Elena İnançlı is a young girl who is just over 18 years old and has been learning Romanian for six months. She is a student at the University of Bucharest, at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. Elena is in the beginning period of the student adventure, being in the preparation phase, phase in which she learns the Romanian language. It is not easy for her, but in order to achieve her dream of becoming a psychologist, she must go through this stage with great care, which will ensure her passing to the next level.
Elena is part of the large group of students from abroad, a group that Bucharest adopted and accepted, integrating it perfectly into the Romanian society.
The story of the young girl who has just passed the threshold of 18 years of age is a special one, given that she is part of a mixed family: her mother is Romanian and her father is Turkish.
Born in Turkey, Elena grew up there, and her education background is closely linked to her native country. Coming to Romania occurred after finishing high school, because she wanted to be with her parents who have been living for four years in our country. “So far I have only studied in Turkey, but because my parents moved to Romania four years ago, I came after them. During the entire high school period I was alone in Turkey, but I decided to do the faculty in Romania, so I am a student in psychology, within the University of Bucharest. For six months I have been training continuously. I learn Romanian and I can say that it is not easy for me, because it is a very difficult language. I came to Bucharest because my parents live here. I wanted to be with my family,” says Elena.
Elena discovers Bucharest everyday
Half Romanian, as a little girl Elena had opportunity to discover the beauties of the lands where her mother was born and raised. Therefore, the shock of the final settlement in Bucharest was not too strong. On the contrary, it gave the young girl the opportunity to discover in detail all the beauties that fascinated her when she was a child. Besides, she confesses to me that when she’s not in college, she spends her free time hanging out with friends to explore the city of adoption.
Elena presents Bucharest as a capital in which history accompanies you at every step. The young girl likes to walk through all those places that tell the stories of the city and talk about those who once lived in these places. She is also fascinated by the statues she can find in many places.
For Elena, the Parliament Palace is a place where you can discover a lot of information related to the recent history of Romania. In fact, the young girl believes that every corner of Bucharest is just waiting to reveal stories about everything that has happened, over time, in the Romanian capital.
Any foreigner settling in our country is interested to know as much about the traditions of this people. Elena also has a suggestion to lay the groundwork for such a lesson: a visit to “Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum in Bucharest.
“There are other places in Bucharest that I like very much. For example, Herastrau Park or Unirii Square, where we can admire the wells for a long period of time. I also like the National Museum of Art of Romania. I like to go to those amazing places that help me learn more about this country. What I like most about Bucharest is that you can walk freely everywhere. And it is fascinating to walk the streets and discover so many areas worth visiting. However, there are some aspects that I do not like in the city, and this category includes public transport that needs to be modernized”, points out the young student.
Because she devotes so much time to studying, Elena is a regular user of the libraries in Bucharest, where she goes to get information. „Bucharest is a very friendly city. Here are people of many nationalities living in harmony. The foreigners get used to the way of life here because of the inhabitants of the city who adopt them without any hesitation. The capital of Romania is a fascinating mix of old and new. There are modern streets intertwined with streets full of historic buildings. It’s a mix I’ve never seen before. And I want to say something more about Bucharest: I think it is a city where everyone can improve. This city offers you the opportunity to perfect yourself,” points out Elena İnançlı.
