
Viata la tara
Cand eram mica bunica mea mi-a aratat intr-un tarziu de vara ideea de viata la tara. Asta se intampla dupa ce isi pierduse casa ei cu gradina din Bucuresti si isi dorea acea liniste pe care o simtea in viata ei de la tara. Din acest motiv se ducea de doua ori pe an sa isi viziteze rudele de la tara. Fusese visul ei dintotdeauna sa aiba o gradina si iubea crinii. Ii adora atat de mult incat i-a luat in ghiveci sa ii creasca pe balcon dupa ce casa i-a fost demolata si ea a fost mutata cu forta intr-un apartament minuscul. Obisnuia sa isi viziteze fratele la tara si din moment ce copiii lui erau deja adulti si nepotii la fel, ma lua pe mine cu ea si acelea sunt amintirile mele bine pastrate in suflet pentru vremurile astea de adult. Imi amintesc ca eram distractia satului din moment ce eram fetita de la oras venita la tara. Pentru unii dintre voi acest concept poate parea ciudat, dar in cultura noastra folosesti toate hainele inchise la culoare si ponosite cand mergi la tara. Oamenii de acolo isi folosesc hainele bune Duminica cand merg la biserica sau la ocazii speciale. Venita in vacanta si nicidecum analizand unde ma duc, aveam toate hainele mele frumoase si colorate in praful din curte. Si cand mergeam sa luam vacile de la pasune tot asa eram imbracata. Pana intr-o zi cand am realizat ca asta aducea prea multe rasete. Asa ca mi-am scazut standardele garderobei cand mergeam la tara. Imi amintesc ca imi faceam planuri cu ce haine voi merge la mare si cu ce haine voi merge cu bunica la tara inca de la inceputul vacantei de vara: hainele bune pentru plaja si cele folosite pentru tara.

Aceasta ferma de la tara avea oi, porci, cai si multi pui. Principala mea indatorire era sa hranesc puii. Pardon, avea si doi caini. Nu poti sa gasesti niciodata o gospodarie fara un caine prin preajma. Si va rog sa nu va inselati: cainii de la tara sunt cei mai buni prieteni oricand. Oricum, acestea sunt amintiri dulci. De fapt nu pot sa imi imaginez o casa fara vie si fara animale pe care sa le hranesc si de care sa am grija. Imi este cu adevarat dor de acele momente de calm din copilaria mea. Si daca ati fost vreodata pe acolo va amintiti calmitatea din gradina din timpul zilei si noptii, diminetile galagioase si serile la fel, apoi racoarea din casa de pe timpul zilelor de vara. Imi amintesc ca obisnuiam sa dorm la pranz. Imi placeau peretii racorosi ai casei si paturile inalte. Trebuia sa escaladez ca sa ajung sa ma sui in pat. Si acelea erau cu adevarat zile linistite.

Pentru a crea asemenea amintiri si pentru fiul meu am insistat sa mergem la tara destul de des. Cu multe haine de schimb intrucat s-ar mozoli imediat, dar tinandu-l in aerul acela de tara. Suntem norocosi sa avem o casa veche unde sa putem sa ne ducem sa simtim toate acele lucruri importante mentionate mai sus. De ce? Pentru ca exista un anumit nivel de energie pe care nu il pot explica pe care il aduce acest trai. Pentru ca in primul rand: copiii sunt mult mai bine si mai in siguranta acolo. Fiul meu nu voia sa intre in casa cata vreme avea la dispozitie gradina sa se ascunda in ea si pe cineva care sa il caute tot timpul. Si-a inventat propriul “de-a v-ati ascunselea” si si-a gasit pe rand parteneri de joaca in fiecare dintre noi. Mergea cu bicicleta fara pedale in sus si in josul unei pante la nesfarsit fara niciun ajutor din partea noastra. Si era atat de fericit sa faca asta ca nu s-a simtit deloc speriat cand o lua la vale. Nu stiu daca a fost sansa sau pur si simplu a invatat sa puna frana cand trebuie ca sa nu cada. A incercat si fortele gravitationale sa vada ce se intampla cu bicicleta lui daca ii da drumul pe deal in jos spre capatul gradinii. Tot acest efort l-a tinut in priza fara oprire. Apoi, a fost un pic mai dificil sa il punem sa doarma, dar totusi am reusit sa il adormim in caruciorul lui cu atata aer proaspat adus de vant. Acesta e momentul cand eu ca mama am simtit recompensa venirii acolo. A fost un moment cu adevarat binecuvantat sa il vad dormind, sa aud vantul cum bate, sa vad norii jucand de-a v-ati ascunselea cu soarele, sa simt picaturi de ploaie cum cad pe noi si a fost calmul perfect de care orice mama are nevoie dupa o lunga perioada de grija constanta pentru ceilalti si foarte putin timp pentru ea. Va puteti imagina briza aceea racoroasa la oras? Simt ceva asemanator cand ma duc in parc dimineata devreme si sunt foarte putini oameni acolo, dar nu e tocmai comparabil. Orasul are propriul lui consum de energie, in vreme ce viata la tara rezolva aceasta pierdere.

Cum zilele se maresc, il scot pe fiul meu pana tot mai tarziu, asa ca privesc umbrele lungi de pe drumul nostru. Toate acestea palesc pe masura ce soarele se ascunde in spatele unei cladiri. Puteti vedea soarele apunand in spatele unui camp din oras? Nu chiar, intrucat pare sa se piarda in spatele unei cladiri inalte sau a mai multor blocuri in cazul meu intrucat locuiesc intr-un cartier aglomerat. Si aceasta realitate este doar o impresie de viata. Fiul meu are nevoie sa vada realitatea vietii care zace in campurile de la tara, in muntii care se ridica in departare, in plaja cu toata raceala ei din afara sezonului. Este dificil sa fiu parinte si sa ii explic din viata de la oras ce are de oferit aerul de la tara pe care il vede o data pe luna sau chiar mai rar. Principalul meu scop pentru anii urmatori este sa il duc departe de oras in fiecare weekend intr-un asemenea loc pentru a-l face sa simta viata reala.
Country Side
When I was little, my grandmother introduced me one late summer to the concept of countryside. This was happening after she had lost her house with a garden in Bucharest and longing for those peaceful countryside life. That’s why she would go twice a year to visit her relatives in the country side. It was always her dream to have a garden and she loved lilies. She adored them so much that she took them in a pot and raised them on her balcony after her house was demolished and herself forced to move into a small apartment. She used to visit her brother in the countryside and since his kids were also grownup and grandchildren the same, she would take me along and these are memories well-cherished by me as an adult. I remember I was the fun of the village since I was the city girl going into the countryside. To some of you the concept may seem strange, but in our culture, you use all the dark and used clothes in the countryside. People only use their good clothes on Sundays when they go to church or on special occasions. As I was coming on a vacation and not really knowing what is the countryside, I had all my beautiful and colorful clothes in all the dust of the yard. Even when we were going to pick up the cows from the pasture I would still dress up. Until one day when I realised this was bringing too much laughter along. So I downgraded my wardrobe when going into the countryside. I remember I would select my clothes for the luggage at the very beginning of summer holiday: good clothes for beach and used clothes for countryside.
So, this country side farm had sheep, cows, pigs, horses and lots of chickens. My main duty was feeding the chickens. Oh, and it had two dogs also. You can never find a house without a dog around. And please make no mistake: the country side dog is a very good friend at all times. Anyway, those are my sweet memories. Actually I cannot imagine a house in the country without vineyard house and without animals to feed and to look after. I am really missing those calm moments from my childhood. And if you have ever been there you would certainly remember the calmness of the yard during the day and night, the noisy mornings and the loud evenings, then the coolness of the house even in the hot summer middays. I remember I used to nap in the afternoon. I used to enjoy the cold walls of the house and the high beds. I would need to climb up the bed to get in. And those were truly calm days.

In order to make such memories for my son I insist on going to the countryside quite often. With lots of clothes to change as he would get muddy right away, but keeping him in the countryside air. We are blessed to have an old house where we can go to feel all the important things mentioned above. Why? Because there is a certain energy I cannot explain which this kind of living brings along. So for once: kids are way better and safer over there. My son wouldn’t go into the house as long as he had the garden to hide and someone to keep looking for him. He invented his own “hide and seek” and he found his own playmates out of each of us at a time. He would roll his bike up and down the hill again and again with no help from us. And he is so happy to do so that he didn’t feel scared at all when rolling down the hill. I am not sure if it was chance of he simply learned to break when necessary so he wouldn’t fall. He even tried gravity to see what his bike would do if it was rolling down the hill into the end of the garden. All this exercise kept him going without a stop. And then, it was a bit of a hassle when putting him down to a nap, but still, we managed to do it in his stroller with all that fresh wind coming over. This is the moment when myself, as a mother, felt the reward of being there. It was a truly blessed moment to watch him sleep, to hear the wind blow, to see the clouds play a whole act of hide and seek with the sun, the rain drops falling over us and it was just the perfect calm any mother needs after a long period of constant care for others and less about herself. Can you imagine that cool breeze in the city? I can feel similar when going into the park early morning with little people around, but it’s not really comparable. The city has its own energy consumption, while the country side fixes that loss.
As the days grow bigger, I get my son later back home, so I watch the long shadows on our way. These all fade as the sun hides behind a building. Can you see the actual sun setting behind the fields in the city? Not really, as it seems to get lost behind a tall building or several buildings in my case as I live in a crowded neighborhood. And this reality is just an impression of life. My son needs to see the reality of life which lies in the fields of the country, in the mountains rising in the distance, in the beach with all its coolness outside the high season. It’s difficult to be a parent and teach him from the city life what country side air has to offer when he only sees that once a month or even less. My main purpose for the upcoming years is to take him away each weekend to such a place to make him feel the real life.