# Rămâi pe țărm sau urci în barcă? | Camelia Donțu | TEDxAristide Demetriade Street

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmscMfo4R8g
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/TmscMfo4R8g
Generated: 2025-11-11T22:12:24.409+00:00

---
## Quick Overview

Camelia Donțu recounts her transition from being a long-term, settled journalist in Romania to embracing risk and relocating to Brussels for a new chapter, emphasizing that it is never too late to start something new, even when facing uncertainty, as demonstrated by her subsequent assignments covering major geopolitical events like the war in Ukraine and the Pope's funeral.

**Key Points:**
- Camelia Donțu moved from Constanța to Bucharest for TV reporting nine years ago, and subsequently moved to Brussels after eight years of marriage and property ownership, demonstrating a pattern of calculated risk-taking.
- The speaker consciously rejected the 'safe' option of staying put, opting instead to take risks that ultimately led her to new professional opportunities and experiences.
- She covered the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, witnessing firsthand the destruction, including a bus station bombing in Kherson.
- Her assignments included interviewing individuals like a lawyer from Kyiv and covering the Pope's funeral in Rome, activities that demanded significant courage and adaptability.
- Donțu emphasizes that the concept of 'too late' does not apply to new beginnings, citing her own move to Brussels at age 45 to pursue work with European institutions and media.
- She learned to manage risks and maintain balance, even when facing situations where she had to report live from intense conflict zones without a cameraman or a predictable schedule.
- The core message is encapsulated in the phrase: 'Leave the waves to show you the direction,' suggesting that embracing change and uncertainty leads to new, valuable experiences.

![Screenshot at 0:25: Camelia Donțu stands on stage in a long pink dress asking the audience the central question of her talk: "Rămâi pe țărm sau urci în barcă?" \(Stay on Shore or Get on the Boat?\), symbolizing the choice between safety and risk.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-00-25.png)

**Context:** Camelia Donțu delivers a TEDx talk titled 'Rămâi pe țărm sau urci în barcă?' (Stay on Shore or Get on the Boat?), using her personal career trajectory as a journalist and correspondent to illustrate the necessity of embracing calculated risks and new beginnings later in life, even when stability seems assured. The talk contrasts her previous settled life with the dynamic, often dangerous, assignments she undertook after choosing to leave her comfort zone.

## Detailed Analysis

Camelia Donțu begins by posing the central question about choosing safety versus embracing risk, relating it to her own life choices. She recounts leaving her stable life in Romania, including selling her property in Bucharest after eight years, to pursue a new opportunity in Brussels at age 38, a decision made despite having a comfortable life and a mortgage. She then details her subsequent career moves, which involved significant risk, such as traveling to Ukraine one year after the Russian invasion to report on the war, where she witnessed destruction and interviewed people who had lost everything. She mentions being in Kherson on the front line, where her team was nearly hit by a bus station bombing, and later covering the Pope's funeral in Rome. Donțu highlights that these experiences taught her that neither comfort nor certainty can be guaranteed. She also describes moving to Brussels, where she learned to manage logistics, secure funding, and report live from the European Parliament, even without her usual support crew. Her ultimate conclusion is that there is no such thing as 'too late' for a new start, using the metaphor: 'Let the waves show you the direction,' advocating for embracing the unknown rather than staying safely on the shore.

### The Career Crossroads

- Staying vs. Leaving: Rejected the rational decision to stay in Bucharest after 9 years as a journalist for TVR and ProTV
- Accepted a transfer to Brussels at age 38 after 8 years of marriage and property ownership.

### Risk in Ukraine

- Documenting War and Destruction: Reported on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion, witnessing destruction in Kherson and narrowly escaping a bombing
- Interviewed soldiers and civilians, including a lawyer from Kyiv, about their lives and losses.

### New Professional Life in Brussels

- Moved to Brussels without a fixed plan, learning to manage her own logistics, finding funding from European sources, and conducting live broadcasts from the European Parliament and Munich Security Conference.

### The Value of Embracing Uncertainty

- Learned that life does not follow a predictable timeline and that taking risks is essential for growth
- Emphasizes that courage, creativity, and involvement are necessary to navigate new, complex realities.

### Final Metaphor and Takeaway

- Compares the choice to being on the shore versus sailing a boat, concluding that sometimes the best direction is shown by external forces (the waves)
- Stresses that it is never too late to start over, even if it means losing comfort or certainty.

![Screenshot at 0:03: Introduction slide displaying the TEDx Aristide Demetriade event branding.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-00-03.png)
![Screenshot at 0:11: The speaker, Camelia Donțu, is seated on stage against a backdrop showing an ocean sunset, setting a contemplative scene.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-00-11.png)
![Screenshot at 0:28: A slide appears with the question in Romanian: "Rămâi pe țărm sau urci în barcă?" \(Stay on Shore or Get on the Boat?\), framing the talk's theme.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-00-28.png)
![Screenshot at 0:47: A table displays press equipment \(vest and cap\) next to a screen showing a combat scene, illustrating the shift to conflict reporting.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-00-47.png)
![Screenshot at 2:22: A split screen shows a heavily damaged building interior on the left and the text slide "Ucraina, la un an de la invazia Rusiei și multă durere..." \(Ukraine, one year after the Russian invasion and much pain...\) on the right.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-02-22.png)
![Screenshot at 3:44: A slide showing military personnel and a press vehicle, captioned "Colantarea mașinii: un scut fragil în fața armelor și a dronelor" \(Stenciling the car: a fragile shield against weapons and drones\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-03-44.png)
![Screenshot at 4:46: A selfie of the speaker wearing a black helmet and a 'PRESS' vest inside a vehicle, captioned "Imagini care stârnesc îngrijorarea." \(Images that cause worry\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-04-46.png)
![Screenshot at 6:10: A slide showing the speaker smiling while holding a white object in what appears to be a factory setting, captioned "Imposibilul e, uneori, doar începutul." \(The impossible is, sometimes, just the beginning\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-06-10.png)
![Screenshot at 10:55: A slide showing the speaker standing on a small stool in front of St. Peter's Basilica, captioned "Vatican și funeraliile Papei" \(Vatican and the Pope's funeral\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/TmscMfo4R8g/00-10-55.png)