Out with the Old, inn with the New!

One of my favorite activities at year end is to make a summary of what that year meant to me and to try and figure out what I want for the new year. You maybe remember this post, 2012 resolutions, where I managed to gather all the things I wanted from the past year. I am happy to say that most of those were successful except for the one with getting a cat and reading Harry Potter (Who am I kidding, I don't like Harry Potter or Hobbits and all the other creatures that might come along). All in all, we had a pretty amazing year planning our wedding and making the most of our new Swiss life.

Photo taken 1 day after our September wedding

Enjoying the Swiss summer of 2012

Relaxing at the Swiss country side

For 2013 the list is very short: travel. I think it is the best way to relax and to have fun.

Source: imgfave.com via Lizzie on Pinterest

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, with dreams that inspire you to do good, to be better and that bring you happiness. Don't forget to stay stylish and enjoy every day as much as possible!

Source: thetomkatstudio.com via Haley on Pinterest

Good Bye 2011!

I'm not a big fan of the New Year. I always get attached of the old one and I hate that it goes by so fast, making me one year older. This year I say goodbye to one of the best years so far. It's the year I said yes to some big changes in my life, like marriage, leaving Romania, quitting my job and last but not least, staring this blog. It was a successful year, one that I will remember with great pleasure. And I should not forget the people that have stayed by my side, new ones and old ones (Thank you!). To sum it up I say Cheers 2011 and all that you gave me! 2012 you'd better kick ass because, besides the plans I have for this new year, I look forward to all the surprises and new challenges you have in store for me. So Happy New Year People! Let it be a good one!

And a song that I love and reflects my mood, U2 - Magnificent!

Transition Period Over

At our civil ceremony in Zurich, 15th of August this year, the actual wedding is set for September  2012

I believe some of you know that since I have moved to Switzerland (May this year) I have been on a job search. There have been almost seven months until I found the job that I like and that hopefully will bring me great satisfactions. I start on November 28, so I still have one week of freedom, of sipping my morning coffee while reading my favorite blogs :) But before I move to this new chapter in my life, I want to write about this past seven months, a period that was sometimes hard but in the end proved to be very fulfilling.

So it all started when I decided to quit my job in Romania and come join Traian, in this new adventure we were so looking forward to. I had been working for almost five years and the job I had, as any job, was sometimes stressful, sometimes boring, sometimes challenging... So when I resigned I was happy that I was getting a new beginning, sad that I was leaving some great people behind and full of hope that it won't be long until I could find a new job. This was actually my goal for the future, find a job as soon as possible. I wasn't considering having to wait more that one to two months before something would come up. I was cocky I guess and also I knew that everyone had these high expectations from my part that I didn't want to disappoint... Imagine my surprise when I saw that things were't going as planed. Besides the working permit issues, I had also some bad experiences with two companies, that made me feel even more desperate. I was, as one of my friends described it, a sea fish that was thrown in the ocean and now had to survive in it. New country, new home, new people, new job market and new rules. It was a lot of new to take in, that in the end was so much better then expected.

I can honestly say that I found more about myself in these months of unemployment than in the 5 years spent working. First, I got married to Traian, my boyfriend for the last 4 years. It was the sort of thing that we knew it would eventually happen between us, that wasn't planned and that changed our lives. 

Secondly, I've learned that a job is as important as we let it to be, that only because it takes most of our time, it doesn't mean that it should define us. What should define us the most are our passions, our hobbies, our family, our friends. I always thought I knew this, after all I was the one that so many times said that would love not to have to work, but when I found myself in the situation of missing my office hours I knew I had all my priorities wrong. This was the hard part, discovering what really matters to me, and it was a day by day process, with some bad days spent in pajamas on the couch feeling sorry for myself (lucky me I had Traian by my side to keep me going) and with some very good days (thank God for these), travelling, discovering the city, doing the German class, meeting new people that would become my friends, having time to notice all the beautiful things around me and of course blogging about all of them. 

When I finally came to peace with this, I started seeing the job search as something that I could actually enjoy, I even tried to organize my time so that all my new activities could fit in. It also helped getting dressed in the morning in other then just sweats and T-shirt when I had no plans to get out (this was mostly for the fashionista in me). And when I finally found the job, I was very happy and not only for the job itself but because I was coming from this transition period stronger and wiser. And this is one good feeling to get from a journey you didn't foresee.

What about you? Did you ever find yourselves in a similar situation, having to look for a job and having all this free time on your hands? How did you deal with it?  I would just love to get your thoughts on this...

Good timing for a change

Seasons change, people change, life changes and now is time for my blog to change. I’ve been on a very long break from blogging partly because I didn’t feel like writing, my inspiration got lost in all the changes that were going around me. But now hopefully we are off to a new start, a more fabulous one! I also decided to switch to English and see how it feels.

And to kick the new blogging season, I have to speak about yesterday, 15 of August 2011. This date will have a very different meaning from now on, for me and my loved one. We got married yesterday in an intimate ceremony in Kloten, Switzerland and it was without doubt one of the most special moments of our lives.

And like all the special things in life, this was so unexpectedly wonderful because we thought that the ceremony was going to be just a simple civil ceremony like the ones we’ve already seen back home. I mean we all know that the religious ceremony is the most emotional and full of meaning. But to our surprise, things are done differently here and from the music that we were allowed to choose ourselves to the text of the civil officer, everything was full of meaning. We had only a few friends with us because of the location, but we felt so special and blessed, that it was like everyone else was there. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was our special day.  

Also I have to share the poem that was read to us during the ceremony because I think it shows the true meaning of life. It was translated from German to Romanian and now in English, so I hope I haven’t lost all of its true meaning.

Time to live

I don’t wish you all sorts of gifts
I just wish you, what most people don’t have
I wish you the time to be happy and to laugh
and if you use it, make something out of it

I wish you the time for your doings and thinking
not only for yourself but also to give away
I wish you the time not to hasten and run
but the time to know how to be contented

I wish you the time to find yourself
to see the happiness in each day and each hour
I wish you the time to also forgive
I wish you the time to live.

(Original poem in German by Elli Michler here)

Inceputuri cu un strop de agitatie

Trec print-o perioada destul de ciudata dar frumoasa. Sa va explic la ce ma refer.

In prima faza mi-e greu sa intru in starea in care sa pot sta linistita, cu o idee si cu laptopul pe picioare ca sa scriu. Nu as merge pana la a spune ca imi lipseste inspiratia, dar sunt undeva intr-o zona gri in care nu reusesc sa ma axez pe un singur subiect, sa am o idee care sa imi vorbeasca si pe care sa pot sa o transpun in scris. Ma tratez cu weekend linistit si cu un pahar de vin, care de obicei este asociat cu starea de bine.

De fapt daca ma gandesc mai bine este o stare de agitatie care nu imi da pace. Dar este o stare de agitatie buna combinata cu o doza de nerabdare. Nu mai e mult pana o sa zbor si eu la Zurich, in prima faza pentru o saptamana, iar in zona Pastelui o sa plec de tot. Si bineinteles ca toate aceste schimbari isi lasa amprenta asupra coltisorului meu de liniste. Sa nu ne intelegem gresit, ma bucur enorm de mult pentru tot ceea ce ni se intampla si imi dau seama ca suntem norocosi, dar ca si orice schimbare majora, te afecteaza si te trezesti acaparat de tot felul de sentimente care pana atunci erau latente undeva in tine.

Urmeaza sa o iau de la zero intr-un oras nou si nu am mai facut asta de cativa ani buni. Imi amintesc de ultimul inceput, cand am hotarat sa ma mut la Bucuresti dupa ce petrecusem 7 luni la Paris ca student Erasmus, adica acum 4 ani  si 6 luni. Pentru cine nu stie, am facut facultatea la Cluj, eu fiind din Baia Mare si dupa 4 ani frumosi de studentie cu plecari prin SUA si Franta, am hotarat ca cel mai bun inceput in campul muncii ar fi, unde altundeva, decat in capitala tarisoarei noastre.

Incerc sa imi amintesc ce era in capul meu atunci. Decizia am luat-o cam de pe o zi pe alta, adica fara prea mari probleme. A fost si conjunctura favorabila, doua dintre prietenele  mele erau cam in aceeasi situatie ca si a mea si urma sa stam impreuna in marele oras. Un lucru e cert, la 23 ani eram putin mai curajoasa si mai nebuna decat sunt acum (desi unii m-ar putea contrazice). Atunci parca orice mutare suna bine si atragator si cu un minim de certitudini as fi plecat cam oriunde. Incerc sa imi dau seama ce s-a schimbat in cei 4 ani si ceva. Nu cred ca se poate spune ca am imbatranit (cine se gandeste la asta sa isi dea o palma J) ci pur si simplu am vazut mai multe, am deschis mai mult ochii si am realizat ca odata ce incepi sa prinzi radacini intr-un loc este putin mai greu sa te desprinzi si sa te expui riscurilor unui nou inceput. La 23 de ani nu prea ai cum sa prinzi radacini, decat daca iti propui asta si la mine nu prea era cazul.

Un alt aspect care s-a schimbat este experienta in campul muncii. Incercati sa va amintiti cand a trebuit sa va faceti primul CV si nu prea aveai ce sa treci in el. Tin minte ca am patit-o in facultate si as fi facut orice sa treaca mai repede timpul ca sa pot sa umplu 3 pagini de Cv cu experinta. Acum de bine de rau am ce sa pun in CV, si toata incarcatura asta vine cu responsabilitatea ca tot ce este déjà acolo trebuie completat si continuat, adica nu te mai poti opri odata ce ai inceput. 

Si nu in ultimul rand trebuie mentionat faptul ca acum nu mai sunt singura, acum suntem 2 care trecem prin toata experienta asta. Si uite asa, ceva ce acum 4 ani era simplu acum este mai complicat dar nu mai putin interesant si plin de farmecul pe care ti-o da viata in doi. Pentru ca inceputurile sunt frumoase,  surprinzatoare, pe-alocuri riscante dar pline de energie, o energie pozitiva care da, te agita dar nu te doboara ci te tine mereu in miscare. Sper ca toata agitatia si energia de care va vorbesc sa nu ma epuizeze prea curand. Sunt atatea de facut si de vazut incat ar fi pacat sa nu o iei de la inceput daca ai ocazia.