Maria Olaru Enjoys Being a Matchmaker

Longtime friends and former teammates Maria Olaru, Claudia Presacan and Corina Ungureanu were reunited yesterday in Bucharest, as all of them went to the Mall of Bucharest. �We�re just looking around. I promised I won�t buy anything until I drop the 15 kilograms (30 lbs) I gained after quitting gymnastics,� said Maria Olaru. That won�t stop her from checking out everything in sight and pointing out any item worthy of interest to her friends.
The field trip started on Tuesday (Feb 5th), when Claudia had to go to Bucharest to pick up her competitive results file from the RGF, something she�ll need when she takes her [coaching] accreditation exam over the summer. Maria Olaru and her 26-year old boyfriend, Florin Chiritescu joined Claudia and her sweetheart, 22-year old Marius Palenici. The group of friends boarded Florin�s Opel Vectra [car] and took off. They spent Tuesday night in Sibiu, at Claudia�s parents� house, and later on stopped in Ploiesti to see Corina Ungureanu on Thursday.

Florin and Marius follow their girlfriends around from one store to the next, trying to look patient. �We met at the Timisoara Town Hall last November,� said Florin. �I work there, and Maria came to bring a package from Austria for one of my co-workers. �He confessed he saw me on television, on several shows. Later on, he started asking my friends about me, and calling me 5 times a day,� giggles Maria. �I�ve already met Lavinia Milosovisci and she asked Maria and myself to join her for a cup of coffee. Maria and I have been inseparable since,� recalls Florin.

Maria Olaru is proud of herself for convincing Claudia and Marius to go out with one another. �She won�t be happy until she sticks her nose in everyone else�s business,� joked Marius. The Sports University student first saw Claudia in 2001. Almost 6 months went by, as Claudia tried out as a coxswain for the rowing team, and Marius almost forgot about her. The two of them met again in July. �That�s where I came in. During our trip to the mountains, I performed a �surgical procedure� that was a complete success,� said Maria with a triumphant smile. So much of a success, she decides to reward herself by buying a new pair on sunglasses at the mall. The guys heave out a sigh of relief. After more than one hour spent at the Mall [supposedly a long time, I guess], they�re off to Corina�s house in Ploiesti. Then, they�ll go back to Timisoara on Saturday.

Corina Ungureanu broke up with her boyfriend, Mihai Suciu last year and decided to take a break from relationships. �I�m doing great on my own. A year and 8 months spent with Mihai was enough for me. I like to go out, mind my own business�I couldn�t get along with him,� explains Corina. She spends most of her time home, in Ploiesti. �I study. I�m a second year student at a non-traditional Sports University [Romanian cities have several universities geared towards non-traditional students, who cannot attend university classes during regular school times. Non-traditional universities offer mostly night and week-end classes]. Besides school, I�m busy looking for a job outside Romania. I�m waiting for a definite answer from a Japanese club by the end of the month.�

Maria Olaru is determined to study computer science, even if it means paying $600 for a one-year course. �In the next two weeks, I have to figure out my class schedule and sign up for a computer course,� she explained. Before staring the spring semester of her sophomore year at the Timisoara Sports University, Maria is getting ready to party. �Claudia�s boyfriend turns 22 this Sunday, and asked us to visit him and his family in S�nnicolau. He already made plans to take us clubbing, and all sorts of crazy stuff. Should be fun!� concluded Maria.

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