Today we will resume Sunday’s stories and for this beginning of the year I think it’s time to introduce myself. I am Alexandra Poiană, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, and I joined the Sus Inima family in July 2022. Carmen and Lu offered me this job when I was looking for a remote job, as I was going to move out of the country. Prior to Sus Inima, I worked in television for a year. However, my basic training is as an actress. I graduated theatre university in Iasi, in 2011, and since then I have worked with several theatres in Bucharest, especially with the National Theatre. I have also had several appearances in feature and short films, both Romanian and international productions.

I have always loved telling stories, especially stories that matter, that inspire. That’s what attracted me to theatre, the fact that it can be a good tool to help you grow and evolve. Through the theatrical act you can hold up a mirror for the audience to help them see their self, recognise themselves, recognise their emotions and maybe behavioural patterns and through that become self-aware. Because only when we are honest, aware of who we are and of our actions, we can work with ourselves and become the best version of who we can be. And this whole process affects both the viewer and the actor. Theatre, originally, was sacred, and my dream was to experience the sacredness of the artistic act.

But there are many other ways you can tell stories that matter, inspire and make a difference. I’ve experienced that to the fullest, from summer to now, since I’ve started telling Sus Inima stories. I’ve been introduced to a reality where a handful of people are able to change thousands of destinies. Thousands of people have been given a new start in life. Sus Inima was born out of necessity and it is amazing how this team has managed to keep up with the needs that have grown tremendously over the past year. I am grateful for the team I work with, collaborating daily with people who find joy in renouncing themselves and their own comfort to serve others.

For some, Sus Inima means a signature on a form, or two euros donated through a text message. For others, Sus Inima is the difference between life and death, between being on the streets or having a home, between continuing with their studies or being stuck with a few classes, between survival mode or the joy of life.

Whether I write, paint, or play, the experience of the process is so much more beautiful when it’s not about me but about serving and laying all I create at the feet of the Divine. And I believe that, in essence, that is what the sacredness of the artistic act is all about.