolutia ei. Fara sa cunosti schimbarea de atitudine de la sfarsitul razboiului, fara sa cunosti invinsii, fara sa cunosti bilantul evreilor omorati, tind sa cred ca amintirile tale raman constante. Am facut ceea ce facea toata lumea, nu am gresit, ba chiar cred ca pentru poporul meu e mandru de mine. “Mama lor de evrei !!”….

2. Amintirile noastre se “modifica”

Amintirile noastre nu se schimba. Raman la fel. In schimb, atitudinea noastra se schimba. De aceea avem impresia a amintirile noastre se modifica. Iata si exemplul la care m-am gandit: in decembrie ‘98, cred ca aproape toata lumea vroia sa-l vada pe Ceausescu mort. (poate exagerez, dar intelegeti ideea). Nu stiu cum mai credeti astazi, daca a fost corecta decizia de a-l executa?. Si nu a fost corecta. Un fals de proces, in care avocatul care trebuia sa-l apere mai mult il incrimina, acuzatiile care i-ai fost aduse nu au fost reale, un proces in care verdictul era de mult stiut. (stiati ca in strainatate, prin procesul cuplului Ceasusecu, tinerii studentii de la facultatiile de drept invata cum nu trebuei sa arate un proces?) Gandind astazi ..oare trebuia executat?? Eu cred ca nu…