You Know You’re Romanian When…

By • January 21, 2013

wheeler-cupped-hands…you never have to say you’re sorry because it’s always some unchangeable defect in society that is truly at fault, not something you personally did wrong.

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5 Responses

  1. Giuseppe
    January 21, 2013 • 14:41

    Sam’s upset ’cause we didn’t like his “You Know You’re Romanian When…” posts and now he’s taking revenge on us in his own self-righteous, preachy way. :))

  2. Robert Macfarlane
    January 21, 2013 • 16:57

    I don’t know. It strikes me that there is a bit of self-righteousness within Romanian society. I can’t quite put my finger on what that might be, but it manifest it’s self as, “I’m right your wrong, no discussion.” Quite frankly this kind of attitude is self-defeating as it does not allow for the possibility that there might be two views or ways equally valid. If you’re a foreigner, such as myself, you are often locked out without really understanding why. The attitude is at the very least petulant.

    However, one is not left with any options if they wish to integrate and otherwise participate in Romanian society. What I find interesting is that Romanians often wonder why they are “left out.” The best way I can describe this is a conversation between my wife and a Romanian intern we entertained for a year:

    Intern: “We are so much better educated than Americans. I don’t understand why America
    does so much better.”

    Wife: “Education is important but it’s not the only ingredient to success.”

    Intern: “What do you mean?”

    Wife: “American business is successful because we focus on the bottom line. If what we are
    doing does not produce a profit, then we change. Making money is the object.”

    Intern: “Romanians want to make money; we even leave the country to do such things.”

    Wife: “I think the difference is flexibility. Businesses in the USA have to be flexible and
    change with the market or they go out of business. We look at the processes within a
    business and if they aren’t making money we change the processes. The only wrong
    to run a business is not making money.”

    I think in the end it’s the flexibility and ease of change that makes business in most western nations sucessful. Though certain aspects of our society have certain traditions and ways we interact with others, we make sure that they are condusive to a good business environment too. Does this make us perfect? No. It just makes us sucessful at business. Is what is good for business always good for society? No. Business can do bad things. However, as long as business isn’t dong harmful things to the environment or society, then business if free to pursue profits.

    I don’t always agree with Sam’s approach to his writing, but at the very least he has held up a mirror which in my limited experience seems to “hit the nail on the head.”

    Over the past two years I’ve come to love Romania. I can’t figure out why, but I do. I love the people I’ve met, I wish I could move to Romania to spend the rest of my days there. With only one exception everyone I’ve met and have spent time with have become good friends. Look at me, I’ve already said too much. So, I hope I use this phrase correctly…Sa ai o zi frumoasa!.

  3. eu
    January 21, 2013 • 21:26

    making money is not the object and it should never be because of uncontrolled greed and stupidity.thankyou for the ending paragraph.

    • Mihai C.
      January 21, 2013 • 21:57

      Well, as Oscar Wilde said “There is nothing shameful in not having money. It’s just terribly unpleasant”. :-)

  4. John Z
    January 22, 2013 • 18:44

    There is a strain of childishness that is, at the same time, both charming and annoying.

    When bribing or cheating, there is a default assertion that to not do so is naive.

    There is either a surrender to total trust (like an infant) or a general distrust of everyone and everything.

    black or white, hot or cold…extremes

    And as has been said, it is all 100% another’s fault, never mutual responsiblity.

    Adult endevors, with adult responsiblity, are rare. It’s either the world is too big too alter, or one breaks all civilized rules to get theirs.

    An honest foreigner is tempted to think he could suceed there by using honest behavior, but is warned by friends that that is impossible given the RO culture.

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