I was born in Sibiu, in a family with modest material possibilities, initially. My parents were workers at Balanța, a factory that produced scales. I didn't feel deprived, playing was in the foreground.
But I remember being hungry most of the time. I was looking through my father's diary a few days ago where he wrote: "Sincerely, I don’t have anything to eat, nor me nor the kids [...] When I look at the girls, I have a sinister feeling that I can only satisfy their hunger with soup, potatoes and that's about all."
Somehow we managed to get by, especially in the summer, when we used to raid all the cherry plums in the area where we lived in and ate the unripe, green, hard, sour fruits. Then there was the time to go to my grandmother's in the country, where it was better. There I had the honor to meet the village teacher, who brought us books from time to time and told us stories with a message about good people.
I inherited several gifts from my parents: from my father - discipline, hard work (including hard labor in the fields; my father worked hard), generosity, tolerance, musical talent (my father had a voice and was an excellent dancer).
From my mother - the gift of the spoken word (she wrote poems that seemed out of this world to me at the time), creativity (her talent for drawing - she drew cartoon figures on the drab walls of our room and managed to turn a torn coat into a very chic piece of clothing) and her passion for reading (my mother read a lot and managed to build up a substantial library with her little money). On our birthday she bought us books.
Then my father decided to do something. He got into low frequency at the Law Faculty of the University of Bucharest and became a lawyer in 1990. While he was a student, I remember that after a night shift at Balanța he would sleep for a couple of hours and the next day, buried in lectures, he would study (I found the book of Roman Law huge).
I also wanted to study law, but after graduating from the Pedagogical High School in Sibiu, I entered the Faculty of Letters at the Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu and, after graduating, I became a teacher at the same pedagogical high school.
In 2000, I had a discussion with my father: I wanted to go to my second university, Law, thinking that we could start something together. That didn't happen because that same year he was diagnosed with massive metastatic cancer and died. But on his deathbed, he said to me, "You're going to do something with your job. The most important are the children."
These words have since become my guide in the teaching profession. To do everything in my power to make this work meaningful for my students. I realized, when I arrived in Bucharest at the "Spiru Haret" National High School in the year 2011, that the most important thing was to create a climate that would motivate students and make them want to stay in school after classes.
It was time for all those gifts from my folks to be passed on.
And, because I had learned the guitar and played pretty well, I started the guitar circle. In the first year, two kids came. The next year, 10, then 20...
And because I loved doing photographs, I got my photography license in 2012 and started the photography circle.
My talent for drawing converted into a passion for image editing and doing magazine graphics. So, I also learned the InDesign hacks, coordinating the graphics team of "Vlăstarul", the magazine that the high school has had since 1923. I work side by side with the kids to make sure the magazine has a unique design.
There's a phrase in The Alchemist that I think you know: "When you really want something, the whole universe conspires to fulfill your dream." In 2017, my old dream of going to Law School took shape, so I graduated the Law School in 2022 (also at low frequency, as my dad did).
I started a Legal Education elective course and the other day, a group of students asked me to start a law club, named Spiru Verdict. Somehow, life has done me justice.
In the end, I can only say that justice exists, but not without sacrifice. If you want justice, first look inside yourself and ask yourself if you have done everything in your power to see it done. Then turn your gaze to those around you. There will always be people around to help you. Thank you!
