The Bucharest academic milieu offers a variety of opportunities to the youth having just graduated from high school, due to the large number of higher education institutions granting university education in the most important city of the country. Many of the students enrolled in the academic institutions in the capital city of Romania come from the province. They choose to leave their native places where they were born and raised in order to have the opportunity to put into practice their plans of graduating from college, which would grant them the chance to embark on their desired professional career.
Alin Nicolae Dinu comes from Buzau county, he is 26 years old and a graduate of the Faculty of History within the University of Bucharest . After having obtained his bachelor’s degree, Alin also enrolled in a master’s studies program, namely “Medieval Studies”, at the same educational institution. Meanwhile, he also attended and graduated from psycho-pedagogy modules I and II, in post-university regime.
Bucharest is for him the place where he could develop in order to pursue his career of choice, that of historian.
Bucharest is the liveliest hub of the country
Alin came to Bucharest for the first time when he was just 18, freshly out of high school. He is a graduate of “Costin Nenițescu” High School of Buzău. His diploma reads: trained as technician in tourism and public food supply.
Even though after passing the baccalaureate exam he got not only a diploma, but also a trade, Alin wanted to progress, to continue his studies.
Thus, at the age of 18, he set off for Bucharest. A journey he took by train. After about two hours, he saw opening in front of him the image of the city that was to shelter him in the coming years.
„Since childhood I have been passionate about history, sports (soccer and handball) and travels. I really like movies, and I watch them with interest whenever I have some spare time. The reason I decided to study in Bucharest is closely related to my greatest passion: history. It is a passion I have inherited from my family, from my father, who taught this subject for ten years. He succeeded in stirring my interest in history from childhood, telling me various stories regarding the important events in the life of the Romanian people. Another reason why I chose to leave my native places to study is that Buzau does not have a faculty of history yet. Furthermore, my interest in always being in touch with the most modern content in this field, selected and taught by some of the most important history professors in Romania, has mattered a lot. On top of that, it was the mirage of our capital city, capable of impressing anyone, regardless of the activity performed. It is probably the liveliest hub of the country”, says Alin.
He still remembers his first impression about Bucharest. „I arrived in Bucharest for the first time at the age of 18, to enrol to college. I came from Buzau to Bucharest by train, a journey of about two hours. I immediately recognized the Giulești soccer arena, which I had only seen on TV. It was much more impressive to see it live and immediately I saw with my mind’s eyes the moments of glory from the life of Rapid soccer team, with its legendary players and the specific frenzy of its fans. Finally, I arrived at the doors of the Faculty of History, within the University of Bucharest, after negotiating my way through the “famous” traffic … although it was only 7:00 in the morning. The city was so imposing compared to my native town of Buzau … it was radiant … it had such a vibe! I was also deeply impressed by the kindness of the staff at the Faculty of History, both sociable and patient … which somehow accentuated my sense of belonging to this academic environment”, as the young man puts it.
His favourite places in Bucharest are related to… history
After starting his student route, Alin had the opportunity to discover the city step by step. Today, when he looks back, he realizes that he was thus given the chance to see “live” many places that helped him to complete his knowledge in the domain of history.
I asked him to make a top three of his favourite places in Bucharest. Without the slightest hesitation he indicated, first of all, the Library of the Faculty of History. „It is the place where I was able to research and find the documentation, I needed on the broad topics related to both Romanian and world history. There I could find extremely varied and useful sources for the historical approach, elaborated by the minds of an impressive number of personalities”, explains the young man.
In his top he also mentioned the Museum of the Bucharest Municipality . „The Suțu Palace, this oasis of culture and civilisation, located opposite the Faculty of History, seems to me very anchored in reality, precisely by the fact that exhibitions there change very often and offer us new information from different cultural areas. In one of the rooms upstairs, I was able to visit an exhibition entitled “My name was Constantin Basarab Brancoveanu”. The atmosphere created by this exhibition brought me back to ancient times. Here I could see paintings depicting the ruler and his family, the sword of the voivode, and also clothes from his epoch. The books printed in the time of the prince remained in my memory. For example, the Bucharest Bible (1688) – religious books printed for the benefit of the whole public. Another aspect I found particularly important was that of the created environment, grace to the light cast over the exhibits. The whole exhibition was thus much better displayed, favouring each piece”.
Alin is fascinated also by the Stavropoleos Church, a place full of history, which also shelters an important collection of old books, manuscripts and printings, where he could even research, with the approval of the clergy, certain works important for the old Romanian history.
The wonderful spots in the capital city of Romania make him want even more that Bucharest becomes known all over the world. „In my opinion, Bucharest should promote its image more and more visibly, especially online, where this is much needed, through publications / articles / photos, both from the past and from the recent history. Also, it should publish magazines / brochures / flyers on a larger scale, meant to establish a connection between the historic past, present and future of this wonderful city. It should disseminate magazines / brochures / flyers with touristic / geographical / social content. It must increase the number of infotouches. And, last but not least, Bucharest should find alternatives for pollution reduction”.
„A city for everyone”
For the young man from Buzău, Bucharest is a fascinating place that can satisfy many of his passions.
Actually, when he is in the city, he spends most of his time in the areas he loves. For his studies, he prefers to go to the Central University Library, and when he wants to recharge his batteries he pays another visit to the National Museum of History of Romania . He unwinds in the Cișmigiu Park or in the Botanical Garden. Being a big sports fan, he takes advantage of every opportunity he gets to go see the competitions held on the National Arena. And, like any young man, he loves going out with friends to the mall.
„I like Bucharest because it is a charming city, which always knows how to meet the needs of the people it shelters. Its historical sights, its varied leisure areas, and the ease with which you can meet people, make new acquaintances or friends are just a few of the reasons why I prefer this city. Of course, I am not too happy about the pollution and the very long waiting time when you wish to get around, as Bucharest is such a dynamic city. Every big city in the world has its own characteristics. For the capital city of Romania, I could single out the architectural ensembles specific to the history of Bucharest in particular and to Romania in general; but also, the vastness of the places of worship … true oases of spiritual peace. Bucharest is a friendly city with people from the province. In Bucharest, every person can feel at home, as it is such an effervescent city, with so many attractions and sights, a city for all. As far as I know, Bucharest offers the highest number of jobs in Romania. And there is still a great need for employees to supplement the economic sectors of the city / country. There is always an opportunity for professional development in Bucharest. My opinion is that Bucharest is a city where a young person can develop professionally. In the future, I really intend to become a teacher in Bucharest”, says Alin.
The young man from Buzău came to Bucharest to make the most of the academic environment in the capital city of Romania. Alin wanted to study with the best professors, in order to have the opportunity to build a career for himself in the domain he is so passionate about.
„Higher education in Romania seems very capable to ensure continuity and to shape human personalities on many levels, up to the highest European standards. We see, both in the country and in the diaspora, many outstanding people (trained by the educational system of Romania) who have managed to attract the respect and consideration of the communities where they practice their profession. The professors in the Romanian higher education system seem to be very well trained to guide the youth, in my opinion. They have adapted to the ever-changing needs of our society and you can always get advice and guidance from their part. This is also the case of the Faculty of History within the University of Bucharest, from which I graduated and where I felt at home. The professors were a real help to me and made me love the history of this nation even more. My fellow students, whom I met at the Faculty of History, have my entire admiration. Decent and warm people, always ready to help, fine people, with whom I always had topics for discussions. With many of them I have kept in touch. Like all other environments, the students’ world in Bucharest is very vast. It is a space of social inclusion, a place suitable for the harmonious development of human personality”, Alin told us.
Author: Ștefania Enache
Photo: Corina Gheorghe
