Q:We are going to start. How old are you?
A: 23 years old.
Q:Since when have you been in Spain?
A:Since 2014, for three years now.
Q: I assume you don’t have any kids or that you are married
A: No
Q: Before you came to Spain how was your life there? What did you do? How was your bond with the family?
A: Before I came to Spain my life was a lot different. I was studying there. And I came here to study as well because I have family here. The bond I had with my family was very good. I’m very nervous right now.
Q: Don’t worry
A: i don’t really know what to tell you. I studied there, did sports and not much more. It is true I had more relations with people there, more friends. Here it is costing me a bit to make new friends but I have a peaceful life.
Q: Where did you live?
A: In Alexandria, a city in the south of Romania. A small city and a very good one.
Q: Is it similar to Murcia?
A: No, Alexandria is a lot smaller and Murcia is much more modern. In Romania because of the communism we are still a bit behind on everything. But it’s a nice city, a small one with around 50.000 people.
Q: And there you live with your family? With your parents?
A: With my mother, because my parents are separated. With my mother and with my brother.
Q: So you are only two brothers in the family?
A: Yes.
Q: And you are the oldest?
A: Yes.
Q: You said you used to play sports, which sport?
A: Basketball. I have played basketball for over 9 years. First at elementary school and then at high school. I liked it a lot.
Q: How was your environment with the people from Alexandria?
A: Very good. As I have told you I have a lot of friends there and to be honest with you here it is costing me a bit. There I used to have a social life much more complete.
Q: The friends you made there where from your school or from basketball?
A: Most of them were from basketball, school, neighbours, friends from friends… I had a big group of friends and still have.
Q: When did you decide to take to step and moved to Spain and why?
A: I have always wanted to study abroad. And because my aunt lives in Spain, she proposed it to me and I told her that it sounded very good. So we decided to give it a try. But since I have been fifteen years old I have wanted to study abroad.
Q: Did you came here when you were still in High School?
A: No, after High School.
Q: So you came here to study at the university.
A: Yes.
Q: How long has your aunt been living here?
A: Seventeen years now. She is more Spanish than Romanian right now. She is married to a Spanish man from Cartagena. She is very happy here. So I have some family in Spain here as well.
Q: Your aunt is fully installed here, right?
A: Yes. She has a job. She’s been living in Cartagena now for around seven years before that she used to live in Madrid.
Q: When you talked to her before you came to Spain what did she tell you?
A: She told me that she thought it was a great idea. The only thing she was worried about was the language. So I started watching Spanish movies and try to learn the language as quick as possible. But she was very delighted by the idea. She’s like a second mom to me, always taking care of me and always supporting me. And she loved the idea because at that time she was feeling a bit lonely, missing her family from Romania. So it was good for the both of us.
Q: Tell me about how you felt the first time you arrived to Spain? How was your very first they when you arrived? What did you think of it?
A: I totally loved it! From the very first day I fell in love with Cartagena. Murcia is also very nice but I fell for Cartagena. They took me for a walk down the harbour and in all my life I hadn’t seen such a beautiful sight. I have never imagined that I was going to live in such a beautiful place close to the sea and the mountains. I also remember that the first day that I arrived my Spanish family from my aunt were so nice to me that I immediately felt part of their family.
Q: Why did you decided to study Tourism?
A: I considered a lot of degrees, but because i’m more from arts sciences and in Cartagena there is a school in tourism. I also thought it would be a good idea because I know more than one language.I had to choose between law and tourism and after examining it, I decided it was a good idea. I’m very happy with the decision I made.
Q: With the holiday traditions coming up, are there any traditions that you always celebrate in Romania?
A: No. It’s been two years since I went back home and this Christmas is going to be the first time again. Last Christmas and New Year’s Eve were the first I celebrated here in Spain. It’s quite different than I’m used to.
Q: Why is that?
A: Because of the traditions, we have different ones. Also with our religion we have different traditions. We are orthodox. And especially the family bond that is created here in Spain, it is much more closer. In Romania, especially the students, are much more on their own with these days. We don’t spend so much time with our family these days. Here I have noticed more union and family atmosphere. There we go much more to the church and have the famous pig slaughter. In Spain you dine at home and in Romania you go dine out. There we used to go out the Christmas Eve and here it is all about the family time.
Q: What do you like the most about Spain and what don’t you like about it?
A: Without a doubt what I like the most about Spain is the people. The warm welcome they gave me when I arrived to this country. I was quite nervous about it because, although I proud to be a Romanian, I’m also ashamed of what some people of my country did. But the Spanish don’t care about that, they care about who you are. They beautiful sights of this country also are one of the things I like the most.
Q: When you decided to come to Spain, who did you leave behind?
A: I left behind my mother, my brother and my grandparents from my mother’s side. With my father’s side of the family I don’t have any contact, so I don’t know them. It was very hard in the beginning leaving them behind but the also know that this is a big step towards my future. So although we miss each other they know I’m doing great and that it’s not permanent.
Q: Did you had the necessity to find a job?
A: Yes. Actually I found a job very quick when I arrived. The very first year I found a job as a radio announcer of sport games in english. And I still worked there every weekend.
Q: For which company?
A: For a live betting company. And that’s how I have seen such a lot of the Region of Murcia. Cause I broadcast games from the third division of Murcia what takes place in a different city every weekend. It’s the perfect job for students.
Q: Do you send any packages from Spain to Romania?
A: Yes. In fact I have to pick up a package today or tomorrow. There are several companies that send the packages to Romania. My mum sends me some books. I’m not the type that sends a lot of packages but more receives. Every two or three months they send me a package from Romania with things I’m missing at that time like food, books, etc.
Q: How do you communicate with your family?
A: Well with my grandparents I’m obligated to call them by phone because they don’t use any technology. But with my mother and brother I talk a lot via WhatsApp and once a week we videocall each other. When our team plays we videocall each other on Facebook and watch the game together.
Q: You are very close together
A: Yes, we talk daily to each other.
Q: How do you think you have evolved through your time in Spain? Do you think it’s the same? And your family?
A: My family has evolved for the better. And I, I’m still a bit struggling. I’m feel like i’m coping with the Ulysses syndrome, the syndrome of the immigrant. My family is very happy about the fact that I’m studying and getting very good grades, but I’m the one struggling a bit. But I’m a very positive person so I know everything’s gonna work out fine.
Q: Did your brother and your mother have the possibility to come visit you?
A: Yes, they came to visit me both. My brother visited me last year in the summer and my mother came last August. They both loved it. My mother wants to buy a house here when she retires.
Q: Do you think that your brother in the future will decide to come to Spain?
A: I do think so. I’m not sure if he would choose Spain but for sure he would come to study abroad. I’m not sure if he has it all planned already because he is quite small but my mother has for him.
Q: When was the last time you were home?
A: Almost two years ago.
Q: For how long were you home?
A: Two weeks. Because I had to come back for my classes.
Q: And when you were there those two weeks what were your feelings about the city, the country? Did you think it had evolved?
A: It feels a bit weird. Much weirder than I would imagine. You get used to here and when you come back you see everything different, with an other perspective. In my city there were a few things that has changed, bars, shops; the buildings at my grandparents village had improved a bit. The economical situation of the country had improved as well a little bit. But drastic changes I didn’t notice. It is very weird though, because you really miss the place but as soon as you arrive you want to back to the new place because you are already used to that again. It felt like I didn’t belong there anymore.
Q: So you feel more comfortable in Spain now?
A: Yes
Q: Are you aware of the things that are happening there? Do you search for news and stuff?
A: Yes, everyday I read the newspapers and I’m very up to date on the political situation that is going on right now. Because someday I intend to go back and it’s good to be informed about the current situation of the country. I also watch a lot of programs live on the internet streaming.
Q: The language. You mentioned earlier that you started studying it in Romania, but how did you evolve?
A: Well, I didn’t start studying it there. I just started watching soap operas in Spanish. And then in Spain I learned I pretty quickly, do to that Romanian is also a language based on Latin. I picked it up very quickly. My aunt as soon as I arrive started talking to me in Spanish at home so I would learn it faster as well. I read a lot of books as well, kids books in the beginning and as I got better more difficult ones.
Q: How long did it take for you to have a proper conversation in spanish?
A: I think it took me roughly six months. When I started the tourism grade it’s unbelievable how quickly I learned it.
Q: Do you talk Spanish at home with your aunt?
A: I talk to her in Romanian and she replies in Spanish. She also writes to me in Spanish and I reply to her in Romanian via WhatsApp.
Q: And with your family in Romania you talk in Romanian, right?
A: Yes. Nobody there can speak Spanish.
Q: Have you made new friends here?
A: Some, but not many. That what I mentioned earlier to you is the thing that is costing me the most. I’m a very shy person so I think that’s why because the spanish people are very welcoming. I’m very good friends with my roommates, who I used to live with. Very close friends I haven’t made yet.
Q: Did you have any contact with the Romanian community here?
A: Not yet, no. I did subscribe myself to a Romanian community on Facebook and thought multiple times in writing to someone but I haven’t done it yet.
Q: How did your experience turned out towards what you expected.
A: Well, it has been a lot better than I expected it to be. The people, society, studies, level of studies everything has been better than I expected it to be. I had very high expectations when I came here and they all were even better.
Q: If you could go back would you do it all over again?
A: Yes
Q: Or would you change anything?
A: Right now I don’t know. I probably think I would do exactly the same thing.
Q: Would you like to study or live in another country?
A: Yes. A country a bit more northern. Because I didn’t mention it before when you asked me what I didn’t liked about Spain. I can’t handle the heat. It’s too warm for me. If I could choose I would go to the Netherlands.
Q: Would you go back to Romania?
A: Yes, but not anytime soon. When the situation there is better and I’m positive that it will get better.
Q: If you had to define the aspects that contrast with Spain and Romania what would them be?
A: From Spain the climate. They are both just totally different in every aspect.
Q: With everything I have told you about the play what do you think that they play is going to be like? What would you like to see? What do you want the play to tell?
A: I don’t know. That it would tell the experience I have lived.