Contact Info
If you’re absolutely dying to get in contact with me, the genius author of this blog, the best way is via Twitter.
If that fails, I suggest walking around the streets of Cluj-Napoca, particularly downtown (centru) and Gruia Cartierul Minunilor, where I am known to one and all.
I can often be found on sunny days strolling down the street, waving regally at my fine subjects, bestowing favors with a wave of my hand and weakly protesting all the praise, admiration and gifts heaped upon me.
Occasionally you might catch me at 31 Strada Clinicilor in Cluj-Napoca. The couple who owns this bar, an American and his Romanian wife, are very good friends of mine. The bar’s Facebook page can be found here.
My Facebook page: Sam Cel Roman
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Since some of you prefer using email, you can reach me at samcelroman@gmail.com.
To Most Romanian of All,
I’m an American trying to search back my family roots to Romania. Are there any Romanian genealogy sources that you recommend? By the way, I enjoyed your Mamaliga post & FAQ.
Thanks be to the highest of Romanian-isms! Vă mulţumim pentru ajutorul dvs! (I hope that translates well)
Eric
I’ve never done geneological research here but I found a few links here as well as here, which should get you started. I remember reading somewhere that records older than about 1890 are usually only found at the “state” (judet) archives but usually anything more recent than that should be online somewhere, especially if you cross-check with immigration records in the United States. The Mormons are the best place for any geneological records of people once they’ve gotten to the United States (if that’s where you are). Good luck!
awesome blog. Romanians don’t have that sense of detail that probably Americans do. We simply can’t write a nice story. It’s good to see a foreigner’s point of view about your own people. I spent my whole day reading your posts at work and noticed that we don’t know how to make things interesting for possible visiting people around the world. You’re a “one in a million” type of guy who…happened to have the pacience to discover, and eventualy like Romania. Reading your writings made me have a better opinion about my country. I wanted to thank you. :)
Toate bune!
Thanks! :D
I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of days now and I must say I really like it. For me as a Romanian is very interesting to see a foreigner’s genuine point of view about Romania. I have many friends that are foreigners but when it comes to their opinion about this country they become a little defensive. Anyway great blog.
мерси мулт! :D
So I was reading your blog and thinking “it’s really funny”, plus I like the writing style (and by that I am not referring to the font) until I got to a post where it all clicked and it made me understand why I am enjoying it all so much: You don’t like that Zoso geek either!
Hi Sam,
I really like your blog, you’re doing a great job here. The insight to Romanian from a foreigner point of view is so much different from how we, Romanians, perceive it.
Are you interested in a collaboration with the Magazine http://www.learn-romanian-magazine.net? I am preparing the second issue of the magazine, please contact me if interested.
Regards,
Florin.
why can`t we follow you on twitter?
Hello there I would like to make a documentary about french ROMs “deported” back to Romania can you help me finding any humanitarian agency in Romania that could give me some infos and contacts?
Hell no. The person you need to talk to is Wolfe Murray. His blog is on my sidebar and he’s also on Twitter. Good luck! :D
so let me get this straight: you are a foreigner (expat) living in Romania and you really fitted in?….man good for you….i have a lot of foreign friends and their adaptability to romanian lifestyle is comparable to the Chinese adaptability to western lifestyle…they experience a huge cultural shock….
Prefer sa spun ca ma descurc :D
de-a dreptu’ hilar! :)))
how about facebook?
Sorry, I never messed with Facebook in my entire life and don’t plan on it :D
heya! Twas a pleasure reading the 37 steps you had to take to learn Romanian.
I showed it to a British friend of mine who wants to move to Bucharest and also wants to learn the language (btw, she has an almost native way of saying Ce? …haha. and her name is also Sam…small Romania-loving world, eh?)
I also work for an online radio and was wondering if you consider letting me interview you next time you happen to travel to Bucharest.
I believe my email address will appear in your comment admin thingie…So feel free to write back there.
Take care and Long like the King!:)))
Mara
I do and I will :D
salut, stranepot al lui Decebal si Traian.
te descurci excelent.
lasa-ma sa te felicit pentru ca ai ales orasul potrivit in care sa traiesti.
vreau sa fiu indiscreta: cati ani ai?si cat mai ai de gand sa ramai?
hi there! your blog-posts would make a great book! care to talk about this?
Your Highness,
How do you make money in your kingdom? I am very envious of your sensibility and humor, I live a boring existence in Philadelphia and I wish I were in your realm. Then you could be my patron and order women courtiers to my bed! And my Romanian wife to shut up or start speaking Romanian!
Best Wishes,
Husband of Romanian Wife
Well my current situation has changed but if you’re an American (or to a lesser extent, British/Australian) citizen, it is incredibly easy to work online. Think about this. Imagine you had a data entry job that paid 6 bucks an hour. You do this job entirely online so you do it from home, wearing pajamas (if you like). No car, no gas, no commute, no business clothes.
You like working so you work 40 hours a week x $6 = 240
Times four weeks = 960 dollars
Since you’re an independent contractor (form 10-99), you don’t get taxes deducted. Therefore you actually get 960 dollars direct deposited into your bank account.
960 dollars = 31 million (old) lei or else 3,100 new lei
The minimum wage here is something like 4.5 million and probably most Romanians reading this (who work in Romania) are earning between 12 and 20 million.
So you can see a 6 dollar an hour job in America already puts you ahead of most Romanians’ incomes. If you truly want to know where to find online work and no bullshit or scams, try SOHO jobs. You have to pay to get some of the good stuff but they’re legit.
Mind you, sitting at home doing mindless data entry isn’t fun :P but in terms of HOW you do it, that’s a very good step in the right direction.
OR if you already have some money in the bank, like my friend who moved here from Philadelphia w/his Romanian wife (see Contact Info page), you can open your own business.
PS before you move here, come and visit! :D
An actual website might help, as we don’t all know what a SOHO job means.
Great idea, always thought these jobs exist…
It means du-te la domnul google cu “soho jobs” :P
I have a personal interest into finding out about opportunities to work online as a scopist (no, it’s not for me). IIRC, your former online job was somewhat similar. Care to elaborate?
If I knew what a “scopist” was, maybe :P Seriously what is that?
Scopist is a transcriptionist for the court. I thought you were close to that.
So let me get this straight, you earn 6$/h and you just rented a place for 500?! Isn`t that a bit too expensive? :|
I mean….you can find some pretty decent flats in Cluj at about 300
P.S: For how long r u working online? What domain?
Q 2 : Deci tu zici ca fara taxe, dar esti domiciliat aici, sau in statele unite? daca esti acolo, nu vine IRS la tine? :|
Aici….cam….asa e….cu plata…..dar trebuie domiciliu
I have been to Romania many times. I love it. I don’t get what guy or link you refer to (guy from Philadelphia). I love Romanian food and cuisine and I think Bourdain missed the boat. I am as open minded as you are and I definitely saw and enjoyed the same things you did. The difference between us is that you are a lot funnier and happier. Also, you probably care about your subjects, while all I wanted to do was take advantage of Romanian women’s love of Americans. I think I lacked your royal touch.
There’s a link to a Facebook page, which is the page for a bar. My friend from Philadelphia and his Romanian wife own that bar. Sorry but i don’t use Facebook so i can’t see what it looks like but he refuses to put up a “normal” webpage for his business.
Hah, Bourdain took a Russian guide in a country which has been opressed by the Russians since forever. ..what did he expect?
yeah….well….@ the end I just loved the russian guy…he got drunk from “tuica” that much that he could not spell out the words properly :))….well….that and the horse anasthetic :)))
he was funny though…..he did try to mention at one point that “they r good guys” :))
It’s your aunt. Just dropped in to say “hi” on the new blog. Very cool. (Your dad pointed me in the right direction.)
γεια σου! Είμαι ο ανιψιός σας :D
Hi!
I just wanted to congratulate you on your book and this wonderful blog!
I came here with the Facebook wave, was instantly hooked and have been reading your new and old posts ever since. I like your insight into life in this country; and since I actually enjoy being a Romanian myself, I support your promoting of Romanian awesomeness wholeheartedly! I also love that you write about Cluj, which has always felt like home to me (although I’m from Sibiu) and which I constantly miss. I hope to move back someday, in the meantime I can’t wait to visit all my friends there after Christmas. I’ll be sure to ask about you around Gruia :p
I can’t wait for your book to be available in Romania. I wanted to buy it the second I read your announcement, but alas the shipping fees are more than double the cost of the book, so I’ll wait until you find a solution for selling locally.
Best of luck and say hi to Kolozsvár for me!
Oh My! You my friend, are hilarious! I just found about your blog through a friend who posted 37 steps to learn Romanian on facebook! I already ordered my book on Amazon. I will be on a 12 hour plane ride to Romania next week and need something to entertain me. I cannot come up with a better option!U r great!Keep writing! Loved the comment about Capra cu Trei Iezi:)))) LOL…true how the American bambinos could not tolerate it:)
Much love,
Irina
OMG! Trei cuvinte pentru tine: esti super tare! Good for you man!
Bai idiotule, bai cretin facut dintr-un coi, nu din doua cu se face romanul adevarat, ce pula mea cauti bai handicapatule pe aici?
Baaaa, mocofane, in America se mira cum sa ajunga pe Luna, pe Marte, tu ce cauti boule in Cluj? Prezervativul lui Avram Iancu de Hunedoara? Ce vrei mah sa faci cu el, sa-l sugi? Ca sa fii mai roman decat noi astia?
Du-te ba in pula mea unde te-a facut tac’tu, ala cu un coi nu cu doua ca noi astia ramasi p-acilea!
Daca mai stii de unde pula mea ai venit, nah!
Son, if you got something to say to my face, my public schedule is at the top of the menu.
I can’t believe I missed this “gem” of a message.
Felicitari pentru reusita de a folosi toate cuvintele din vocabularul tau intr-un singur mesaj.
Femeia de servici cu care ai invatat limba romana ar fi mandra.
Oameni ca tine trag poporul asta in jos. E o rusine sa fie nevoie sa vina un strain sa ne deschida ochii la ce tara frumoasa avem, ce oameni buni si toleranti si ce istorie bogata si colorata avem chiar daca nu e cea mareata dar falsa din era comunista. E o si mai mare rusine, una de neiertat din punctul meu de vedere, ca cineva sa-i scuipe intre ochi acestui om sau altora care nu fac altceva decat sa scoata in evidenta valoarea noastra, pentru ca noi evident nu suntem capabili. Iar daca mai exista multi ca tine nu vom fi niciodata capabili de a ne ridica privirea in sus si a ne simti mandri de realizarile noastre.
I mod normal nu as recomanda nimanui sa paraseasca tara dar in cazul te-as sfatui sa-ti incerci norocul pe la Polul Nord unde poti sa bagi cuvinte din 4 litere in cuvinte de 5 litere cat vrei.
yeap… din pacate, acest gen de indivizi gen “dinesco” au drept de vot…
Dinesco, hai, recunoaste: barza care te-a adus, isi cere scuze parintilor tai si in ziua de azi, asa-i? Dar sa stii ca nu barza e de vina, ci parintii tai, care nu s-au sterilizat la timp ;)…
This Dinesco reminds me the elegant language of Mircea Dinescu, formerly dissident poet, currently ”ciocoi nou”. They may be the same person. Anyway, disregard his message and
pitty his mother has not used a condom that night (good reason to send him to his origin, you know what I mean)
Dacia Felix, the vicereine of England
Ma tu esti ungur… dar mai degraba as zice bozgor, ca ungurii din Romania sunt in general oameni cumsecade. Ce te-a dat de gol? Faptul ca un roman n-ar fi vorbit niciodata astfel despre Avram Iancu, dar stim noi ce minoritate din Romania are inca cosmaruri cand aude de numele lui.
Well Sam R. , it is said that the first thing that you learn is the foul language… :)) …read the guy carefully and learn all you can :))
P.S: I don`t recomend you to use this type of language in front of the ladies ;)
Ma tot mir si minunez de unde ai gasit atatea cuvinte pentru mesaj… Trebuie sa fie si uscaturi si buruieni… Oameni ca tine ne fac de rusine…
What can I say ? You`re pretty awesome and the way you portray Romania is much better than any Romanian could. I am curing my home sickness with your blog and I like what I`m reading so thank you for being out there :)
As for the people like Dinesco up there, I would suggest ignoring them as their IQ is clearly below the average : there is criticism and there is rudeness.
Best of luck from sunny Australia from a Romanian expat.
I had no idea I’m one of the “CHIX WITH DIX”, but I kind of like it…
That because i found myself on the Top Clix for Chix with Dix!
section, which generated some traffic on my site. So, thanks.
Welcome to the club! :P
Sam might be a fan of Dixie Chicks. I hope somebody filled you in about the meaning of “a da chix” in Romanian.
Sam, I think you should set the maximum reply level of your comments to something lower, like 3 or even 2 maybe.
Threaded comments are OK, but it’s really painful to read the 4th or 5th level of replies, they get a way too small width.
Regarding your articles about stray dogs. I’m from Brasov and I really love what the administration is doing here because we almost have no stray dogs in this city! This is the only solution that works… if the westerners love so much the dogs, then they should take’em in their countries because we don’t want them here!
Sam, buna ziua!
Ma bucur ca ai adus vorba despre cartea ta “Balada…” – tocmai ce am terminat-o de citit.
Dar inainte de toate vreau sa te felicit ca ne-ai invatat limba si sa-ti spun ca m-am recunoscut in aproape toti cei 37 de pasi pe care i-ai facut tu sa o inveti. Acum eu tocmai invat limba ta – engleza, deci stiu ce inseamna “furcile caudine” prin care ai trecut. Avantajul enorm pe care il am, ca si tine de altfel,este ca ma aflu in America si pana la urma este mai simplu pt mine sa o invat decat pt altul care se afla in alta parte, sa zicem.
Doream insa sa-ti spun referitor la carte, care mi-a placut desi multe din situatiile descrise atat de realist m-au amuzat dar si jenat in acelasi timp, ca ar trebui sa-i aduci cateva modificari. Sper sa nu te supere cateva critici binevoitoare la adresa cartii. Eu nu sunt decat o cititoare, nu am studii de specialitate in ce priveste limba romana insa dupa parerea mea am intalnit in carte unele erori de exprimare, de topica a frazei care mi-au sunat aiurea. E posibil sa gresesc de aceea iti sugerez sa mai ceri si parerea altcuiva, poate vreun student la litere ori profesor de limba romana inainte sa publici cartea si in Romania.
Iata cateva exemple: chiar in titlu cartii cred ca este o greseala; este fortat(superfluu) sa spui “Balada Supravietuitorului a lui Sam cel Roman”. Dupa mine suna corect si simplu “Balada Supravietuitorului Sam cel Roman”. Alta exprimare ciudata – vezi pag 83 a cartii penultimul paragraf cu moartea prematura; pag 85 – primul paragraf – logica frazei e cam aiurea, inteleg ce ai vrut sa spui dar nu mi se pare corect cum ai spus-o, in plus nu se spune inca “de dinainte ca tatal meu…” se spune simplu “inca inainte ca tatal meu…”
Deci, iarta-ma ca mi-am permis sa fac aceste observatii – insa iti doresc sa ai cat mai multi cititori si cat mai putine critici:).
Am cumparat si Ghidul – excelent! N-am de nimic de obiectat:)
Iti doresc din tot sufletul sa ai succes in Romania si sa aduci schimbarile de care avem nevoie – este clar ca lucrurile vazute prin ochii tai si rostite de tine ajung la noi cu o rezonanta mult mai adanca decat daca ar fi spuse de unul “de-al nostru”.
Cu drag
Suzana H.
Hello Sam, your site is great, but I have an observation to make. Your description says: “You might be born in Romania, carry a Romanian passport and know ALL the words to Partidul, Ceausescu, Romania… but guess what?”
You might want to replace “Partidul, Ceausescu, Romania” with “Desteapta-te romane”. As it is right now it suggests communism is part of the Romanian identity, which is false and offensive. I’m sure that’s not what you intended.
Otherwise your initiative is simply wonderful and I greatly admire your attitude. I wish more of my fellow countrymen followed your example. Bravo! I’ll be looking for your book.
Romania was communist at one point, which is the point.
Even so, the actual Romanian communist anthem was Trei Culori.
The correct term is actually “socialist republic”. Romania was under a communist regime (read “dictatorship”). Do you know what a dictatorship is? It’s not something a country identifies with. Your remark that “Romania was communist at one point” is like saying “Poland was Nazi at some point”.
Partidul, Ceausesc, Romania was never an Anthem of Romania… you’re making huge mistakes in that article… You almost make me believe that you have some bad intentions…
Where the heck did you drive that you didn’t had radio signal? There are few radio programs that work even on Fagaras Mountains.
Why did you close comments?
http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/studentii-romani-se-revolta-in-state-ne-exploateaza-americanii-942484.html
http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/marturia-unui-student-roman-exploatat-in-sua-942504.html
What’s your oppinion on the vast majority of the comments for those two articles?
hi can i ask for help? why everytime i type and search my name on google.my name is always involved in your site? please help. it always appear and ses ” im more romanian than you” is someone used my name?
here what it ses “I wanna go to Romania, I wanna bring @colliemomtoo and I wanna go hiking! #wannagobw @thebestwestern calmond …
please help to remove it.many thanks in advance
On my weekly flight back to Germany, I happened to sit next to the gentleman who was jailed and then migrated to the US that you described in the blog. We had a chat on life and food because his wife and I share the same culinary culture. since one year, I am almost in Cluj weekly and would like to buy the “insider’s guide”. Our office in located down town in Str. Anatole France so I am pretty mobile when I am in Cluj. Look forward to seeing you.
Cumetre. te apreciez, foarte mult, bravo tie. Nu mai vreau sa te laud sau sa te admir ca nu ti-ar folosi la nimic.
Am si eu o rugaminte. Te rog scrie articole mai scurte. Pur si simplu nu am rabdare sa citesc atat, ma descurc bine cu engleza, dar tu scrii foarte literar, parca ai fi w faulkner. Nu suntem toti asa. Dar ideea este , daca se poate sa scrii articole mai scurte,. pur si simplu cedez nervos cand vad trei ecrane. Trebuie sa intelegi, fara sa te superi, ca este imposibil de urmarit asa ceva. Nu zic sa faci fraze mai putin alambicate, dar nu merge asa, uita-te si alti bloagari de limba romana.
Corneliu,
Cu foarte multa stima.
Hi Sam
Bought your Book “Insider’s Guide” loved it! Like your blog and your documentary videos. I am planning a trip in June, so may look you up in Cluj and buy you a brew (or 2) if you are available.
Cheers and thank you for the very enjoyable writing and all your works.
Bill from California
Question, if you can clarify…..I had a contradictory discussion with a friend a few days ago….meaning the diffrence between “common sense” and “decency”.
In short….he was saying that “common sense” = bun simț (same as decency) ….is that true?
I feel that it means more like “la mintea tuturor” or “înțelegere comună”
ty
your friend is a jackass, and you are right: decency = bun simt, common sense = “la mintea tuturor” (you said it as well as i’ve heard anyone say it); there is even an expression in America “common sense is not so common”. And the one piece of literature that mobilized the Americans to revolution (ironically written by an Englishman, Thomas Paine) was called “Common Sense”.
Cumetre, efectiv nu mai pot! NU pot citi atat, intelege-ma si pe mine frate, deschid blogul tau de trei ori pe zi, dar nu pot citi 3 ecrane la un post. Este peste mana, scrii si foarte intortochiat si nu pot citi pe deasupra. Efectiv, ma disperi. Nu zic sa scrii monosilabic, dar nu este bine asa.
Cu mult respect!
Dude, come on….I just read a post of yours about McCann Erickson…..why I cannot comment?
If ur posting, then take responsability for it and let people talk about what you say…..I mean……its like…..one sais one does, doesn`t matter what the rest think.
Știu că vrei română dar mai bine înțelegi dacă îți zic pe limba ta.
PS: If ur afraid of moderation, tell me!
sam. i like you! and you find a real rare and true think ! the real romania is hidden, and you ve got to have something to smell it!!!!!!good luck!
Hi Sam ,
I’d like to add Your blog link to My Blog roll ( It’s a humble blog o hospitality ) ..so if You think is ok , please let me know !
P.S. You’re doing a awsome job !
I love your blog. Congratulations. I can see that you’re having lots fun travelling around. Hope Romania is treating you nice. :) Multa Bafta. x
Sam, I like your blog, it’s pretty funny. I am a Romanian living in US; been here for 6 years and married an American.
I am sure you got your ears full after the “Brat” article; as a Romanian it really hurt me to read it.
Some things are true; nobody, no country is perfect. But the people? To say that Americans are fun, good people? Yuck- so false!!! (and remember I am married with one!)
American people are so lazy, so dirty, so illiterate and obnoxious in their belief that they are the best, the toughest and living in the best county in the world (which truly is not so bad since I choose to live here and have kids here!). The way they spend all their money (even the ones they don’t actually have!),the way they raise their kids, their total ignorance… Man, maybe you need to come home for a while!
Yeah, Romanians care about clothes and spend money on (good) food, they are vain and sadly the popular culture sucks those days, but we are far from being spoiled and insensitive.
I hardly have any American friends here because of how they are…most of my friends are immigrants like me; I can hardly share any topic to my good neighbors besides weather and (crappy ) food they just buy at some restaurant/ fast food joint. They are limited and simple. And how about the cast system; the guys with money (and more educated) keep for themselves; you can’t see/ talk to them as they hurry along in their shinny SUVs, and spend their time in places where the simple, budget-living person can’t make it. But I am willing to think that maybe it’s like this only in Kentucky where I live. North and South and West are different, I hope.
Reality has so many faces. You just can’t pick one and call it true.
I know American society well also, and i can say that – indeed, they are much less curious than romanians (maybe because they have it all) – but they are definitely not stupid, nor lazy. Their Protestant work ethic is impossible to keep up with (maybe that’s why they seem less educated, they have less time to spend on wikipedia and more time to actually produce something), and they wouldn’t rule the world if they were that stupid. I mean, when we were spending entire years debating whether the hen or the egg came first, they were in their offices hard at work. They are not as outgoing as Romanians, hence because they are more private, you tend to see them as dumber, but trust me, once you get to know them very well and they open up to you (it may take decades!) you will see they are not dumb at all, and have a certain common sense superior to that of Romanians. And I have been to parts of the US where their hospitality matches that of any Romanian village (i.e. rural Arkansas). But I can see your point about not being able to befriend them easily, they don’t tend to open up (and I am talking about white Americans here), unless they are abroad, in which case they may surprise you. While Europe still hangs on to the class structure (aristocracy, middle class, and lower class), the Americas are all about one class (middle class) which doesn’t concern itself with lofty ideals or exaggerated manners, but rather with hard work, production, material accumulation, and innovation. And for their level of innovation, they have (as well as import) some damn smart, hardworking people.
Stimate domn, imi pare bine ca v-ati adaptat vietii din Romania si ca va place Romania. Nu inteleg cu ce sunteti mai roman decat mine sau cum puteti sa afirmati asa ceva. Puteti fi mai roman decat alti romani. Cand spui ca “sunt mai roman decat tine/voi” se intelege ca esti cel dintai roman. Faptul ca iti place cultura, tara si obiceiurile (nici nu ar avea de ce sa nu-ti placa) nu te face mai roman decat altii. Nici faptul ca te duci la biserica de Pasti, cum am citit intr-o postare. Monser, esti de o tiganie rara intitulandu-te “King of Romania” sau “I’m More Romanian Than You”. Imparatul tiganilor este un nimic pe langa tine.
Am citit intr-un articol ca romanii sunt ca niste copii rasfatati. S-ar putea sa fie asa. Dar nu este vina copilului ci a parintilor. Atata timp cat parintii nu impun niste reguli pe care sa le supravegheze si pe care atat ei cat si copilul sa le respecte nu se poate face nimic. Nici un om nu face anumite lucruri de placere ci de frica. Dar atata timp cat se poate si altfel, incalcand legea uneori, iar exemplu il da chiar guvernul, de ce as face altfel? Oricum, ma bucur ca ne descoperiti si ca va place istoria si cultura noastra. Pana la urma suntem stramosii vostri. Daca de parinti nu inveti si nu iti place, atunci de cine?
Dude, you are right to some degree in your controversial Brats article, Romanians do complain and tend to see the negative side of things. But the more you’ll live there, the more you will be able to read in between the lines – Romanians are very dramatic and many times it’s just drama and entertainment; you seem like an observant type and you will soon be able to tell when they are really serious and when they are complaining just to get attention and to seem more interesting (albeit, this is the definition of bratty behavior). Also, please understand that life was extremely difficult for most people under the communist regime (I don’t know who you’ve been hanging out with, and what they’ve been telling you), including the 1980s. Econ 101 says that when the price of something is held artificially below market price (e.g. meat) there will be shortages. There were widespread shortages of everything, especially food and energy, in the 1980s. Housing was not free and you could not choose where you lived! You were told in which neighborhood you had to live. How would you like that? Health care was nominally free, but you had to give something to the doctor in order to get proper treatment (for serious stuff, operations etc). Usually not money, but valuable scarce things like meat, cheese, foreign cigarettes or foreign liquor. But even worse was the psychological terror, so it’s really tough for someone like you, who grew up in a free society – or any Romanian born after, say, 1985 – to really understand what it was like. Maybe read (or reread) 1984 by George Orwell to get an idea of the mindset. I, for one, am extremely grateful that the failed social experiment, imposed from abroad (thanks in part to history, geographic location, Russian imperialism, and the complicity of Churchill and FDR) is over and done with, and I try to complain as little as possible, because I am much better off than my parents, or my grandparents, who had to suffer through that.
hi sam . imglad you laike Romania,love your blog
im moving back to RO in the near future, aftar living all ove de world since 1994 i ben living in canada for the laste 16 years life is good here i gest feel i need a change
i have Q for you if you dont mind
were do you see romania in next 5-10 yers?
Multumesc aticipat
Reach me at P.O Box 3037 Beverly Hills , CA 90212 : Romania Iempaylar : Reach me at 818+996+9787
A good Romanian friend of mine once told me when I moved to Romania.. ”just remember the king of pigs, is still a pig” I know you will delete this post but please think about it my friend. When I saw your web address I had to comment on it. You won’t like it but it will stick with you and one day it will make sense and it might just save your life.
I usually do not write many comments, however I read a few of the responses here Eye on Romania | Ochiul pe România | Contact Info. I actually do have a couple of questions for you if it’s allright. Is it simply me or does it look as if like some of these comments look like they are left by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on other online social sites, I’d like to follow everything fresh you have to post. Could you list of every one of all your social networking pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?
Salut Maestre!
Mi-a placut modul in care ai povestit cum ai invatat Romana. A fost delicios si ma doare burta de la atata ras.
Uite o pagina mai noua, care sigur “iti va stoarce niste zambete”
Numai bine!
Victor
Na belea ca am uitat sa “Lipesc” link-ul :)
http://whenyouliveinbucharest.tumblr.com