a tribute to my friends

Throughout my twenty-something years (please notice I have age issues - must be getting old) I have met a lot of people. I kept in touch with some, forgot others, needed to forget others and some of them managed to cross that barrier of trust, becoming what I consider to be friends. I have very specific criteria regarding this "job" and all of the people I'm describing now have met them fully. Please remember, I will always care about you and even though we don't always stay in touch on a daily basis, I think of you all the time.

So here goes :

1. Vlad - we met in 2003 when I went to the States for the first time. Because of him I had some serious self-esteem issues - I always admired the way he carried himself, the way he dressed, the way his confidence just seemed to radiate. I wanted to be just like him. Then I realized I can be his friend, and instead of desperately wanting to be like him, I can be me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Though we met in person 6 years after that summer, the friendship blossomed. He pointed out some great music for me : Within Temptation, Amethystium, Sleepthief, Blue Stone (for which I shall be forever grateful), inspired me to evolve on so many levels, always there with an advice or a funny remark. His personality is a mystery to me - he can be childish sometimes, but at other times he shows great wisdom and maturity! Vlad, thank you for being my friend!

2.Nana - out of all my friends, I've known her the longest, since we were in the 5th grade (a long time), however the friendship started when we were both at the university. Actually it is thanks to her I got to work in the waterpark, me wanting to work as an icecream vender at first (what was I thinking - listening to that musicbox song all that time). We spent 2 glorious summers in the States, enjoyed all those all-you-can-eat meals, sneaked into movie theatres - actually we paid for one movie and watched 3 (sweet). She is definitely a movie-holic - i don't dare ask her how many movies she has seen (i don't think even she knows). She likes to dance, A LOT - and has the great moves for it, trust me on that one. She travels a lot and then complains she has no money (go figure), but at least she is seeing the country, or maybe she has an ulterior motive - only she knows. Short tempered, kind hearted, pathologically afraid of dogs, she is a founding member of the CURD (that stands for COOL NERDS - we both finished medical school so that's saying something) team (me being the other and we have the matching rings to prove it). And whenever we go out, we always have truly interesting stories to share. Can't wait for the next McDonalds/KFC lunch, but first we need those meal tickets.

3.Dawn - she is my spiritual guide. I met her also in 2003, while working at the front desk in the US. There is a connection between us that only we can explain, and sometimes even we think it's a mystery. She showed me how to evolve spiritually, whenever I was suffering I knew she was there with me in thought. I received a gift from her way back then, a pentagram I cherish and wear. She also accepted me for who I was and am, the whole weird package, and for that I love her. She gives great advice and is a good listener. Loves cats, riding motorcycles, books and tea. And she has an amazing talent with the tarot cards, among other things!

4.Karen - my all time favorite american girl. She was there to pick me up from Greyhound back in the day, talked her ears off I'm sure so many times, we shared so many amazing moments : Mississippi, New Orleans, swimming in the Tisa on December 31st (it was more of a dip, most of it mine), dancing in the car while returning from Vienna. She is responsible for my financial ruin due to books. Why you ask? Simple. She keeps recommending all these great books, and me, the addicted that I am, can't help but buying them. It's a conspiracy I say. And for this, plus for the facts that she listens to me all the time, is there for me whenever it's necessary, for giving me an accurate description of my inner self on the road back from Minnesotta, for taking me to spend Thanksgiving with her family, she will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart!

5.Dina - she is my best girl friend. Have known her for 9 years but we became friends about 5 years ago. She is my "to go to" person. Whenever I feel like venting, she's there. She always gives me dirty looks for not taking any chances, always puts me in my place, rolls her eyes whenever I discover something obvious, but she's also there when I need help, of any kind. Of course I couldn't help it and fell in love with her, but from this our friendship grew even stronger. She taught me to drink and threw some amazing parties during our student years - some of the best years of my life. We spent great times together - trying to build a fire with toilet paper and a lighter (you had to see it), almost frozen in a cabin on New Years, bored to death at another New Years - what can I say, good times!

6.Cris - my best friend. We went to high school together, got soaking wet in a water fight with him in 9th grade (don't worry, it was summer, we dried pretty quick), sat next to each other since 10th grade, laughed in classes as hard as we could (him being always the one to get caught), then went to nursing school together (for a year), then university. He told me I helped him get out of his shell. The truth is, I also learned a very important lesson from him - never lose hope, always believe in yourself and never forget your dreams. They may not come true NOW, but when they are ready to. He used to drive me insane with all his lady-chasing days, but it paid off for him - he's married, a father and a doctor in Germany (he even tries to lure me to the bratwurst side, but I stay strong and not give in).

So these are my dear friends. I will always think of them as my stars - though I can't always see them, I know they are there! Love you all!

first day as a student...again

Today we started classes as 1st year students at the Romanian-English department of the Faculty of Letters. When I saw the schedule that my new "career" starts with 4 hours of Latin, I was not a happy camper. To say I loathe it would be a gross understatement. But this morning came, woke up at 6.45 am (on a Saturday it's a crime, a crime I say), drank my coffee and was off to a new start. 

A few minutes after 8 this kind lady comes to us, telling us she's our Latin teacher. Cool. We settle down, she shares with us some themes that need to be researched and have them transformed into papers which will be marked, of course. So we're writing down these themes and when we get to theme nr.10 I can hear a voice yelling YES!!!! - that voice was in my little ol' head. Why do you ask? The theme was - Roman mythology. I decided right then and there, it will be mine. MINE!!!! mu-ha-ha. After the list was done, the teacher made a list of the people who will be sharing the fruit of their labor with the class. Not being one afraid of a challenge, and fearing someone might snatch the gods from me, I signed up. So for the next few days I shall immerse myself in the world of gods, heroes and nymphs *celebration dance*. Then came the not so happy part of grammar. But on the plus side, it didn't bore me (too much) and we finished class one hour earlier than planned.

Next class started at noon - modern english lexicology. It sounds scary, doesn't it? So we are settled in the resource room (aka the english library), and she comes along. The teacher I mean. You would have to picture her as Peggy Bundy, but with shorter hair, and the personality of Karen Walker from Will and Grace. She came carrying her laptop, with the mouse still attached to it - it suffered greatly, getting slammed into the door, on the desk - I felt sorry for the poor technology piece. Then came round 2 of the tech-fun, when she inserted or should I say tried to insert the memory stick into the USB port. It was a sight to behold. And I knew right there and then I would simply LOVE this class. And each minute of it assured me I was right. She told us what she expects of us, gave us the rough points and then we got down to business. A test. It was more of an assessment of our English knowledge, lasted 30 minutes. I finished about 15 minutes into the test and I had a vivid image in my head of me flapping my arms and yelling "I'm done", but on the outside I was calmly sitting in my chair, patiently waiting for the others to finish. The class ended at the designated time, and I left looking forward to the next class.

Tomorrow I'll have English literature and Folklore. Wonder how that's gonna go!

So far I'm really psyched of being a student again!