The last month has been insane. I just realized that it’s been almost one month since my last article and I felt like I published it last week. The truth is that after losing a huge chunk of my income earlier this year I went into full frenzy working mode and I couldn’t take it.
Last week was spent mostly in bed, with my tired body squashed by stress, lack of sleep and chronic fatigue. My IBS symptoms kicked in, my muscles started to twitch uncontrollably, it was getting scary. So my doctor put me on a diet, has me taking a million supplements that make my pee almost fluorescent and said that I need to rest. So I did. For a while. Now that I’m feeling better, it’s back to work!
And it will be work from here in Romania, mostly. I had big plans to move to Malta for a few months and experience a different life there, but once again the planets aligned against me. We can no longer go to Malta this year for a few very solid reasons:
1. Waaaaaaay more expensive than anticipated. We were sure we’d be able to rent for around 500 EUR ($680) but apparently that’s only for long lets. We’d be staying just 2-3 months, so our rent would instantly go up.
We’d also be arriving during the high season when prices skyrocket so all in all, after talking to different agencies, we found out that the minimum rent we should expect to pay would be 900 euros. That would be almost double our initial budget and not something I am willing to do right now (mostly because I can’t afford it).
2. My wife’s brother is having a baby. Well, not him, but his wife. The expected delivery date is around the time we’d be stepping into Malta. My wife really wants to be there when the magical event happens and I agree with her: her family was really close to us when my wife gave birth to our little baby boy and it makes sense to be there with them as well.
And if we were to delay our leave for too long, we would risk losing the nice weather we were hoping for from Malta in the first place…
3. Preparing for winter. This past winter has been terrible for me because of our outdated heating methods that saw me carry wood daily up two sets of chairs, splice wood and generally be miserable. We’ve agreed that we’re not going to spend the next winter at home and most likely we’re going to rent for the winter.
Plus, we want to can a lot of food to save some extra money and eat a bit healthier throughout the winter, which was something we wouldn’t have been able to do if we went to Malta.
In the end, despite my greatest desire to live in a different country for a little while, I had to admit that it’s not possible this year. I really hope to make it happen early next year, during the spring, when rent prices will go down. It has to be done!
Until then, I’m staying in Romania and I will keep writing – hopefully more often – about this beautiful country. And the good news is that we’re still getting a 10 nights vacation in Romania at Hotel Dana, the one that I had initially chosen as our destination, so it’s not all lost!
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Sorry to hear about your plans not coming true right now. My business is also struggling a little, so we’re clearly not moving anyway. I’d love to be able, but we need to do earn way more than we do now. Take care and get well soon 😉
Yeah, when a kid arrives, things change a bit. 🙂 We’ve also lost most of my wife’s income, so that doesn’t help. It’s pretty obvious that earning well by Romanian standards is not enough 🙂
Hey Calin:
Long time, no hear! I was worried about you since you hadn’t posted in so long.
Yeah, I looked at Malta expenses, and they’re out of sight! It seems any place that’s warm and has beaches and gambling and beautiful women/men, etc., is going to be a tad spendy.
IBS is a bummer! Good that diet and medication has helped. The Romanian health system is not so bad, then? Fluorecent “#1”–that’s a good one–ha, ha!
So you can rent an apartment in Romania just for the winter (or seasonally)? Does your mother have someone to help her with the heating chores–you still have a place in her house?
What city will you “winter” in? So it’s back to Venus on the Black Sea for your vacay? (At least it’s not Uranus–hardy har, har;-)
I look forward to hearing more about your Romanian adventures.
I hope wife and baby son Romanian are doing well!
Take care,
~Teil (USA)
p.s. First msg. from me w/o USA bashing. What’s up with that?;-)
Hello Teil,
Glad to see that you’re no longer bashing the US! Hoping you’re not changing your decision about moving to Romania, though 🙂 I really hope we’ll meet for a beer or more when you come over!
The Romanian health system is a hit and miss kind of thing. Most of our great doctors move to Western countries for the better pay rates, but there are still many who remain either as private health care providers or just because they believe in what they do and curing people.
There are a ton of renting options in my city with very few people looking to rent (probably the same throughout the country) so it is certainly doable. We’ll remain in the same city, to be close to my mother and grandmother and to make the whole moving thing easier. My mom’s heating is 100% electric (and extremely expensive) so she’s all good with that!
And yeah, it’s up to the Romanian seaside, leaving in the middle of July. Hopefully the vacation with the baby will end up great!
Hi C.
Sorry to hear about the change of plans. Yeah, your reasoning behind the delay does carry merit. I think that you have made the right decision to stay put for the time being, especially with the upcoming birth of Mrs C’s brother’s wife. Family is important, especially when there is a new arrival in the family. One day, you will make the move, whether it is to Malta, or somewhere else. A bit of trivia, in regard to Malta. There are more Maltese people that live in Melbourne (that’s here in Australia), than actually live in Malta. I went to school many years ago with a guy who came from Malta.
You are still young to do this move C., so don’t let it get you down. I too suffer from IBS from time to time, and yes, I know how you have felt. Don’t despair, you have that 10 Day holiday to Hotel Dana, and by what you told me before, it will be a great break, and not too expensive as well. Take care C. Keep on blogging, and I will wait to hear from your next instalment.
I’m not down, plans change, that’s life. I will do it eventually! And yes, I can’t wait to start the vacation, hopefully it will be a great one!
Hey, C! So glad you are feeling better. And sounds like you’ve got great reasons for staying right where you are right now, family being a significant one too. We are already prepping for next winter as well, chopping wood, getting the wood stove installed, and stocking up on a number of necessities that will last us through the winter so that we will have less expenses and hopefully some extra cash in case of crazy winter heating bills again. Glad to have you back and posting: we’ve missed you! 🙂
It’s good to be back! And for us it’s certainly the first winter we’re getting ready for starting June 🙂
I second Laurie! We definitely missed your blogging. Like l told you when you first let me know, Malta will always be there. Summer is a killer price wise here, but it does go down considerably when the season ends. Sorry to hear you were ill and certainly glad that you are feeling better! Your health is the most important above all else. It will be nice for you to relax at the Dana. Take care of yourself, the Mrs and baby C.!
Thanks, Kem! I will do my best! 😀
Hi C, i just discovered your blog. LeVing a comment to introduce myself. Sorry to hear about your health troubles recently. Sounds like you Are ready to come back strong. I’ve met a couple of friends from Romania. Such friendly people. All the best in your plans.
Thank you, Raquel and welcome to Romania Experience!