{"id":2375,"date":"2019-08-15T17:50:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T14:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/?p=2375"},"modified":"2019-11-26T17:51:46","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T15:51:46","slug":"discovering-romanian-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/2019\/08\/15\/discovering-romanian-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovering Romanian culture –"},"content":{"rendered":"

The topic of the following article is \u00ab\u00a0Discovering the romanian culture\u00a0\u00bb. In here, I would like to talk about what I felt as differences from France in Romania, considering the culture as a set of patterns gathering specific beliefs, behaviours, language, method of production \u2026 shared by people constituting a specific society this way. Living in Schiulesti, in Izvoarele commune, I experiment far more the rural Romania than the urban one. And talking about way of living, it seems to make a big difference. However, I’d like to specify the fact that I don’t speak romanian, what does not help to create a contact with the neighbourhood. In Schiulesti for example it is rare to find someone who speaks English. It is a rural area specificity I guess, in Bucharest almost everybody speaks English. What I mean is that my first personal observations are maybe not this significant because of not enough dialogues with natives.<\/span><\/p>\n

First I’d like to talk about something which surprised me: \u00a0paradoxical feelings some Romanian have toward their country being both proud and ashamed. In the streets, both in where we live and in Bucharest we can see Romanian flags hung on a balcon or in the garden what only happens during the football world cup in France, especially when the french team win! In Schiulesti, many people talk about the beauty of the landscapes surrounding the village, and more generally the inhabitants seem interested in sharing traditions such as preparing sarmale for Christmas. Sometimes this pride seems to be extreme, expressed by a strong feeling of patriotism and especially with a bipolar vision dividing still the world between west and east as if the cold war never finished. Indeed, we’ve already had dialogues turning into conflict just talking about our studies in France, we felt then this resentful we can find in here toward the west. Also, this strong expression of patriotism is often shared with a discriminatory vision of the society rejecting both gypsies, homosexuals, more generally the minorities. If those people want to remain in Romania forever and ever, there are others who express easily shame toward Romania. For example, when we said to a cashier we enjoyed our life in here she laughed at us saying \u00ab\u00a0Are you kidding\u00a0?\u00a0\u00bb Many young people sound to want to go abroad, and do not see their future in the country according to little interviews we did on our On Arrival Training (OAT) in Bucharest. For many, that decision to go abroad seems obvious. As if the future was abroad. But when in many rich countries such as France, more and more thinkers talk about the necessity to consume less, the necessity of economic decrease not only for the planet but for the entire society, maybe Romania is in some ways ahead of his time, especially in the rural areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

In here, the rythm is totally different from the one in the cities. In Schiulesti there are around four bus per days during the week. No bus the week end. There are little shops in which you can only pay by cash. In most of the houses, there are no central heating system, it’s doing fire you warm the rooms. You don’t have fancy devices to cook or to cut the grass. But even if there is no bus, no car, no Nespresso machine to prepare the coffee, no George Clooney neither, you find ways to do what you have to do and that with the help of people. You need to go to the city\u00a0? You can easily find a car which is also going to Valenii de Munte, people very often stop for hitchhikers, it’s usual. It maybe sounds nothing but I think it’s far different from a usual mind of consumer\u00a0: it is a smart, solidar and simple way of thinking\u00a0: how can we cultivate the garden with the tools we have\u00a0? How can we cook with the ingredients left\u00a0? How can we make the house more attractive with what there is in the attic\u00a0? And adopting this point of view, you realise the wealth you have around you because of the garden, because of the well, because of people with big knowledge about nature… The relationship with the nature seems to me also different from the one I knew. For example, in the village we see many cows\/ chicken\/ horses walking freely. In the same time animals seems to be considered in a functionnal way, as tools with the horses carrying wood from village to others or dogs chained to protect the house but people often let them walking on the streets especially the week-end. As if their owners trust their animals enough to let them go freely. They look confident about that when in France animals are always locked up. I’d like to be able to have a dialogue in romanian to speak with the neighbourhood in here. There is a community spirit, everybody greets you and many want to talk with you even if you tell them that you can not speak romanian. What is frustrating\u00a0! The community is also cohesive because of the religion. Almost everybody makes the sign of the cross in the bus when we meet a church and there are many orthodox churches around\u00a0!<\/span><\/p>\n

The community I was talking about seems to me particularly conservative because of different observations we can do. As I said, the religion seems still very important because of the cross signs, religious celebrations such as Eastern, prepared way ahead and even in the schools, the marriage remaining something very important in here… What’s more there is apparently a big gap between female and male roles with places with men only such as the bar we have in Schiulesti, main place of socialization, the same with the places to drink in Izvoarele village. During the weekend we can see women gathered in front of their houses, talking together on benches when men are in the bar. This conservative seems also present in school with quite strict teachers, with strong vertical relationship and education by exclusion of children who are not in the norm\u00a0: with disabilities, with family issues…<\/span><\/p>\n

To conclude, I’d like to share my personal feelings about these first months I spent in here, living in Izvoarele commune. There are for sure bias in my perception because I am in here as a volunteer for Curba de Cultura and living with other international volunteers I don’t really share life conditions\/habits\/rythm natives have but the environment in here is very quiet I guess because of the wonderful landscapes we have around but also because of a slower countryside rythm which makes you slowing down in your own mind also. What’s more, people in here welcome us even if we have obvious different way of thinking\/ \u00a0way of life and even with the language gap, they want to meet us, to greet us. What makes our time in here very pleasant.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\/RO\/<\/p>\n

Subiectul\u00a0urm\u0103torului\u00a0 articol este Descoperirea culturii rom\u00e2ne. Aici, a\u0219 vrea s\u0103 vorbesc\u00a0 despre ce am sim\u021bit ca diferen\u021be din Fran\u021ba, \u00een Rom\u00e2nia, consider\u00e2nd aceast\u0103 cultur\u0103 ca un set de modele care adun\u0103 convingeri specifice, comportamente, limb\u0103, metode de producere… transmise de oameni, constituind astfel o societate specific\u0103.\u00a0 Locuind \u00een Schiule\u0219ti, \u00een comuna Izvoarele, am experimentat mult mai mult partea rural\u0103 a Rom\u00e2niei, dec\u00e2t cea urban\u0103. \u0218i vorbind despre felul de a tr\u0103i, \u00eent\u00e2lnim o mare diferen\u021b\u0103. Oricum, trebuie s\u0103 specific c\u0103 eu nu vorbesc limba rom\u00e2n\u0103, iar acest lucru nu ajut\u0103 la crearea unui contact cu vecinii. \u00cen Schiule\u0219ti, de exemplu, este rar s\u0103 g\u0103se\u0219ti o persoan\u0103 care vorbe\u0219te limba englez\u0103. Cred c\u0103 este o zon\u0103 rural\u0103 specific\u0103,\u00a0 \u00een Bucure\u0219ti aproape toat\u0103 lumea vorbe\u0219te englez\u0103. La ce m\u0103 refer este faptul c\u0103 primele mele observa\u021bii nu sunt at\u00e2t de semnificative, deoarece nu am purtat dialoguri \u00eendeajuns cu nativii.<\/p>\n

Pentru \u00eenceput, a\u0219 vrea s\u0103 vorbesc despre ceva ce m-a surprins: paradoxalul sentiment al rom\u00e2nilor fa\u021b\u0103 de \u021bara lor, fiind at\u00e2t de mandri \u0219i ru\u0219ino\u0219i \u00een acela\u0219i timp. Pe str\u0103zi, \u00een ambele locuri unde locuim, \u00een Bucure\u0219ti, putem vedea steagul Rom\u00e2niei flutur\u00e2nd pe balcon, \u00een gr\u0103din\u0103, iar acest lucru \u00eel \u00eent\u00e2lnim \u00een Fran\u021ba doar \u00een timpul meciului de fotbal pentru cupa mondial\u0103, \u00een special c\u00e2nd echipa francez\u0103 c\u00e2\u0219tig\u0103! \u00cen Schiule\u0219ti mul\u021bi oameni vorbesc despre frumuse\u021bea peisajelor \u00eenconjur\u0103toare, iar \u00een general locuitorii sunt interesa\u021bi s\u0103 transmit\u0103 tradi\u021biile, cum ar fi prepararea sarmalelor pentru Cr\u0103ciun. Uneori, aceast\u0103 sarb\u0103toare pare a fi extrem\u0103, exprimat\u0103 printr-un sentiment puternic de patriotism \u0219i \u00een special cu o viziune bipolar\u0103, \u00eemp\u0103r\u021bind lumea \u00een vest \u0219i est, ca \u0219i cum R\u0103zboiul Rece nu s-ar fi terminat \u00eenc\u0103. La fel, deja am purtat discu\u021bii contradictorii despre studiile noastre din Fran\u021ba, apoi ne-am sim\u021bit ofensa\u021bi de ce am g\u0103sit aici, \u00een zona vestic\u0103. Totodat\u0103, acest puternic sentiment de patriotism este transmis des din\u00a0prisma viziunii discriminatorii despre societate excluz\u00e2nd \u021biganii \u0219i homosexualii, \u00een general minorit\u0103\u021bile. Dac\u0103 ace\u0219ti oameni ar vrea s\u0103 r\u0103m\u00e2n\u0103 \u00een Rom\u00e2nia pentru totdeauna, sunt al\u021bii care \u00ee\u0219i exprim\u0103\u00a0 u\u0219or\u00a0 ru\u0219inea\u00a0\u00a0fa\u021b\u0103\u00a0 de\u00a0 \u021bar\u0103.\u00a0De exemplu, c\u00e2nd noi\u00a0 \u00eei spunem\u00a0unei\u00a0 v\u00e2nz\u0103toare\u00a0 c\u0103 ne bucur\u0103m de via\u021ba de aici, ea r\u00e2de \u0219i spune\u00a0 \u201e \u2013 Voi glumi\u021bi?\u201d\u00a0 Mul\u021bi tineri\u00a0sunt\u00a0 tenta\u021bi s\u0103 mearg\u0103 \u00een str\u0103in\u0103tate, deoarece nu\u00a0reu\u0219esc s\u0103-\u0219i vad\u0103 propriul viitor \u00een \u021bar\u0103, \u00een conformitate cu scurtele interviuri pe care le-am realizat \u00een cadrul OAT (Curs de formare la sosire),\u00a0Bucure\u0219ti.\u00a0 Pentru\u00a0 mul\u021bi, aceea\u00a0\u00a0decizie de a pleaca\u00a0\u00een str\u0103in\u0103tate pare singura op\u021biune.\u00a0\u00a0 De parc\u0103 viitorul ar fi fost deja \u00een str\u0103in\u0103tate. Atunci c\u00e2nd\u00a0 \u00een\u00a0majoritatea \u021b\u0103rilor dezvoltate,\u00a0asemenea\u00a0 Fran\u021bei, din ce \u00een ce mai mul\u021bi intelectuali vorbesc despre necesitatea consumului\u00a0redus, necesitatea\u00a0descre\u0219terii economice este\u00a0important\u0103 nu doar pentru planet\u0103, dar \u0219i\u00a0pentru \u00eentreaga societate, poate Rom\u00e2nia este \u00een frunte \u00een unele p\u0103r\u021bi de aceast\u0103 dat\u0103, \u00een special \u00een zonele rurale.<\/p>\n

Aici, ritmul este total diferit de cel din ora\u0219. \u00cen Schiule\u0219ti exist\u0103 \u00een jur de patru autobuze pe zi \u00een timpul s\u0103pt\u0103m\u00e2nii. Nici un autobuz \u00een weekend. Sunt magazine micu\u021be \u00een care po\u021bi pl\u0103ti doar cash.\u00a0 \u00cen majoritatea caselor nu exist\u0103 \u00eenc\u0103lzire central\u0103, se face focul pentru a \u00eenc\u0103lzi camerele. Nu ai dispozitive fantastice pentru a g\u0103ti sau pentru a t\u0103ia iarba. Dar chiar dac\u0103 nu exist\u0103 nici un autobuz, nici o ma\u0219in\u0103rie Nespresso care s\u0103 preg\u0103teasc\u0103 cafeaua, nici George Clooney, g\u0103se\u0219ti modalit\u0103\u021bi de a face ceea ce trebuie s\u0103 faci \u0219i asta cu ajutorul oamenilor. Ai nevoie s\u0103 te duci \u00een ora\u0219? Po\u021bi s\u0103 g\u0103se\u0219ti u\u0219or o ma\u0219in\u0103 care merge de asemenea spre V\u0103lenii de Munte, oamenii opresc des pentru autostopi\u0219ti, este ceva obi\u0219nuit.<\/p>\n

Poate nu v\u0103 sun\u0103 nimic, dar eu cred c\u0103 g\u00e2ndirea este cu mult diferit\u0103 de cea obi\u0219nuit\u0103 a consumatorului: este un mod de g\u00e2ndire inteligent, solidar \u0219i simplu: cum putem cultiva gr\u0103dina cu uneltele pe care le avem? Cum putem g\u0103ti cu ingredientele r\u0103mase? Cum putem face casa mai atractiv\u0103 cu ceea ce exist\u0103 \u00een pod? \u0218i prin adoptarea acestui punct de vedere, \u00ee\u021bi dai seama de bog\u0103\u021bia pe care o ai \u00een jurul t\u0103u datorit\u0103 gr\u0103dinii, datorit\u0103 f\u00e2nt\u00e2nii, datorit\u0103 oamenilor cu mari cuno\u0219tin\u021be despre natur\u0103… Rela\u021bia cu natura mi se pare, de asemenea, diferit\u0103 de cea pe care am \u0219tiut-o. De exemplu, \u00een sat vedem multe vaci\/ pui\/ cai care merg liber. \u00cen acela\u0219i timp, animalele par a fi considerate \u00eentr-o manier\u0103 func\u021bional\u0103, cum ar fi uneltele, caii care transport\u0103 lemn din sat \u00een altele sau c\u00e2inii lega\u021bi pentru a proteja casa, dar oamenii le las\u0103 de multe ori s\u0103 mearg\u0103 pe strad\u0103, \u00een special la sf\u00e2r\u0219itul s\u0103pt\u0103m\u00e2nii. Ca \u0219i cum proprietarii lor ar avea \u00eencredere \u00een animalele lor suficient pentru a le permite s\u0103 mearg\u0103 libere. Ei par a fi \u00eencrez\u0103tori, pe c\u00e2nd \u00een Fran\u021ba animalele sunt \u00eentotdeauna \u00eenchise. A\u0219 vrea s\u0103 pot avea un dialog \u00een limba rom\u00e2n\u0103 pentru a vorbi cu vecinii de aici. Exist\u0103 un spirit comunitar, toat\u0103 lumea te salut\u0103 \u0219i mul\u021bi vor s\u0103 vorbeasc\u0103 cu tine, chiar dac\u0103 le spui c\u0103 nu po\u021bi vorbi \u00een limba rom\u00e2n\u0103. Ceea ce este frustrant! Comunitatea este, de asemenea, coeziv\u0103 datorit\u0103 religiei. Aproape toat\u0103 lumea face semnul crucii \u00een autobuz, c\u00e2nd \u00eent\u00e2lnim o biseric\u0103… \u0219i exist\u0103 multe biserici ortodoxe \u00een jurul nostru! Comunitatea despre care vorbeam pare a fi extrem de conservatoare din cauza unor observa\u021bii diferite pe care le putem face. A\u0219a cum am spus, religia pare a fi \u00eenc\u0103 foarte important\u0103 din cauza semnelor, a s\u0103rb\u0103torilor religioase, cum ar fi cea de Pa\u0219te, preg\u0103tit\u0103 \u00eenainte \u0219i chiar \u00een \u0219coli, c\u0103s\u0103toria r\u0103m\u00e2ne ceva foarte important aici… \u00cen plus, exist\u0103 un mare decalaj \u00eentre rolul femeilor si al b\u0103rba\u021bilor, cu locuri numai pentru b\u0103rba\u021bi, cum ar fi c\u00e2rciuma pe care o avem \u00een Schiulesti, locul principal al socializ\u0103rii, la fel ca \u0219i locurile de b\u0103ut din satul Izvoarele. \u00cen timpul s\u0103pt\u0103m\u00e2nii observ\u0103m c\u0103 femeile s-au adunat \u00een fa\u021ba casei lor, vorbind \u00eempreun\u0103 \u0219i st\u00e2nd pe b\u0103nci, atunci c\u00e2nd b\u0103rba\u021bii se afl\u0103 la bar. Acest lucru conservator pare, de asemenea, prezent \u00een \u0219coal\u0103, cu profesorii destul de stric\u021bi, cu o puternic\u0103 rela\u021bie de verticalitate \u0219i educa\u021bie, prin excluderea copiilor care nu se afl\u0103 \u00een norm\u0103: cu dizabilit\u0103\u021bi, cu probleme de familie…<\/p>\n

\u00cen concluzie, a\u0219 dori s\u0103 \u00eemp\u0103rt\u0103\u0219esc sentimentele mele personale despre aceste prime luni petrecute aici, pe care le tr\u0103iesc \u00een comuna Izvoarele. Exist\u0103 o anumit\u0103 p\u0103rtinire \u00een percep\u021bia mea, deoarece sunt aici ca voluntar pentru Curba de Cultur\u0103 \u0219i tr\u0103iesc \u00eempreun\u0103 cu al\u021bi voluntari interna\u021bionali. Nu prea \u00eemi \u00eemp\u0103rt\u0103\u0219esc condi\u021biile de via\u021b\u0103\/ obiceiurile\/ ritmurile native pe care le am, dar mediul \u00eenconjur\u0103tor aici este foarte lini\u0219tit. Cred c\u0103 datorit\u0103 peisajelor minunate pe care le avem \u00een jur, dar \u0219i datorit\u0103 ritmului mai redus al vie\u021bii de la \u021bar\u0103,\u00a0te fac s\u0103-\u021bi lini\u0219te\u0219ti mintea. \u00cen plus, oamenii de aici ne \u00eent\u00e2mpin\u0103 bine, chiar dac\u0103 avem un mod diferit de g\u00e2ndire\/ mod de via\u021b\u0103 diferit \u0219i chiar \u0219i cu decalajele de limb\u0103, vor s\u0103 ne \u00eent\u00e2lneasc\u0103, s\u0103 ne salute. Ceea ce face sejurul nostru de aici foarte pl\u0103cut.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Caroline este \u00een Rom\u00e2nia pentru o perioad\u0103 de \u0219ase luni, din martie 2019 p\u00e2n\u0103 \u00een august 2019, \u00een cadrul proiectului\u00a0Voluntary Generation<\/em>\u00a0[2017-2-FR01-KA105-013326]\u00a0proiect co-finan\u021bat de Uniunea European\u0103 prin Programul Erasmus+ \u0219i implementat \u00een Rom\u00e2nia de c\u0103tre\u00a0Curba de Cultur\u0103.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The topic of the following article is \u00ab\u00a0Discovering the romanian culture\u00a0\u00bb. In here, I would like to talk about what I felt as differences from France <\/span><\/div>\n
Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[78,86,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2606,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375\/revisions\/2606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evs.curbadecultura.ro\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}