Off Topic: Working Outdoors with My Father

My father is a freelancer in constructions; he builds wooden houses, roofs and other stuff that is made of wood. Since I was available, he asked me to join him for a piece of work he was hired for, down South in a village on the Danube river.

The work was fine, as it always is when we do greenfield projects versus repairs, and we had nice sunny weather all the way through. We built a little wood summer house on the top of a garage which needed proper covering and now, under the new roof, both owners and their car can be neatly protected.

Two people that I've met on my staying in Borcea impressed me deeply:

• Alex - a little boy, 5th grade, coming from a poor family who hasn't seen a train until this September (2009 that is!). He only went outside the village for harvesting and field work... Mainly derogatory, his Romanian nickname (RO: "Barosanu") means rich, proud and powerful but I like to believe this nickname is predestined to be backed by real wealth that this kid will gather in the years to come. He's so hardworking: the only one in his family still attending school, taking care of his household, working for neighbors so he can help his family with either money or food, riding his bike back and forth doing errands. If there is someone out there who deserves to be rich and powerful then it is this little boy!
• Mr. Nicu - an old and peaceful man (almost 80 years old) who's as sharp as ever even though he's disabled and blind. He used to be called "Nicu Putere" (EN: "Nicu Power") due to his wealth and his ability to create welfare for his family and relatives by managing his assets: willingness to work, land, houses and livestock. The love that his wife has for him is visible in her every gesture - she cuddles him, she whispers kind words to him, she asks him how he feels, whether he's hungry or not and she always smiles to him...

Modern people seem dead walking bodies in comparison with these country people. More than everywhere else I felt I was among humans, everyone willing to share something, to take you into their houses, to tell you their life's story and all this when they own so little.

My conclusion after this experience is that we need to be more grateful for what we have - food and shelter, health, modern transportation, internet, gadgets, etc. We take all this for granted but we don't appreciate our well being as we should.

Be grateful!

My father cutting timber with his sawWe used modern protection gear as in rope access and rock climbing Our workAlex, taking care of a fisherman's boatBathing in the DanubeNicu Putere has wisdom to shareMr. Nicu and his wifeFuneralBarge going upstream on the DanubeI swam across the DanubeA new friend I made here, young firefighter and skillful auto mechanic, let me have a spin with this thing - 285 horse power

---

Share this article with your friends!

---

Other Articles You Might Like - Listed by Topics: