IOANA: I LIVE IN ROMANIA!

Another in our occasional series of readers all around the world... we talk to Ioana, who lives in Romania!

Ioana says:
I am thirteen and I live in the small town of Onesti in Romania. I live in a flat - an apartment - with my family, my mom, my dad, and my little sister. We have a pet hamster, too. My school is mixed, girls and boys, and quite big. We have a uniform, including a red waistcoat. I like Maths, Geography and Biology and hate French because I already know a foreign language (English) and don't want to have to learn a new one! I like to study, but school is hard. We have been told that we learn in grades 5-8 what American children learn in high school. After school I draw and write small stories, and at the weekends I meet my friends. I don't have a boyfriend yet because I'm only thirteen. I like to read and watch movies, but I don't play sport. I used to do tennis and volleyball, but have no time for them now. My teachers are great. Some are quite old, but they always smile and encourage us to be good people!

Our national dress is white with red and black... it is simple but special. and we wear it on the 1st December, which is Romania National Day. Our country's main religion is Romanian Orthodox, which is a little like the catholic religion. We have a national celebration on March 1st called 'Marticor' where we share small, red and white things to bring good luck. We also celebrate Valentine's Day, but call it 'Dragobete'.

Food in Romania is good. We eat lots of vegetables and fruits but 'Sarmale' is our speciality dish, made of minced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves or vine leaves. These are really delicious! We love sweets too and have a kind of muffin, lots of chocolate and cakes with lemon juice, and a very tasty bread-like cake called 'cozonaci'.

Romania is a wonderful country. We are not rich, but we are happy, and I think that's what counts! Our summers are hot, our autumns are rainy and in winter it snows and is very cold. We have a lot of parks and rivers, and visitors should be sure to see the fort, 'Sighisoara' and the monastery, 'Voronet.' The thing I like best about my country is that the people here are honest and cheerful and always happy. For myself, in the future I wish to be an architect and to live in a little house with sunshine and flowers and two children running in the garden. I wish to be happy - this is what matters most to me.

Cathy says:
Wow... I love this post so much! Ioana has made Romania come alive for me, and her love of her home country is contagious! Do YOU live outside the UK? Would you like to write about YOUR country for DREAMCATCHER? COMMENT BELOW to tell me more!