Life in Romania

Meeting and Greeting
Initial greetings are formal and reserved: a handshake, direct eye contact, and the appropriate greeting for the time of day.

• Some older Romanians kiss a woman's hand when meeting them. Foreign men are not expected to kiss a Romanian woman?s hand.

Titles

• People are addressed by their honorific title ('Domnul' for Mr. and 'Doamna' for Mrs.) and their surname.
• Only close friends and family members use the first name without appending the honorific title.
• Gift Giving Etiquette
• If you are invited to a Romanian's home, bring flowers, chocolates, or imported liquor to the hosts.
• Give an odd number of flowers. Even numbers are used for funerals.
• Roses and carnations are always well received.
• A gift for the children is always appreciated.
• Gifts are generally opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

• Arrive on time if invited to dinner.
• You may arrive up to 15 minutes late for a party.
• Dress in clothes you might wear to the office.
• Check to see if there are shoes at the front door. If so, remove yours.
• Expect to be treated with great honour and respect.
• Table manners are Continental -- hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
• Wait for the host or hostess to say 'pofta buna' (good appetite) before you begin eating.
• Expect to be offered second and even third helpings.
• You will have to insist that you cannot eat any more, as refusals are seen as good manners and are not taken seriously.
• To indicate you have not finished eating, cross your knife and fork on your plate.

Business Etiquette Basics

• Romania is still governed by a great deal of bureaucracy.
• Personal relationships are crucial if you want to cut through the red tape.
• Much business involves overlapping local bureaucracies, which make conducting business a time consuming process that requires perseverance.

Business Meeting Etiquette

• Appointments are necessary and should be scheduled 2 to 3 weeks in advance, preferably by letter.
• It is often difficult to schedule meetings in July and August, which is a common vacation time.
• Businesspeople are often unavailable during the two weeks before and after Christmas and the week before and after Easter.
• Arrive on time and be prepared to wait.
• Punctuality is common in entrepreneurial companies or those that frequently do business in the international arena.
• When dealing with state-run companies, you will most likely be kept waiting.
• Meetings are generally formal and follow old-world rules of courtesy.
• Wait to be told where to sit. There is often a strict protocol to be followed.
• Do not remove your suit jacket without permission or until the most senior ranking Romanian does.
• Expect to spend time getting to know people before delving into the business purpose of your visit.
• Presentations should be factual and easy to understand.
• Include facts and figures to back up your conclusions.
• Avoid hyperbole or making exaggerated claims.

Negotiating

• Business is hierarchical. Decision-making power is held at the top of the company.
• Most decisions require several layers of approval. At times it may appear that no one wants to accept responsibility for making the decision.
• It may take several visits to accomplish a simple task.
• Romanians can be tough negotiators.
• Romanians are concerned about being taken advantage of by foreigners.
• Hire your own interpreters for meetings and negotiations.
• Base sales on confirmed, irrevocable letters of credit. Use local banks that are correspondents of western banks.
• Romanians have a tendency to tell others what they think they want to hear.
• Avoid confrontational behaviour or high-pressure sales tactics.
• Decisions are easily reversed.
• Use an indirect negotiating style. Being too direct is viewed as poor manners.
• Contracts function as statements of intent. It is expected that if circumstances change, the contract will accommodate the revised conditions.
• Do not change members of a negotiating team before a decision is reached or the relationship-building process will have to begin anew.

Reference:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/romania.html

Posted by Carol Smith at 4:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

"DEŞTEAPTĂ-TE ROMÂNE!"

Deşteaptă-te, române, din somnul cel de moarte,
În care te-adânciră barbarii de tirani
Acum ori niciodată croieşte-ţi altă soarte,
La care să se-nchine şi cruzii tăi duşmani.

Acum ori niciodată să dăm dovezi în lume
Că-n aste mâni mai curge un sânge de roman,
Şi că-n a noastre piepturi păstrăm cu fală-un nume
Triumfător în lupte, un nume de Traian.

Înalţă-ţi lata frunte şi caută-n giur de tine,
Cum stau ca brazi în munte voinici sute de mii;
Un glas el mai aşteaptă şi sar ca lupi în stâne,
Bătrâni, bărbaţi, juni, tineri, din munţi şi din câmpii.


Priviţi, măreţe umbre, Mihai, Ştefan, Corvine,
Româna naţiune, ai voştri strănepoţi,
Cu braţele armate, cu focul vostru-n vine,
"Viaţa-n libertate ori moarte" strigă toţi.

Pre voi vă nimiciră a pizmei răutate
Şi oarba neunire la Milcov şi Carpaţi
Dar noi, pătrunşi la suflet de sfânta libertate,
Jurăm că vom da mâna, să fim pururea fraţi.

O mamă văduvită de la Mihai cel Mare
Pretinde de la fii-şi azi mână d-ajutori,
Şi blastămă cu lacrămi în ochi pe orişicare,
În astfel de pericul s-ar face vânzători.

De fulgere să piară, de trăsnet şi pucioasă,
Oricare s-ar retrage din gloriosul loc,
Când patria sau mama, cu inima duioasă,
Va cere ca să trecem prin sabie şi foc.


N-ajunge iataganul barbarei semilune,
A cărui plăgi fatale şi azi le mai simţim;
Acum se vâră cnuta în vetrele străbune,
Dar martor ne de Domnul că vii nu oprimim.

N-ajunge despotismul cu-ntreaga lui orbie,
Al cărui jug de seculi ca vitele-l purtăm;
Acum se-ncearcă cruzii, cu oarba lor trufie,
Să ne răpească limba, dar morţi numai o dăm.


Români din patru unghiuri, acum ori niciodată
Uniţi-vă în cuget, uniţi-vă-n simţiri.
Strigaţi în lumea largă că Dunărea-i furată
Prin intrigă şi silă, viclene uneltiri.


Preoţi, cu crucea-n frunte căci oastea e creştină,
Deviza-i libertate şi scopul ei preasfânt.
Murim mai bine-n luptă, cu glorie deplină,
Decât să fim sclavi iarăşi în vechiul nost'pământ.


“AWAKEN THEE, ROMANIAN!”

Awaken thee, Romanian, shake off the deadly slumber
The scourge of inauspicious barbarian tyrannies
And now or never to a bright horizon clamber
That shall to shame put all your nocuous enemies.

It’s now or never to the world we readily proclaim
In our veins throbs and ancestry of Roman
And in our hearts for ever we glorify a name
Resounding of battle, the name of gallant Trajan.

Do look imperial shadows, Michael, Stephen, Corvinus
At the Romanian nation, your mighty progeny
With arms like steel and hearts of fire impetuous
It’s either free or dead, that’s what they all decree.

Priests, rise the cross, this Christian army’s liberating
The word is freedom, no less sacred is the end
We’d rather die in battle, in elevated glory
Than live again enslaved on our ancestral land.

The lyrics of the national anthem belong to Andrei Muresan (1816-1863), a Romantic poet, journalist, translator, a genuine tribune of the times marked by the 1848 Revolution. The music was composed by Anton Pann (1796-1854), a poet and ethnographer, a man of great culture, a singer and author of music textbooks.

Article from romania-on-line.net

Posted by Carol Smith at 2:37 AM | Permalink | Comments

Population:
22,303,552 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.7% (male 1,799,072/female 1,708,030)
15-64 years: 69.6% (male 7,724,368/female 7,797,065)
65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,347,392/female 1,927,625) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.6 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 37.9 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.12% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
10.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
11.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 28.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.63 years
male: 68.14 years
female: 75.34 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.37 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
350 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Romanian(s)
adjective: Romanian
Ethnic groups:
Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census)
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)
Languages:
Romanian (official), Hungarian, German
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.4%
male: 99.1%
female: 97.7% (2003 est.)

Article from CIA site.

Posted by Carol Smith at 2:23 AM | Permalink | Comments

Location:
Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine
Geographic coordinates:
46 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km
Coastline:
225 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain:
central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Natural resources:
petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 39.49%
permanent crops: 1.92%
other: 58.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:
30,770 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine
Article from CIA site.

Posted by Carol Smith at 2:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

Background:
The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice.

The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Although Romania completed accession talks with the European Union (EU) in December 2004, it must continue to address rampant corruption - while invigorating lagging economic and democratic reforms - to fulfill the requirements for EU accession, scheduled to take place in 2007 or 2008. Romania joined NATO in March of 2004.

Article from CIA site.

Posted by Carol Smith at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

Romania: (Romanian: România /ro.mɨˈni.a/) is a country in Southeastern Europe. Romania borders Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast, and Bulgaria to the south. Romania has a stretch of sea coast along the Black Sea, and the eastern and southern Carpathian mountains run through its center.

Historic Bucharest (Romanian: Bucureşti /bu.kuˈreʃtʲ/) is the country's capital and largest city. Romania has been an active member of NATO since 2004, and is also an acceding country to the European Union. The EU Accession Treaty was signed in early 2005, and Romania is due to join the European Union on January 1, 2007. Starting on January 1, 2007, Romania will have the seventh largest population and the ninth largest territory in the EU.



The name of Romania (România) comes from Român ("Romanian"), which is a derivative of the word Romanus ("Roman") from Latin.
The fact that Romanians called themselves with a derivative of Romanus (Romanian: Român/Rumân) is mentioned in scholarly works as early as the 16th century by many authors, among them Italian humanists travelling in Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia.

The oldest surviving document written in the Romanian language is a 1521 letter (known as "Neacşu's Letter from Câmpulung") which notifies the mayor of Braşov about the imminent attack of the Ottoman Turks. This document is also notable for having the first occurrence of "Rumanian" in a Romanian written text, Wallachia being here named "the Rumanian land" - Ţeara Rumânească (Ţeara < terra = "land" style="font-style: italic;">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted by Carol Smith at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments