Flora's World...!: Romania : 2019 to 2023, 4 years of our beautiful lives there

The People of Romania: The ones who made a world of difference for us
These are the ones that made Cluj feel like home, every day
These are the people that we laughed with endlessly
These are the people we love

Irina and I have been more than friends in these last few years. I miss her the most, my Saturday coffee partner. I am immensely grateful to have been a part of your life and proud to see how you balance your life. I will always miss you. Our boys became friends and brothers during Covid, and Andu (her amazing husband) and Irina are like family to us and will always be. We can't wait to see you all since we have Andra now too :)

Ana, is my very first friend in Romania, and in no time, she became Ranveer's favourite human. We have shared so many memories in those 4 years, and yet we always felt that it wasn't enough. I will always be grateful for having known her, for having shared these beautiful times with her, for bringing the amazing Claudiu (her husband) in our lives. Please let little Sophie know that we already love her so very much and will always do. We miss you all immensely.

Oh, my dear Atti, he was not in Cluj when I left Romania for good. I didn't get to see him one last time and it was probably easier to say goodbye that way :) I miss Aliz’s surprise visits and waves from the balcony, I miss our beer evenings, and I am so grateful that we are friends. I have always loved how you challenge me, how we discuss ideas, and brainstorm so many random things. Thank you for being everything wonderful.

This is Iryna - I have known many people in many parts of the world, yet it amuses me to see how strong and dedicated she is. She is such an amazing combination of kindness and compassion, with passion and ambition. It is rare to meet someone so driven and disciplined - and all these things at the same time. I am truly grateful to have made a friend like her. She became one of the closest people to us in no time, and her daughter, Polina, is as much an inseparable part of our little lives. We dearly miss our time with both of them and look forward to our coffee dates at Baza.

My soul sister Nicoleta - life, as I have known it, is an unfair bitch and I was always the only rider of that roller coaster. Having met her made me realize that I was not alone, not while I have a fierce, passionate, and honest friend like her. I am proud to be her friend. She has shaped her life to be what she wanted it to look like and I have been cheering the loudest. I love her, miss her so very much, especially now that she is going to be a mom herself.

Olga, my dearest friend. When I first met her, we both didn’t speak to each other for weeks. I knew right away that we were more similar than any of us cared to acknowledge. She is such a vibe, by just being herself, she brightened every single day we worked together and lit up my mood by just being. It isn’t every day that one meets someone like that, and I feel fortunate to have her in my life. She has a soul that shines inside out, and no grey sky can ever dim it. Her daughter, little Matilda, is a spitting image of her own soul - kind and ambitious, loving and caring. I love who she is, and I miss being around both mom and daughter so much.

Meet Devyani (Dev-D)! She is everything to us, and it is amazing that not only did we meet randomly in one of my aerial yoga classes for the first time but we shared the level of crazy, the level of good, the level of fun, the level of humour and the level of bitchiness. Besides, she is the most considerate of human beings, the kindest heart, and the sweetest heart. Ranveer and I will not only miss you, but there is a Dev-D-shaped hole in our lives. When we meet next, we are going for brunch with mimosas, shots at Old Shepherds, dancing at Euphoria, and so much more. I can't wait to drag Anand (her husband) with us!

I cannot imagine Cluj without Smriti! She had been around when I needed to vent, talk, or even stay quiet. I will always cherish having known her, and I will fondly remember our conversations, which ranged from Bollywood to Mars—not once did they get dull! She is such a bright, sunny person—I love her energy so much. Thank you for always being just a call away. I will miss us making plans together and randomly catching up.

My sweetest Poorni, more like a sister since we could argue and drive each other crazy 🤣 yet have fun & laugh & yet be gentle and caring about each other. She was the one to put me in a pickle, often saying things like "Flora will host the women's day party and everyone is invited" the first time we went away, and that turned out to be a given every year after that :)) I knew that day that she is going to be an insepearable part of our lives. We miss her and her little one so very much.

My witch sister Daniela, I met her through Smriti, and instantly hit it off. We shared love for yoga, oils, spirituality, parenting strategies, and so much more. I have stayed at her pensuinea only tens of times in those 4 years, her son (Philip) and mine were bros at a different level. They loved playing games, roaming around, and arguing with each other so very much😅. She also set me up on a date once with someone (who I spent an amazing 4 months with)! I don't even know how to describe my relationship with her - it is just too precious. I miss who I am when I am with her.

A lot of memories with a lot of people - all of them nothing short of amazing! Here's a few glipses of our little lives in Romania.

My last meal in the old street where we asked our server if I could "steal" their shot glass 🤣

Brunch before heading to the airport - so many hugs.

Tudor, one of my students, was a server at this cute french place - obviously we had to go there with Mihai, Anca and Petra :)

Raluca - my head of department, technically my boss but I never felt more comfortable working with anyone else as much as I did with her. We turned into good friends and I miss working with her. she is an epitome of what leadership in a school should look like.

The crazy Trio: D-SPF in action. We hung out every so often, whether it was at to drink, to dance, to go to Christmas market, run 5k colour run - no matter the occasion, we loved hanging out.

Daniel - my curly haired spanish twin. A colleague so kind, so helpful - I had to turn him into a friend 😜 some of the best nights we had was because of him.

Sweet sweet Patricia - ever so kind with a smile so sweet welcoming us every morning with a cheerful hello. Cared so much for Ranveer and appreciated us all.

Work was interesting but with these beauties we all survived what wasn't pleasant.😊