The American novelist Erica Jong once said, “LIVE YOUR LIFE BY A COMPASS, NOT A CLOCK,” meaning it’s not about how long you live, but whether you live to the fullest. I have always considered traveling one of the most wonderful things a person can do in life, and the reasons are certainly not hard to guess. I haven’t been able to travel as much as I would have liked by this age, though some might consider me lucky to have already seen nine amazing countries. However, I plan to increase that number as much as possible, as long as I’m still at an age that can be considered part of youth—especially since this planet has so much to offer.

I’ve just returned from such an adventure, which is why I was absent from this platform for a while—an adventure that once again showed me that you can’t limit yourself to understanding only one culture; rather, you are bound to discover as many as possible. For nearly two weeks, I ventured outside the well-known borders of Romania and set off to the Netherlands (or more accurately, the Netherlands, as that’s the proper term), for an escapade with a good friend, Vlad. He has been living in Rotterdam for over a year (I’ll be writing an article soon about his life abroad), and like last year, I decided to join him for a short time in one of the countries I undoubtedly consider one of my favorites. I won’t go into detail about the various activities I experienced with Vlad, but I can tell you that once again, I was impressed by the way this much smaller country than my own looks. If I had to summarize my feelings about the beauty I noticed there, I’d say that relaxation and a carefree life undoubtedly form a significant part of the mentality these people have been raised with. And no, it’s not just from the grass. 🙂 Just kidding, of course, but my previous point still stands. Within this country, I noticed a concentration of energetic people focused on their own affairs who won’t judge you for how you look, dress, behave, or how unusual you might be. It’s as if everything I had seen before disappears, and this happy and vibrant community emerges, the secret of which I don’t yet know.

My friend and I also had the opportunity to rent a car—on that note, I thank him for his courage—and over three days, we visited four other nearby countries. So, we drove on the perfect, and in some places, speed-limit-free highways of Germany, admired Luxembourg’s natural beauty, knocked on the door of the enigma known as France, and ended the adventure, culturally, in Belgium. Five countries, all part of the so-called Schengen Area, which has recently been a topic of much discussion in Romania. We could have had the opportunity to join, but I can honestly say that we are not yet on par with the member states (at least those I’ve already seen). Romania has a lot to learn, but who knows, perhaps one day we will wake up and reach a somewhat more Western mentality. Until then, we’re left with the desire. But enough on this topic, as I’m not exactly in a position to comment on the political nature of things, so I won’t.