Expat In Romania

There's this tumblr blog making a buzz in startup circles. It's written by the co-founder of an unnamed startup that's about to meet its demise. It was started a a month ago, so we're somewhere at the conclusion of this dramatic affair. It's actually not any more dramatic than what hundreds of other startups are going through right now, but the real talking point is over the honesty with which the blog's author is describing his plight. To juxtapose a bit, one commentator said, "when CEOs talk about their startups, the future is always so bright that we have to wear shades." This is why getting a live feed of the sinking ship is viral worthy. Why do I bring it up? Simple, I'm starting something too. It's modest but the dream is big. I want to help create a country we're all proud to be living in. If we had a country full of people who faced challenges head on with a positive attitude,  a country of people willing to take big risks for ...

Looks like these keep rolling in, and I'm grateful not only because it keeps the blog 'fed' with new material, but mostly because I get a lot of personal enjoyment out of reading the thoughts that my overseas compatriots have about the place I now call home. The strangest part of all this, believe it or not, is to play the part of interviewer. Five years ago, if you told me that I'd end up moving back to Romania, even temporarily, I would've said you're crazy. I had no such plans and if anybody asked me these questions I'd have said things that are very similar to what Eduard, Andrea, and now, Paul, are saying. Paul and I were teammates on the greatest Romanian indoor soccer team of all time, F.C Carpatini , but the after game Chilli bowls and Romanian banter was just as fun. Soccer unites all of us Romanians, even when we're so far from home, but -as Paul describes below - there's always more to it. 1. What year did you leave Romania and under ...

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...

This is the first time I've addressed the issue directly, but after somebody on my Facebook posted this article , I can no longer avoid it. I read the story with lots of interest and, I'm ashamed to say, a side order of jealousy. From an economic growth perspective Poland's doing well in Eastern Europe, and the brain drain reversal is just another example of what our northerly  neighbours are doing better than us. There's obviously a much bigger Polish diaspora, but let's keep in mind that many of those Poles are two or more generations removed from their homeland, making them unlikely candidates for a return. The four-million strong Romanian diaspora is younger, more fragmented, and still very close to the homeland -at least in spirit. I've no doubt that if conditions were different in this country, the rate of returning Romanians would increase exponentially. What do I mean by 'conditions'? I often like to point out that the living standards in this ...