thinking Romania

The most common question people ask me here:

"How are you finding Romania?"

Everyone wants to know what I think of their country. It's a simple answer - I like it. Obviously. Sometimes I have to elaborate - it's not what I was expected, the mountains are cool, blah blah blah. I find it more interesting to hear what Romanians think foreigners think of their country.

Apparently, many Europeans look down on Romanians because the majority of people who emigrate from here are the Roma. So when Europeans think of Romanians, they think of the Roma. However, I've found that Romanians like their country and don't want to leave - many know that they can make more money somewhere else, but they don't like the way they are treated simply because they are Romanian.

Of course, I've also encountered a number of people (including many of my American Studies students) who want to go to the United States and never come back to Romania. For some, it's because they are pulled to the U.S. because of the lifestyle they see Americans living. For others, Romania is backwards and "exotic," as one of my students put it today. "I think my own country is very exotic, to me." She meant that she identifies more with the American (and Western European) way of doing things than she does with the way Romanians do things. I believe that she was talking specifically about higher education when she said this.

Many people like to hear that I can find everything here that I would want, just like in the U.S. I had a conversation yesterday with my Romanian tutor, who is a 4th year student in Romanian and English. Prompted by something I said about the differences I've observed between the old and the young here, she postulated that the elderly still have a Communist mindset. Meaning, they live like they did under Communism. So they buy something when they see it, instead of recognizing that there is plenty available. "We're a democracy now," she said, and stated also that the young people are the ones who recognize what this means.

When I think about how I find Romanian, I can say (without worrying about offending anyone, in this setting) that:

1. This is a beautiful country
2. The people here act very European
3. Romanians still have a very unique culture, and the prevalence of religion stands out
4. I don't like the way people look out only for themselves
5. I find the conversations that I have about the Roma and Moldavians to be fascinating, because most people I talk to are grappling with trying to be open-minded and accepting on the one hand, and dealing with stereotypes about these groups on the other hand

One thing I would like to understand more is how regionalisms play into relations amongst Romanians. The most common dichotomy I hear is drawn between Bucuresti and the rest of the country. That's something I would like to explore a little more.

These photos here are from Bucharest. I took them when I visited this past weekend. I sadly forgot my camera one day but hit the streets on a "photo expedition" the next day to make up for missed time. Do they seem at all different from the life of photos from Brasov?