Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother. She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives, and emotions about this world. In these difficult times in human history,
we need to bring the people of the world together. And when we hear the voices of women, when
we listen to real lives of women from other countries, we connect our cultures without
differences or stereotypes and we get inspired by their stories to live a better life. That's
what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Amalia Damian. Amalia is a Romanian girl
from Alba Iulia. She is an economy student at Economic College Dionysia Pop Martian. Amalia
is a type 1 diabetic and she loves horse riding, lifting weights, listening to music, walking,
volunteering, learning, painting, traveling, and cooking. Amalia, how are you today?
At first, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I'm great, excited,
and a little bit anxious because it's my first time when I speak in English in public.
So, yeah, I try to keep the confidence that I have built years.
Thank you so much. I'm very proud of you. I'm happy to have you here. I'm also here to support
you. I will begin with this friendly, nice question, which is, if your friends could
describe your personality, what would they say about you?
It's funny that I just, a few days ago, I played a game with my friends
in which we had to describe each other and tell what we think about each other. So,
they will describe me at first very funny, then honest, loyal, sometimes crazy.
And someone can say that I'm confident because I try to be, especially after my childhood where
I was so bullied by other people, other kids. So, yeah, I try to be confident.
Thank you. That's a very important topic. And thank you for participating. Let's say there
is another girl who is listening who was bullied as a child, and she doesn't know how to build her
confidence. How did you build yours? And what did you learn about this? Maybe you can give her
advice how to build that confidence so that she doesn't stay in that victim toxic mentality.
I started to realize that confidence is the key in everything. And to look in the mirror and say
to you, you are beautiful, you can do everything you want to do. And sometimes it helps to change
the people around you. Because when people are anxious or something like that, they give me the
same vibe. And for me, it's important to have friends that are confident and make me feel the
same. I agree with that. That's very, very wise. Thank you for that. And you said you're a little
bit crazy, at least I do describe you. You live in a smaller part of Romania. Normally, a girl who
has a lot of drive, confidence and is a bit crazy has dreams of other places. Where would in this
world be a perfect match for your personality? Of course, you love your country, Romania, or
it could be maybe in Romania, maybe you dream of studying in Cluj or living in Hollywood in the U.S.
or going to a warm place like Spain and the south of Spain or going to Latin America.
What would be a place that you feel will open you to all the opportunities, all the adventures,
all the experiences that will let you grow into your potential? I want to start studying in Cluj.
But then I want to travel to Australia because for me, it's a very nice place with more nature.
I think it's perfect. Thank you. And since you speak about nature and I know that you love horse
back riding. And so to ask you even more about that, what is the story of you being interested
in horses, in riding them? And is that a way for you to connect with nature,
to connect with animals? Or what is it fun? Is it because when you run, you get adrenaline
and it's exciting? Or what's interesting for you about it? For me, it's a connection with nature
and give me confidence as well and make me feel free. And yeah, it's giving adrenaline a lot.
But it's very important to be confident when you're riding a horse, because when you're scared
or something like that, they get scared as well. Of course. I like that. Like you said,
confidence is about everything and a key to the success in every field. Some people maybe don't
know what that means. They're like, OK, I hear confidence, but I don't know how is it. Is it
confidence like you feel strong? Is it confidence that you feel beautiful? Is it confidence that you
say words to yourself that are not negative, that are positive? Is it confidence because you take
risk? What is it to you, your own meaning when you say confidence? What are you talking about
so that people can understand more? For me, it's all the things you said. It's
like feeling beautiful. I look in the mirror and say to you, I'm very beautiful. And to speak in
public, it's again something about confidence that can give you anxiety, as is my case now.
So it's really important to understand that confidence is everything.
One hundred percent. And in addition to you overcoming bullying, which is a great journey
and a great story, many women might feel intimidated because of social media. Maybe
they want to have their confidence, but they see women who are maybe photoshopped or full of plastic
surgery or I don't know. And they think, wow, I don't look like her. And that means I'm very ugly.
And even if she tells herself I'm beautiful, it becomes more toxic when she compares herself to
other imaginary lives of people on social media. Did you deal with that? How do you deal with that?
And what's your perspective about this? Yes, I deal with that. But I start to think
but they are not real. It's fake. So I can look like other girls if I want to just use a filter
or something. So I will look the same. But it's important to you to feel confident and feeling
like you're beautiful just the way you are, not to look like others. One hundred percent. And you
have experienced during your teenage years with the pandemic, which many times meant you did not
speak to people, friends, new acquaintances. In real life, it was all online or in texting.
Are you more introvert so that was comfortable for you? Or how did you do so that you did not
become very, very, very, very shy and not adventurous and closed just because you needed
social distancing for a long time? That was a great part for me in my life because
I had a lot of time with myself and thinking about myself. So it helped me a lot,
even if for some people can be not a very good thing because they cannot speak with others.
For me, it was the best thing. Thank you. So I imagine it was more like a meditation and
introspection. So are you a girl who maybe you journal and you write your thoughts in your
journal to understand yourself? Or what is the best thing that you do to understand yourself?
Is it doing something crazy? Maybe someday you want to jump with a parachute from an airplane,
or is it when you're with the horses, having that adrenaline, you understand more about your
thoughts and it's like a meditation? Or how do you understand more about yourself,
spend time with yourself so you become your own best friend? I start meditation a lot about myself
and when I ride horses, it's another thing that makes me understand about me
because it's like with a horse, it's like I have a friend that listens to me and when I speak to
them, it's like I speak to myself. Wouldn't you miss horses when you're,
let's say, in Cluj or something? Or would you make sure every weekend you go horse riding?
Or how would you do it? Because now it's an important part of your life. Do you feel you'll
find new hobbies that can replace horses or you'll be in love with horses and horse riding
forever and ever? I will be in love with horses forever and I will go in Cluj as well to
do horse riding. There are a lot of riding centers in Cluj. Thank you. And some people
who do not know Romania very well, they will think, why do you choose Cluj and let's say
not Bucharest, which is the capital? What interests you in that city and not going to the
big, huge capital in order to find more people, more of everything, more horses, more traffic,
more gyms, anything you want. Cluj is nearby my house and I think they have the best universities
where you can study. And there are a lot of people, but not like in Bucharest when there are
very, very more people. Thank you. And you are a teenager who has been challenged with
type 1 diabetes. Can you speak a bit more about that? Because some people can maybe don't
understand. They think, oh, we thought that diabetes is for older people, or maybe they
don't understand your challenges. Can you share about some of your day? Maybe every day you need
to do something specific so that you have the ability to do everything you want, although
you're challenged with diabetes. Can you share so people can understand and then they can
really know how strong you are dealing with this? I have an insulin pump because I have to give me
the insulin every time. And every time I eat, I have to give more insulin. But I can eat and do
everything like a normal person. But I have to pay attention to my insulin and my glucose level
to make sure it's in good range. Thank you. And you're a very active person. You do horse riding,
you lift weights, you do volunteering, you love painting, you travel, you enjoy cooking,
you study, of course, and prepare for university. How do you find the time and the productivity to
do all those things? Are you always active in this world or do you take some rest? Like some
people, when they hear that, they imagine you are 24 hours all the time outside doing something.
Are you? And if so, how do you get the energy, the focus and the productivity when some people,
maybe they study a little bit and they're like, oh, my God, I'm too tired to do anything. I should
watch TV. Sometimes I have to take rest because everyone needs to take rest when they are feeling
like they can't do anything anymore. But I try to stay motivated and thinking after I finish that,
I can do everything I want and like sleeping or watching TV, watching films. Of course.
And you are from Alba Iulia. Can you describe, let's say someone doesn't even know Romania or
Alba Iulia, what is the attitude, the mindset, the culture of a girl from Alba Iulia and from
Romania? And how different is it to other countries in Europe or any other part so that people can
understand the uniqueness of you specifically? Of course, you're not speaking about everyone in
Romania, but you specifically. Are you a very modern European girl? Are you 50, 50, 50 percent
very traditional Romanian, 50 percent modern? How is your attitude, your thought and what makes you
different to girls from other countries? I'm a very modern person. I don't like to
listen to the traditional things, even if I don't think it's a good thing.
That's how I feel. It's all about myself, about how I'm feeling. But I think it makes me different
by the other girls because they are really traditional and they want to do things that are
from their country. I understand. And you mentioned before that it's very important
to you to have freedom. And I understand that this is connected to what you're speaking about
right now. To you, what is the meaning of freedom and how do you build the confidence in order to
not do what other people want you to do or the society expects you to do? Because
some girls struggle with that, even if it's not about bullying. They think,
well, what people will think? What will they think? It's bad. I don't care about how much
people think about me. I like to do things when I'm feeling good, not when someone is feeling
good with that. Freedom for me is staying in nature and doing things that give me a very good vibe.
Thank you. And so what is your favorite season? Is it summertime and going to the beach?
Is it spring and playing in the flowers? Is it winter and having a warm hot chocolate
near the chimney or a warm space? Is it autumn and looking at the colors of the leaves? Or
what is to you a season that gives you the best vibes? I like all because all have something
special. In winter, I like the snow and to go in the mountains, skiing or playing with the snow.
And in summer, I like, of course, to go to the beach and at pools because I like swimming as
well. But I'm not very good at swimming. I understand. And I know you love painting.
Do you tend to paint something specific that you enjoy? Are you a painter who likes to paint
nature or do you like to put people and emotions on their face or to paint some classical
paintings just because you feel they're so cool? Or what to you is interesting about painting
and what type of painting reflects your personality? It's about how I feel in the
moment I paint, but I like to paint nature more and horses. Thank you. And I love how much you
have developed your confidence and your ability to trust yourself and feel yourself. Let's speak.
Nowadays, again, like I spoke, I feel that women, especially when they're teenagers, for some
reason, they are more shy than other generations. They don't dare to go for all their goals and
dreams. Few women are, of course, but most are more shy. They're like, oh, no, it sounds like I
can fail. And then my parents will be angry and other people will look at me and laugh at me
or bully me. And so they stay within their comfort zone. What is your advice for them
so that they will go out of their comfort zone, even if some haters will hate? I deal with that
a lot, especially when I was younger and thinking about how my parents will say or my friends,
if they will judge me. Yeah, sometimes I deal with that in nowadays. But it tells me if I like
to do this, I will do it because it's my passion and no one can say about that, can say anything.
Thank you, Amalia. I'm really, really proud of you. I'm really happy that you have the wisdom
to share all of that. And you spoke about Cluj, how it has really great universities and you want
to study there. Do you already know some subjects that you want to study? What's your goal or your
dream? Is it to study something related to arts? Do you want to become a professional woman in
some way? Or what does your heart desire at the next chapter of your life? I want to study
criminology because I think it's very interesting to know about people and know why people do
something they did. Thank you. So are you a girl who watches true crime documentaries all the time
and you love it? Not all the time, but I watch it because I like, but I focused on romance. I like
a lot romance. Thank you. And you spoke about how interesting it is for you to know people,
to know more about people, to understand them. How did you begin doing that? Is it when you speak to
people, you are always finding their stories so interesting? Is it you want to know how they think
about the world so that you develop yourself in the same way? Or how is it already happening
that you're discovering more and more about people in your life? Yes, I am a listener. I like to
listen to people's stories and what they think about the world, their stories a lot. Some girls
and women feel that if they're good listeners, which is very positive, they worry and have anxiety
like, oh, am I boring? I'm not saying enough, blah, blah, blah. Do you have that? Or it's not
something that you worry about? Sometimes I'm worried about because people, when I speak with
people, they can make some faces like, oh my God, this girl is really boring. And then I start to
thinking about this thing and stop speaking. But I try to continue and be interesting for others.
I understand. Although I think it's such a rare and beautiful trait to be a good listener that
you shouldn't worry about being interesting, so-called, which is not really a true thing.
But then most of your real friends, the friends that you're close with, do they talk a lot and
you listen a lot? Or are they mostly listeners like you? And so the conversation is more quiet,
more calm, and it's more about enjoying each other's company rather than
more about the words that they say. More of my friends talk a lot
because they like me to listen to them and give them advice if they need.
Thank you. And you said that you love romance. What about it do you enjoy? Is it the passion
between two lovers? Is it the adventure and adrenaline that you don't know is going to
happen? And sometimes it's a dangerous situation. Is it the drama and you're a bit of a drama queen
and you're like, oh my God, they're fighting. This is so exciting. Or what about romance is
good for you? I like drama a lot and like the adventure to don't know what happens next.
But the drama is the most interesting. Thank you. And do you tend to watch
Latin American telenovelas full of drama and romance? Or what kind of romance is the one
interesting for you? Is there one in Romania? Or maybe I believe there are some Korean
supposed romance things. What is interesting for you? What style gives you the most excitement?
For me, the romance in books is the best. And the books where the story is about
two enemies and they hit lovers. Thank you. That's very interesting because there are some
psychologists who say those romance novels and books are not really about men. It's women helping
themselves develop themselves with their more strong, aggressive side and their soft side
to learn to integrate together. Do you agree with this? Do you feel like because they say
many women are even more interested in the evil man who then becomes a good man later
rather than just the girl who is in the story? Do you believe that it's really more about the
psychology that you're understanding yourself or the situation and that the story helps you become
more confident and stronger because you learn from the male character and the female character
and how they develop together? Yeah, the story gives me confidence because I can
to know what people do and I learned about so I don't have to do their mistakes.
Thank you. And you spoke about your desire for studying criminology. Would you be very satisfied
and happy dealing with the brains and minds of criminals and of psychopaths and sociopaths
all the day, every day? Because some people might think it's toxic. How would you protect yourself
from them? Every person in your life, you're like, oh, wow, I see you have some psychopath
tendencies. Oh, wow, you remind me of a serial killer. And then you don't trust anyone.
I don't have to trust them. I just have to listen to their stories and maybe they
do something because it's to protect themselves or like that.
Thank you so much, Amalia, for being in this podcast, for participating in this project,
for representing Alba Iulia and Romania. It was my honor and my privilege to have you here.
Thank you again. I wish you all the success and I appreciate your time.
Thank you so much for inviting me here. I'm so happy that I can participate.
