Expat In Romania

I'm not going to say I'm out of original content just yet, but I've been busy...searching, let's say. In the meantime, my Romanian-Canadian/American friends are happy to contribute their time - and thoughts - to the blog, so who am I to kick a gift horse in the mouth? Andrea and I went to University together, and when I asked her to participate in the interview she went on to provide an awesome set of answers to the ten questions below. 1. What year did you leave Romania and under what circumstances? I left Romania in 2002, three months before turning 18, very much in love and with a teenage heart in the process of breaking. I was not consulted when my parents decided to emigrate, but even so, I had been keen on leaving my hometown (pop. 7000) since I was about 13, so at that point, any place on the map seemed better. But those things have to do with my emotional state…Looking back, I can’t help but laugh at the fights I had with my parents over what to pack. T...

Following the "Why did you come back?" series, I thought it would make sense to offer a balanced portrayal of the diaspora. Most of us don't come back and we have perfectly good reasons for staying away. In some ways, it was a bit of a fluke I made it back myself, and I imagine that many of us who do, don't always plan it years ahead of time. So, until we all kind of stumble back (where we belong ;) I figured I'd ask some people who are still in the diaspora what it's like being a Romanian away from home, and if they're planning to stay away. Eduard got in touch with me a while ago after reading some of my posts. I find he has lots of very pointed insights into the differences between Romania and western society and when I asked, he was kind enough to take the time and answer the questions I prepared. 1. What year did you leave Romania and under what circumstances? I emigrated in the summer of 1994, when the World Cup was hosted in Atlanta. I was 11 ...