EN: When we are little we tend to do things that will, later on, have a meaning.
When I was younger, around five or six years old, I was fascinated with cameras.
Whenever my family went on holiday, my dad always used to film my sister and I having fun and basically being in out element. We have endless filmed hours on old cassettes filled with laughter and childhood memories. My sister and I always wanted to play with the camera and we would drive out father insane by constantly asking him to let us film. I am fortunate enough to have numerous albums with developed photos since I was born to the present day.
I remember, when I grew a bit, my mother and father bought me a small Canon camera that I used to take pictures with whenever I went on school trips or created a new “makeup look”.
I use commas sarcastically because I used my mom’s makeup totally wrong and applied blush under my eyes and mascara on my eyebrows. On top of this…I also filmed myself. My boyfriend and sister are the only ones who have seen it and I hope it will stay like this.
My father has had the same radio in our kitchen for over 20 years.
He still has the 70s and 80s music cassettes that I used to record over interviews with my little sister, Claudia, with pop-starts we were into at that time. I’m still sorry for ruining them. I spent so much time recording and talking about anything and everything – nothing’s changed.
I remember my grandma had this old wooden spatula that she used to grind garlic with when she was cooking.
That spatula turned later in a microphone and I would go up to family friends and ask them questions. I don’t want to know how delighted they were when I was shoving a smelly spatula in their faces.
I remember when I grew up a bit, I was around 10 years old, I was fascinated with YouTube videos.
I used to watch beauty videos after I came home from school and I used to think ” I can’t wait to be older and do the same thing!” Only in Romania, YouTube wasn’t the same huge phenomenon at that time that was in America. However, as my dad already had a filming camera. Claudia, my best friends and I would dance and lip sync to all of our favourite Disney channel songs in front of it.
I have a YouTube channel now and it’s surreal. I film and edit and do everything I wished when I was younger. I knew at that time that I would love doing this, and I was right.
Since I was 13 I have been creating short stories that I never shared with anyone.
I have been writing poems and all my occurring thoughts on various notebooks and journals. I have always imagined myself writing a novel and making people smile through it, wake an emotion in the reader, just as all the books I’ve read so far caused me to laugh or even cry as I was turning the sharp white pages. I can think John Green for that.
I have started typing up drafts of what I want to one day publish, a love story – my love story.
This year I turn 21…
I had no idea what I wanted to do further in life after I graduated from high school. I was clueless. I just knew I loved writing and capturing my feeling and thoughts, every emotion, through words. I have been learning and speaking English for around 14 years now. When I was little I used to dream of studying in England, I still have a notebook with the Union Jack on it with black engraved letters that spell “London” on the front cover.
Now I am finishing my second year of studying journalism in London.
I chose journalism back then only to realise now that I was meant to walk this path. I analysed and remembered things from my childhood and everything makes sense now.
At one point, life comes full-circle.
RO: Cand suntem mici obisnuim sa facem anumite lucruri care de abia mai tarziu vor capata sens.
Pe cand aveam cinci sau sase ani, eram fascinata de camere de filmat.
De cate ori mergeam in vacanta cu familia, tatal meu obisnuia sa ne filmeze pe mine si sora mea mai mica jucandu-ne, simtindu-ne in elementul nostru pe scurt. Avem ore intregi filmate pe casete vechi, pline de rasete si amintiri din copilarie. Eu si sora mea mereu ne doream sa filmam si asa il innebuneam pe tatal nostru.
Imi amintesc ca parintii mi-au cumparat o camera mica, Cannon, cu care faceam poze in excursiile cu scoala, la munte, sau cand cream un “makeup look” nou.
Folosesc in mod sarcastic ghilimele deoarece foloseam machiajele mamei complet gresit. Imi aplicam fard de obraz sub ochi, in loc de pudra, si rimel pe sprancene. Pe deasupra…obisnuiam sa ma filmez. Iubitul si sora mea sunt singurii care au vazut clipul si sper ca situatia sa ramana asa.
Tatal meu are casetofonul din bucatarie de mai mult de 20 de ani.
Inca are casetele cu muzica din anii 70 si 80 peste care obisnuiam sa inregistrez interviuri cu sora mea, Claudia, si “vedete” si cantareti de care ne placea pe vremea aceea. Imi pare rau ca le-am stricat. Imi petreceam atat de mult timp ascultand muzica si inregistrandu-ma, vorbind despre absolut orice – mai nimic nu s-a schimbat.
Bunica mea avea o ustensila de lemn pe care o folosea sa piseze usturoiul cand prepara mancarea.
Acea ustensila s-a transformat mai tarziu in microfon. Ma duceam la prieteni de familie si le puneam diferite intrebari. Nu vreau sa ma gandesc cat de fericiti erau cand le puneam acea ustensila mirositoare in fata.
Imi aduc aminte cand am mai crescut putin, aveam vreo zece ani, eram fascinata de videoclipuri pe YouTube.
Obisuiam sa ma uit la videoclipuri legate de beauty dupa ce terminam orele in scoala generala. Imi spuneam :”De abia astept sa mai cresc si sa fac si eu acelasi lucru!”. Doar ca in Romania pe vremea aceea, YouTube-ul nu era acelasi fenomen ca in America. Cu toate acestea, tatal meu avand o camera de filmat, Claudia, prietenele mele cele mai bune si cu mine dansam si cantam melodiile noastre preferate de la Disney Channel in fata camerei.
Acum am propriul canal de YouTube si inca mi se pare ireal. Filmez si editez si fac tot ceea ce imi doream cand eram mica.
De la varsta de 13 ani scriu, si mai nimic din ce am scris nu am impartasit cu altii.
Scriu poeme si orice gand care imi trece prin minte pe diferite caiete si carnete. Mereu m-am imaginat scriind o nuvela si facand cititorii sa zambeasca, sa trezesc o emotie in sufletele lor, asa cum toate cartile pe care le-am citit pana acum m-au facut sa rad…sau sa plang cand intorceam fiecare pagina alba, ascutita la margini. II pot multumi lui John Green pentru asta.
Am inceput sa scriu schite din ce vreau sa public, candva, o poveste de dragoste – povestea mea de dragoste.
Anul acesta implinesc 21 de ani.
Nu aveam nici cea mai mica idee legata de ceea ce voiam sa fac dupa terminarea liceului. Eram confuza. Stiam doar ca iubesc sa scriu si sa capturez fiecare sentiment si gand, fiecare emotie, in cuvinte. Invat si vorbesc limba engleza de aproape 14 ani. Cand eram mica visam sa studiez in Anglia. Inca am de pe atunci un jurnal cu steagul Angliei, cuvantul “Londra” inscriptionat cu litere negre pe coperta.
Acum termin anul doi de facultate in Londra.
Studiez jurnalismul dar de abia acum realizez ca acesta era drumul pe care trebuia sa il urmez. Am analizat si mi-am adus aminte intamplari din copilarie si totul are sens acum.
Irina Iacob 