February 20, 2008

Trying to emigrate...





I'm trying to emigrate from this country (Romania).... because:


- in 18 years of post - communist period (after Ceausescu's death in 1989) nothing change in better here.
- the political class is still guide by the interests of some peoples from the old security communist and by the interests of some interlope peoples.
- my evolution in this country, as a young person able to work, is paralyzed.


Living in this country,
that would paralyze your evolution!

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A RELATED STORY

˝Before you can live in Romania, you have to ‘get into’ Romania, and that is a bit more tricky than you might expect. The laws are currently changing, as is the country, and if you don’t have the money to hire an emigration expert (which I didn’t) you will find it could be very difficult. Do yourself a favour and learn from my experiences. Read and learn, grasshopper, and you too can reside in one of the most interesting and fastest-growing countries.

I write this as I have, many months ago, spent approximately 14 hours waiting in line within one week getting papers from various sources, and that’s after collecting all the papers I needed from my country of origin. For the record, I am of American citizenship, but there are hardships that all expats talk about with a smile (once it’s over). Thankfully, I’m not going to have to pay the $500 fine and spend 6 months outside of the country (thus losing my job).

===== Bureaucracy in Romania =====

If you don’t like paperwork and leaving your autograph in triplicate (and sometimes more), you’ll be forced to learn an almost Buddhist monk’s patience when dealing with it here. Getting into the country itself isn’t that difficult. Romania loves their tourists (and their money), as well as being fairly open to the ever-growing expat community. Unlike Australia, you can come here as a visitor and find yourself able to stay as a resident if you act quickly enough. Allow several weeks of delay for all paperwork and the various Agencies. Find a Romanian friend and take them out to lunch every day, as they will become your life mate in the sense of a translator, tour guide, and cultural attache’. I have four of these; one is my boss, one is an English expat who has been here for 3 years, and the other two were born and raised in Bucharest.

Don’t trust websites. This is not a ‘hard and fast’ rule, but you’re better off getting your Romanian lunch buddy to call whomever you need to deal with and get the real list of papers you need. On most websites they tend to generalize things. A lot. They might say, for example, you need a medical check, when you actually need a medical check, an x-ray, blood tests, and family background. Getting the details first will spare you many hours of waiting in line. Don’t think you’ll get out of that completely. Romanian or expat, everyone waits in line here.

===== Corruption in Romania =====

You will hear lots of people use the phrase “Nu putem sa ne intelegem cumva?”, or some variant of it, which means “Can we not come to an understanding?” This is almost a tradition, as things done. Patience is the only way. Be sure that the Romanian you are working with doesn’t try this either, as it will reflect poorly on you when you come up for residence permits and things of that nature.

===== Working in Romania =====

Working in Romania can be a great experience. Most Romanians are laid back and professional at the same time. It can be a great experience for most expats who come from workaholic cultures that frown on having a good time while also getting things done. If you find yourself in a managerial position, it can be frustrating, however. Many Romanians can be laid back to the point of laziness, but it depends on your occupation as to how much of this you will encounter. Also, if you’re a stickler for time, you will find yourself arriving at work at promptly 7:58am and your coworkers may trail in anywhere between 8am to 9. Don’t get frustrated with this if you can help it. It’s just a part of how things work.

Be careful who you work for as well. There are jobs which are ‘in the black’ which means you’re paid cash and you don’t ask how the company runs. My experience with these companies have been from bad to abysmal. It may work for younger Romanians starting out fresh from of high school, but for an expat it’s a nightmare. I was stiffed pay, had my papers held with a promise of help with a visa (which never came), and things of this nature. You want a company that will give you a contract no later than a ‘grace month’, where you work for a month and they see if they want you/if you want to work there. Anything longer than this, and you’re likely being fed lines. If you find yourself in this position, do yourself a favour and leave the country (you can do this with a day’s trip from Bucharest to Bulgaria which I will mention below in my ‘Romania’s Visas’ section). You should have no problems getting back into the country, but if you don’t do this one simple thing before your visa runs out, you could be fined up to $500 USD (1200 RON), and not be allowed to enter the country for 6-12 months. That’s for Americans, at least. I’m unsure what stipulations are for other countries of origin.

When it comes to work, you want it to be a positive experience both personally and emotionally, so save yourself any hassles. If you smell a rat, cut bait and get out of there as soon as you can. There are jobs here for expats right now, and it’s up to you to find the right one with people who will be great coworkers.

===== Shopping In Romania =====

Prepare to be shocked when you go to a supermarket and they speak Romanian, French, English, and even some German depending upon who you run into. Despite Romanian being very important in order to get around the country more quickly (and without depending on anyone else), when it comes to shopping you only need to know your numbers, and if there is a digital display, you don’t even need to know that. Romania was once an almost cash-only economy (leave your debit and credit cards at home), and now this is starting to change. I still use cash because I find it’s much easier due to my lack of good Romanian. If you use a credit or debit card, be prepared to put in your pin number. This can come as a shock to many people not used to this system and make you understandably wary of shopping there, but relax and go with it. It’s the ATMs you need to watch out for, not the shops themselves. Although there are distinct ‘holes’ in what is offered at the international shops, there is a wide enough offering to make almost anyone feel right at home. Also, forget sliced bread. It doesn’t matter if that is what you’re used to, get the cheap loafs on the corner that are fresh, or you’re missing out a wonderful treat.

Be careful what you buy in certain parts of the country. For example, I would not suggest buying any meat or dairy products from anywhere outside of a large store that has lawyers to worry about liability. If you buy something on the street, it will likely make you sick even if nothing is wrong with it. What is in the stores may do so as well, but that’s because you’re in a different part of the world. What is sold on the street, however, normally sits out for a good part of the day before you ever see it, and has been in the back of a wagon or car before then. Prior to the meat/dairy being collected, you really don’t know what they’re being fed (although it likely isn’t things like antibiotics like most Americans have done), or what they could have picked up. The perfect example of this would be the H5N1 virus that’s floating around Eastern Europe right now. It’s better to be safe than sorry when you don’t have the immune system to deal with the ‘germs’ specific to this region. Normally, if you can spare the money and don’t mind being overcharged (which at this time is still very cheap by any exchange standards), you can get loads of inexpensive things that are fair to wonderful quality. My personal favourite has been the hand-painted eggs you can get almost year-round but especially during Romanian Orthodox Easter (which is a month later than the Western world).

A good rule of thumb is that you can buy anything off the street as long as you’re smart about pulling money out in front of strangers, aware they may try and change the price on you (at which point just walk away), and it’s not food/drink.

===== Driving in Romania =====

If you’re going to be traveling outside of the city, I suggest trains. They may be slow, but if you’re not used to being on very small roads that run beside very long plummets into rock or rivers with no guard rails which have pot holes that could hide children (or possibly swallow a small rental car), you’ll want to just sit back and enjoy the smooth and easy ride of a train. Try to avoid night trains if you can. They tend to be either too hot or too cold, depending upon time of year and so on. If you need to get where you’re going, however, that’s my only complaint with them.

If you’ll only be traveling in Bucharest, use public transportation. I realize this may not be something you’re fond of, but you’ll learn to cope. Traffic in Bucharest is horrible at the best of times. With the onset of foreign investors in their Land Rovers and expats who don’t know the streets, the traffic patterns have become more chaotic. If you don’t drive like you’re from Bucharest (and I’ll bet 50 RON that no expat does when they arrive) you’ll cause a three car pile-up within an hour of turning the engine over. Yes, it really is that different. The signs are easy to read, the lights are not hard to understand, but the drivers themselves have what Americans would call “aggressive driving problems” but without any anger. They simply put their car where their car might fit and if it doesn’t it’s your job to hit the breaks. They don’t do this slowly, either. Think “Flight of the Bumblebee” here. Now take that and multiply it by 50 cars in one block of road going one direction and 50 going in the opposite. You’ll love the subways in comparison. Trust me.

Traffic Update : In Bucharest, everything has changed and will continue to do so. The mayor of Bucharest is pulling this city up from the Roman ruins (almost quite literally) and re-paving every road, planting trees, painting road lines and crosswalks (or zebras), and otherwise completely overhauling the road system. It is even more crowded, frustrating, jammed, and people are starting to develop severe driving problems such as anger, misjudgment, and so on. I advise using subways if at all possible, and trams otherwise. If you can help it, avoid busses, but if not take them anyway.

A few months ago I was hit by a car while crossing a large road in downtown Bucharest. I was walking on the zebra lines and watched where I was going. Please be careful when crossing tram tracks because the traffic problems have caused more people to be careless and impatient, and thus they are seemingly unaware of the pedestrians around them. As an aside, I was treated wonderfully by the medical staff both on-site where I was hit as well as at the hospital. Despite having to very painfully walk my way to where you are interviewed to press charges against people in traffic accidents, I was also treated very well by the police and other traffic authorities.

===== Public Transportation in Bucharest =====

I’ll make this easy for you. Don’t rent a car as there are no places to park. Don’t hire a taxi unless you have a Romanian call for it and travel with you from start to finish (unless you know basic Romanian, then you’ll be fine). Don’t take a bus unless your purse is metal with a lock, and your pockets are completely empty. Do enjoy walking, trams, and subways. There will still be petty crime incidents with these, but buses are the dregs of this city, and taxi drivers are very polite but also tend to run out of change when they’re driving a foreigner (although giving a tip is a very nice thing to do, and sometimes they will give you a personal number - more on that below). Trams and subways can still become crowded and attract thieves, but less so for some reason. Always be aware of your surroundings and belongings. No one will pity you in this country, and if you lose what you have there’s no real way to recover anything. I think it’s time for a personal story or two.

*
An American expat working as a journalist here in Bucharest was walking along one of the many ‘off roads’ which can be rife with darling children who beg in Romanian, recognize and speak English fluently, and will be looking you in the eye and begging hopefully while they rob you blind. A group of children fairly well mobbed him and a friend he was walking with, and then as quick as they came, left. He asked his friend what he had lost, and he said nothing. He checked his own pockets, and sure enough, his mobile phone was gone. He turned around to the group of children and said, “You have my phone.” One of the children held it up, and said he could buy it back for 100 euros. He said, “That isn’t my phone.” Surprised, they assured him it was. “No, it can’t be my phone. Hold it up to me so I can see it.” They did, he snatched it, and walked off. He was very lucky.

*
I was riding the bus on my way to work one day (I normally don’t take buses but it was rather cold outside and I didn’t feel like walking to the subway station), and I stepped into an incredibly crowded bus. Only one station, although a long one. I felt a vibration of my purse, and I knew what was happening, but a man (whom I now believe to be an accomplice as I reflect) had me crushed against the bus door so I couldn’t move without almost striking him in the face. The bus stopped, I stepped back and looked for the hand, grabbed my money back, and walked quickly to the underground (which normally has security officers). I was incredibly lucky.

*
I took a taxi from work to a friend’s house where I had never visited before. I only had the address. The taxi driver didn’t know where this address was, and it soon became obvious that I didn’t know that much Romanian. He asked me if I knew English, and I said yes. We had a nice conversation in English for the entire 45 minute trip, and at the end of it he gave me his personal number, explained that the car he drives is his personally for work, so he will charge me company rates, but that I am always welcome to ride with him and have more English conversation. This is rare, but cab drivers are slowly earning good reputations as long as you go with large, known companies with marked cabs. Avoid anything that looks “odd” or “off”. Go with your gut feeling.

===== Crime in Romania =====

Violent crime is very rare. Petty crime is everywhere. Leave your weapons at home, including pocket knives and things of that nature. The most important thing to have would be pockets with zippers, handbags that zip and have a thick/metal handle so they cannot be cut, and on handbags/purses you should put the most important things in the middle zipped pocket, and bags that you can wear your torso (they are ‘half backpacks’ as I call them as they look like saddlebags for people and zip up like backpacks, slide over one arm, and sit on your chest). Anything that is easy for you to retrieve is also easy for people who will pick-pocket you. Always triple check to make sure you didn’t drop anything in the taxi as you won’t be able to get whatever you left back, and never put your handbag down anywhere including bathrooms. While using toilets, keep your purse on your lap. It may be odd, but it’s better you be safe than sorry (or dirty). As far as security of your personal belongings, you really can’t be too paranoid, but always keep a cool demeanor as everyone can read body language and will single you out if you look confused or nervous.

===== Why Romania? =====

I guess given all that I have said above, you’re asking the same thing as so many Romanians do. Why am I here? For all the bad things that come with living in the city of Bucharest, there is something almost indescribable; a magic that holds sway over many expats who live here, including myself. Having come from America, although a humble family, I can easily see why even my fairly humble beginnings would seem to project to Romanians how I grew up in the lap of luxury. When you work for something here, you really work for it. Not that working itself is harder, but making the bills is harder on the income we get (my last job was paying $300 USD monthly (2006), last year it was $120 (2005)) as well as if you want something like a computer or TV. Nothing is taken for granted. For me, this is the magic of it all- I can look around and be satisfied with what “little” I have here in this old house because I worked my butt off for it. It’s a better feeling than the type of “Keeping up with the Jones’” junk I dealt with in the States. However...˝













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