Romania, on its way to US media

A few days ago, on a Midwestern US university website:

Internet access brings Romanians new freedoms (article about a research mission led by Ball State Anthropology Department who took a student team to rural Romania to examine the impact of free Internet access in several small villages):
 
Installing computers with Internet access in Romanian public libraries was designed to support positive social change in this underdeveloped eastern European nation, but it's also spurred online dating, comparison shopping and social networking, says an analysis by Ball State University. (...) "The Internet has the potential to bring most of Romania into the 21st century," Nyce added. "Right now, it is mainly an agrarian society that, for our students, resembles the rural U.S. around 1910. It will be interesting to see how the country transforms in the next decade as information technology and e-commerce becomes more prevalent."

After back and forth emailing with the authors and reasonable arguments, the article changed its tone. However, hasty generalizations and stereotypes will always make the headlines... Where is the true Romanian spirit among these?

Bad bag!

Yes, I am guilty, I know! I haven't written for a while and when I used to do it, I did it in Romanian. I am now changing the gear to English, as an answer to the friends here in the US who wanted to be able to read me - their Romanian improved, but I don't want to push it :)

Now what made me finally write? A bad bag. In Muncie, Indiana.

Before I came here, one of the friends I had in the US told me that small towns are a safe place: "you can leave your bag in a park and find it untouched the next day."  If I would ask my friend today what can happen with my bag if I leave it unattended around here, she'll probably say: "nobody will take it. They'll just blow it up...":


"Traffic at McGalliard Road was stopped around noon for about half an hour after police received a call to inspect a mysterious package at a gas station on the intersection of McGalliard and Oakwood Avenue. McGalliard was blocked from Tillotson to Rosewood avenues, and Oakwood Avenue was blocked from Woodmont to Royale drives. Stg. Bruce Qualles from the Muncie Police Department said the store clerk discovered a brown leather brief case at the station and called the police. The county bomb squad arrived 15 minutes later. The package was detonated at 1:25 p.m. and police proceeded to reopen the road."

Poor person who came back for the bag/brief case two hours later!

Cum e viata de student mai, mai

Wall-Street.ro a publicat acum cateva zile un articol comparativ legat de viata de student: cum e in Romania, in comparatie cu alte tari. O analiza clasica. Si un pic trista. Nu pentru ca in alte tari este mai bine. E foarte bine in mediul universitar. Doar ca studentii romani cred ca e fara indoiala mai bine. Sfatul meu: mai si indoiti-va!

fulbrightpuzzle si adevarul

Mirosul de cozonaci in Adevarul.

Next Academic Year. A New Year.

I did it! I got the Graduate Assistant position within the School of Extended Education. I'll be in charge of marketing and communications for the online and distance academic services offered by Ball State University.

That comes with an answer to the question: will you go/come back in the US next year? Well, YES!

The assistantship offers me the opportunity to have a tuition waiver and a monthly wage, finish my masters, and, most important, work in my field of expertise with a well-rounded supervisor.

Now let the paperwork adventure begin :)

Declaratie de dragoste

Multi fani pe Facebook si declaratii de dragoste pentru Romania... Cat de realist este insa acest joc?

Intotdeauna m-am intrebat care este logica simtamintelor legate de tara. Am crescut in afara poeziilor "despre tara si popor", dar le-am auzit ecourile. Cu toate acestea, n-am avut o reprezentare a sentimentului de patriotism (= dragoste de tara, da!), ori identitate nationala pana cand nu m-am aflat intr-o comunitate de studenti internationali. Acolo am cunoscut si simtit stereotipuri de toate soiurile, care deveneau difuze sau nu, in functie de flexibilitatea grupului. Acolo am simtit pe propriul obraz ca suntem o cultura mica. Acolo m-am simtit mandra cand am auzit primul multumesc stalcit. Acolo am vorbit cu bucurie despre istoria Romaniei, despre mirosul de cozonac din casa bunicii, despre transhumanta, ori despre dragul Brancusi.

Cand sunt in tara insa sentimentul de patriotism se transforma dintr-un personaj romantic intr-unul naturalist: aroma pietelor e naruita de limbajul de taraba, lumina strazilor cu tei e umbrita de namolul de suflete triste, de vaicareala nemaipomenita de care uneori imi este dor cand sunt acolo. Am taiat lista. Era prea lunga.

Cert este ca radacinile nu ni le putem schimba. Sunt in ADN-ul nostru fiziologic si cultural. Si acolo sunt probleme, si acolo sunt buni si rai, veseli si tristi, bogati si saraci. Nu e diferit decat modul in care ne raportam la acolo. Am intalnit multi romani acolo. Pare ca nu sunt acasa niciodata, desi au case impresionante. Pare ca le lipseste intotdeauna ceva. De ce? La sfarsitul fiecarei zile, sunt imigranti. Cand esti aici, asta nu inseamna nimic. Acolo, insa, e un stigmat. Viata acolo pare frumoasa, pare mai usoara, pare mai lina. Dar e cumva ceva care e impotriva firii.

Cred ca m-a napadit optimismul, pentru ca sunt acolo. Dar ce-ar fi sa incercam? Daca vom inceta sa gandim mai mult aici, deca acolo, sunt sigura ca vom schimba o litera, un cuvant, un rand, o pagina, si poate o generatie.

Do you need us to pray for you?

Sunt in biblioteca, in fata unui geam mare, cu soarele patruzandu-mi in tastatura, si cu neoanele aprinse deasupra capului... dar asta este o alta poveste.

Ce ma face sa ma abat de la tastatul riguros pentru scoala este imaginea unor tineri pe care ii vad prin geamul mare - doi caucazieni (nu am voie sa spun albi, pentru ca ma bate la cap corectitudinea politica): camasa alba, cravata, ecuson in piept. Fiecare vorbeste cu un student afro-american. Imaginea asta dureaza insa de cateva zeci de minute bune.

Nu este vorba de o asociatie studenteasca, si nici nu sunt reprezentanti ai universitatii. Au Biblii in mana si intreaba oamenii daca vor sa stea de vorba cu ei. E ciudata diferenta de tinuta intre ei si interlocutori. Un alt student afro-american este invitat la dicutii, cand una dintre camasile albe ramane singura. Nu pot spune ce ma impresioneaza mai mult: diferenta de culoare*, replica: "do you need us to pray for you?" (care mi-a fost adresata de doua ori de cand sunt aici), ori durata nesfarsita a discutiilor...

*a nu se considera o afirmatie rasista, ci doar una pur vizuala. Proiectez oamenii dupa culoarea personalitatii, si nu dupa cea a pielii.