The last day of 2013! A year that started as a "Bombardier" in Berlin and just shortly afterwards it let me as the bombarded Dresden, crashing me hard at the time when I finally spread my wings. I was rescued from the ashes thanks to YOU, thanks to understandings of my kids and my parents, thank to the company of my colleagues at the German course and not last due to those few friends who remained with me in this time. I refocused my mind on the procedures to obtain the German citizenship. As a first positive achievement, two months later after my first email to authorities, I became Deutscher via an express procedure. This gave me the freedom of movement and thus I could look too for alternative jobs outside of Germany.
I took in consideration the application for a EU Marie-Curie scholarship. After a promising first month of discussions with Oxford, just before starting to prepare the application, I was again dropped down due to topic-considerations. As emergency, plan B came in action and in less than three weeks, a completely new hot-topic was prepared with BOKU-Vienna.
Thus, the vacation in Romania was suddenly transformed in a race for preparing a whole new project. I could not make it without the involvement of my parents in arranging nice daily activities with Andrei and Vlad, without full support and understanding from my kids. Andrei was asking me daily if I succeeded to finalize the project. The application was completed with less than 50 min before the dead-line on 14th of August 2013. The acknowledge of submission gave me a very good feeling of accomplishment! Yes, I still can do it, to dedicate for work in full concentration, at the highest level, up to its final line!
Then, after one year of unemployment, I could afford two days of vacation in Romania, in Brasov and the mountains.
It followed the memorable time of Vlad's first day at school, of Andrei's first day at gymnasium and shortly afterwards my first day of work at DirectSense GmbH in Vienna. I lived again the happiness of being back in the chemistry lab, making again things to function, putting the bases for new scientific successes. I was again in contact with optimistic and enthusiastic colleagues. I was again surrounded by a positive atmosphere.
I started after many years to play again tennis (thanks Daniel for being such a challenging player!). I let myself fascinated by the fabulous new home, Vienna, a place of living history. I discovered its charm, as the cross multicultural epicenter between Occident and Orient. I really felt that I came half way between Germany and Romania, not only as distance, but as mentality too. Maybe this is not accidentally, but in fact it might really be the point of inner balance, where I can balance my new German identity, with my Romanian roots. In Vienna, I found myself fascinated by the boheme life of the city of Music, especially in my favorite place - Staatsopera Wien, with the spectacles Don Carlos, Der Rosenkavalier, Madame Butterfly and La Boheme (twice).
But the success (fulfillment) has to be judged only in respect to the costs of reaching it. The price meant to be away from my kids and faraway from you. I could made it in the last three months of the year only by frequently traveling back to Bonn-Bochum. In addition, a short, surprising visit in Romania, at my beloved parents, was the sweet sign for the coming winter holidays. I still have the pleasure and resources to GIVE happiness. This is probably the biggest achievement of this year 2013! I shall restrength myself and to give back to those who fully deserve it!
Yap, I dont hide it! 2013 was the year when I turned 40 years old... in the company of new people around me, in Vienna! This was like a second reborn! Many thanks to those few who remembered my BD in the absence of FB reminders! And thank YOU for much more then the nicest tort I ever got! I know that I still have much more love to offer, much more achievements to accomplish. I just have to be more critical and careful how and with whom I spread my inner-resources.
Other meritorious moments of 2013 (which would have deserved a post in 2013):
* Some medical issues reminded me the approach of the prefix-change;
* I went three days skying in Winterberg;
* I took my B2 German proficiency exam (C1? a story which deserves to be forgotten);
* I revisited Amsterdam (with illusion that Romania might make a great football evening there);
* Andrei turned 10 years old (since he slept his first night one my chest in Lund Hospital);
* I met my "Swedish"-friends at Bran;
* I went again in mountains, in Romania;
* I met my high-school colleagues in a lovely evening in Moreni;
* I have seen, even for one day, the Romantic-Rhine from Loreley to Boppard;
* I have seen Pink Floyd in concert in Düsseldorf, in the day when Roger Waters turned 70 years old!
* I met Placido Domingo and Angela Gheorghiu in Vienna; (or they meet me :-) )
* I got a "plastic" surgery of my nose. Now I am eligible for further aspirations! :-))!
For all of these and much more, I promise a photo album for 2013!
Stay next to me, my friends,
The best is yet to be!
I intend to transform the 2014 in the year of reaching again the Balance! To find it, to refocuse on priorities, to regain the joy of doing science at its best. There is only one condition: I want to secure the future next to you!
Bye-bye 2013! Take with you all the hard time and let us the joy of living!
Happy New Year, my dear friends!
PS: At the end of November, I got back the evaluation of my EU-project application. The result was 81 points out of 100. Most probably not enough for securing its finances. One criticism of reviewers was that I "did not mentioned my personal contribution to my own scientific articles". For this clarification, I let my main co-authors to specify it!.. despite the fact that this time will not help. Another "serious" comment pointed that I "did not mention how I will properly disseminate via newspapers and TV my expected scientific achievements". I am sorry, but those channels are occupied by Mrs. van Staden (alias "cancer sensor in 6 min"). I prefer to restrict myself to the scientific journals and audiences. I did not expected that PR-factors will disqualify in this extend the solid science proposal. But this was just a battle! One more reason for looking with hopes from 2014!
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