Yesterday, Amanda and I had a most unpleasant encounter with
a Romanian man who was being rather rigid in his scolding of us for not having
followed correct protocol. As we left
the situation, Amanda expressed a wonderful insight that is probably useful for
all us in many situations: “Wouldn’t the
world be better if everyone were kind and explained the rules? I am willing to follow the rules when I know
what they are.” That sentiment expresses
well the dilemmas encountered in a different culture – how is one expected to “know
the rules” if they are not explained?
And kindness toward others certainly goes far. So, today as I set out I will remind myself –
as I do most days, in fact – that I am the visitor and it is my job to
assimilate, to learn the rules, while seeking accommodation to me only as part
of my learning. Each day I (we) do learn
more Romanian language and more of the customs, as well as practical knowledge
of simply navigating in this city.
I have observed one generalization about the culture that I
very much prefer over US culture – that personal responsibility is an
expectation. I suspect all of my readers
are aware of the US case several years ago when a woman successfully sued
McDonalds Corp. because she had spilled hot coffee on herself and it burned her
leg. I know that most of my friends and
acquaintances were appalled at the outcome as we believed she had responsibility
in the situation. I have observed 3
examples here in Romania where it is clear that personal responsibility is a
given: playgrounds; construction hazards; and the SNSPA (my university for this
year) entrance procedure.
Playgrounds
Notice the kinds of equipment in these pictures. There are many structures that are not available
in the US (largely a result of litigation).
Also the ground underneath is not specially treated. I am not advocating that we in the States
stop mulching our playgrounds, but that we do recognize that it is the responsibility
of the child’s caretaker to ensure the safety of the child. Diana, my colleague at SNSPA, was a bit
surprised at my commenting on these differences. “But of course it is the responsibility of
the parents to watch their children at play.”
Construction Hazards
A picture would be valuable here, but I hadn’t thought to
take one… There are many holes and
ditches – most being dug by hand, as I have mentioned previously – in walking
areas. These are indicated by only the
most minor of warning signs, if at all.
It is clearly my responsibility to avoid stepping in them when
walking. Along such walks I do spend
time looking at my pathway, than at the buildings/scenery around me…
University Entrance Procedure
Yesterday I sat in on a few of the individual interviews
with prospective master’s degree students.
The basic procedure for application is that students submit a c.v. and
an paper, written on one of 5 topics provided by the department. The paper is written in English, since the
program is taught entirely in English, and must include conceptual analysis,
supported by academic references. Then
students come for a personal interview, only 10-15 minutes in length, during
which they speak (again, in English) to their motivation for entering the
program and defend the position taken in the written paper. I was struck by the contrast between the
expectations for these masters’ applicants and our own at Pfeiffer. These SNSPA applicants were expected to have
some skills that we certainly teach at Pfeiffer, but do not necessarily expect
students to arrive having. In fact, my
experience and conversations with my Pfeiffer colleagues suggests that
generally we are pleasantly surprised when students arrive having skills of
analytical thinking and appropriate application of scholarly resources. However, I have been informed by Romanian
colleagues and previous American Fulbrighters to Romania to NOT expect the
students to take muck individual responsibility for class attendance or for
completing assigned reading, so I am not sure yet how all this will play out in
my teaching. I am beginning to get ready
for classes that will begin mid-October.
My university:
I want to end today’s blog by answering a few questions I
have received and by posting a few more pictures of architectural examples of
interest to me.
What does your daughter plan to do
while she is there and you are in class? What did she do here? work,
go to school,volunteer?
Amanda is currently
taking an online class from Forsyth Technical Community College, in
Winston-Salem, where she has been a student for a couple of years. She is able to manage, typically, 1-2 classes
per term and is working toward an associate’s degree that will also allow her
to transfer to a 4-year university. She
is also a budding filmmaker and has produced 2 short films. She is hoping to pursue that interest here in
Bucharest. Last, but not least, we are
looking into having her volunteer at a nearby center for young autistic children. More about that when it happens…
Do a lot of people speak English
or do you both have part of the language down so you can get needed things?
Many folks speak
English, at least a little. And we are
also learning Romanian. I had a recent
example where I asked for directions in Romanian, expecting a fairly short
simple answer. When I received a long
answer that I couldn’t understand, I said - still in Romanian – “I understand
only a little Romanian; I speak English.”
The reply came quickly back, in perfect English, “Then let’s talk in
English…” It definitely helps at the
grocery store, markets, and at restaurants to know enough Romanian to know what
we are buying to eat!
Tell me how to make comments on the
blog. I tried, but it wanted me to sign up for something.
Unfortunately I do
not know the answer to this one. Perhaps
someone who has already responded will post a comment addressing this
concern. Please?
And now for a few more pictures...
Our own house (our apartment is at the very top and has no balcony):
And last but not least, a few sites from walking around the city ...
And an Orthodox church.
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