"Hoinărind pe Dealurile din Târnava Mare" <Roaming The Hills of Tarnava Mare>
Our experience in Romania has surpassed all expectations. Though we had done our research on the way of life, particularly that of the villages in which we were living; Richis and Nou-Sasesc, no amount of research would have prepared us for what we had yet to experience in those two weeks. During the trip, we have learnt that you can find culture in everything; from the architecture, to the food, to the people themselves. It is a living aspect of life that changes and evolves with people’s lifestyles, but still represents their history.
One of the aspects of this trip was to learn about the specific biodiversity found in the Tarnava Mare, home to 45% of Europe’s species, ranging from Brown Bears to Stag Beetles. This was achieved through accompanying researchers, along with our Romanian youth partners, on different surveys - surveys such as Butterflies and Lammals (Large mammals). Besides learning about biodiversity, we were also able to learn about how culture affects the farming methods used in the area, specifically during Botany and Farm surveys.
After the fall of Communism, locals reverted from high intensity to low intensity farming methods. Using crop rotation to grow hay for livestock and crops alternatively, as well as allowing their livestock to graze several different fields (and not just overgrazing one), has given rise to a flourish in biodiversity. That being said, it is the high intensity farming from previous times that has led to low nature value grasslands; thus allowing more species to thrive. An interesting custom to witness and learn about during farm surveys was the way every morning, the locals’ cows and sheep would be let out of their barns and would then make their way to the shepherd alone; who would then in turn take them out to different fields to graze. In the sheep’s case, the shepherd would then bring them back to the village thrice a day to be milked. This custom of having one group of shepherds that cater to the village is one of the many instances one can witness communal values being practiced amongst the villagers. Thus, it is important to note how friendly, welcoming and generous the locals are, where they are quick to offer their help, as well as locally made products, such as jams, syrups, honey and cheeses. Saxon influences were still primarily evident in the villages, with such Germanic influences being apparent in the architecture of the buildings, food and language. It’s worth noting how particularly proud the locals are of the architecture, especially the bell tower of their church; as the Tower manager eagerly explained and demonstrated how the bell works. In order to be able to integrate more with the locals, we were given lessons in the language; specifically being thought phrases and words that might come in handy, such as ‘cȃt costa’ (How much does this cost?) and the numbers ‘Uno, doi, trei, patru, cinc, etc’ (One, two, three, four, five etc). These lessons, as well as other talks regarding culture and spending time with the Romanians during surveys and during our free time has allowed us to form lifelong friendships.
Besides the surveys, we were able to experience culture through activities that specifically target it, one of which being Culture Night. This is when we offered our Romanian partners traditional Maltese food that we had brought with us, as well as prepared there. Food such as bigilla with galletti, qagħaq tal-għasel, biskuttini tal-lewż, tadam imqaddet, żebbuġ mimli and ġbejniet tal-bżar. We then performed a traditional Maltese dance to ‘Il-Maltija’, in costume. In turn, on another occasion the Romanians also gave us a taste of their traditional food and performed their own traditional dance.
We further saw traditional Romanian culture when we arrived at Biertan via horse cart. We saw stalls that sold homemade honey, lace, traditional clothing and wood carvings and watched as local craftsmen made them. Then we made our way up to the fortified church where the view of the whole village was spectacular, as were the relics of scenes from the Bible and the detailed alter and sacristy. On the way back home we stopped for another cultural visit in Sighisoara. We had a look around the city and visited Vlad The Impaler’s birth place and childhood home which was an unforgettable experience; not to mention the picnic in the gorgeous ‘Breite Oak Tree Reserve’.
As already said, our expectations for the trip and the reality of it all were not only met, but surpassed. We feel that the trip has left a major impact on our lives and passions. We have formed new friendships, as well as a different way of looking at life and culture.
