O căutare de echilibru
« Alert - 20:00 Salsa Beginners » mă informează notificația calendarului. E seară, stau la masa albă din living să scriu câteva rânduri, el spală vasele în bucătărie, curățând după gătitul meu ce mai devreme fusese aclamat cu onomatopee de plăcere culinară; în seara asta am pus din nou în practică noua mea rețetă, inventată în joacă …
Acum mulți ani, am ajuns în Bruxelles într-o noapte înfricoșător de ploioasă, de ziceai că cerul se hotărâse să dea drumul la apă care curgea precum o cortină transparentă rece și udă spre pământul deprimat. Mai că tăiai ploaia cu cuțitul iar șuvoaiele de apă șiroiau râuri-râuri pretutindeni. Venisem cu autocarul Eurolines, dupa o interminabilă …
Continuă lectura "Bine ați venit la Bruxelles… fără papuci? (Fragment din „Drumul”)"
Ce au în comun o fostă fabrică de bere, o bucată de plajă plină de mucuri de țigară și un labirint de dulapuri? Ei bine, arta, mai precis arta contemporană. Am crezut că voi vizita un muzeu, dar s-a dovedit a fi un centru de artă contemporană, pe nume Wiels. Aflat la doar câteva stații …
Stood in line in the supermarket located in the public area of NATO’s Brussels headquarters, a man in front of me prepares to pay for a yoghurt. “Do you have a spoon?, the man asks the cashier. “Yes, I have.” the cashier responds, holding up a pack of plastic cutlery (knife, fork, spoon and serviette). …
Casa. Masa. Pat. Scaune. Canapea si biblioteca. Scrin. Etajere. Masute. Cosuri. Dulapuri. Cuverturi. Cearceafuri. Farfurii. Cosuri cu flori. Jardiniere. Perne. Si cate si mai cate. Pe toate le-am schimbat. De cateva ori, de-a lungul timpului. Cand ne-am mutat impreuna, pe vremea cand eram doar “boyfriend si girlfriend”, eu si sotul meu am adus in apartament …
Continuă lectura "În mod “downsizing”, adică nu doar mut mobila în casă ci o VÂND"
What would you do if you met a guy who systematically picks up women, almost like a serial undercover womaniser? A guy who would pretend just wanting to meet new people and looking for friendship? Would you keep it for yourself or would you warn the women around you? If you are woman, sat down by …
Continuă lectura "My encounter with a Secret Womanizer in Park Cinquantenaire"
Sunt pe terasa. E seara si s-a intunecat. Incerc sa ma concentrez la teza pe care o am de scris cand aud niste voci melodioase. Intorc capul si privesc catre cladirea vecina. Etajul 6, balcon decorat cu o ghirlanda luminoasa. Inauntru intuneric. Intuneric ce lasa loc unor cerculete de lumina. Lumanari pe un tort. Vocile …
>Ever since I joined the team of a worldwide company active in IT-telecommunication, my work related universe has completely changed. Nowadays I don’t talk about communication campaigns, online tools, branding, PR, Google Analytics or CRM. My work jargon has been completely replaced by a brand-new series of concepts. Of course, I still talk about project …
I’ve recently read on The Economist’s blog that Brussels makes people grumpy and that during autumn/winter Brussels can look like a grey desolated communist neighbourhood. In my view Brussels cannot be compared to Bucharest, anyway, not from the grey communist architecture point of view. I believe David Rennie, the author of that post did not …
Continuă lectura "Some thoughts on Brussels Expats’ depression"
>As many others, I started some time ago the race for another job. The recession didn't make it easy especially at the beginning. Brussels, although capital of Europe and home of many European headquarters, remains a small city (e.g. Bucharest is twice as bigger and has twice as more inhabitants) where jobs are scarce and …
Continuă lectura ">That long and challenging quest for a job in Brussels"
>There are so many things that I love about Brussels. Although my home for the last 5 years, Brussels never stops to dazzle me and make me feel proud of living here. Here are some of the things that I love about Brussels: - the cosmopolitan vibes and the European atmosphere; In Brussels you can …
>As an expat myself I have quickly resented the differences between myself and the rest of the inhabitants of the new country that I embraced - Belgium. Living in the capital of Europe for the past 5 years, I have become more and more aware of the habits of Belgians or non-Belgians- “Bruxellois”. What I …
Continuă lectura ">What I hate or simply dislike about Brussels"
As a Romanian expat "landed" in Brussels, the first thing that really struck me in Belgium was "la bise". For those who don't know this French term, “la bise” is the kiss that Belgians do when meeting each other. For an expat, this may be really awkward, not to mention confusing and sometims even a …
Continuă lectura "„La bise” in Belgium: to kiss or not to kiss… this is the question"
>On Saturday night was one of the biggest parties in Brussels. Close to Tour & Taxi, in Yser area, a couple of thousand youngsters, or even more, gathered to party all night long. At the beginning of every month, Bulex is apparently the place to be in Brussels. There are several rooms with various types …
>New lease signed. New tenant for my old room found. Deposit recovered today at the bank after a complicated procedure. Hence, what was more difficult has passed. It is time to say “Good bye” and face with a smile a new beginning. Fingers crossed. Compared to the previous wonderful flat-sharing experiences, the collocation this year …
Continuă lectura ">Collocation can be wonderful or simply. .. DISASTROUS"
