Guest Writer Yvette Larsson covers yet another thing she loves about Romania: the older generation. 

Romania as a nation has been tested throughout history. Two feature characteristics of the Romanians I have met are strength and endurance.  Strength and endurance stand out amongst the Romanians, when I look , without any blur.

What I am really impressed by and love when I see, is the elder generation of Romanians. The grand-parents generation.

I was wondering  if it is because I’m “getting older”, as in turning 40 and all that. Have I got a touch of nostalgia and started thinking  that things were better in the good old days? I don’t think it is that.

The older generation have things that we lack today : time and being in the moment. Doing things slowly and doing things with a soul. Cooking food, making clothes, talking  and taking care of the home. For me, coming from a very secular country as Sweden is, I see how my society, and to an extent the Romanian too, is  becoming more of a high speed society, with efficiency, globalization and commercialism leading the way.

We forget what generations and generations before us have prepared, cultivated and actually given to us. Traditions, knowledge and a way of being together that is rare these days. All treasures that the elderly give us. If we have the presence to see, hear and learn.

The elder generation in Romania has an amazing strength, tested over time. They give me a smile when I come by and a warm meal. When I experience  problems in my every day life , I think about those elder Romanians who struggled and even suffered a lot in their life, and the way they coped inspires me. Thinking of how they coped makes me want to be stronger and have more endurance too! They still have the biggest smiles  and they still  see the world in bright colors. The embroidery of some old, Romanian women that speaks the clear language of beauty.  I think about how they solved problems and my problems seem so small.

Today's elderly worked the land, made their clothes, mended things, carried numbers of water containers, took care of the children and grand-children, went to church, cooked the food when there was little to get. When I see them I hope they can transmit this enduring quality to us, the new generation.

The elderly tend to make things with their own hands. Think about it. Where is the soul in a a shirt from H&M? The making of an H&M shirt is not very vivid and alive. The making of an IE (the traditional Romanian blouse) has a story.  Somebody took time to choose the colors, the fabric, make the pattern. Somebody sat down in her spare time to make it. Maybe it took six months. There is a story behind the making of each unique IE. The hands gave essence to the IE.

The older Romanians are good at transmitting this essence. The soul of the land. The soul of Romania.

By Yvette Larsson, Guest Writer

Yvette Larsson is Swedish, born 1972 in Gällivare, Lapland. Between the years 1991- 1998 she studied English, Swedish, Education, Media & Communication and Science Journalism at the University of Umeå.

The University studies followed by one year in Stockholm and 13 years abroad. First overseas move was to French Reunion Island, followed by Stavanger/Bergen:Norway, Cassis/ Aix-en-Provence: France, London: UK, and now Copenhagen: Denmark.

Her continuous education constitutes of numerous courses within the field of Sports and Health and she dedicated ten years to Sports Management. When the children came she trained to become a Coach and Leadership Trainer, passionate about making individuals and organisations the best they can be, and she had her own practice for four years.

She runs  the blog and a Facebook -page called The Bucharest Lounge, where she displays the beauty and meaning of  Romania , seen through the eyes of a Swede.