some home truths about living in romania

Time flies past when you are in a land which time has little meaning the days here in romania in the country villages just blend together as an expat brit living in romania now for 18 months seems just like yesterday I arrived.
I suppose I didn’t miss too much from the uk at first but some things are just hard to replace. I am thinking to write a list of the things I don’t miss seeing this as a more positive reminder of why I came here in the first place.

I like most English don’t grumble or moan out loud to others I just mutter under my breath and while alone grumble to my self if meeting other brits we can have a good old moan and get it off your chest session but after its back to life here and going with the flow, for those who cant accept this don’t even think to come and live here. The chances of changing romania in your life time is impossible you will have to accept a lot of strange customs and things it will never be like blighty, you may be able to find comfort in your own place and get things you want like home comforts and food stuffs but reality is you have to become “part romanian” to even survive here.

For example stop worrying about time except if you promise someone you will be somewhere at a specific time 10 or 15 mins late is ok or phone them if you have a major problem. Otherwise just do it when you feel in the mood or leave it till tomorrow as most here seem to do.
Second learn to wait around and talk endlessly about nothing much drink a lot and eat regularly.
Forget trying to get anything done on a Sunday it just wont happen
Just chill out go fishing or walking in the mountains or have a grill (BBQ)

Spend your cash as wisely as a romanian does watching every bani (penny) you can easily waste a ton of cash with little return

Everyone in romania is your friend when you have money….when you aint got so much watch the rats disappear down the drain. Then you will find the real people who you can put some trust in. keep your finances a secret and don’t flash the cash.

Enjoy the simple things in life here and you will forget the everyday junk that you left behind in uk.

Some good information for living in Romania is available on the web mostly the expats are based around Bucharest and Transylvania being the most developed areas
A good blog is http://blogbucharest.blogspot.com/

I cringe at some of the stuff I have been reading lately on the web like the German cycling holiday company who suggested sending your mountain bike unaccompanied on a train to your destination in romania. The truth is IMO it would never arrive that’s being optimistic. I would like to be proved wrong.

Material possessions in Romania grow feet and legs at an alarming rate especially tools for construction or anything that has a real use, they are never stolen they are always borrowed on a permanent basis.

Also I want to rant about the central area of romania every web site I visit seems to advertise this as the best place here, ok its nice and interesting but where I am is on the western southern tip of the mountains we have the second highest peak in the Carpathian mountains and you cant find much information about it.. I would hazard a guess as to why but politics are not my thing anyone living here will know exactly what I mean.
I hope to change this slowly by showing the as yet undiscovered parts of this region by many foreign tourists. Last year there was 2 English people visited the mountain and hundreds if not thousands of Romanians during the whole season from November to May.
I have done most places in romania in my time including bran Brasov Sinia Sibu Cluj etc etc etc many times in the times I have been coming here on business and pleasure since 1993 I have seen the changes way back when I first visited we were followed by the Romanian secret police for a whole week of our stay they were curious to see what we were up to pure business vist for an international company. But over time I began to see the odd tour bus make its way from Bucharest to Transylvania, nowadays its becoming like well commercialised to a point that romania will lose some of its charm in those areas whilst trying to cater for the needs of the foreign tourist it wont be long before there will be restaurants offering a traditional English breakfast on the ski slopes “all you can eat for a fiver” god forbid the tracky brigade may eventually discover this fine country.

For the adventurer and those seeking a yet undiscovered part of romania see www.romtr.com www.muntelemic.ro

More blog later got to go to work now showing Romanians how to work with regips (plasterboard) and how to use an earth cable when wiring up your house so as to be far safer as well as a rcd breaker and not to use bits of sticky tape when making electrical conections.