Jurnal de expat

Ma saturasem de norii cu dinti lungi si reci ce imi reduceau entuziasmul la o liniuta aproape in fiecare dimineata de iarna. Vroiam sa simt soarele cum imi mangaie parul proaspat tuns la periuta si ma face sa strang din ochi cand e prea puterninc incat se adancesc ridurile de expresie. Am procedat, desigur, la o cautare temeinica si amanuntita a destinatiilor care sa fie calde, nici prea departe, nici foarte scumpe si cu toate serviciile incluse cat sa nu-mi bat capul unde mananc in fiecare zi la pranz. Asa am ajuns la Maroc, in Agadir dupa ce rand pe rand am renuntat la Teneriffe, Cap Vert si Cipru (slava Domnului ca n-am dat curs ideii). Hotelul, Tafoukt, a facut exact ce a promis - e pe plaja, curat, mancare buna si in topul preferintelor la belgieni (dupa cum prezenta brosura Thomas Cook). Asta mai de pe urma a insemnat ca destinatia e foarte populara si pentru ce americanii numesc white trash in varianta belgiana– madame pe la 50 de ani, prea sarace pentru operatii e...

Costa Rica paints the most striking picture with paradise like nature parks compensated, actually over compensated by poverty ridden cities, where people literally hide behind fences. Every building, store, house is protected by a fence with crushed glass on top , barbwire, electrified fence or sometimes all of the above. I haven’t seen any tar pits or moats with crocodiles, but then again I didn’t venture myself beyond the gates. Our guide tried to reassure us that the architecture was part of the local culture, but walking the streets of San Jose made crossing Ferentari at night (those who don’t know this part of Bucharest should try it) like kids play. Is that kind of watch your back sensation that you get from the first day and follows your everywhere there is people around. Breaking into the vault of the FED must have been less troublesome than the procedure we had to go through when we decided to go inside an electronics store to ask for a memory card adaptor. First...

Am avut weeekend-ul asta in sfarsit cateva zile de toamna frumoasa, caci desi era deja aici de prin august, ne-a arata pana acum mai mult ploaie si nori – specialitatea casei. Mi-am incarcat bateriile la aparatul foto de cu seara si de dimineata, dupa un mic dejun consistent am pornit usor catre Kopstal si Bridel. Sunt doua sate mai impadurite, mai degraba aproape de Belgia, linistite si aranjate deci perfecte pentru plimbare. Toamna nu e anotimpul meu preferat, ci vara, dar asta nu ma impiedica sa privesc fascinat ore in sir dansul frunzelor de pe crengi pana pe pamant.     Prefer vara nu pentru e mai frumoasa, ci pentru ca e mai vie, mai vibranta chiar si cand caldura te stoarce de puteri. Toamna ma intristeaza, ma face sa ma gandesc la viata si la calatoria pe care o facem si la sfarsitul ei. Coincidenta sau nu in ultima vreme subiectul principal al discutiilor pe care il am cu prietenii e acelasi. Parerile sunt impartile si suficiente ca...

It had taken me one month of planning and coordination (my brother came from Bucuresti), but there I was in JFK*s AA Terminal, waiting anxiously for my flight to take off. The other part of America, low rise and much more low profile, was a mere four hours away, waiting to be discovered. Fast forward through all the waiting, reading and eating peanuts, I land in Cancun after a passenger's dream come true – an uneventful flight. The air is so heavy and thick, it feels like I’m breathing through a wet sponge. It takes me more than 30 minutes to adjust after coming out from the leveled temperature of the terminal. I think about lighting a cigarette, bu t as quickly as the thought appears I chase it away, cause I quit smoking a while ago and I’m not about to give in (again) into (this) temptation. A short, but friendly looking Mexican comes out of nowhere and pulls at my luggage asking me at the same time where do I need to go. - “Terminal 2” I reply, and before I could say anything...