The most beautiful childhood memories for Diana Dragne the ones from the holidays spent at the grandparents’ house remained. She carried with her through life the love of the village that instilled in her then, she wanted to live in the country, but she believed that things could be easier in two. When the right man appeared in her life, with whom she decided to build a life, they decided together to take the step of moving from the city to the village.
They looked to buy a house, but nothing seemed to satisfy them so they purchased a plot of land, on which they built their house. Diana and her husband Dorin have lived in the village for 8 years and a lot has changed in the pace of their lives.
“Just before six in the morning, I wake up the neighbors’ roosters, and until the whole house wakes up, I listen to a podcast in the sunroom and baby the tomatoes. Gardening recharges me, and this morning dose wakes me up like a kettle of coffee.” says Diana.
We talk with Diana Dragne about life in the country, with challenges, difficulties, but also with many joys.
About you
I am a designer, illustrator and beginner gardener. 🙂
Together with my husband, Dorin, we moved to the countryside in 2016, when we built a house in a Prahov village. He is a travel consultant and an avid traveler, so we alternate working from home with traveling around the world.
It’s true that when there are three of us, we travel less often, and garden parties have become the new passion.
How was life in the city
The congestion was driving me crazy, and living in a block of flats felt like it was suffocating me day by day. I miss a good coffee shop, but 30 minutes from here, we have everything.
The decision to give up city life for country life
I grew up in a block of flats in Bucharest, but my best childhood memories are from the holidays spent in the countryside. I would come with my mouth up to my ears, and when I left, I would leave crying.
Time passed, but the love of the village remained. I thought that it would be easier to live in the country together, and somehow, I wanted to find my man with whom I could take the step. When it appeared, it took us three months to decide and another three to find the land.
Choosing the place
We didn’t do a lot of research, we just opened a classified ad and went to see the houses available in our (tiny) budget. From the house with a closet that took the place of the fallen wall, to the one with the 1.7 m high ceiling, then to the one with no access road. And look, that’s how I understood that we have land money. Later, our parents supported us and things came together in such a way that two years later we moved into a house under construction.
The first days. Challenges as well as joys
It was August when we decided to move. We had only one door (to the bedroom, not the entrance) and one window, so we can consider it a closed bedroom. I was coming from a studio apartment, so it wasn’t much of a difference, right? We kept the bicycles in the bathroom and the concrete mixer in the kitchen, but we could hear the roosters in the morning and the crickets singing in the evening at our only window.
I remember how fancy my neighbor seemed to me when she smelled like a man washed in the bathtub, and we took turns standing under the pipe unfairly called “shower”. Food wasn’t too difficult as long as we didn’t have a kitchen, because in the countryside the villagers are just waiting for a good mouth to feed.
All this time the concrete was hardening, the team was working, and we could see the house taking shape.
Village life. From afar vs reality
You know that grass in the park? That perfectly green lawn? This is what I thought the yard looked like if you didn’t want to plant vegetables. Spoiler alert: the grass grows, sir. Well, I was lucky to have some kind of weeds as tall as me, which I cut with a chainsaw.
That took me by surprise, how much work you have, every day, especially at the beginning. With time, things settle down and, let’s say the right one, you get used to the job.
Photo credit: Adina Chitu/Pancake Planet
The happiest in the family in the country
I think me too, the one who complains about the grass he mows.
Here I feel free, like I can breathe and I feel like I can rest my mind.
The pleasures of village life
Since we live in the country, we see our friends from the city more often. Well how so? They come to us. They can’t wait to get out of town, we can’t wait for them to step on our doorstep.
We spend a lot of time outside, do some crafts, repair, garden. Or we just sit in the shade of the walnut tree and make plans. And there are enough challenges, and if you stay in the block, go and hug your administrator, because you’re going to miss him a lot when the pump/pit/fence breaks and he’s not there with his working capital.
New habits that are good for you
Just before six in the morning, I wake up the neighbors’ roosters, and until the whole house wakes up, I listen to a podcast in the sunroom and baby the tomatoes. Gardening recharges me, and this morning dose wakes me up like a pot of coffee.
What do you miss from city life?
A good cafe, a bakery and an easybox.
Otherwise, we are fine here. I can’t complain about the street being too quiet or the blackbird singing near the terrace.
From a professional perspective where is it better for you
We both work exclusively online, so it doesn’t affect us in any way. I know we’re lucky, but if things were different, the commute is an important thing to consider.
Life in a small community
In a small community, on a street filled with children in the evening, the neighbors know everything you do, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s really possible that they will bring you that thing you need, before you even know you need it. It’s a sense of belonging that nestles in your soul whether you want it or not.
Your contribution to the good of the community in which you now live
I became a cog in the village mechanism, and when I happily accepted this and learned to walk, I was already on the right track.
Shortcomings, but also gains, of living in the village
A lot of work and the things we have to deal with on a daily basis take up our time, but they also keep us in the present. For a while now, anything that gets my nose out of my phone is a plus.
Maintenance of a house in the village
Financially, people are generally scared of bills. For a 160 sqm house, the bills are only slightly higher than what I was paying for the studio apartment in Bucharest. Instead, prevent something from breaking. Then you have to spend, that’s if you find a handyman to fix it for you. In terms of time, here you will have expenses. A big house is like a sleepless toddler, it needs constant attention and whatever you do, it’s not enough.
teachings
I learned what it means to know your neighbors. And that people are different, not better or worse, just different. I learned to listen and try to understand. I learned to stop labeling people by categories, but to enjoy their uniqueness.
Advice for townspeople who want to become villagers
Analyze the position thoroughly. Take the pulse of the village. Know the people, the administration, the general atmosphere. When you move to the village, you’re like a new family, so you’d better take the time to get to know them. Then, take care of the commute, schools (if you have a child) and how and how much the area is developing. Is it slowly becoming an overcrowded hotel village?
Source: www.iqads.ro
