Tips and advice to thrive in Romania

Priscilla wrote:

Hi,

When living in a foreign country, you have to adapt to a new environment, various cultures and different social codes.

How did you manage to adjust to Romania?

How long does it take to feel at home? Would you say it is an easy process?

According to you, what is key for a successful integration process in Romania?

Thank you in advance for sharing your experience!

Priscilla

well managing in romania is pretty easy.. most young people here speak english but the international language is romania so when buying things and all you might have to do alot of hand and facial expressions.. but thats what you go through if you move to any foreign country that dont speak your language
well you can feel right at home when you step in, because romanians really are very nice people, and its quite safe here
the key is just be yourself and try to learn the few important words in romanian language..

I felt right at home, the people here are wonderful and patient. Most places you go if needed you can find an English speaker...but my advice like i try to do is use Romanian more and more for yourself....most store owners i know here and i worked out a deal...i speak Romanian for practice and they speak English for their practice....

I agree with Darelo and Wolf. Assimilating here is easy. Romanian language is more difficult than i thought but i get by with what i learned + english+ hands. I think people appreciate when you try to speak their lingo. And i do feel safe except from feral dogs (everywhere). Larger cities feel 'westernized' and TV is the same garbage as in America. Get into the countryside and villages for the best experiences. Government/ beaurocracy is byzantine. Cuisine, for me, is bland and boring; pork is king and other meats can be hard to find.  There is a 'live for today' tendency I notice in many people: if you have 100 ron today, you spend it and worry about tomorrow later. I got criticized for doing volunteer work but not all folks are like that. I have to be careful when contracting services: once vendors know i am American, the prices go up (so I send someone in my place). There is an inefficient billing system for gas and electric (at least from my suppliers): I may pay, say, 300 ron estimated for gas for 3 months and then get an actual reading adjustment for 400 or more. Trains and buses are everywhere and are great for me, don't need a car (in USA a car is a must of you don't live in a city). Assimilating here is 'easy' because it is not radically different from western Europe or America (but it IS different). I would think assimilating to African or Oriental culture would be more difficult. Maybe not...people are the same almost everywhere i think.

I have found that a good dose of humbleness and a smile gets you much further than anything else, especially when you are stuck. Not being too proud to say - please help me, or I am stuck - and there will be someone anywhere in the world to step up to offer assistance. I believe all people are basically just true people. There are those with malice, but if you develop a sense of judgement and trust your instincts when travelling - you learn the sign. A good sense of humour also helps - learn to laugh at yourself.
Romania is a great country, with wonderful caring people and it has a well developed sense of family. You need to learn what is special in a new country and share that with appreciation. Cherish the experiences