Portraits & Prosecco in Bucharest: Free Headshots, New Friends, and a Lesson About Bucharest Traffic

“First sign you've lived in Bucharest too long: you don't get annoyed in traffic anymore.”

A guest wrote that during a game at our Portraits & Prosecco party. Everyone laughed.

I laughed too. Then it hit me that it was about me.

When a city stops being somewhere you're visiting

My first two years here, Bucharest traffic drove me crazy. The horns. The double-parked cars. Thirty minutes to go two kilometres.

Now? I barely notice.

Somewhere along the way, this city stopped being a place I was visiting and became home.

That's the part of living abroad nobody warns you about. You don't just adapt to a place. It quietly changes you.

30 people, riddles, and a free headshot

The idea behind the night was simple: what if everyone got a free professional headshot while they were at the party?

So 30 people came to A46 in Dorobanți, had their portraits taken, and spent the rest of the evening laughing at riddles and fill-in-the-blank answers — and making friends with strangers.

Five years ago I couldn't have pictured any of it.

Life abroad isn't always easy. But it's never boring. And it'll surprise you with who you become.

Thank you to my co-host Ioana Ioanăș, and to Angelos Fragkos and Mirela Mateescu, for making the night possible. And thank you to everyone who came and helped turn a “what if” idea into one of the most memorable 3rd Space parties yet.