Easter

It's Easter time for Romanians. Although I never cooked special Easter meals, I did it this year. My mother and my mother-in-law used to do all the work in the last years so I had to do it by myself this year. So, I boiled and colored eggs, I baked three ''cozonaci'' (that special sweet bread with cocoa, nuts and Turkish delight) and a ''pasca'' (it looks like a pie, with cheese, eggs, milk and raisins) but it was a total disaster, unfortunately. I can count it as an honorable attempt, I guess. :) I'll do better next time, hopefully!

We had guests yesterday and we spent a nice day together. Grilled lamb, pork and chicken, salads, wine, a nice chocolate cake (it was my husband's birthday a day before) and fruits.
Romanians spent a lot of time eating and talking at this special occasions, but although we used to laugh about this habit, we really enjoyed doing that. I guess that we kind of feel differently now.
Back to the roots, at least on Easter.

We couldn't find THE Romanian church. We knew about one on Leeson street, in Stephen's Green area but we learned that the church with Romanian orthodox service is actually located near Heuston station. We missed the Easter service but we know where it is now!
It would have been better to go to the church in the night before Easter, as all Romanians do, but we don't have a car yet so we skipped it.

The funny thing about Easter this year is that I was a little confused about the fact that I couldn't feel the shopping fever as it usually is in Romania on this time. :) People buying a lot of food, presents and chocolate bunnies. So, more money for us then! :))

Happy Easter or as we say in Romanian ''Hristos a inviat!''

What's Lisbon Treaty anyway?

During my walks in Dublin, I've noticed a lot of posters about Lisbon Treaty. People of Ireland are urged by politicians to vote YES at the referendum in June.
Ireland is the only country which will have a referendum on this matter!
Except for the fact that our only right in Ireland is just to live here freely and that's all, I am curios about all this public debate on the Lisbon Treaty.

So, what is this about?
Lisbon Treaty, so called EU Reform Treaty, was signed on December 13, 2007, in order to reform the institutions of the European Union. The Union faces new global challenges, such as climatic changes, security, energy, world economy and the intention is to adapt all the European institutions to this news modern challenges. Among others, one of the new things would be a President of the European Council.

It has to be ratified in all 27 member countries before it can come into force, on January 1, 2009. And the ratification depends on each constitutional system. For instance, Romania approved the Treaty by parliamentary vote on February, 4.

The thing that I like most (learned of recently) is that each time the Irish Government wishes to change or amend the Constitution, it must do it by holding a referendum. Very democratic!

Debates
To randomly name only two parties, the Socialists Workers say NO, the Labor Party says YES; Libertas, the anti-Lisbon campaign group, says evidently NO.

However, as I noticed, many people here feel that the Treaty is undemocratic and goes to a centralized Europe.

The debates on TV and other media are civilized, not as I know :(.
I was used to terrible political masquerades on TV and this reality seems abnormal.

Here is the website which was set up to inform people on the treaty and here is something to read, on yes or no arguments.

On blogs, Skin Flicks with an interesting opinion.

Volver by Pedro Almodovar

I enjoyed every movie by Pedro Almodovar that I have seen.
Here is a sample of one of my favorite part in Volver. Penelope Cruz is absolutely brilliant!

Home alone

We live in our friends house, Laura and Mircea.
They encouraged us to come here and start a new life and since our arrival they they have advised and supported us with everything.
But they are on annul leave starting today and we will be home alone for two weeks. Party time, ha? :)

We'll meet some new friends tonight and go to a surprise restaurant (Maria, can't wait!) and I have two interviews planned for Monday. So, I guess, it's a busy start.

We are curious about everything here, food, transportation, local news and habits and we have to learn so many things. For instance, I don't get the tax system, it's completely new to us! And Dublin bus seems so inefficient to me, with incomplete routes and strange timetables.

But, we decided from the beginning to be patient and to read as much as we can in order to understand and to adapt.
We like in here until now and we hope that our new country to become HOME to us very soon.

I am a smoker

I have been smoking for 15 years. I prefer menthol cigarettes and I usually smoke a pack per day. Yesterday I smoked more than a pack and my throat hurts now.

I know I am a part of a blamed club - the Smokers - but I do enjoy smoking. I am not exactly sure which part of smoking gives me pleasure but I tend to believe that is the smoke itself. Not the smell of it for sure, but the gesture and the sense of inhaling.

I will quit some day. It will be a huge effort because I am dependent on nicotine but I hope to manage the process.

I feel better when I am among smokers. A certain feeling of mutual understanding makes us smoke the cigarettes in peace, without the fear that we might disturb someone .

I respect the rules imposed in public places.
But I must admit that the feeling of smoking my cigarette along with my esspreso in a cafeteria is a feeling that I will always miss. Miss you, girls!

Just Landed

So here i am in blogs stuff. My husband already has three blogs so, i suppose, i would have eventually ended up with a blog, too. :)

More than that, we have started a new life here, in Dublin. We just landed. We left our native country, Romania and our respectable life there and we are in seek for another life.
I think that this is pretty much the truth - another life.

Being job seekers at the moment, we also have a lot of spare time. My husband works online every day but me, except browsing the internet for hours and cooking from time to time, I don't do much of my time.

I just hope not to get addicted. :)