As I’ve joked about before, learning the Romanian language is quite a daunting task, especially when it comes to grammar and syntax. One additional difficulty is that the few textbooks and online resources available only cover “official” Romanian and do not adequately address the issue of code switching, which is a substantive issue. To understand the term “code switching”, think of the way you speak … Continue reading Code-Switching in Romanian
After writing a big long post on food, now time for one about consuming liquids in Romania, especially the traditional cultural practices you will find here. Cold Drinks As I mentioned a couple of days ago, in general, Romanians believe that drinking a liquid that is quite cold is bad for your health. I did an informal survey with some people I know, including one … Continue reading Romanian Cultural Practices: Beverages
In your conversations in Romania you’re going to hear the word “fraier” (fry-air) sooner or later and so it’s important to know what it means. Generally speaking it is the complete opposite of smecher, or perhaps better said, “fraier” is the counterpart to “smecher”. Think of it this way: the smecher uses his/her cunning and craftiness to profit at the expense of the fraier. The … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Fraier
As I mentioned in my post on dealing with rudeness and getting good service, it’s very important to be polite in this country. One of the most important things to know is how to greet people. The first thing is to know the three “time of the day” openers. Although I am going to give you the translations below, in effect, all of these combined … Continue reading Meeting and Greeting in Romania
One of the interesting things about traveling is that around the globe, different people have different slang abbreviations for McDonald’s, the multinational fast food empire. I know a lot of people are familiar with calling the outlets “Mickey D’s” in the United but did you know that in Australia it’s called Macca’s? Or that in Japan they call it “Makku”? Well in Romania, it’s called … Continue reading Slang Word of the Day: Mec
All Things Romania 