And when I thought I knew what it’s like, since it’s not the first time I finish something, it just hit me…I am no longer a fresher!!! How shocking is that? Not only that it seems like I’ve just come here five days ago, but also in no more than two years I won’t be able to call myself an undergraduate. And that is indeed, what it’s called “time’s flying“.
Today is is the day I have to leave Romania for a while and since my flight is in about six hours, I’ve decided to write this first and share the memories I’ve made here in the past days.
I have finally come home after six months of living in the UK and to be honest it started to feel pretty strange even before the actual land in Romania. So, here you have it: I arrived at the airport and while I was waiting for my flight, I realized that more and more people were speaking my native language; now, this wasn’t too shocking, but for one reason or another, it instantly made me lower my voice. Being used to speak freely with my Romanian friends when having British people around, making my voice tone as low as possible felt like it was a pretty necessarily adjustment to make at the time. Getting used to this, the awaited moment was finally there and we embarked in no time. Now, in the plane, most of the passengers were Romanian coming back from the UK for holidays, so it was nice to see and hear people from my home country…
As the title says, this post intends to analyze some more people’s habits/mentalities that I’ve noticed to be different. I know I said that quite a few times in the previous post already, but, again, my intention is not to judge or criticize, but only to compare.
5. Being a sweetheart
As I said before, people here are (or at least appear to be) more polite and nicer to those around them; this can be noticed in the forms of addressing as well. Being called: love, pet, sweetheart, sugar, darling, honey, flower and so on, by someone who is not my girlfriend, boyfriend or a guy who fancies me was a pretty strange thing at the beginning, I have to admit.
If someone is in your way at some point, he/she won’t hesitate to apologize: “oh, excuse me…”, and here comes the need of adding: “pet, sweetie, flower, love etc.”. Well, you can hope for that in Romania, but is very unlikely for it to happen. So, do I like being called like that? Well, it makes you feel special sometimes, but don’t get me wrong…when it happens more than ten times a day it seems to become too cheesy and you just crave for some “water”, because you had enough “sugar” lately.
I have to mention from the very beginning that in this post I don’t intend to blame or judge…these are only some of the differences I’ve noticed between Romanian people/habits and British ones. So, I will just begin by saying I wasn’t that surprised by these habits, because I partially expected them, being thus easier to get used to them.
1. The renowned “please & thank you” habit
I know it’s not the first time when you hear this, but I couldn’t just ignore it. If you have to think about how people (re)act in Romania and the way they do here, the difference is quite noticeable. So, yes, I knew people here are nice, smile all the time and dealing with them is not a problem most of the time. I would be unfair to state that in Romania everyone is harsh or rude, but it’s part of our society I guess, to be more suspicious with people, to judge, gossip and smile less. It’s nothing personal, it just comes as second nature. I think it could be said that people there are more preoccupied with other’s businesses than with theirs, being thus less polite sometimes, risking to be considered rude, when in fact it is not necessarily the case. Am I eager to go back home now? 😀 Well, obviously, to see my family and friends, but I have to admit, it will be quite a challenge to be the one smiling and not being given a smile in return all the time.
One of the most common questions people ask me is: “So, how do people party in Romania?” Well, I’m not sure if there is a “Romanian style”…I think it depends on everyone’s habits and preferences; in the end it’s a matter of choice. So, I’ll just say that we have clubs and music like here as well (even though I can’t call it “British style”, since the music is mostly American), but we also have traditional songs and dances. These aren’t often practiced nowadays; only some of them are still danced at organized parties, weddings and traditional shows.
(Club in Bucharest, Romania) (Club from my town)
To make the difference clearer, though, I will not point out the clubs, but the way I used to have fun:). I certainly used to have nights out, but not too often and not with so much alcohol. The parties we used to throw though, were more cosy and familiar. I was involved in a
My new life in the UK has, obviously, not only ups, but some downs also. It happened once, for example, to fell down the stairs. I sprained my ankle, but I didn’t take it too serious and I just avoided wearing high heels and dancing. Everything was ok for a few weeks, until one day when suddenly I wasn’t able to walk. I went to see a doctor and he gave me a bandage for my ankle and if I ever felt pain, he adviced me to take…a paracetamol. I was a little bit surprised, but I rememebred that I wasn’t the only case.
One of my friends had also some health problems: she felt dizzy and she wasn’t able to control her legs muscles, therefore she couldn’t walk. She went to see a doctor and he told her she had a cold and should take some paracetamol and have some rest. In the next few
Time flies. It seems like I have just started university, met my flatmates and had the very first meeting with my tutor. But here we are, three months away from the end of the academic year. Even so, I still haven’t been back home to meet my family and friends and I can’t say I don’t miss them, on the contrary. What gives me strength to move on though is the spring break that comes soon, bringing me the reunion.
However, there is a little aspect that isn’t really desirable when it comes to going back home: the weather. Even though winter time was present in Sunderland as well, trust me, it wasn’t like in Romania! Being used to see the snow during this season in my home country, I can say I missed it a little bit, but this year it went over the top! The roads were blocked all the time, making traffic a nightmare. The temperatures were bellow 5-10 °C, reaching -20 °C during the night, causing thus the death of around 30 people. So, some snow wouldn’t have harmed in Sunderland (from my point of view at least:D), but the winter freeze is certainly unwelcome.
Why do I miss my food? We know that McDonalds is not a British “traditional” food, but most of the the things that the majority of British students tend to consume (at least from what I have noticed) are fast food, fish & chips, pizza, pasta…avoiding as much as possible fruits and vegetables. So, yes, a nice soup, delicious salads and tasteful grills my mum used to cook for me wouldn’t harm at this point! I don’ t claim that I always eat healthy food and all of those who don’t do so, are to be blamed! But, I try to select decent meals and combine the craving and taste with healthiness. Why do it? Well…I’ll let the video speak for itself:
Since I came to the UK (five months ago) people keep asking me how I find it here and if my life has changed. Well…obviously! Imagine yourself dealing with new people, new language, different culture, different habits…and above all, without your mum cooking for you!! I know that every student has to face challenges and become more responsible, but the situation turns into a marathon when you are an international!
Either you want to discover the differences between the cultures, find new information or you are simply curious, here is something to suit you for sure. So, have some fun reading the posts, “experience and enjoy…beginnings”! 😉
landunderthesun 
