Miss Fata de la Țară

A literal translation of this title would be "Miss Girl from the Countryside". If a similar émission were to make it to the US, it would probably be called "Miss Country".

To find a girl from the countryside, take her to city, and turn her into a model — that is exactly the focus of this Romanian reality show, one that I have been following for the past few months. I have explained before that fiction reading doesn't truly interest me, unless a given work is written in a foreign language I am focusing on. I apply the same concept to the music I listen to, and the shows I watch on TV, extending all the way to films and any material that I select as part of my leisure.

Contrary to what some Romanians have told me,
this is not a show de căcat.

And so, here is where Miss Fata de la Țară comes in. Thanks to the helpfulness of the internet, I have been watching the show's episodes as they're uploaded to the official website. While not the only television broadcast I watch in Romanian, it is the only one I have kept on top of lately.

The show is worthy of mentioning because it has helped me tremendously in a few areas. First and foremost, it has introduced me to many of the Romanian accents, since the show involves traveling to the different zones in the country. When I began watching the transmission, I have to admit, I was taken aback upon hearing an older person from a small village in Moldova, for instance, and not being able to grasp much of what he said. Now, however, I have progressed to being able to pinpoint a Moldovan accent from a mile away. It's an accent that has grown on me, and one I imitate playfully when talking to Romanians. Thanks to the show, I am now familiar with the Oltenian accent in the South-West, and, other accents such as the Transylvanian one in the North. As with any language, the older the person is, and the further away from the urbanized centers, the more his speech will differ from that of the younger generations in the city.

Through the people in the show, I have picked up new vocabulary as well, such as săru'mâna (meaning, "I kiss [your] hand", a respectful greeting for a woman; see here), and concurs de Miss, used to refer to a beauty pageant, literally meaning "contest of Miss".

"Welcome to the village"

After the linguistic aspect of the program comes the country itself. The show does an excellent work at exposing Romania's geography with its beautiful villages and cities, even showing onscreen maps for each location, showcasing the localities of Bistra, Polovragi, Brusturoasa, Luncavița, Fundu Moldovei (my favorite), and Ieud. To contrast the small towns, the viewers are treated to the capital city of București and nearby Sinaia. After seeing the magnificent views of these Romanian destinations, I am convinced I have to spend some time in Romania (yes, I secretly envy you, Sam). Not that I hadn't thought on going before, though, the show has simply reaffirmed my intentions.

The six finalists (from top left to right): Maria, Raveicuța, Elena, Andreea, Flori, Mădălina

I have watched all the episodes, except the final one, which hasn't been uploaded online, so I don't know who has won the competition. The last part I watched was when two of the finalists entered the baraj for having had the lowest score that week. Only one of them will be saved and enter the final, the other one will be going home.

Maria and Raveicuța — the two girls who risk leaving the competition

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It is intriguing to see that some two years ago, I could tune in to a Romanian news broadcast and understand very little of it. Now, I am watching a reality show with accents from all over Romania, and able to understand just about everything. I'm at the point where, whatever I don't understand, I can make out the word said and simply look it up in the dictionary. The interesting part comes if, right after watching the Romanian show, I immediately switch to the Italian news, and experience a very unique sensation as my brain adapts to the different, but eerily similar language.

All in all, I have enjoyed Miss Fata de la Țară very much. I am now looking forward to the final episode to find out who the winner is (dragi cititori: no spoilers, please!). One thing I am assured of after watching the show: româncele (Romanian women) are definitely among the most beautiful in Europe.