Romanian Vacation part 3

Last time I posted, we were traveling to my grandmother’s village, Valea Seaca (translated it means dry valley, which is ironic because almost every fall our yard would get flooded by the creek flowing nearby).

I spent nearly every summer break of my life in this village – something that blows my mind now because I couldn’t imagine Dani spending three months of the year away from me! But that’s that codependence for ya.

I had an incredibly happy childhood roaming the dirt roads of my grandmother’s village. Everyone knew who I was, everyone greeted me, I climbed trees, ate green apples and picked the sour cherry trees dry alongside my childhood best friend, Diana. We laid down in the grass listening to the buzzing of insects, made up songs, play pretend that we were making potions out of mud and water and grass. I remember late nights playing with the kids on the street, days where we didn’t hear a single car, Sundays where I’d crawl out of my skin of boredom waiting for my grandmother to leave church and thunderstorms that had us snuggled up under blankets.

When we got there I told Ionut to roll down the windows to the car and honk the horn a few times – it’s something I told my grandmother I’d always do when I’d come see her. Tears welled in her eyes as she opened the gate and greeted us. Irina was home again. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a few tears myself. She kissed my whole face and thanked god for getting to see me again at 83 years old. What a joy to be loved in this way. To be greeted in this way. I felt TRULY, TRULY at home.

Of course, a big feast was in order, right as my cousins, aunt and uncle came by to see us. My grandmother said “I stayed up all night excited to see you and I asked myself what I should make for lunch and then I remembered a curly haired little girl with gapped teeth that would sneak into my kitchen and steal hot donuts when she thought I wasn’t watching.” GUILTY AS CHARGED y’all and zero regrets. Those donuts transported me, took me back, hand in hand, to that little girl in her memories. Reunited once more.

Don’t even lie to me and tell me you DON’T dip your bread into the tomato juice of a tomato cucumber and onion salad. 🙂

My dad’s grandparents lived in this little house on the left until my grandmother and grandfather got married and they built the big house to the side (on the right). The original house is so tiny it’s hard to believe how many people used to live in it. Dani was walked in and immediately asked “where’s the rest!?”

The next day we took a drive to Varatec Monastery (where I used to go all the time and eat fresh rose serbet made by the nuns) and took my grandmother along with us. All her fellow old lady friends came by to hug me and tell me how happy they are for her that I visited. It brought tears to my eyes to think of the places that we leave behind. How the love lingers long after we’ve gone.

After that we went up the hill by our house to the village cemetery and lit a candle for my grandfather’s grave. I was little when he passed but I remember him fondly. He used to put on plays with me and my grandmother, laugh at all my antics and make up bedtime games that would keep me up for hours. Bless his heart. He was very loved. My grandmother never re-married and still wells up with tears lighting candles for his soul.

Before I knew it, much too soon, it was time to say goodbye to my grandmother, to the haystacks, to the green rolling hills I used to play in. To the familiar world that shaped me, that gave me my beautiful memories. I sent prayers to the heavens to keep her safe, to let us meet once more. And I left.

Being an immigrant means there’s always pain. There’s always goodbyes. But that’s the price you pay for daring to want more for your life. For daring to start again somewhere new. I come to Romania and I miss my life back in the States. I come back home and the rolling hills of Romania call to me. Instead of dwelling on the pain, I choose to reflect on the way it feels to love people across oceans and continents. A constellation of people that I carry in my heart. Little lights that make me feel less along in this world. And the pain is not so hard to bear.

If you enjoyed this part of our trip, be sure to check out PART 1 and PART 2!

And if you’re interested in booking a shoot with Irina Negrean Photography feel free to visit the tabs above or click here.

Thank you for checking out our adventures! Till next time!
Irina