A land of mountains, hills, and fertile plains, Romania is a tourist destination waiting to be discovered. It is a rich and complex country: a place whose cities are home to beautiful parks and vibrant cultural scenes; whose people welcome guests warmly into their homes, sharing the best of whatever they have, and party into the night, suffused by Latin joie de vivre. Buffeted over time between three great powers—the West, Russia, and Turkey—Romania betrays the cultural influences of each, and it can be a difficult place to get a handle on. Culture Smart! Romania provides an indispensable tool for the foreign visitor, digging deep behind the clichés, explaining many of the behavioral quirks of the people, smoothing your path toward better understanding, and outlining the many attractions—cultural, social, and geographical—that await you in this underexplored part of Europe.
Author(s): Debbie Stowe, Culture Smart!
Series: Culture Smart!
Edition: 2
Publisher: Kuperard
Year: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 168
Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
About the Author......Page 4
Contents......Page 5
Map of Romania......Page 8
Introduction......Page 9
Key Facts......Page 11
• Geographical Snapshot......Page 13
• Climate and Weather......Page 14
• A Brief History......Page 15
• Government......Page 33
• Politics......Page 35
• The Economy......Page 37
• Stuck in the Middle......Page 38
• A Period of Transition......Page 39
• Bucharest......Page 40
• The Countryside......Page 43
Chapter 2: Values and Attitudes......Page 45
• Orphans, Dogs, and Dracula......Page 46
• Patriotism and Anti-Patriotism......Page 48
• The Latin Temperament......Page 50
• The Aftermath of Communism......Page 52
• Cutting Corners......Page 53
• Conspicuous Consumption......Page 54
• Attitudes Toward Ethnic Minorities......Page 58
• Attitudes Toward Westerners......Page 60
• Attitudes Toward Authority......Page 61
• The State Versus the Individual......Page 62
• Privacy and Personal Space......Page 63
• Men and Women......Page 65
• Passivity and Fatalism......Page 68
• Hospitality......Page 69
• Money......Page 70
• Religion......Page 71
• Superstition......Page 73
• Public Holidays......Page 75
• Family Occasions......Page 77
• From Birth to Death......Page 80
Chapter 4: Making Friends......Page 83
• How to Meet People......Page 84
• Forms of Address......Page 85
• Table Manners......Page 88
• Smoking......Page 89
• Conversation......Page 90
• Education and Opinions......Page 92
• Language......Page 94
Chapter 5: Romanians At Home......Page 97
• House and Home......Page 98
• Food......Page 100
• Alcohol......Page 103
• Health......Page 104
• Television......Page 105
• The Family......Page 107
• Education......Page 108
• A Couple-Centric Society......Page 109
• Love and Sexuality......Page 110
• Romanians Relaxing......Page 113
• Restaurants......Page 115
• Clubs and Bars......Page 119
• At the Mall......Page 120
• The Cinema......Page 121
• Theater, Opera, Concerts, and Jazz......Page 122
• Parks......Page 124
• Sports and Pastimes......Page 125
• Vacations......Page 128
• Dress Codes......Page 129
• Arrival......Page 131
• Buses and Streetcars......Page 133
• The Metro......Page 134
• Trains......Page 135
• Taxis......Page 136
• Driving......Page 137
• Flying......Page 138
• Health, Crime, and Security......Page 139
• The Changing Economy......Page 141
• Business Culture......Page 144
• Bribery and Corruption......Page 146
• Connections......Page 147
• Bureaucracy......Page 148
• The Legal System......Page 150
• Business Hierarchies......Page 151
• Independent Thinking......Page 152
• Renegotiability......Page 153
• Women in Business......Page 154
• Meetings......Page 155
• Contracts and Their Fulfillment......Page 156
• Directness......Page 157
• Mail......Page 158
• Telephones......Page 159
• Cell Phones......Page 160
• The Internet......Page 161
• The Media......Page 162
• Conclusion......Page 165
Further Reading......Page 166
Index......Page 167
Acknowledgments......Page 169
