A Collection of Firsts: Leaving EVS (pt. 1)

 A Collection of Firsts: Leaving EVS (pt. 1) 😜

➳ Special edition  ☼

10 Things I'm not going to miss 

when I leave Romania for good

1. Cockroaches 🆘 

Man, do I even need to comment this one? It is D I S G U S T I N G and unavoidable, especially if you live in the ground floor like us. They are everywhere, no matter how much effort and passion we put in to try to eradicate them. They are a f***ing plague and I will most definitely not miss having to deal with them. It did make me stronger though, so there's that I guess! ✌

2. Mosquitoes 💀 

They raped us, literally, over the summer. Especially the super silent ninja tiny ones that are impossible to kill. Still, we had a few very funny hunting sessions together, so hooray for those bonding opportunities, but the scratching and pain and ruined skin are not worth it! Cannot wait to be free of this other plague. 💥

3. Littering and garbage overflow 🙈 

Yup, that is both a serious issue and a daily hindrance at the same time. I simply do not want to live in a country where the environment is so badly mistreated, and it's sad because Romania is rich of incredibly beautiful and wild natural spaces. They must be protected and preserved, and I hope that our cleaning and recycling campaigns had some impact on the locals in Resita. We just have to wait and hope for the best, I guess. I will monitor the situation from afar, from now on 👀✌

4. Stray dogs 🐶

Don't get me wrong, I love doggos of every size and breed as much as the next nice fellow, but too much is too much! They should not be abandoned to themselves in this way and forced to roam the city at night looking for food in the garbage. Not to mention the fact that packs of dogs can be a threat to your safety in Romania, especially in the night. So yeah, not a favourite of mine, I'm afraid 🙇

5. Slow trains 🚆

The S L O W E S T trains in existence. Really, it's unbelievable. They cover the same distance in twice the time then a car, how is that even possible? Not going to miss that, for sure (even though the view from the window is pretty nice most times) 📷

6. Spiders 🕷 

Here we go again with another episode of the never-ending saga of monstrous fauna populating the beautiful town of Resita, Romania. Spiders of all sizes, color, and varying degrees of repulsion-inducing effect. They come through the windows, through open doors, they materialize out of thin air: you name it. Will definitely not miss having to suck up the courage to deal with them (thank God for Polish Karo and for having a boy in the house!) 😖

7. Leaky pipes 🚿 

Yup, to be found especially in old houses like our lovely Mushrooms' apartment, and to be feared especially in the winter, when a leaky pipe means a cold shower, without fail. This has been the bane of our existence, when because of leaky pipes and a faulty old heater we had to scream at the top of our lungs at regular intervals in order to get someone to restart the heater and finally enjoy like 10 minutes of hot water. 😰

8. Crazy driving 🚘

This is not a drill: WATCH OUT FOR CRAZY ROMANIAN DRIVERS. Seriously, if you ever come to Romania, think twice before crossing the street without checking on incoming cars, because you might come to regret it. It is super common for drivers to speed mindlessly pretty much in every kind of roads, and it is your business to avoid being run over! Not at all enjoyable, no sir! And I am Italian, soooo thrust me on this one!

9. Pork meat everywhere 🐷

Let me specify, it's not like I don't like pork at all, but for someone who was vegetarian for two years before coming to Romania, it was a fairly big adjustment to make to suddenly being surrounded by all this pork meat, with very few options to pick from. It is nice but JFC, try some beef once in a while, will you? 🤞

10. Nasty smells  🍕

So, this will sound a bit weird but people who have been here before will be able to understand what I'm referring to easily enough. Imagine walking down a busy street, a shopping street no less, and all of a sudden being almost chocked by this weird, repulsive smell coming out of nowhere. Sewer problems are no joke, I swear. Definitely ready to live without this one, no doubt! 

💫 I just want to say that I could have probably made a longer list here, but what's the point when I will still miss even the things that I hated about this place? It is the strangest of feeling, but hey ho, here we go... ❤

➤ Song of the day: "The Scientist" - Coldplay 🎵

"Oh, take me back to the start..."

⚡ 🎧  🎈 Link to "Opa! A Volunteering Podcast" here <----- 

Thank you for bearing with me through another episode of 

my column "A Collection of Firsts". 

Please stay tuned for my very last 

*and veeery emotional, SPOILER alert* 

list to come suuuuper  🔜