Bucharest is famous for its magnificent architecture and creative spirits. But what is daily life like for young people living in Romania's capital city?
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00:00And now that I'm 18, I can also have beer with my meat, which is the most typical Romanian thing you're gonna see.
00:10Cheers!
00:12Bucharest isn't just the capital of Romania. It's a city that offers so much.
00:17Known for its grand architecture and creative energy, it's also the place that shaped who I am and where I'm heading.
00:24I'm Maria. I'm 18 years old and in my last year of high school here in Bucharest.
00:29Today, I will show you my version of this beautiful city.
00:34Good morning!
00:36Good morning! Come on in!
00:37This is my house and I was just in the middle of making breakfast. Come meet my mom!
00:41Hi! Welcome!
00:42We are preparing fried eggs for me, my mom and my father because my brother doesn't want to eat with us.
00:49Hello!
00:49I live with my parents and my little brother here. We've lived here for as long as I can remember.
00:55Of course, I would love to have my own place one day.
00:58But most young people in Romania don't move out until they're around 28 years old.
01:04Perfect!
01:05So this is my room, my safe space.
01:07Honestly, I spend the most time here when I'm at home.
01:10My favorite place in the world is either my bed because I like to sleep a lot and I have a lot of plushies to keep me company.
01:18My bookcase. It's my pride and joy.
01:22I have both books in English and Romanian and I have one book in French.
01:27I very much like sci-fi books and fantasy books.
01:30We live in the suburbs, about 20 minutes from the city center.
01:34It's quieter here, which I like very much, but I spend a lot of time in the city, especially on weekends and when I have to go to school.
01:41And I'm ready to head out.
01:47Almost every morning, my parents drive me to the subway station.
01:53Bye-bye!
01:55Public transportation is nearly free for students, which is amazing, especially with how much I use it.
02:07We are at Tarasa Obor, the best place to eat meat in Bucharest.
02:11And we are very lucky because today the queue is actually very small.
02:16One meat is 5 lei, which is around 1 euro.
02:21And we usually eat them with mustard and bread.
02:28Noroc! That means cheers in Romanian.
02:32Some other Romanian phrases you should know are, of course, hello, which is buna or bună ziua,
02:39bye-bye, la revedere, or just papa.
02:43This is Mihaiu National College. It is my fourth and last year studying here.
02:48Sadly, we cannot get into the high school because we were supposed to have elections this weekend.
02:53Romania's history makes elections feel important.
02:56The Romanian Revolution of 1989 led to the overthrow of the communist regime.
03:02And even though that happened before I was born, the history and its significance is still very much felt.
03:09Usually, we have theater rehearsals here every Saturday.
03:13But because the high school is closed due to the elections, we are going to go to a local theater and rehearse. Come along!
03:31I'd love to study theater in university.
03:34It's something I'm really passionate about and I've made a lot of friends here.
03:38I'd like to stay here in Bucharest for my theater studies. I think it's a great city to be creative in.
03:44Though, many of my friends plan to study outside of the city and even go abroad.
03:49In fact, about half of young people between the ages of 14 and 29 say they plan to leave Romania.
03:57Oh my gosh, it's still raining!
03:59Okay, now we're heading to one of my favorite spots in Bucharest. It is a gelato shop.
04:13Us Romanians usually eat anything, everything, whenever we want. It's not unusual for us to eat ice cream in winter.
04:19Romania has been a new member since 2007.
04:23And in 2025, it will be part of Schengen, which makes it pretty easy to move through Europe.
04:29I've traveled a lot with my family in Europe.
04:32I wish to see, after high school, I wish to see more of my own country because I feel that I haven't traveled enough.
04:39But I've been to other places and not every city feels like home.
04:45Remember what I told you earlier, to say goodbye in Romanian?