The first 48 hours in Berlin

20^th of Octomber 2010, I arrived in Tegel Airport (Lufthansa) at 9.00 a.m in the morning, Germany hour. All around me I heard German language and I understood that for that moment I am far far away from home. Lucky me, my boss, Kalle K. from ESNA Higer Education and News have been waiting for me in the airport. He is a really nice guy and he is helping me a lot here. After I took my luggage I bought a bus ticket and we went directly to the office. After one bus ride, two trains, some steps to claim and a nice walking one the street, we finally arrived in the office. I presented myself and Kalle started to laugh when I said: “Hi! My name is Bianca and I am from Romania”. I said to him: “I have to present myself. I just arrived.” After I took a seat and I opened my computer. I was tired, hungry and a bit lost because it’s the first time when I came in Berlin. I couldn’t see almost anything from this city but as I saw in the first day, they have a very good transport network. They have busses, trams, subway, trains and of course taxi. People are nice with each other, children are smiling to their parents, and the atmosphere is quite calm and nice. After 5 hours of staying at working and trying to understand what is going on in this news agency and what will be my work here, Kalle and me decided to go to my “one week home”: his apartment. This is Kopenick area. As I said he is a really nice man and he is helping me a lot. For the first time, I did not have to help the others; now I was me who was helped. I did not know how to react when we arrive home and he gave me the keys and said: “this week this will be your home”. I said wow thanks a lot. I repeat, it was the first time when I was helped so I did not know how to react and what exactly to say. After, we went to a shopping center and he helped me to buy a German phone number. I walked with him to the train station and after I came back to the shopping center to buy some food. Because I am not used to look in others person stuff, I found very hard the pillow and actually the bad. His apartment is really nice and interesting. He has a lot of space, big windows, books, movies, many flowers and old photo cameras. I really like his room because it has a strong personality compressed in it. So, the bed was somewhere up, quite hard to find it if you are not used with this. Because I was afraid to fall I decided to sleep on the couch. It was quite cold in the night but I did not care because I was really happy that I actually have a place to live.

21 of Octomber 2010, I wake up at 7 a.m. and in a big rush I made my rucksack for work, I ate something fast and I went to the train station where I met Kalle. We went together at the office to show me the road. There he gave me a task: to make the profile of my country on education field. I started to do that. At almost 11 or something, the other boss came in the office. He said after the breack we will have a meeting all together. We had the eating break between 12.30 and 1.30 p.m. After this, me, 2 others interns (one from Spain and one from Belgium) plus a German girl who is working in the office with us came back to work. We had the meeting with the boss and he scared me a bit. He is a very smart guy and he knows very well what he has to do. I honestly said to him that I don’t know almost anything about Public Relation and I came here to learn. But, by far this wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. So, I started to feel bad and I said to myself: “what I will do now? He will surely ask me to go home to make my luggage and leave. What I will do?” After the meeting, with a serious voice he said to me: “get dressed we go for a walk”. I said then: “This is the end. For sure he will ask me to leave. German people do not make jokes. They just work.” I went with him to drink a cappuccino in a bar and we spoke more. I asked him about this news agency and what will be my job here. He explained to me anything I needed to know and he said that we have a lot of work to do. We discus in a very serious way about how much time I can spend in the office and I said it would be great for me between 9 a.m to 4 p.m. He made a fast calculation and he said: “hmm 25 hours per week. Few. We have to decide about something more. At least 28-30 hours. I said to myself. What can be worst? I don’t have any apartment where I can stay all this 3 months, my buss is already upset on me because I am not as good as he thought in Public Relation, now I say I prefer to work only 25 hours per week. This is the end.” He said we will manage after but preferable it will be to work more in the office. I said it is ok for me. “I came here to learn and work so it is ok”. We came back to the office and I started to check my e-mails and messages. I left the office at half past 5. With the good help of the Spanish girl and Kalle I manage to go to the train station. I was sitting on the platform, looking around and thinking: “I feel lost. I have a lot of work to do. These guys are not joking. I should as faster as possible to manage to learn as much as I can about public relations.” In the train I started to write a message to my parents in which I was saying: ”It is hard here but you don’t worry. I will manage myself. It is about my career so I have to be strong. As long as I have a brain and a body which are working perfectly normal I have to manage everything.” And then I suddenly remembered what I have been saying to myself when I finished the first year of faculty: “If I haven’t been loving this job, I would have been giving up for a long time ago. It is hard to be well prepared for being a journalist. You need to work to study to know to do thing right. I have to fight for wining a good reputation here”. When I arrived in the Kopenick station, I went to the shopping center to buy some sweets and a bottle of wine. I came home, I put some frozen pizza in the oven, I drop in a glass some red wine and I sit on the couch to write this article. I really needed to have a some time to relax myself, to charge my batteries and to start thinking positive. Time is flying too fast sometimes. I would have been ok if I could study 4 years in the university and not only 3. I would have been in time with the preparation of my bachelor, I would have finished mostly all the internships I wanted to do. I would have more time to spend with my boyfriend who is actually treating me very nice because he is supporting me and he always says: ”it will be ok don’t worry. I trust you and I am with you in what you are doing.” My parents also support me and for this and all good this that happened to me this is I have to thanks God because He was and He is really kind to me. I am lucky to have such great parents and such nice boyfriend. Maybe I have to be more grateful for everything I receive: a scholarship in Norway for 5 months, some internships on TVR (Romanian national tv), Europe Fm (Romanian radio), Romania Senate, a job at National Geographic, a scholarship in Berlin for 3 months; and the most important facts: great people around me, great parents, great boyfriend, great boss in Berlin, health, power to work, determination. But the most important thing is: LIFE to live, see, hear, feel and enjoy everything around me. Life is such great gift for people but it is a pity that many times they don’t or refuse to see it. I am lucky and grateful for all good and bad things that happened to me because all my experiences made me the person I am today. I wish I could have an other life but as I have only one I think is more than necessary for enjoying living.

Tribute to Volda in NG Traveler oct.2010

NG Travler from oct. 2010 has an article about both Volda and other mountains where I have been with some great norwegian friends of mine. Thanks to them and thanks to the Volda University College I could claim on few mountains and I could see a wounderfull view. If you want to go in Volda don't forget your proper shoes, a jacket, a sweater and your ski. Speack with norwegian students and people. They are very nice and they will take you with them to claim mountains. It will be a memorable time as I had.

To all devotee climbers, with love... ;)

Cei 22...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdSx8JrDQA0

"Domnule nu ai talent. Poate ai geniu dar la asa ceva nu ma pricep."

Vorbeste-mi... am atatea sa iti spun

Parle-moi... j'ai de choses à te dire

Jacques Salomé

Jacques Salomé:

- psihosociolog,

formator,

scriitor si poet;

- si-a obtinut licenta

in psihiatrie sociala;

Cartea lui J.S. reprezinta o buna terapie a mintii si a sufletului. Inveti despre comunicarea in institutia numita "cuplu". Nu e nevoie sa mergi la psiholog daca citesti cartea aceasta. J.S. prezinta situatiile de comunicare si comportamentul cuplului atat de direct incat unele pasaje parca ar descrie viata ta de cuplu, intamplarile tale, experientele tale. Este o carte care iti trezeste intrebari si te face sa reflectezi asupra ideii de comunicare.

• "E omenesc să te înșeli, dar când guma se tocește mai repede decât creionul, inseamnă că exagerăm." J. Jenkins
• ”Când cuvintele se eliberează pentru a deveni discurs”
• ”Te căsătorești cu persoana care apare atunci când vulnerabilitatea ta este maximă”. K. Berwick
• ”Oare nu se spune , după un divorț sau după o perioadă de văduvie, ca și cum a trăi fără partener înseamnă de fapt a nu trăi?”
• ”Această idealizare a vieții în doi va fi sursa unor decepții, deoarece realitatea vieții în comun nu e niciodată pe măsura visurilor care precedă sau urmează întâlnirii”.

Ce mi-a placut cel mai mult a fost faptul ca am gasit in aceasta carte ideea de a face un contract intre parteneri si nu a decurge la casatorie lucru cu care sunt de acord.In S.U.A. se dezvolta practica unui contract de casatorie individual, negociat de cei doi. Iata un exempu de contract semnat in 1976 de doi tineri americani din statul Ohio. Cam ce scrie in contract:

1. Definiție. Pentru Paul și Mary căsătoria este un angajament afectiv, spiritual și social. Prin acest contract ei se angazează să trăiască împreună o perioadă de timp, să-și aprofundeze uniunea, să-și împărtășească iubirea și experiențele.

2. Durata contractului.Acest contract are o durata de cinci ani. [...]

3. Semnarea contractului. [...]

[...]

9. Nume. Fiind vorba de o relație între indivizi autonomi, Paul și Mary nu doresc să fie desemnați sub un nume comun, care să-l transforme pe unul în apendicele celuilalt. [...]

[...]

12. Prietenii. Fiecare își va păstra prietenii. Dacă Paul și Mary își vor face prieteni noi, se vor prezenta acestora ca două persoane între care există o simplă legătură de iubire. [...]

[...]

15. Terminologie. Părțile sunt de acord să nu folosească următoarele cuvinte în legătură cu uniunea lor: ”căsătorit cu”, ”soțul meu”, ”soția mea”, ”logodnica mea”, ”iubita mea”, sau orice alt termen ce ar implica o relație de dependeță.

[...]

Restul contractului este in carte. ;)

Lecturare placuta!

B.M.

My dream came true!

When did the National Geographic thing appear?

When I was 12 years old I was watching very much Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and National Geographic Channel and I was fascinated about those reportages I was seeing there. I wanted to have that kind of life, to see the world, to share what is beautiful and to enjoy living.

In that period of time I decided to became a journalist because my idea was: if i became a journalist i can work with National Geographic team. After I have finished the highschool, I applyed for a Journalism Faculty in Iasi and Bucharest. I decide to go to Iasi in the end.

Each night, when I went to sleep I was dreaming with my eyes open how would be for me to work at NG. In one day, in the Autumn of 2009, I applyed for a schollarship in Norway, in a country that the only thing I knew about was: aaaa this should be a country where it is very cold. And that's it! When I arrived there, in January 2010, I discovered a beautiful country where nature was very well conserved. I lived in a small village called Volda for about 5 months.

In April I sent an e-mail to NG redaction to ask them if I can make an intership with them. They said yes. So, in July 2010 I started to work with NG. After 2 weeks they asked me to sign a colaboration contract. Few weeks ago I received this Press Card. My dream came true after 9 years! Happy! Just unreal!

Dear all,

I will write the story of a young, cute German girl called Josefine Andrae who came in Romania to teach romanian children English and German language.

· Name: Josefine Andrae

· Age: 21

· Country: Germany

· City: Jena

· University: -1 year: Nutritional Science

- Now: Communication and Psichology at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Josefine is a lovely girl, with blond hair, blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. She came in Romania with a development program through AIESEC student organization. She saw a poster in the university with “what’s next!” and she went for the interview. Because she decided a bit late where she wants to go, the only country that accepted her was Romania. So, this is why she came here. She joined AIESEC at the begging of May 2010 with the purpose of going in exchange. Josefine came in Romania on 7 August 2010 and she will stay here 6 months. She is working in a private kindergarten called Teddybar in Bucharest. She teaches romanian children English and German and she thinks that this kids are very loud and naughty. She lives and eat in the kindergarten, so she has to pay only for what she is spending outside: water, transport, sweets etc. She visited Brasov and she thinks is a small and beautiful city.

For several years, almost 10, she lived in Africa, in Johannesburg with her parents and she had the opportunity to see zebras and crocodiles. She believes that those animals are quite boring because they stay all day without doing something interesting. When her parents moved back to Germany she had also to come with them. Because of those 10 years spent in Africa she speaks very well English and she knows how to take care of her purse in the subway where many times you can meet face to face with thieves.

In her spare time she likes to go out with her friends, watch movies or TV- series. She likes the movie “Shut eyes” which is quite scary but she told me that even so she doesn't like this type of movies. Her favorite TV-series are: “How I met your mother” and “Desperate wives”. From “How I met your mother” she says she looks like Lily, and I can give her right because she is quite funny like the character is. Also, she likes to go shopping like all the girls, and she enjoys to buy shoes and dresses when is summer. She hates winter, so when outside it is snow she prefer to cheer up going to stores or making shopping. Josefine considers that cooking it is very relaxing and many times she is cooking African food.

Even if she is the only child in her family she says about herself that she is not spoiled. When I asked her to describe herself in 3 words she replay: “I do not want to say anything wrong.” But, after few minutes of thinking she said about herself that she is organized (maybe a bit controlling person), open to new things (something that cannot hurt her), outgoing. She likes to laugh but she does not think she is funny. She loves to make diving and see all the fish in the water. She likes to learn new languages and she already knows: French, Arabic, Italian, German, English. Her favorite desert is “Crème broulée” because is sweet.

In the near future she is planning to find a new internship into communication field, to choose new subjects for her university courses and to get a job. She would like to work in television because she made and internship to „Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen“ (ZDF), 7 weeks and she liked the way is working in television.

My impression about Josefine is that she has a beautiful smile and eyes, she is really funny even if she doesn’t believe this and it is very enjoyable to speak with her. She knows how to live and enjoy everything around her. She is smart and speacking about her experience in Africa made me think about going someday there. It was a great pleasure to meet and talk with her!

Best regards,

Bianca Macovei

Let's go climbing!

Norway is a beautiful country where in January I experimented how is to have light only 4 hours on the day and in May how is to have dark only 4 hours on the night. If in January the sun rose at 10.00 a.m and go down at 2.00/ 2.30 p.m, in May the sun rise at 3.00 a.m. and go down at 00.00 p.m. But I realised that one nice fact is that I can go on the mountains on the evening and come back at 00.00 and the sun just go down at this hour. For me, 5 months in Norway made me understand how is to miss my family, my few friends, my country. Also, I saw how is to be alone or, how is to meet great people that started to be your friends and care about you. Norway taught me that life is joy, smile and oportunities that you don't have to loose them. One good friend of mine, norwegian man, told me that "life does not have such things as problems. It has only challenges and a lot of solutions". It is true! Life is a smile; somethimes is a big smile somethimes is a sad one, but it's just a smile.

VOLDA



Finish the trip on the first mountain with this photo.
Other mountain
Now, in Norway, 10 degrees = hot!


Orsta village

Orsta village and the mountainsAll the mountains around are written

on this methalic cercle

The box with a little notebook

where you can write you name on it.
The dog of my norwegian friend

Ether. The name of the dog is

Curly :)

Romania 1964

Romania is also a beautiful country!

Daca e sa facem ceva pentru tara noastra, sa facem acum!

Stiu ca acolo, undeva, este taina mea!

"E un loc care ma asteapta si un drum pe care trebuie sa merg. Nu stiu sigur ce o sa aflu sau daca o sa ajung la mal, dar sunt sigur, foarte sigur, ca acolo-i taina mea"/ "It is a place that waits for me and a road that I have to follow. I do not know for sure what I will find out or if I will reach the border, but I am sure, very sure that there it is my mystery"