Reflecting on 2023's memories of advancing the Connecticut-Romania relationship and community-building in the local Romanian Diaspora through the following initiatives:
➡️ participating in Romanian parties at A Villa Louisa (Asim Etem) to usher in the New Year, Spring and Fall and welcome visiting Romanian artists such as Adrian Enache, Enache Diana and Vali Vijelie, as well as parties at the Transilvania Restaurant and Bar to celebrate International Women’s Day, Ukrainian gatherings, their one-year anniversary in business and National Day of Romania.  We are blessed to have such rich Romanian cuisine offerings in Connecticut from these two venues plus Silvias International Restaurant and Alina's Cakes and Cookies.
➡️ attending the traditional January 24 Union of Romanian Principalities, Hram, festivals and fundraisers at the Holy Brancoveanu Martyrs Romanian Orthodox Church and various events, including icon blessings, at the Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, as well as Românul - SUA events celebrating Romanian language school, culture and traditions, and Honorary Consulate Annual Picnic recognizing our volunteers.  We are blessed to have such thriving centers of Romanian community and events that bring us together.
➡️ working together with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy on solutions to the refugee crisis, as well as with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on several press conferences to address the situation in Ukraine and Romania’s active help to Ukraine on several fronts, including right here in CT via the Connecticut for Ukraine Refugee Matching Program.  We are grateful to Senator Blumenthal for the Certificate of Special Recognition awarded to our Consulate for “steadfast friendship to Ukraine and contributions to Connecticut’s economy”.
➡️ advocating successfully via legislative testimony for inclusion of Romanian and Ukrainian on the State of Connecticut  DMV driving knowledge test, for facilitating additional H-1B visas available to skilled international talent around CT universities and for lowering apostille costs.
➡️ co-organizing a conference on Ukraine at Quinnipiac University on the anniversary of the Russian invasion and welcoming distinguished guest - His Excellency Cornel Feruta, Romania’s Ambassador to the United Nations - for a panel discussion exploring the humanitarian assistance provided by Romania to Ukraine.
➡️ attending as guest speaker Professor Antoaneta Vanc’s class on Public Diplomacy at Quinnipiac University and inspiring young generations to follow a career in law & diplomacy.
➡️ welcoming distinguished guests at our Consulate’s headquarters, including my peer Honorary Consul of Hungary to CT, Dr. Christopher Ball, CBP Officials, Mark Twain International School Bucharest faculty and students, Professor Peter Lindseth, and several Romanian community members.
➡️ building strong friendships with other diplomatic representatives, including His Excellency Elvis Tuesta of Consulado General del Perú en Hartford and the Peruvian community, His Excellency Masood Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to the U.S., and several other diplomats present at “The Diplomat” event organized by the World Affairs Council of Connecticut at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and carered by Romanian caterer A Villa Louisa.
➡️ participating in various cultural festivals to showcase Romanian culture, such as The Gathering - Waterbury, Connecticut, New England’s largest multicultural festival, at the kind invitation of State Representative Geraldo Reyes Jr.  We were proud to present Mirela Panaitisor, violonist, instructor and owner of The New Old School of Music, LLC, as our nominee for CT Immigrant & Refugee Coalition - CIRC’s Annual Immigrant Awards and to have Mirela Panaitisor showcase Romanian classical music tradition at the event.
➡️ attending two separate conferences hosted by the Ambasada României în Statele Unite ale Americii / Romanian Embassy to US in Washington, DC to gather all Consuls and Romanian Diaspora leaders at Federation of Romanian-American Organizations - FORA to celebrate 25 years of US-Romania strategic partnership and the National Day of Romania, respectively.  During these events Honorary Consul Dana Bucin played a central role advancing Romania’s entry in the Visa Waiver Program via Alianţa panel discussions and strategy discussions and was proud to promote the Romanian-American artists in Connecticut via their initiative RoArtConn (https://romanulonline.org/romanian-artist-connection/) which entails a National Heritage Mural in Hartford.
➡️ speaking and representing Romanian business interests at events such as the NY Furniture Fair, Access Europe in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Commerce, promoting Romanian tourism at CT’s libraries, introducing and promoting Romanian wines Caii de la Letea and attending commercial meetings at the Embassy of Romania.  
➡️ two trips to Romania: to reconnect biological mother and son, meet and network with Romanians Worldwide, strengthen representation of commercial brands such as WOOD Infinity, Hora Instruments and Via Transilvanica, as well as educational ties with Mark Twain International School Bucharest and philanthropic ties to Bobalna.
➡️ organizing the National Day of Romania with the help of over 30 volunteers from our vibrant Romanian community and several sponsors such as Pratt & Whitney, Murtha Cullina LLP and The New Old School of Music, LLC. See here the online booklet elaborated for the event by the Consulate's team, interns and volunteers, and also the detailed program for the festivities.
➡️ writing several letters of recommendation for American Romanian Cultural Society’s National Heritage Award and college admission on behalf of bright young leaders from the Connecticut Romanian Diaspora.

Happy New Year!