Young and European: Growing up in Bucharest

DW (English)

Bucharest is famous for its magnificent architecture and creative spirits. But what is daily life like for young people living in Romania's capital city?

Transcript

00:00And now that I'm 18, I can also have beer with my meat, which is the most typical Romanian thing you're gonna see.

00:10Cheers!

00:12Bucharest isn't just the capital of Romania. It's a city that offers so much.

00:17Known for its grand architecture and creative energy, it's also the place that shaped who I am and where I'm heading.

00:24I'm Maria. I'm 18 years old and in my last year of high school here in Bucharest.

00:29Today, I will show you my version of this beautiful city.

00:34Good morning!

00:36Good morning! Come on in!

00:37This is my house and I was just in the middle of making breakfast. Come meet my mom!

00:41Hi! Welcome!

00:42We are preparing fried eggs for me, my mom and my father because my brother doesn't want to eat with us.

00:49Hello!

00:49I live with my parents and my little brother here. We've lived here for as long as I can remember.

00:55Of course, I would love to have my own place one day.

00:58But most young people in Romania don't move out until they're around 28 years old.

01:04Perfect!

01:05So this is my room, my safe space.

01:07Honestly, I spend the most time here when I'm at home.

01:10My favorite place in the world is either my bed because I like to sleep a lot and I have a lot of plushies to keep me company.

01:18My bookcase. It's my pride and joy.

01:22I have both books in English and Romanian and I have one book in French.

01:27I very much like sci-fi books and fantasy books.

01:30We live in the suburbs, about 20 minutes from the city center.

01:34It's quieter here, which I like very much, but I spend a lot of time in the city, especially on weekends and when I have to go to school.

01:41And I'm ready to head out.

01:47Almost every morning, my parents drive me to the subway station.

01:53Bye-bye!

01:55Public transportation is nearly free for students, which is amazing, especially with how much I use it.

02:07We are at Tarasa Obor, the best place to eat meat in Bucharest.

02:11And we are very lucky because today the queue is actually very small.

02:16One meat is 5 lei, which is around 1 euro.

02:21And we usually eat them with mustard and bread.

02:28Noroc! That means cheers in Romanian.

02:32Some other Romanian phrases you should know are, of course, hello, which is buna or bună ziua,

02:39bye-bye, la revedere, or just papa.

02:43This is Mihaiu National College. It is my fourth and last year studying here.

02:48Sadly, we cannot get into the high school because we were supposed to have elections this weekend.

02:53Romania's history makes elections feel important.

02:56The Romanian Revolution of 1989 led to the overthrow of the communist regime.

03:02And even though that happened before I was born, the history and its significance is still very much felt.

03:09Usually, we have theater rehearsals here every Saturday.

03:13But because the high school is closed due to the elections, we are going to go to a local theater and rehearse. Come along!

03:31I'd love to study theater in university.

03:34It's something I'm really passionate about and I've made a lot of friends here.

03:38I'd like to stay here in Bucharest for my theater studies. I think it's a great city to be creative in.

03:44Though, many of my friends plan to study outside of the city and even go abroad.

03:49In fact, about half of young people between the ages of 14 and 29 say they plan to leave Romania.

03:57Oh my gosh, it's still raining!

03:59Okay, now we're heading to one of my favorite spots in Bucharest. It is a gelato shop.

04:13Us Romanians usually eat anything, everything, whenever we want. It's not unusual for us to eat ice cream in winter.

04:19Romania has been a new member since 2007.

04:23And in 2025, it will be part of Schengen, which makes it pretty easy to move through Europe.

04:29I've traveled a lot with my family in Europe.

04:32I wish to see, after high school, I wish to see more of my own country because I feel that I haven't traveled enough.

04:39But I've been to other places and not every city feels like home.

04:45Remember what I told you earlier, to say goodbye in Romanian?

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