Q: How old are you?
A: You don’t ask a woman that! Ha ha ha. I’m 42 years old but don’t tell anybody.
Q: For how many years have you lived here?
A: For seventeen years.
Q: Do you have kids?
A: Yes, one. A seven year old girl.
Q: How was your life before you came to Spain? On a familiar and work level?
A: When I lived in Romania I was studying not much working. I only worked during the weekends to earn money for the university. I studied two degrees there and when I graduated I moved to Spain.
Q: What did you study?
A: I studied Restoration and Preservation of Ancient monuments. And after that History.
Q: Did you came to Spain to work in that?
A: No. I came to Spain to leave Romania and find a life.
Q: You couldn’t work in Romania in that?
A: Yes, I could. I could have been a teacher or anything. But the salaries there are very low and I didn’t want that.
Q: So that’s why you came to Spain?
A: Yes
Q: Alone?
A: No, I came with my partner.
Q: You came directly to Murcia?
A: Yes. When I came here I was received very well by the country. And looking back I can say I was very fortunate.
Q: Did a lot of people help you in the beginning?
A: Yes, they made me feel part of their family.
Q: And how did you meet those people?
A: Coincidences of life.
Q: Did you came to Spain because you knew the possibilities it could offer you or did you just jump into a new adventure?
A: Well, I grew up in communism. With all the restrictions it brings. I used to study in the dark near a candle light, cause at that time at night they used to cut down the power to safe energy in the whole city. And you would hear all kinds of stories that were going on back then. I can honestly say that I grew up in a very happy home because of my family, but I always knew that when I’m old enough I’m going to leave this place in search of a better one and that’s what I did.
Q: How was your relationship with your neighbours in Romania?
A: Good. I used to live in a 10 floor flat and we were all like a big family. When my mom passed away I moved in with my boyfriend and I think that’s one of the reason also that I wanted to go.
Q: When you decided to leave Romania for Spain, did you think that it was going to be more difficult?
A: Honestly I didn’t think that we thought it that much through. A lot of times I think to myself how did we do it like that, so crazy. But being in the situation we were in, not that we were poor because I could eat and study. But seeing other people who had left Romania and came back to visit, telling all the things they had achieved abroad. I thought to myself I can do that to.
Q: If you could do it all over again, would you do it?
A: Yes.
Q: And would you come to Spain again?
A: I’ve visited a lot of places, but there’s no place like Spain.
Q: Did you know any spanish when you came?
A: No. The only thing I knew were the typical phrases and some sentences from soap operas because they air a lot of them in Romania.
Q: And how did you learn the language? How long did it took? And how did you manage to get buy in the beginning then?
A:if they talked it slowly to me I could understand a lot because I had studied Latin in Romania. And in Spain I started watching the news a lot the improve it. Watching the pictures with the talking helped a lot. And then when I found a job working with Spanish people it only went faster and faster.
Q:How long did it took for you to have a conversation with people?
A: It’s been a long time ago, but i think I picked it up pretty fast.
Q: Your partner as well?
A: Well my partner talks it worst then me and has been staying the same time as me.
Q: What language do you talk in at home?
A: Mixture.
Q: And with your daughter?
A: Well I think it’s good for kids to grow up with multiple languages, especially nowadays. So we raised her in Romanian and we talk to her in Romanian, but she always answers us in Spanish. We put her the animated cartoons in Romanian and she learns a lot from it.
Q: When you travel to Romania how long do you stay? Do you all go together?
A: I went so little time that I’m not sure. In all those years I only went 4 times. And with my daughter only once. It costs a lot of money to go there.
Q: Who did you leave behind when you moved to Spain?
A: Nobody close. Because after my mom died I hadn’t had anybody close anymore. My dad had past away many years before my mom so I was alone. And the bond you lost the bond over the years with the people I had left.
Q: Did a lot of people from Romania come your wedding in Spain?
A: Well a lot of our people from Romania already live here. For example the brothers of my husband live in Valencia. My aunt lives in Madrid. To my wedding in the end 90 people came.
Q: Where do your friends come from?
A: It’s a mix but most of them are all Spanish or Romanian.
Q: Where have you met you friends? Work? Outdoors?
A: From town, work, from everywhere.
Q: Do you think that living in Spain has evolved to live better than you would have lived in Romania?
A: Yes
Q: In what aspect?
A: I think in a bit of everything. I think that all the things I have done here I wouldn’t have done there. And the peace Spain has brought me.
Q: What are the three main differences between Spain and Romania?
A: A lot. Health is a big difference. The openness of the people. The liberty. I feel less judged.
Q: What don’t you like about Spain? What do you miss from Romania?
A: Nothing. Sometimes i miss the food, but those times I just cooked them.
Q: Are you thinking about changing from country? Going back to Romania?
A: It’s complicated. Once you have bought a house and you are paying a mortgage you just can’t do those things. I don’t think my daughter would like it either. And I have had and still have a very good offer to good back.
Q: Do you think you wouldn’t go back for your daughter or for you?
A: I think because of everything. My husband always says because of the health there. There we would only get sick. And although in Romania they don’t live in the communism anymore they still live with the same communism mentality and corruption and that makes me so angry. In Spain you have much more freedom. In Spain we got used to the normal situation. To be treated like a normal person equally. Not like for example when you have to go do some paperwork and for a Romanian to treat you kindly you have to give them a little extra because that’s what they’re used to because of the very low salaries, but if you don’t do it they treat you like less. And seeing that things aren’t like that in Spain makes me ashamed of it.
Q: Are you still informed about everything that is going on in Romania?
A: Yes, we have digital Romanian television and sometimes we watch the news.
Q: Do you think through the years Romania has changed?
A: Yes of course. It has changed and for the better but it still has a long way to go. The salaries are still very low. And a friend of me that came to the wedding, is one of the most neurosurgeon in Europe finally moved to Arabia Saudi when he had sworn never to leave his country. He was always faithful that the situation in Romania was going to improve but in the end he also moved abroad. Because the salaries are very low and the food, petrol oil in Romania is more expensive than in Spain. The annoying thing is that in Romania or you are poor or you are very rich, there doesn’t exist a middle class. In Spain most of the families are middle class family. In Romania that just doesn’t exist.
Q: As a viewer of the play that they are making of the Romanian life, what would you like to see? What would you like them to tell you? Or what story do you think they need to tell?
A: I don’t know. Looking back I just had a lot of luck! Comparing myself to other people in the same situation. And I think you need luck!
