London and me...for the first time :)

Huwo all,

Like I promissed, below you have pictures with my first encounter with charming London- because I found it really quite lovely. After so many years of study about the British culture and after so many years of seeing pictures of the London monumets in study books, finally I got to see all of them live.
My first impression was that the monuments are quite smaller than what I had expected...and my over-all impression- from what I saw is that some places in London are torn from a fairy tale. Seriously...take a look yourselves...

Because I had one hour before meeting Nawaf and Vish (CC members in IC) I decided to walk towards the nearest attraction point- Buckingham palace. As you can see the flag is up- which means the queen is home. :)

And I was lucky because I was just in time for the changing of the guards...


I was really happy to have found such a sunny and warm day...so next I made my way to St. James Park- which I found really really adorable.

The best thing about it were the wild animals that just walked freely around you: geese, ducks, swans, pelicans, squirrels, pidgeons- the parc was really animated and enchanted.

And I imagined how lovely it would be to live nearby and have lunch or breakfast on a bench every day. With Buckingam palace on the left...

...and other beautiful places on the right...

Next I made my way towards Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament...only to find that Ben is...well...not that...big....

Naturally, protesters were posted bright and early in front of the Parliament...but they were peaceful today...

Behind them I found St. Mary's Church...

...and the really really nice and impressive Westminster Abbey...

...from there I returned to the river side to see the London Eye...

...which was great to look at as well, but I don't think I would pay the money to get into it...the view may be great, but it barely moves...:P and I like joy rides...:p

It was here, by the side of the river that I met the first romanian selling souveniers that hit on me....But also bums singing in tube stations that were quite charming and who I think are now part of the underground culture...

Naturally I was relieved to finally meet my boys: Nawaf (left) and Vish (right) and a friend of Vish that was from London whom I kept asking stupid questions afterwards, like "What is the population of London?" and "What do you guys think of the Royal Family?" and so on...

Next we went through Leicester square...

..Over to Trafalgar Square...and saw the National Gallery (didn't visit it- no time :()...


...And Nelson's column. Below was our first "hello CC" picture..:)

Next stop was the famous Soho Neighbourhood...


...with its Sex Shops and peep shows...

...that led us to Picadilly Circus...The Brits brag they had these big adds here way before New York ones...:)


...the other thing Picadilly is famous for is this Eros statue...the thing that shocked me here was the traffic- the whole place is actually a roundabout and the traffic is intense...

After this...we got on the tube to go to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London..which were a bit far...


...I liked the famous Underground... more crowded than the one in Bucharest...and much smaller in dimensions...but quite...poetic...

...It got me thinking about the terrorist attacks more than one year ago and I couldn't believe that I was actually there and that it happened right there...seemed so unfair...

By the time we got out, it was already dark :((...and someone spooky greeted us...but me and Nawaf decided to take advantage and make our famous scary faces near the wax figure...


...and there we were...at the Tower of London...by dark...

..I couldn't resist not to take a picture of the Beafeater who asked me where I was from... upon hearing I was romanian he immediately started to check my teath to see if I was really a successor of Dracula...


...And there it was...Tower Brigde...beutiful like a dream....


...and near it I found a shocking thing...the thing most to the left, that looks like a bee hive, with black and yellow- is actually the building of the City Council...brrr! All the buildings there looked so futuristic...and there was a big battle cruiser right in the middle of Thames, but as it was dark, the pictures of it didn't quite come out so well...sorry dad and Antonio...:P


In the end we took the tube again.... (and look who was advertising on the wall...hmm..)


...to go the the UK MC office- which is huge I might say. There we met some AI members (Petr- the Czech AI VP ER and Amid- the Corporate Relations manager from India). We were told that AI visiting was not an uncommon thing and that Gabitza was also there, having a meeting with the PDU team. After a short MC chat we went to dinner with Pawel (ex. CC VP Finance) who had just flown from Poland to start a traineeship in Tata Consultancy Services- the Indian company Alinutza is working for in India..:). The MC people told us he was lucky to get a traineeship, as there is a huge competition for TNs in London. So Anca...don't be sad...

Finally..a last reunited CC picture, without Caroline unfortunatley, who could not make it. :(.

It was a really pleasant day and a nice experience...and I'm sure I'll go back as soon as I can. Welcome to the UK Pawel and have a safe trip home Vish!

London here I come !!! :)

Tomorrow I'll be in London for one day meeting Nawaf, Vish, Pawel and Caroline- people I met in IC in Poland this summer.

So stay tuned on Thursday for pictures and stories of my first visit to London.

Yupiii!

Leapsa'n carti

Dear Ana,

It took me so long to answer because actually what I have been reading is not all that exciting. Since what I read is mostly for school. But here goes:

- books on Fair Trade- which is the topic of my dissertation (licenta). Fair trade is a concept born some 20 years ago, that is now really being taken seriously- at least in the US and the UK. The idea started from poverty and the fact that producers in African or South American countries never really got a fair price for their products like bananas, coffee or cocoa. The reasons for this are varied: they were cheated at the scale- because they couldn't afford their own, they had no information on fluctuating prices these products were transacted in big commodities markets, the supply chains were too long- and each link added to the price, etc. So the main idea was to trade directly with the producers and to give them a fixed price/kilo and a bonus. The best part is that with that bonus, the producers can decide whether they want to buy new equipment, build a school, a hospital or a water pump. It's an interesting topic. I bought Fair Trade bananas today :)

- a book called"Discover your strengths now" that had a test attached. The test is made by Gallup organization...a world renowned organization that developed questionnaires for many years. My first 5 strengths were:

Achiever: People strong in achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and working hard.

Learner: People strong in learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning rather then the outcome appeals to them.

Maximizer: People strong maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Communicator: People strong in communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Woo: People strong in the woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Other than that I read a book called: “Movers and Shakers. The people in Business Today”…including Peter Drucker, Michael Dell, Hugh Hefner, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, etc. Basically, this book dedicates some pages to people that have had a contribution in management ideas, or have been innovative in business. It’s an inspirational piece of reading.

That’s about it…well that and a lot of employer directories for companies in the UK. :)

Well, next I give the floor to Luci Gramescu (www.manchesterfm.blogspot.com) because he always has interesting books to recommend.

Work, work and more work...and some fun too :)

If you are wondering where I've gone...wonder no more...I have been sclaving for the system, working hard for school...harder than I've ever worked for school ever; working hard at work and working hard to decide on my future...it's so strange that I have so many options for next year..I could do almost whatever I wanted. The sad thing is that I have to do something smart too.

But I am living several processes now...and since I have no conclusions yet...I'm going to show you the fun part of my life.

After my birthday, because it was also Wing and Ellen's birthdays, we decided to go out on Friday...


and then to go have a Family- all- you- can- eat buffet-like relaxing Sunday lunch in a Chinese restaurant.

Later on the next week came another birthday: Arunas- a friend of ours who had a cool house party. There, I tried lithuanian black bread with cheese and garlic... (make by Nierca. These two guys do the best impersonation of Borat's "disco dance" I've ever seen...)

Still, my house mates were the best...:)

...and we showed everybody what "sexi time" means... (also a Borat quote :P)

On our way home Radu, who is studying photography, took some nice pictures of us...and the citysacpe. "I liiike. Iz nice :))"


And finally today...I had a "me" day...ca deja fac cu capul de atata munca :)
so Dan and I went off strolling around Notts. And it's quite a beautiful autumn here.
And here are some of the things we saw....
Silly goose!...which is a swan actually :)


This is the way most British churches I've seen look like...

Beautiful colours...


Half a windmill...

I dedicate this picture to Unchiu' Dan who taught me how to play chess when I was very little.
And to Breto :) who taught me how to play chess second...when I was a little older...:)

The future is bright...


And it's all mine.

Today...my birthday :)

I had a full day today:
classes, career adviser meeting, how to write a CV training, dance classes (we may do a Christmas show where we dance on Frank Sinatra- "Let it snow"), German classes, shopping for raspberry cheese cake, chocolate cake, cocoa and strawberry milk and candy and then finally a celebration with the people in the house.
The real dancing party is on Friday...when we go out and get wasted.

Thank you to all my friends and family who called or e-mailed today.
I miss you all. :)
Kisses.

And here are some images of tonight:

They surprised me by gathering in the kitchen on the dark and singing happy birthday as I entered...


So I brought out the goodies...


And the three girls that have birthdays on the 8th (me), 9th (Ellen-left) and 2nd of November (Wing) each made a wish...

And the party was on...

Do you see anything wrong about this picture? They love me sooo much...


And in the end the romanians stayed for a special photo shoot...
Borat...better yet Ali G style....


Dorks, geeks and nerds...yeap..that's us...

...What? We can be serious....


But we prefer Charlie's angels...

And our favourite pose is Hong-Kong style.

Conclusions...

The whole adventure left me happy and energized :)
Portugal is truely beautiful.

Things that come to my mind when I think about it are: great Climate, Palmtrees, Hills that complemet the Architecture that is great and old, no Modern things- everything is integrated in the cityscape, Bohemian Atmosphere, a Language that I can barely understand (I can read it better than hear it), culture Shock regarding the fact that they kiss when they first meet a person, Blue Tiles on buildings, Paper table cloths in every restaurant, Fado music, Pastry which I love, Sea Food and fish, Porto Wine, Coimbra, student city and the Latada festival, History, The Ocean, Flags in the windows everywhere, Pride to be porugese...

Thank you Antonio for being such a gret guide :)

Nazare- the fab end to the Portugal experience (30 Oct)

After a little scare that we would miss the bus for Nazare, we got there to see a storm coming our way...

And to avoid that and because we were Really hungry...we went to a typical fish restaurant. The next image is dedicated to my dad who loves sea food :) It was yummy dad, and we left almost half a pot there because it was too much...

We managed to fool the storm, that went past us...so we were on our way to the beach...whoo hoo...


There is a legend about this place saying that a prince was hunting deer with a bow and arow and the devil- disguised in a deer- led him to the cliffs below and jumped in the ocean. In that moment Mary appeared in front of the prince and saved him. To this day you can still see a round hole in the cliff, which it's said to be the foot of the horse, which stopped just in time...


Here Antonio kept shouting at me to smile, so the photo would come out better...:P


Nazare is quite a beautiful little city...


On our way down to the beach...



We watched the ocean and some crazy guy that was body-boarding...

And I said goodbye to the Atlantic...



Obrigado Portugal and see you soon :).
The End.

Coimbra and the traditional fair (29 Oct)

After such fabulous days, it took a while to wake up on this day. Eventually we did and after a little walking around, we had a yummy spaghetti lunch in a mall and ended up in a nice library (like Carturesti) that allowed you to read and have a coffee or pastries.

Later on, in the evening, we went to a traditional fair for traditional Portugese products and food. Thanks to Joao, one of Antonio's friends, we had a really delicious meal at his restaurant, that specialized in a type of cow meat...and walked around to experiment more traditional food products...mostly pastry..of course :)

Live sea food..yuck..it moved...

Coimbra again (28.10)

We started out on a sunny day to get to know Coimbra better...
This beauty is quite near Antonio's house.

This was a park with a splendid view of the city and where, on the white plaques, people write nostalgically about their student years in Coimbra.


Next we saw the university, which is quite old and beautiful. The funny story with the clock tower in the picture is that they call it "The Bitch" because it rang when it was time for school, early in the morning, when most students had just returned home drunk from a party. :P


View from the university museum walls



All the pavements in Portugal have these little rocks...they are killers for high heels and for the poor people who had to put them in one by one...:P


We ended up having lunch in this antiques filled market, which was quite lovely...

This is a Republica: a house where students live together and express strong views on politics, football or other social topics. According to Antonio...it takes these people more time to greduate...because they love the student life :)



Just a building I really liked.
Later in the evening we had dinner in a Fado restaurant...one of the most profound moments. Fado music can really take your breath away...I recorded some songs and every time I want to relax and feel good I put them on :)

The day finally ended with an explosive Patrice concert in the Latada Festival.


And with us being happy and fulfilled. :)

Viana do Castelo (27 Oct)

Today was one of the best days I’ve had in Portugal.

We woke up bright and early and started out by visiting the museum that was on the Gil Eannes (which was the first real, big ship I had been on).

Then we walked all the way up to this church many many flights of steps...

...only to find a breathtaking view, and old people that made a living by taking your picture here.

We had lunch on the top of the hill, in a little restaurant and went on our way down the hill and towards the beach.


About 3-4 km later…I had my first encounter with the ocean...

I could smell the sweet breeze a km away…

The sun was up…it was warm and so people were wind- and kitesurfing.

Those moments on the beach were amongst the most relaxing ever…


just walking alongside the water, barefoot, with wind and sun in my hair :)

...and with Antonio by my side.

Before going, we had tipical portugese beer (20 cl big)...:) and some weird portugese fruit they normally have with beer...

...and a ferry took us back to Viana.

Later on we took the bus home and had a great barbecue on the terrace of the house.

And now I look back and think: what a day...what a day!

Coimbra and the trip to Viana do Castelo (26 Oct)

Today we got a lazy start and strolled some more around Coimbra…

Had yummy ice-cream by the river...

This is one of my favourite squares of Coimbra:

Then the bus took us to the lovely Viana do Castelo. We arrived there by night and checked in in the most unique place we could have: the Gil Eannes: a former hospital boat, now a hotel. The place looked so real…even the room we were checked in was called Contagiosos 2.

We had a very pleasant walk and a yummy dinner at a traditional restaurant. There I learned how to eat big shrimps properly and had my first oysters ever in paella.
Day ended in a bar.

…now can you start to imagine me at least 2 kilos fatter…after this whole culinary adventure…

And the best part of my Portugese adventure is yet to come...

Coimbra (25 Oct)

On this day Antonio organized a conference on a very interesting and touching subject: the reign of King Leopold II of Belgium in Congo. This was actually one of, if not the first of humakind's holocausts. The congoleese people were treated very cruelly by this king and made slaves that brought in rubber to make the Belgians rich. And if they did not bring in enough rubber, their hands would be cut off...and their women murdered. The attempts of Leopold to hide this masacre were almost successful. But in the end he was boooed by the Belgians at his funeral.
The strangest things happened afterwards. The Belgians chose to forget about this episode, so today you can still see statues of Leopold in Belgium and some of the buildings he built with bloody money are considered monuments today.

...While Antonio was busy setting up the last details of this conference...I took my first strole around Coimbra.

University walls:

Cityscape:
Botanical garden:
A monastery:
More cityscape:
Aquaduct:

By this time I am even more in love with the city structure that is on hills, with the vegetation and the bohemian atmosphere.

In the evening I got to see Latada for the first time- a one week student festival.
Coimbra is a student city mostly and therefore, most of the student traditions have been well preserved. On this week, one can see Coimbra students dressed up in traditional black suites with capes roaming the streets, getting drunk and having fun. The older students are in charge of the freshers that have to do the strangest things, from walking the streets in diapers, to singing and so on....the students that graduate on the other hand get their clothes completely torn and get to walk the streets almost naked. All in all it is a celebration and a huge space hosts concerts and a discoteque for all students.

The day ended with a traditional dinner in a small restaurant where we had octopus and a thing similar to "Fasole cu ciolan" which is meat with beans. Desert was the sweet "Camel Drule". By this time I am becoming in love with Portgese food...