Italian female, 22

Age: 22
Sex: F
Nationality: ITALIAN
Education: DEGREE IN PEDAGOGY
Occupation: STUDENT AND EVS VOLUNTEER IN BUCURESTI

What did you think about Romania and Romanians before your first contacts with this country or its inhabitants?
I WAS CONFUSED BECAUSE OF ITALIAN’S MEDIA AND THEIR OPINIONS AND IMAGINES ABOUT ROMANIAN PEOPLE.
BUT I WAS SURE THAT THIS IMAGINES WAS WRONG, AND I THOUGHT THAT AS IN EVERY COUNTRY THERE ARE THE “GOODS” AND THE “BADS” ONES.

Did this image change after getting to know a Romanian or after visiting the country? How?
YES, I UNDERSTOOD THAT MY DOUBTS ABOUT ITALIAN INFORMATIONS WERE RIGHTS!! THE ROMANIAN YUNGSTERS WHO I’VE MET ARE OPENED PEOPLE, FRIENDLY, HONESTS..ALSO ROMA PEOPLE ARE QUITE, THEY NEVER DISTURBED ME UNTIL NOW..

Describe in a few words your best encounter with a Romanian.
I HAVE TWO HAPPY EXPERIENCE OF HITCHHIKING IN DOBROGEA:
THE FIRST WHIT A LOVELY GYPSY FAMILY THAT HELP ME TO FIND THE PLACE THAT I NEEDED, THE SECOND ONE WITH A MAN, WHO ALSO PAYED FOR MY HOTEL’S ROOM....I’VE NEVER MET A MAN SO GENEROUS, AN ANGEL.

Describe in a few words your worst encounter with a Romanian.
IN TRAIN DURING THE NIGHT WITH A MAN..REALLY ANNOYING.

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanians in general?
IMMIGRANTS
WORKERS
ROMA PEOPLE
CRIMINALITY

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanian women?
COLF
SUBJECTION
OPEN
FRIENDLY

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanian men?
HARDWORKERS
PROUD
CRIMINALITY (I’M CONSCIOUS TO BE VICTIM OF ITALIAN INFORMATION)

8. What is the age you associate Romania with?

1989 THE REVOUTION.....................

What is the drink you associate Romania with?
NU STIU, WINE BUT ALSO BEER, TIMISOREANA FOR SURE

What are the brands you associate Romania with?
TIMISOREANA.....................
URSUS.....................
DACIA.....................

Name 3 prominent Romanians
EMINESCU
CEAUCESCU
MIHAILEANU


What time of the day you associate Romania with?
FIRST AND LAST METRO (5 a.m and 11.30 pm)

Name the country you associate Romania with?
ITALY

What is the main difference between Romania and your country?
I’M CURIOS TO UNDERSTAND IT! FOR SURE ABOUT POLITIC ASPECT WORSE THAN BERLUSCONI IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE..I WILL SEE DURING THIS MONTHS

Polish female, 25

Age: 25
Sex: F
Nationality: polish
Education: master degree in progress
Occupation: volunteer for Cultural Association for Theatre and Origami in Romania

What did you think about Romania and Romanians before your first contacts with this country or its inhabitants?
My ideas about Romania, how it’s there, how people are, how they live were very blured. Mostly because of lack of competent knowledge. So basicly my thinking about this country and people was a result from what other people were telling me about and also what stereotypes say. Stereotypes: “ Romanian are gypsies / you need to be very carfelul it is dangeorus there / don’t go out alone” etc. People who were in Romania: “the country is beautiful / you have to visit Transylvania / Romanian are amazingly good in languages” etc. Even that I tried to “fight” with those stereotypes and trying to explain that Romanian are not gypsies and the country cannot be so much different than Poland, there is always smth that stays in your mind.

Did this image change after getting to know a Romanian or after visiting the country? How?
It has change a bit. Mostly about gypsies – I don’t see as many as I expected to see. I was also surprised about how opened people are, oppened for foreigners and how welcoming they are.
A! the big surprise was that abortion is legal!

Describe in a few words your best encounter with a Romanian.
Romanian girl taking me around Bucharest and showing places and events I would not be able to discover on my own as a foreigner!
Taxi drivers who don’t mind you want to smoke in a car and want to entertain you by plaing “manele” (?) 

Describe in a few words your worst encounter with a Romanian.
Taxi driver killing a dog for purpose!

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanians in general?
ambitious
creative
laungage skills
pride and attachment to their own country

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanian women?
firm
egzotic
self-confident
opened

Which words come to your mind when you think about Romanian men?
Hmmm, difficult to say, difficult to be objective when you are a woman. It seems like they’r the same everywhere. Ok, maybe Romanian men are more straightforward and self-confident than polish.

What is the age you associate Romania with?
Not sure if I understood… If it is about a year, then 2007; if it is about age, then Middle Ages and communism.


What is the drink you associate Romania with?
Timisoreana si ursus

What are the brands you associate Romania with?
Hmmmm, nu stiu…. Maybe Timisoreana and Ursus again... If I can call it “brand”

Name 3 prominent Romanians
Emil Cioran
Mircea Eliade
Nicolae Ceausescu

What time of the day you associate Romania with?
5 o’clock in the morning, the time when metro start’s working again

Name the country you associate Romania with?
Romania

What is the main difference between Romania and your country?
Sometimes I have an impresion that polish people have a “polish complex”; Romanian people don’t.