Doina Ciolacu came to Bucharest when she was only 16 years old. She is from the Republic of Moldova, but today she feels to belong to the city that has shaped and supported her to grow. Now, at 23, she realizes it was worth all the sacrifices she made. She feels perfect in the capital of Romania and has big plans for her future in this city she simply adores.
„Bucharest is more than “home” to me. Considering that it is the city where I grew up, the city where I built and laid the foundation of what I stand for today, I can say that it is the place of my soul. I have been to many other cities in Romania, but there is no place like here. I can’t see myself leaving Bucharest. Every time I have the opportunity to stroll its streets, I love it more and more”, says Doina.
She graduated from college as the head of her class
The young woman from Bessarabia graduated from high school at the National College „Iulia Hașdeu” of Bucharest. It was not easy for her at that time, when she was alone, hundreds of miles away from her family and having to deal with a huge city. The hardest period was her first year, when she was in the 9th grade. Doina came from a completely different environment, with a certain accent that made it difficult for her to integrate. Furthermore, she studied English at school, and she only knew French and Russian, the foreign languages she had studied in the Republic of Moldova.
There were even moments when she was on the brink of leaving Bucharest and moving to Iași, a city much closer to the town where her family lives, but she didn’t do it.
Step by step she adapted, integrated, developed, and in the 12th grade – she was already a member of a very active community: Bucharest Association of Students and Pupils of Bessarabia .
In fact, in the first year of faculty she was elected leader of this structure, being actively involved in solving the problems of the young people who have migrated from the Republic of Moldova to Romania.
She graduated from Titu Maiorescu University, Faculty of Communication Sciences and International Relations. She specialized in International Relations and European Studies, and at the end of the three years of faculty she graduated as the head of her class. Due to the results she had obtained, she was offered the opportunity to remain in her Alma Mater, but she declined the offer, having other plans in mind.
Bucharest, a city that opens many doors
There has been much talk in recent years about migration, the world being a real hive where people move from place to place. The stories of these young people who leave their family while very young and come to Bucharest show us, to those living in this city, that the negative image that we are stubborn to maintain about the Romanian capital city does not exactly reflect reality.
„Bucharest is a burgeoning city that can open many doors for you. You just have to know how to knock. As long as you know what you want from life, you can succeed everywhere, but especially in Bucharest. From my point of view, there are many opportunities here for ambitious young people, who can certainly develop professionally. Bucharest is a European capital where you can meet people of different cultures or religions. Every time I go out, I meet a lot of foreigners and I think they wouldn’t stay here if they didn’t see they are welcome, if they didn’t find themselves at home here”, adds Doina.
„I love even the busy rhythm of this city”
The seven years she spent in Bucharest allowed her to get to know the city very well. The young woman tells us that her favourite place is King Michael the First Park During high school, she lived in a dormitory very close to this park and when she was feeling the need for a little relaxation, she used to rush to admire Lake Herastrau. „ In this park, I also have a special space where I liked to stay when I felt the need to isolate myself from the world.”, remembers the young woman.
Doina prefers to walk on Victoriei Drive, because it is the area that combines very well the old with the new. She confesses to us that she loves the architecture of Bucharest, so she often relaxes on the streets of the city. She also likes Unirii Avenue. „I have moments when I walk along the avenue from Alba Iulia Circus to the Constituţiei Square. I see the pedestrian area of Unirii Avenue as a place that allows you to stay out of the crowd, even if you are in the heart of the city. I love even the agglomeration of this city. Probably the only thing I would like to change here would be the difficult situation that some people have. I would like to have more care centres for the helpless people, who get lost in the streets and especially for the children who are starting to get old since early childhood, without envisaging a future for them.”, she points out.
The Bessarabia native is persuaded that in order to attract more tourists, Bucharest should rely more on architecture. „If it were up to me, I would keep more of the authentic tinge. From my point of view, the historical architecture has a major impact on tourism”, claims Doina.
A family and a business in Bucharest
Doina came to study in Romania at her mother’s urging. She did not consider Bucharest as a destination since the beginning, she initially thought of Timisoara. But her parents did not accept this option and told her she should choose Iasi.
„ I started to prepare my dossier with the thought that I would attend school in Iasi, 70 kilometres away from home. In 2012, the dossiers for studies were still collected at the Romanian Embassy in Chisinau. When I went to submit my file and came to fill in the application with the high school codes, I started with Bucharest. I don’t know why, but I’m not sorry. Unfortunately, at the age of 15, I was already aware that, in my country, I could not build the future I want and that my place is not there. There are also some personal reasons why I decided to leave. Of course, at that time I didn’t realize what I was doing. I wanted to show that I could and would succeed, I wanted my parents to be proud of me. I arrived in Bucharest by accident, fate brought me here”, underlines the youth.
And thus Doina built her life in the capital city of Romania. After college she was hired as an assistant manager, but she wants to keep evolving. „I chose to study Communication and International Relations with a passion for history and politics. I did not continue my studies by a master’s degree course because, at the moment, I do not want to go into politics, and my dream is to do business. I probably wouldn’t go on with a master’s degree in specialisation of the bachelor’s degree, but I’m definitely going to take entrepreneurship / management courses”, the young woman from Moldova tells us.
The active life she lives does not let her have too much leisure time, but the young woman says she has grown accustomed to this rhythm and it is only thus she feels she truly lives. „I am an energetic person and I always look for something new. I loved the idea of a busy schedule from the time when I was president of the Bucharest Association of Students and Pupils of Bessarabia. I cannot say that I manage to do too much because, during the week, I get tangled in work and gym time, and on weekends I allot time for myself and for the people with whom, during the week, I can only talk on the phone. But when I manage to make a little time, I like to walk or sit on a quiet terrace, go to the cinema or to go shopping”, confesses Doina.
As for the future, the young woman does not see herself living in another city. For her, Bucharest is now “home”. „In five years, I see myself still in Bucharest. I hope and do my best that in this time I can achieve the goals I have at the moment. I wish that during this time I would start a family and set up a business for the future. Maybe, why not, I shall go into politics. We can never know what the future holds in store for us”, declares Doina.
The story of Doina Ciolacu confirms that Bucharest is a city with many opportunities. The capital of Romania has changed a lot in the last few years, and these changes are remark especially by those who know how to open doors, working to achieve their goals. Nowhere in this world do achievements appear without work and effort. Success belongs to those who know what they want from life and who fight for their dreams. And Bucharest is a city where dreams can come true.
Author: Ștefania Enache
Photo: Corina Gheorghe
