\n\tAndrei Barsan is a marketing expert of one of the largest banks in Romania. He is the type of person who gets up early in the morning, to win time, to read one more page either from a book or a tablet, which can be easily carried in a bag. In 2007, he set up the association entitled \u201cMy Dear Bucharest\u201d, which brings together all those who want to truly discover Bucharest, by strolling through the capital city and contributing to creating a visual chronicle of present day Bucharest. Andrei Barsan has told us about his idea of starting the whole project.<\/p>\n
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\n\t“I like Bucharest. I am a Bucharester. When I was a little boy, I would stroll along its streets, especially because my father was born in another town, wanted to discover Bucharest and took me along across the city. After the Revolution, I started taking photos of Bucharest more often, because of its faster dynamics. The 1990\u2019s and 2000\u2019s changed completely the face of Bucharest, new buildings and shops emerged, just like street advertising. I like it because it is mine. It is my home, it is my family. It is true that it\u2019s polluted and dirty, but at the same time it is a city of hope. Many members of the \u2018My Dear Bucharest\u2019 Association are not Bucharesters by birth. They are the first generation that settled here, graduated from faculties in Bucharest and chose to remain here. In fact, Bucharest is a sort of city of hope to them, a sort of \u2018El Dorado\u2019, of Romanian \u2018America\u2019. It is true that for some of them, this is only a stage in their development. They might move to some other place, but many of them have chosen to remain here. Even if we, Bucharesters, consider it dirty and noisy, it is a joy and an accomplishment for others to have remained here.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tWe have asked Andrei Barsan where he would take someone, if he were an ad-hoc guide in Bucharest.<\/p>\n
\n\t“Unfortunately, Bucharest does not have well-established tourist routes or circuits. It only has some attractions that you should see. Everything depends on tourists, what they would like to see. I could take them on a stroll in the old city, around the St. Sylvester Church, near the Armenian Church or Foi\u015forul de Foc, which served as a watchtower for firemen in the past. It is an exciting, enjoyable city with inter-war houses. Or, why not, I could take them to the People\u2019s House, that is the Parliament Palace. Whether we like it or not, this edifice is well-known the world-over, it\u2019s somehow iconic of Bucharest, of Romania. It is a kitsch that others don\u2019t have. I carry with me a book on Bucharest issued in 1984, which also includes a map. It was a white spot on the map back then, on the site where the People\u2019s House was being built. It was only a white spot back then, and now it is a black spot in Bucharest\u2019s history.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tMore exactly, what is the main activity of \u201cMy Dear Bucharest\u201d Association?<\/p>\n
\n\t“First of all, we want to make people know the city. We take joy in discovering it step by step. We take strolls every two weeks, we have set a series of routes, and we adjust our activity, depending on the events held in the city. We mount exhibitions in which we want to show the city as we see it. We go on trips to all areas of Bucharest, be they good or bad, we visit not only the central and northern areas of the city, but also a peripheral district like Ferentari. Our exhibitions feature not only the beautiful, bright side of the city, but also its dark side. We also run an online magazine entitled \u2018My Dear Bucharest\u2019. Furthermore, once a year, we print an almanac. In the magazine, we also cover the dark side of the city. We take photos of it, we show it, we keep it in the collective visual memory and we also take part in environmental, cleaning campaigns. Even if we don\u2019t initiate such campaigns, we gladly take part in them. The latest such campaign was conducted in autumn, in the so-called Bucharest Delta, which formed around Vacaresti Lake. We are a sort of visual chroniclers of the city.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tAndrei Barsan has more on the trips organized by the association he runs.<\/p>\n
\n\t“The trips we take are not a mere ramble, a camera in hand, running aimlessly, without any direction. We stop in certain places, there are people who join us and who explain to us the history of the place, we enter people\u2019s gardens. We were sometimes invited to weddings, to dance with the bride. We interact with the city and its dwellers during our trips. We don\u2019t go on trips like foreigners who simply want to see what\u2019s around. We also socialize with other people. Many people are different than we initially thought, especially those in the poorer areas of the city, they are friendlier. Actually, we were really welcomed in the Ferentari district, and were chased away in the Primaverii district\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMy Dear Bucharest\u201d Association has opened a permanent exhibition in the Unirea Metro Station, in the walkway which links the two metro lines. It is called the \u201cGallery in the Gallery\u201d. Snapshots taken by members of the association are on show on a 40-50m long wall.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe current exhibition brings together the most beautiful and interesting photos of the city. It is just like a puzzle of images that we can see every day, if we choose to lift up our eyes to look around us, on the way to the office and back home.<\/p>\n
\n\tWe\u2019ve asked Andrei Barsan if something has changed over the past 6 years, since he started strolling along the streets of Bucharest purposefully.<\/p>\n
\n\t“I think it has changed, especially because people are more aware of the fact that Bucharest is the city they live in, and not only the city they cross every day. Those who join us learn to look at the city differently, to pay attention to details, no matter if they have a camera or not. It is not necessary to take a camera with you. They all see the city differently and we hope they will also be able to change it one day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tThe photos taken by the members of \u201cMy Dear Bucharest\u201d Association are also available on the website ora\u015ful.ro\u201d. Finally, we\u2019ve asked Andrei Barsan if Bucharest were a beautiful woman, what would Andrei Barsan tell her? Andrei Barsan was quick to answer: \u201dI\u2019m glad to see you when I wake up every morning\u201d.<\/p>\n