Times New Romanian

<p>Living and working in Bucharest since 1996 <strong>Romanians would ask me 'What do you think of our country?'</strong> I found 38 <strong>Westerners making a life there </strong>and asked them<strong> </strong>to tell me how they found <strong>Romania and its people</strong>. <strong>This oral history </strong>first published in 2014 comes from interviews with Western writers social workers travel guides entrepreneurs restaurateurs and NGO chartiy workers; some of them were married to Romanians. Their <strong>experience of life in Romania in and beyond Bucharest</strong> provides a <strong>wealth of stories observations and perspectives </strong>that show commonalities like <strong>the beauty of Transylvania</strong> the generous hospitality and humour of the people the vivacity of Romanians and the challenges they face. Whilst Romania joined the European Union in 2006 it is <strong>an East European country whose post-communist legacy persists;</strong> there's endemic <strong>corruption</strong> Byzantine bureaucracy fear of the Securtitate a politicised administration and a problem with trust outside their strong families and networks. There's a <strong>mix of Latin and Slav </strong>and minorities who struggle <strong>Hungarians and Roma</strong> being the largest. There's superstition and spirituality a generation gap and strong differences between urban and rural Romanians. There's fatalism and a paradox in a lack of national pride together with <strong>nationalist feelings</strong>. <strong>Romania engenders strong feelings </strong>about the country and despite the ups and downs these foreigners are still there which speaks for the attraction of the country. Find out <strong>how things work</strong> or don't and ideas as to <strong>where to go</strong> and what to look for.</p>