Home

I am home again. Home… I lived in six cities and four countries. Where is home? I visited Romania, the country where I was born. So I was home and then came back home? And when I’m going to go to Canada, it will be again, home? Some would say that home is where your heart is but what can I say, my heart is big.

For me, home would be where I feel safe and comfortable. It is just a matter of getting used with your environment. When I moved in Canada, everything was foreign, different from what I knew. It was easy there, though. The society is built in order to accommodate newcomers that is, everything is well explained. In Ireland, things weren’t that simple anymore. Everybody knows this and that, if they lived here forever. But I think they are catching up with North America because the newcomers group is significant now. I was really surprised to see how many foreigners are in Dublin. In both cases, after three months I started to feel safe and comfortable. The longer you stay in one place, the more you get used to your environment.

Now, after almost four years, I visited Romania. I was amazed how familiar was everything I was experiencing, and yet, I was detached, observing and having fun of things that in the past would make me frustrated and angry. I guess my attitude was due to the fact that I knew I will leave soon. In a way I was disappointed that things didn’t change much. On the same token, I knew this will happen, that’s why I left in the first place. In a sentence I would say: the private business and property exploded whereas the public services and government duties are extremely disabled. I wonder when the elected leaders will realize that they have to work to improve people’s lives, not only their own pockets.

The time was short but I was happy to see my family, old friends, taste foods that are hard to find here, remember how it feels like to walk on streets with many loose dogs, and travel with crowded means of transportation. The weather wasn’t very good either, overcast and foggy, melting snow and lots of mud. Next time I’ll go in a better season. :-)

And above all, I was happy to return in Dublin, not only because the streets are always clean but because here is Darse and most of my heart is where he is.