A (Very Brief) Year In Review

A post like this could start with dates, it could present a chronology of events, either public or personal, and finish with an optimistic outlook on the next twelve months; a forecast based on the perceived good fortune of family, friends, work, and the state of our world.

But I'll go with a few anecdotes and some thoughts on this measure of time that, once passed over, becomes little more than an archive revisited by historians and nostalgics. What's done is done and all that sort of thing...

There is a lot to be said for the theme of Community in 2015. There were a couple of weddings and new members in the family, new team mates at work, a Greek tragedy (almost), Refugees, Colectiv, Paris. The theme of solidarity abounds, surprisingly more so in Romania where grassroots associations seem to be getting more vocal and civil society is starting to find its voice.

There are, of course, also plenty of sobering reminders that most of us are far from being masters of our destiny. There are fears about the uncertain economy, refugees/economic migration, terrorism, net neutrality, government surveillance. In other words, too many quality of life variables are resting in other people's hands.

But it's far from all doom and gloom. 2015 is said to be the most peaceful year in our modern existence. I'd be very ungrateful to pretend I didn't enjoy it. However, after nearly five years in Romania, it's difficult not to feel as if I've said most of what there is to be said. It even explains the infrequency of my posts.

But all of that aside, here are some things I hope for, and look forward to, in 2016:

No more smoking indoors
A road trip to Provence
Watching Romania in the Euros
(Re)Told Festival
A decline in PC culture
A shift from 'Crisis' to 'Solution'
Sanity prevailing
Romanian success stories
More reading
More writing
Quality time with family and friends

and most of all..
The good health of all of the above..and to you!

Comments

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It's a question I ask myself at times. Let's put it this way; I've been around. Maybe not all around the world, but halway-ish maybe. Sailed the canals of Amsterdam, biked from one end of Paris to the other, took the train from Budapest to Berlin, drove the 405 in LA, and yeah, I even rode a hay cart back in the day. But other than enjoying all these forms of transportation, I got to enjoy the places I visited. I don't know about you, but when I visit a place I always ask myself, 'would I live here?' While the answer is often 'yes, why not', the only place I moved to was Cluj. Cluj, how do I love thee, let me count the ways: 1. I love your smell. It's like earth, and air, and city. I will never forget my first day here, when I walked out of the arrivals building at the airport and breathed in your smell. Spring. You're the city of eternal Spring. On a balmy day, it's what you smell like, even if it's December, or August. 2. I l...

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You Can't Plan a Romania Road Trip, But You Should Anyway

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Why Romanians Don't Like Romanians

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10 Things Romania Does (A Bit) Differently - Part 2

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Here Is Why Romania's Future Is Bright

The festival is only in its second edition, but following last year's inaugural event, Electric Castle has stirred up enough buzz to attract visitors from beyond Romania's borders. Walking around the festival grounds I had the impression that every other group was comprised of foreigners speaking Hungarian, English, German, or French. And judging by the license plates in the parking lots, every county in Romania was well represented. While there's plenty to be said about the artists and the music, there's something else I want to discuss in this post. When you think "music festival", the image that comes to mind is that of overly excited youth on a drug and alcohol infused rampage, laying waste to everything in their path. Maybe it has something to do with the way festivals like to promote themselves; these are basically the images that stand out on most 'Official Aftermovie' videos from major music festivals. But obviously the experience is defined...

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