13/02/2026
Hello, I am Raluca Pelin.
I can say I am a performer, or an actress, or a puppeteer… but what am I? I am still studying this, so can I say that or not?
The thing is, I have wandered around the idea of who I am so much, and I don’t think a job defines who we are. We are more than a position. At the same time, that title opens doors that are heavier to open in a different way.
So I am a student now. I started acting school in my 30s. Before that, I was practicing different types of art in an urge to search for expression and healthy coping mechanisms, and stubbornly I chose theatre because it felt the most complex. And it is. But honestly, a definition cannot define the individual experience, so for me, it was the most mind-blowing.
I am a trainer, a teacher. I love working with people. I love seeing them do the things they are so sure they will never be able to do. I miss teaching. I felt like a fraud because I had no formal school behind me, only some books, some trainings, and some certifications… so I went to school. To get a diploma.
I am also an engineer, and that’s the funniest part, because I finished mechanical engineering — a field I never worked in. But I mention it when I am asked, just to creep people out.
So… what else am I? But am I really that? What am I when this is over? Or if I am never able to do “what I am,” am I really that?
I am a safe space, a good friend, and a choleric person. I am a woman, but I know I am not only my gender. I am what I do — lazy, active, creative, anxious, courageous. I am French fries, a stew, the meal prep I enjoy doing so much. I am a ninja, a fighter. I am Kafka’s bug.
