BEING BLACK IN ROMANIA
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- We thought this was an important topic to discuss and hope this video sheds light on how it really is to live in Romania as a black person.
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Thoughts?
Thoughts, this is the world we are living in, we're just born in it, the fact that you are black, what is black , define black, define white, who the fucking cares , but this is for me, race exists, a reality, this is a very profound and long, and without end, because it doesn't have any subject, in other words, we do have race, so what
As long as you are good in what you do, and I wish you'll be a good doctor, I don't give a shit about the race shit, I don't, in our world, you know this much better than me, racism exist, this is my point
I say to you as a genuine romanian guy: we don't care if you are from America or other part of the world! We will always treat you the same: if you are a decent person we will be your best friend for you, but if you're not a good Citizen in my country, we will say it straight in your face with no remorse! If someone in Romania say to you, for example: " you're fat " ,they will say to you with no intention of laughing at you but to worn you to improve your heath! If we stare at you, excuse us, but we are curious by nature! We are not bad people once you got to know us
You're a really nice and an understandable person! I only saw 1 black person in my life in Romania, I starred for like 4 seconds and then I realised that maybe they'll find it rude so I looked the other way. I hope foreigners try to understand that the majority of us are just curious and don't mean to be rude. And let me tell you that elders whould stare even if u are a romanian citizen, they have no shame when it comes to starring lol..
The part where you said “ not everyone Black is from Africa”
Bro, EVERYONE BLACK ON THE PLANET IS FROM AFRICA... ✊🏾😁
In Romania the old generation stare at you no matter what race you are
Facts lol
Yeah, very true
camere de filmat
facts
Fact bro 😂😂😂😂
Romanian here, but this does'nt matter too much. If a white person goes to Afrika he will be considered white or mzungu regardless of his culture or country of his origin. This behaviour is just a normal thing and should not be considered racism. It's not racism to call someone black, white, asian or south american. Its racism when a human being gets harmed, judged, disconsidered or disadvantaged because of his physical appearance.
I don’t know what ‘Mzunngu’ means 🤔But I definitely agree with you on the rest!
mzungu (pronounced [m̩ˈzuŋɡu]) is a Bantu word that means “wanderer” originally pertaining to spirits. The term is currently used in predominantly Swahili speaking nations to refer to white people dating back to 18th century. The noun Mzungu or its variants are used in many afrikan countries.
source:wikipedia
Ahh ok nice to know, you learn something new everyday😊
To be black in Romania is not the end of the world, but its a wierd and hard experience, thats my personal though. Never ever I heard about a black people was agressed because of his skin color. Romania, in my opinion its much safer that most of EU countries. I tell you this because in Romania u will not see that amount of army or enforceman on the streets. Racism its real thing and its amplified by the 'woke up' mind of some ...people. How could, I, as an romanian to be 'woked up' ? My country and my ancestors had never enslaved others. Ok, gypsies were enslaved here, and we gave them back all, it;s complicated. Anyway, why I need to excuse myself of the terrible things that western europeans did to Afrikans, native Americans and Australian natives when where in no relations with them? Racism is the escuse of the weaks for the troubles of the daily life of the native cultures all over the world.
@@strumf2007 -
Don’t forget Western Europeans also harmed south-Asia (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc), and the Middle East too (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine) etc.
I agree with the rest of what you said though.
I am a black Romanian, raised and born in Baia Mare, and i must admit, for me being a person of color, brought only advantages. I was a news presenter on a regional TV station for 10 yrs and people find it really cool to see somebody like me talking Romanian perfectly. So, how cool is that ?!? 😁
hey that is VERY cool, could you post a link of one of your tv adventures? if there is any :D, also am from Bucharest, adica sunt, intelegi tu
Tovarăș din Ardeal! Numa' bine!
Are you Cabral by any chance?❤😂
I live abroad for 15 years now, and witnessed in the mall a few years back, a tall black guy with afro hair, who spoke perfectly romanian with regional accent. It kinda blew my mind :)) Also in Baia Mare.
@@tdrxy Cabral e din Berceni, nu taranoi din Ardeal
My father went to
School in Romania for 5 years. This was back in the late 70's and early 80's. He loved it. Said he was treated like a celebrity. Especially in the country side where people would visit the house he was hosted in just to meet a black man and bring him gifts. He speaks Romanian fluently and sometimes he emails with his old school friends 😊
i imagine in the 70`s where communism was at his peak seeing a black people its like seeing a movie or a celebrity , even aliens hahaha. Especially country side where people lived in modesty with barelly access to electricity
I remember story when they brought in the 70 s their first TV , the old gradma back then basically run while yelling , she believed the horse will come trough TV and kill her :))))))
😂😂😂
Wow 😯 as a black American I can only dream!
Very true, I live in Sibiu now and I am treated like a celebrity 😂. Old and youngsters stares at me so much and many want to touch, talk to you and kiss you
Lmao very typical of Romanias lol, I'm surprised they didn't as for autographs 😂😅
I smiled and really enjoyed this video. Romanians usually stare because they are fascinated and curious, that's it. There is no racism or far right thing like other countries. Sure we may have our bad apples, but generally the nation doesn't care how you look.
Glad you enjoyed it😊
Don't feel offended! We Romanians stare even at each other if we find the smallest thing that catches our eye..It's kind an extreme curiosity and quilty pleasure...😄 And, of course, we like to talk afterwards upon the subject..😀But generally, we are friendly..
When I was younger, sometimes I enjoy to wear some unusually clothes, like very larger jeans or long t-shirts and stuff like this.
When I walked dressed like that in some area near college, nobody looked at me, cause everyone was use to see that.
Anyway, when time was to go home in my small town or worse, when I had the need to go into some rural areas, almost everyone stared.
I think that parallel will make you understand better why they do that.
@Daniel ,you are correct there is no racism here in Romania. I have lived here for 7 years, great country with lovely people :)
But you think you White indigenous to Romania and that all "Black" Not actually Black we Brown, come from Africa,
I am born and raised in Amsterdam but my parents both from Angola. I lived 3 year in Cluj-Napoca. One day I was at the Auchan for groceries and there was an old lady in front of me in the que of the cashier. She was staring at me and I was just smiling back at her. Once it was my turn at the cashier I asked the cashier for 2 plastic bags in Romanian. The old lady was surprised and ask me how I learned to speak Romanian. She was surprised to see a black person speak Romanian. We had a little conversation and she was so sweet and funny. She said I was beautiful and even kissed me on my forehead. I told her that if she was younger I would had take her out for a drink and a nice place where we can dance manele lol. I ain’t gon lie, she made my day. Romanian people are very nice loved it there. I’m going back this summer for the holidays in Bucharest and Constanta (Mamaia) 💯
Haha, what an experience man . I guess with us Romanians is like that . If you speak the language you are 100% one of us
I’m in Canada, and I was in line for the cashier and behind me I heard a family speaking fluent Romanian - far better than I can speak. I turned around to see who it was, and it was an African family. I was shocked because it’s so unexpected however it’s amazing how things like that happen. I wish you success in school and you should always keep your mind and focus business-centric.
I've lived in Romania, they are very kind and friendly people. Try not focusing on the color of your skin and just don't worry about it, enjoy life and live happy.
True
I'm an American living in Romania and when anyone hears me speak say on the metro, everyone stares at me too. And I'm white!
i hope you like it here and have a positive experience overall.
you need to understand something about Romania, and Romanians, we are really not used to people coming here to visit/work/study. so for many of us, it is just out of curiosity...
there is no malice because most people fail to see the beauty and reasons why Romania is a good country, and a lot of Romanians would want to leave the country.
In 2019 (the best year for global tourism) we only had 2.7 mil foreign people coming to Romania, with a majority coming for business.
I`m really curious, what culture shocks did you have coming here? and what things do we do that seem odd to you?
@@vicu_negru I really love it here. I've been here for 9 years now. The staring was odd to me. I'm from Chicago and if you stare at someone there, it usually means you want to fight, lol. Biggest shock? The small size of the refrigerator and stove while the bedroom furniture is huge. The safety! I don't have to be afraid. The beauty of Romania and how different it is in different areas. The cost of living is excellent. The worst? That most places pay Romanians far less than a native English speaker. That's just not right. It's racism against its own people and that's why young Romanians want to leave. I'm a teacher and head of an international school in Bucharest. Thank you for asking. Btw, Romanians are wonderful people!
Many of the older people even stare at you if you have long hair and piercings as a man. This black guy is pretty woke and stupid.
Dacă esti o persona bună , nu conteaza culoarea pielii.Vezi Cabral cati admiratori are.
Cred la fel 💪
Nu numai Cabral , sunt destui oameni de culoare in România , cu toții suntem oameni, suntem egali !!
pe dracu.. poate cu oameni civilizati. sunt enorm de multi retardati cu gura mare si capu patrat care fac viata grea oricui pare lor ca e diferit, nu stiu ce altceva sa faca cu frustrarile
@@MagdalenaNour Suntem egali doar în lege. Între noi nu suntem egali.
@@professionalhater3348 Tine de respect man, nu de legi. Legile au aparut ca riposta la cei care se cred mai speciali. Asa s-a cladit civilizatia, prin rigoarea legii .In fine, ai inteles ce am spus. Educatia face diferenta.
So.. us Africans have that in common with the Romanians; we both stare a lot out of curiosity. 💕 I love Romanians and Romani people.
Romanians care more about how you behave. They don't really care where you are from or what you look like. Exactly how people said here, they are a curious culture. Lovely people!
I was expecting more racism but I'm glad that my fellow Romanians treat you well :) Succes la facultate
It just goes to show that what I said in the video about Romanians is true! Mulțumesc😊
Florin cred ca noi ca Romani suntem multe chestii da rasisti nu cred ca am fost vreodata, cel putin nu persoanele mai tinere, la noi daca esti de treaba esti “fratele nostru din alta mama” cam asa vad eu romanii cand vine vorba de asta
@@phenomen8079 Nu cred! Pentru multi... da, asta-i adevarat, dar mai trebuie sa retii ca exista un grup semnificativ de oameni care folosesc termenul de _țigan_ cu sens negativ de parca ar fi ceva normal.
@@RT-. Şi ţiganii, când vor, folosesc cuvântul "român" cu sens negativ de parcă asta ar fi ceva normal. Păzea că-mi şi pasă! Ţara arde şi pe noi ne muncesc cuvintele!
Im a romanian
As a Romanian I can confirm a lot of what you're saying. I remember being a teenager, hanging out in the park with a friend, we noticed 2 black girls sitting on a bench in front of us and we just stared at them for a moment just out of surprise, because this is not something we usually see in Romania. I will also add that I'm a white person but I'm a metalhead and people would also stare at me on the street and in the bus when they'd see me wearing band shirts. I don't know if this stopped because I'm older now or because people got used to seeing metalheads, but yes, people in Romania will stare at you if you're not part of the majority or the mainstream. It's good to have a sense of humor about it.
You're not indigenous to the land you were placed there by the Romans . Romania?
@@adriancarlos9155 The ancient population that originally settled in modern day Romania were called Daci / Dacians, there's not a lot known about them, we have multiple theorizes, a popular one is that they were already a Latin-type people or something similar, which could explain why they embraced the culture of the Roman Empire once they were conquered. Because a number of Slavic peoples have taken parts of Romania throughout history, and while there are some Slavic influences on the Romanian language, for the most part Romanians refused to accept their cultures and refused to assimilate, this includes many noble families who lost their wealth because of it. So, technically we are Romanized Dacians, or Daco-Romans. The word "Romania" comes from a Latin word that means "of Rome".
@@HorrorSFManiac Latin is the language the Romans spoke, Dacians were a lot darker than those in Romania today. Although they we're not natives of the land they travelled and settled there or placed there by the Romans bred out and the light marriage on to the light...
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me. The problem is people like to think we are all separate from each other, Everybody has melanin meaning Everyone has fully Melianated ancestors including you. The term swarthy means having dark skin fully Melianated, we are all different shades of Brown not Black or White, The darkest of people's created all different shades of Brown, there is no such thing as White or Black people.... So called Africans populated Europe before any sign of pale skinned people in it, science proves this... Everything started in one place... The hottest place, god didn't create "Whites" and place in Europe, nor did people just suddenly appear in Romania, which was probably not even called that originally.... Australia New Zealand Samoa Papa New Guinea, South America Asia, all these people's aboriginal to these lands were all dark people's, race is made up, we all humans, hue man's.... people are only White in their minds.... And you as a Romanian must go really dark in the sun... there is a reason for this... we have all been conditioned and indoctrinated.....
@@adriancarlos9155 Disappointed. I though you were genuinely asking about the history and origins of Romania. I see now that you weren't.
So you are White are you? But you look nothing like the actual colour White so how can you be White? You are indoctrinated into thinking we are all different races but we are all different shades of Brown, go put on a White T shirt 👕 Are you White??, only in your mind not in reality.... You are not blind you know what's what, you don't go about calling a Black car Brown or a Pink or Red car White do you 🤔 so why do it with us as people 🤔 conditioning 🤔, It's that mentality I expect from Romanians through experience, you been mentality fucked with this bollkcks, Romanians are faded Brown people, damm, you even darker than most if not majority of Germanics, from UK Denmark, Germany Finland etc .. A few minutes in the sun you'd be darker than most so called Blacks, and when you say Black people, was there hair the same colour as there faces, no so how they Black? They are fully Melianated people's you are melaneemic people's, although you have more than the average Germanic, ie English etc
Everyone has melanin meaning Everyone has fully Melianated ancestors including you 😀 God didn't create different races and nations, and put so called Whites in Europe or so called Romanians in Romania.... No... Fully Melianated people's created all other humans through mutations.... Man created the lie of race... Dr Johann Frederick Bumberbach created the classification of different races, putting the so called White race on top, this is what is indoctrinated into you from an infant at school and your society! I have seen some dark Romanians, but the light only reproduce with the light, so that's why you mostly resemble Italian or French complexion, the obsessed deluded notion that you are White is a mental illness, The lighter Romanians look down on the dark ones and desperately yearn to bred out the dark , they don't procreate with the dark Romanians,
I find especially Bulgarians Polish Ukrainians, Romanians, very racist, and you the darkest of all modern Europeans, Original Romani Gypsies were Indian's, Romania was create by the Romans, We are all created by the first fully Melianated people's who populated the world , the first humans biology proven were found in the continent we now know as Africa! The oldest skulls were found there, Ancient European skulls were found to be of Ancient Europeans who were not pale people, DNA proves this....
As a Romanian, you are 100% right. People don't stare at you or others looking different for malicious reasons but instead they feel genuine curiosity and awe that "someone out there actually came to Romania". That's why that guy took a pic of you. As you said, try to be the best version of yourself because any foreigner leaves a big impression on Romania and you are literally a mini-ambassador for your culture/country due to the scarcity of foreigners in Romania. Case in point, Cabral, probably the most famous black TV personality in Romania is what most Romanians will perceive a black person to be like.
Romanians in general stare at any race because we are used to see other races in the movies. I promise! Is like we are seeing someone famous, especially for older generation! It really comes from the fact that we appreciate being near people from different cultures or races.
Big like!
As a Romanian, I will assure you that we always stare at what fascinates us. Also staring is a way of saying "hello" for us. If someone stares at you, salute him/her by saying "Hello" or "Salut" or at least nod in an approval manner. The color of your skin matters very little to us, but in terms of racism, your religion and they way you are respecting our cultural norms matters a lot.
Ești fascinat de negrii? Ai fetish-uri dubioase.
Salut è multumesc ^^
@@axelvincent4046 Salut = hello
mulțumesc = thank you
So black people fascinate y’all? That’s pretty weird, just treat us normal and not stare maybe?
@@nolord2563 Staring is a natural human response to emotions like surprise or awe. That is completely normal and you should not be offended by emotions or if someone looks at you.
Romanians are not racists. But we love when we see foreigners here. Everyone seems to avoid Romania because the economy is not so good as in western Europe. Go to France and you’ll see real racism there, or Germany or other country. It happened not only to people of color but to white people also.
I think people from Romania starred at you because you look handsome. 😉
They are but not with black people. And not with all brown people. The best way to avoid racism in Romania if You are brown is to wear glasses. People would assume You are an Indian intellectual and not discriminate You.
@@tfmihancea It is interesting that Gypsies are from India.
@@otnielmoiseanuThey are called Roma ppl. Gypsie is a slur
Regarding the racism thing , don't say you are Hungarian and denounce Trianon or else you will experience a racism with Balkan level of brutality
How can you say France is racist ???? We are the least racist country. Stop being stupidly brainwashed. We give everything to illegal immigrants. If you speak about racism against WHITES then yes France is Racist. Do you know how many Romanians live in France ? Time to go out of your house and learn something. Close the TV though
this video was more mature than I would have ever expected from a 22 year old. I really really enjoyed it, as it's probably one of the few times a foreginer is actually honest and pragmatic about how we act around people we've never seen before in the same setting. Congrats! I'm subscribing rn
I'm 34 now. The first time I met and interacted with a man from Nigeria was in my 2nd year of med school, at 21. No joke, that was the first time I ever saw a man of color and changed ideas with him. His views on life and society were absolutely brilliant! Most times we don't have the option to socialize and get to know people outside our own country(communism and the fact that most people...don't come to live here). Hope you are well and thank you for the content 🙏
It was nice to see the Romanian government greeted African students with open arms, who were caught in the beginning of the war in the Ukraine, as everyone was fleeing ❤️
Yes it was really great news!
Thats a nice way to put it but actually, they were being staled by racist Ukrainians.
I have friends in romania who are at university and they have students from other countries and some of them speak only english and french, no romanian at all, but they still study there
We love African people. We love all nice and respectful people
Ja os poloneses rejeitaram muitos africanos na guerra
Whenever I am in a different country and someone stares at me, I just smile and say hello in the native language. It is a great way to interact with locals and meet new people! The stares have never bothered me; it makes me feel like a famous celebrity!
Haha, that's a great way of thinking! Conversation is key. Most misconceptions (on both parts) can be resolved through communication and interaction!
Shut up ,
I'm glad to see this video, and at the same time it makes me laugh, because what you say is mostly true, that is, more. and as for us, as a country as a people, we are not different from others, from other countries, you just have to be happy with him, once you get to know him you will see that he will give everythingfor you, that's how we are,..by the way, I'm Romanian but I live in England 😁🤗..
I am not black but i am Latino americano and i am married a romanian woman and ive never fell discriminate here in romania!!!!! Sure they look to me because of my color but it is normal, just curiosity!!!!! i love romanian people and i thing they love brazilians like me as well!!! great video my dear!!!!!
Latinos and romanians have almostly similar skin colour
@@agshinaliyev3502 romenos tem cara de turcos Azerbaijão àquelas região não sei porque até algumas traduções romenas tem aspecto parecido com turco
I've read Romanians are considered Latino. Mainly because the people and language are of Latin origin. Is that not true?
Um grande abraço irmão! Era bom alguém abrir um rodízio em Bucharest,tenho saudades de uma boa picanha!
@@joaopotereiko7708They look nothing like Turkish people
I had a similar experience when I was visiting Japan (not Tokyo), and a woman asked me to take a picture with her son. That was weird and funny at the same time.. 😅 I guess people who are just not used to seeing many foreigners might want to take a photo lol
😂
I m a Romanian in London, and one think I can say about us, is that we are extremely curious. Sometimes this can be felt as an intrusion ,but no harm is done .
Hope you happy with your choice,and be curious to understand Romanian people in a deeper level .In most cases when you gain their trust they will give their hearts for you to be good .
Thing* Mihaela
Thank you for your kindness, patience and wisdom in understanding the Roumanian people! You cannot be more right and I think that your thoughts would be valid for any foreigner in any country!
Yes that’s exactly the aim of the video. These points could be transferred for any foreigner abroad. There will always be things that you deem “abnormal” but that’s a given as we aren’t all born into the same place with the same culture or way of living. Thanks for this comment!🙏🏾🤗
@@romaniac tell us about racism in Africa
@@romaniac why do you turn the European cities, in ghettos??
@@ciprianiulian6575🤣🤣🤣 tu ai cap degeaba! Cum ai reusit performanta de a atinge varsta care o ai?
@@giorgio.alexis mult mai bine decât un primat că tine.
I was working in Nice and at one point a new colleague joined us, he is from Cameroon, we connected immediatelly and kept talking in a mixt of english/french.
After about a week of working together (we made a great team), while at work, in the heat of the moment, he asked me something but i couldn't understand it, then he asked again and again i didnt get it, then he raised his tone and clearly asked me, in Romanian🤯 "frate, nu intelegi Romana?!" With a great pronounciation and tonality, i was shooocked and in awe, turned out he speaks Romanian perfectly. We are great friends since then.
Now i find you here talking so warm about my country like inside your heart are more Romanian than any of us. Thank you very much Sir.
You're doing a much better job than our president or any paid promotion campaign.
Thank you so much for being so open minded and interested in understanding Romanians ❤️
I am Romanian and my husband is Tanzanian. He made the same observations first time when he visited Romania. He feels like people stare but not in a bad way,but just in a curious way, like they would like to know more of where he's from and what's he doing in Romania. In some more rural parts , people thought he was a celebrity and wanted to get his autographs even, invited him to their house to try our foods and try our traditional alcohol aka tuica🤣(he played along of course haha). Romanians take pride in their hospitality and he loves Romania too; you did a great job in discribing us perfectly. 🙌
P.S. : everyone who talks so highly of our culture is a great asset to our country. Bonus Romanian. You will be a great medical field worker personnel💯
Hi Adriana B,am Kenyan here bt never met any Kenyan here can you please help me,find me on FB thru this name please,iwill appreciate alot
My grandma never in her life saw a black person. Actually, I highly doubt she even knows that people with different skin color exist, since she lived all her life in the exact same village (of course, without having TV, internet or phones). My parents saw black people only on TV (and they are not very old :) )
Of course, Romania had closed borders for a long time and it was illegal to leave or enter the country. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, I feel so lucky to be able to travel and see other cultures, traditions, people. I don’t want to live in an isolated country, like my parents and grandparents did.
All the best to you. Good luck at uni ♥️
I agree, no matter where we are from we are lucky to be able to travel as much as we do, some don’t have the money or means to do so 🙌🏾 Thanks for the best wishes!🤗
@@romaniac don't tell me that Africans are not racist when they see a white person in African. Let's not act like victims now.
But you are faded Brown , so called Blacks are darker Brown, but not Black, You just a bunch of racist fools, at one time you were not on the classification list as being White. This happened much later... Even the Irish were not considered White.... but because the White race is a man creation, and doesn't actually exist, because there are not White people on the face of the earth... The real minority is the so called White race! We are different shades of Brown not Black or White... all these other nations were included much later, Romanians Bulgarians, were not considered White, only recently are you getting paler, if you get my meaning
@@romaniac Because your ancestors went around stealing and invading lands so it set up the New World New Found land... Australia New Zealand America, Brazil, Spain, Portugal etc, Canada, America,
Tu ești conștient(ă) că pe vremea lui ceașcă aveam o mulțime de studenți africani și arabi? Majoritatea erau din țări prietene cu România ceaușistă. Persoanele de culoare nu sunt un element nou în România.
for some it's an intrigued stare because as you said, we were not exposed to this culture, we did not interact directly, we don't know anything about the cultural differences. So for some, it's something new, seen only on TV and youtube videos. Few Romanians interacted with guys like you or had the opportunity to travel to cities like London and studied or work with and get to know these different cultures. I guess it can be annoying sometimes, but i'm sure things will improve in the future as we'll travel more and get exposed to the different cultures.
That's exactly my thought :)
@@romaniac Anecdotally, my brain is automatically turning on when seeing someone/something different from what I'm used to and generates unwillingly a conflict between "I wish I could look more" to "but he/she's going to think I'm staring" to "damn, I looked too long/he's going to think I'm a creep" to "don't look, don't look, you're going to be weird again"...🤦♀️...please, be patient with us, we don't mean anything bad, is just awkwardness.
Haha I could agree with you more! I do the same in other situations, it’s human 😅
Dude being with Romanian gf for like 3 years(I'm Greek). I must say that they couldn't care less for somebody's skin color. If you respect them, get to know them, embrace their culture etc...rest don't matter. Ps forgot how beautiful Herastrau is.
It’s the same with most cultures, people are receptive of those who embrace their culture! Herastrau is 👌🏾
It's the IOR park in the movie, not HERASTRAU!
If I was black I’d go to Romania, and recommend it to my many friends who are. Imagine going to a country where people are interested in you because of your skin color being so different. Romanians are welcoming, friendly and funny. I know, I’ve been there for work with other black friends and they were quite popular.
if its about popularity, yes its true 😅
The thing is, we, romanians, aren't really racist towards people of different skin color or religion: throughout our history we've been bordered by many great empires of different ethnicities and customs: the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. We do have some differences with the Romani/gipsy people and this thing is seen not only here, but throughout the entire european continent. But when disaster strucks or when our politicians start acting like idiots(for example the massive protests from the 2012/2017), we forget about every difference and unite against it.
Black people in Romania are most likely welcomed and most if not all of us romanians are only curious when we see black people because we very rarely see people of such different culture.
🤝 😊
brilliant! I am fom bucharest, and im 26 years old, what can i say about this story from my country's point of view is that we lived in isolation for so many years, and yes we've seen colored people only in movies, so when we see a black person on our streets it makes us feel good and proud, like we are FINALLY a normal, more advanced country than we used to be until nowadays. I think most of the young people here are fascinated with this new kind of view, so may you feel like a celebrity, enjoy and many blessings!
Thank you! 🤗
"colored people?"
@@wendellbatts2477 im sorry, "people of color", here means the same with colored people, cause we are not familliar with all the terms accepted socially. *not meant to offend anyone 😇🙏
@@chill_and_thrive "colored people does as it's a racially derogatory term to describe blacks, especially here in the states ,that goes back a long way. Just so you know.
@@wendellbatts2477 I never knew there is a difference between "colored people" and "people of color". In my opinion, "black person" would be the simplest and most neutral way to say address blacks.
“Special” you said it. Old timers stare in curiosity because back in their day they were isolated from the rest of the world. So in a country predominantly Romanian…everything/everyone foreign was special. The old gentleman who took a photo is no exception, he probably thought that he might not see a black person again. To him you are special and you’ll be remembered as the nice foreign young man who allowed him to take a photo. But we’re honest people and if you ever get in a negative situation, it won’t be because the colour of your skin but because people will be people, no matter where you are; we have douche bags too
As a Romanian living for 22 years in Italy, I hope you are always welcome wherever you go in Romania. Someone might be racist even without realising it, as like pinpointing you are black every so often because of ignorance. If you see things you don't like, speak up and ask: "doar suntem egali, nu-i asa?" I've had my share of ignorance and stubborn denial here in Italy, but I'm still kicking ass each and every time they try to put me in a corner.
Dar prin anii 80 in România erau mai mulți studenți de origine africana. Doar ca ii găseai în orașele mari
da, da mi s-a spus 😊
highly accurate description, well done!
Thanks 🙏🏾😊
Thank you so much for making this video my man! 🙏 Very insightful.
And thank you for coming to study in my country. Much love, hope you enjoy your stay ♥️
We`re glad to have you and that you love it in our country! I honestly can agree with the notion that what is "different" makes us curious and spurns our inquisitive nature. This is true for different kinds of people, cultures, foods, hobbies, music, etc! When I see a foreigner I usually look at that person to see how he/she is dressed because I admire their different styles and they`re lovely to look at. Other times I look out to make sure that they`re doing ok! I`ve had a number of encounters in Bucharest with different kinds of foreigners that didn't speak Romanian and needed directions or someone to translate for them as they had trouble getting around. Our general view is that "we`re all human and let`s try to be nice and get along with each other"!
How funny is that?! You're form London and you live in Romania, I am from Romania and I live in London. I agree with everything you said on this video and I really hope that you felt welcome to Romania as I felt welcome to London! 🥰
Haha we did a switcheroo! Enjoy London for me whilst I do the same for you here in Romania!😂🙌
We're the same age and until like 3 years ago I haven't even seen a black person in real life. I try not to stare but i doubt the older generation knows it's not polite and it would be even more of an extraordinary thing for them after all those years
Yes, I can only imagine how strange it can be for them after 60+ years of no actual contact with a black person. It really must be extraordinary as you said😅
I have a friend from Madagascar she is half Asian half black, a really interesting mix and she told me that people stare at her a lot, but the thing is she is in a small city here in Romania which did not have international exposure so I told her "it's normal", people are intrigued when they see someone very "unusual traits".
In the end color of our skin does not matter, just the content of our hearts and character. :)
I'm glad you were treated well, I was a little worried 😭. I don't want my country to embarrass itself in front of others. Thankfully, as far as I know, we aren't aggressive enough even if one was racist to harm another person, if anything, rather passive aggressive compared to others. But anyway, glad you are having fun! As a youngster, I try not to stare when I notice a foreigner to not bother them ^^
Thank you so much for telling your story. Much appreciated. I feel sorry for the black students in Ukraine who has been caught up in the war and they are being treated very badly at the Polish border. Thanks again for sharing your experience. Be safe brother. Watching from Sweden
It’s very sad and we pray they manage to leave & get somewhere safe! 🤲🏾
@@romaniac I saw that some students are walking to Romania. I hope they will be safe before fying home. God bless them.
Pff is not true..that people is coming in Ucraina with school visa , not UE visa !!
Funny story 🙂. It is great that you make an effort to understand our way of thinking/being. People from other countries just judge us, without knowing about us too much.
Wish you a pleasant time in Romania 😉
thank you so much Simona😊
Glad this video popped up in recommended. Liked and subscribed. I'm Romanian and living in Netherlands and here's the thing. I am white, but I have black, actually black, not dark, black hair, dark brown eyes and I'm about 1,75 m tall. Dutch people are blond, blue eyed and about 2 m all of them. And they all know just by looking at me that I'm a foreigner. I've felt some discrimination for being Romanian, but just like you said, I brushed it off and went on my way. My personal achievements are more important than getting mad at how someone looks at me.
Yes exactly! There is a lot of truth in what you said!
I'm Romanian, 23 from Bucharest and moved to London when I was 19 (we basically swapped places lol). As a Romanian, I think you put it so well and you're spot on. And I appreciate that you took the time to understand our recent history and the reasons why some people might act funny, and not just outright claim that Romania is a racist country. Don't get me wrong, racism is definitely a problem in Romania, we can't hide around the bush, but it's much more complex than that. And also, especially for our generation and in our times when information is so accessible, I don't think there's an excuse for people to not be educated and at least know basic knowledge (something like not all black people are from Africa). It took me moving to London to understand how much information I was lacking and how low my level of understanding was and I felt so embarrassed at times because of that. But I'm also so glad I got to learn. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying Romania! Baftă! :)
Dude grow up ....your brain is still developing at 23 ......!!!
Anytime you look different from the locals it will draw attention to yourself. I was in Tanzania in 2017 where some locals that not only stared at me but would poke at my
skin to see if it was really whitish or was it a colored cream trying to alleviate some kind of skin conditions I was dealing with. Not saying that peoples stares are a pleasant
thing to have to endure but at least you weren't being unwantedly probed and touched.
😅 That would be weird, I *really* hope it doesn't happen.
😂😂😂I have remembered in 2020 was walking in București where I met old people who have never seen black so they stopped me and all wanted to touch my hair it felt so sweet they wanted to communicate with me but they didn't know English and I didn't know Romanian language 😂😂😂😂
I’ve heard some other “hair touching” stories but some sisters’ hair be so on point that I’d even be tempted to ask to touch!😂😂
I am Romanian with curly hair. In Cambodia they wanted to touch my hair and were asking how I made it like that.
This is great. Im heading there in a few weeks from the USA and quite frankly, Im excited and a bit nervous as well. Being black, living in America and being originally from the Caribbean if that gives some perspective. Great vid man.
We wish you a good trip! & If you ask, the lovely people in the comments will give you some great recommendations for places to visit 😊
Terrific video! You are a great spokesman to foster respect and understanding among people of all races and ethnicities. My grandmother was born in Romania and although she passed many years ago, when I visited Romania in 2019 I kissed the ground in gratitude and in memory of her. Romania is a beautiful country and I hope to visit again someday.
This video just popped up on my YT recommendations and I'm glad it did haha.
As a romanian myself, I had a great time listening to your point of view as a foreigner in this country. You have a very calming way of talking and expressing your thoughts. Keep doing videos like these and I'm sure your channel will grow ✌️
Your video has reminded me of a story with my mother. Her and I were in a supermarket shopping, store was located in a small city fairly close to Bucharest, not a very diverse city. My mother saw 2 black guys and she was lost in a stare. Elbowed her gently, mum what are you doing? She said, I’m just curious. I said I get it, look of course but dont stare, imagine the opposite and how they might feel. Saying that, I will admit that I didnt fully understand how they felt until I moved to England and I’ve been put to walk in their shoes. I took it as a normal thing, kept on smiling and carried on. Thanks for making this video and I hope you fully enjoy your stay in Romania.
Thank you very much! I will try to take full advantage of the time I have here 😊
As someone who is born and raised in Romania I can say that:
- we really don't distinguish between different types of black people. For a lot of high-school kids, their only interaction with black culture is through rap and hip-hop (stuff like Tupac, Ice Cube, Biggie, etc..), which has had quite a bit of influence on our perception of how a black person looks / behaves
- yeah, people would stare a lot. Seeing a black person almost feels like the "event of the week"; and not gonna lie, for some older folk it might be out of fear or some type of preconceived bias, it's like they don't even have the concept of a black person in Romania. When it comes to younger people, it's usually not out of malice, like when I walk with my friends on the street and they see a black person, they'd usually say "Wow, a black guy. That's so cool!"
- I have no idea what you see in this country, but I'm glad you like it : ))
I love whenever I see content like this on YT. Seeing what foreigners think of my country is very interesting
Many Romanians ,especially the older ones, have only seen a black person in the movies so your actual presence does spur alot of interest.If anyone stares at you just salute them saying Hello and all will be good😁
Yea that sounds reasonable 😬😊👍🏼
We stare because we are not used to see different people coming in our country but most of the people are not racist. When we move in other countries, they treat us bad, so, we learned how it feels. 😊
I stare because I cannot believe that the Romanian government and people are gullible enough to offer them residence. We see what they do in Western nations, but we're gullible or stupid enough to think they actually have something to offer us.
Thanks! What a great outlook, glad you posted. Good luck with everything!
I am at the half way point of your video. I am a brown person born in South America, grew up in NYC, spent 3 months in Romania. They actually love my completion. I have been traveling for the last 12 years so it was alarming in Italy, Budapest, and so on. I also spend 3 months in Prague. The staring I got used to as my friend explained it...think of a white wall, and there is a spot...that's exactly what's happening. I realized they actually appreciate me. Some actually have a black and brown fetishes hehe. They are proud and want to know if I am from NYC, why come to their country. Same in Albania. I have had people take pics with me in Budapest by Italians, and by Russians. It has changed the way I look at things coming from a very racist America. Great video man!
Hello! I am glad that you are among us and that you have understood well the reality present in our country ... As a man of another color you are welcome here but between us there is a language barrier ... The young can still communicate with you but the old cannot communicate with you even though they would like a lot and speak to you from their heart ... It is important for us to show you that you are welcome from the beginning ... you still need to know that we would like you to feel at home here. ..to know that we want you to be here and be our friend or even to form a family with us ... regardless of color, religion or ideals in life
😊🙌🏾
You are a smart guy, the fact that you are black, doesn't matter to me, 2 months in sun, and I am black-er than you are, the simply truth is, so simple: racism will exist as long races exist, there is nothing to do about this, is a taboo nobody wants to talk about, have a nice stay in Romania
Thank you so much! I‘ve enjoyed my time here so far!😊👍🏾
Love ❤️ this video! I’m going to Bucharest next month and your mindset is similar to mine. I’m looking forward to it. ✨
This mindset should be adopted by more people! Glad we think alike & enjoy you’re time!If you need any suggestions just ask😊👍🏾
@@romaniac I've been here for just under a week. Hurry up and reply to my dm on IG in case you want to meet up :)
As a kid, I spent my summer holidays in the countyside where my grandparents lived (in Romania, of course - I am Romanian). Great time, great adventures, great friends -I felt like Huckleberry Finn. The only moments I dreaded there were those when I had to go from A to B on a Saturday or Sunday: all the people in the village were out on the bench in front of their houses gossipping, and I could feel their stare burning holes through me from afar, and long after I passed the group. I was sometimes asked who were my parents (my acestry was important to them, apparently, to link the city boy to the place through his roots). I felt lucky on the days I could use my uncle's bycicle to go about my business, because that meant that I only had to salute them "on the go", without stopping for the mandatory interrogation. The Stare! I so don't miss it.
OMG I hate wearing a dress because my grandmother insisted I had to wear one when I was going in the village on a Sunday.
Rest of the week we were playing barefoot pe uliță and making mud puppets.
Makes me cry de dor
Al cui esti ma tu? Zi ma!🤣
The quality of the videos on this channel are very good. The picture story is so funny🤣 but it's good that you are so understanding with everything
We are glad you like it 😬😅
Ma bucur ca nu te simti discriminat sau cumva aiurea la noi in tara, asa este, avem tendinta sa ne holbam, din curiozitate, si pentru simplul fapt ca suntem obisnuiti cu oameni cu pielea alba sau putin creola, si fara sa ne dam seama ne uitam mai mult, dar am observat ca nu este placut, eu una incerc sa nu ma mai holbez, pana la urma incepem sa ne obisnuim cu mai multi oameni de diferite nationalitati, rase, etc. Felicitari pentru faptul ca studiati medicina, mult succes !
Really appreciate you and the way you view the experience you have with the romanians 😊
M8, you have such a great grasp of romania, the people and culture. I am amazed. KUDOS TO YOU and thank you for presenting my country through your lense and experience, i really apreciate it.
I am a Romanian now living in London and I did my Master in Theology in Seoul, South Korea. I can relate to your experience, I had those curious stares as even there white is not the norm and had some people just come and wanted to take pictures with me because I was white. I didn't mind and I really enjoyed being there.
During the 80s there were many black African students in Romania, but only in big cities with universities. But after the fall of communism, they stopped coming as they no longer received scholarships. So yes, it is a curiosity. You are like we say "simpatic".
That’s interesting to hear 👍 but makes sense!
Yup. My mom was there. And was born there.
Awesome video!
You are right about how us Romanians think, also about the stare, we are a pretty curious nation and easy to impress, there are still a lot of romanians that have yet to see a black person and give him the curiosity stare.
Thank you for speaking so kindly about Romania and our people!
We romanians love being respected, those who respect us will see that no matter your color, our love is kind and really appreciates you!
You say it so nicely. And you are so right about the need to understand the culture of the country you spend time in. Language is just like a thin skin of what is going on in the minds of people of the same culture. I imagine myself in your shoes and I think it must be hard with all the staring and possibly language/what is being said to you. I hope when you leave it will be with good memories.
You are a smart and clever guy. May God protect you.
Thank you for the compliment. God bless you too!🙌
I am in my mid 30s and i found myself staring as well. But it's all because i am like..."Ahm...and you chose to come live in Romania? Ahm...why?"
Cool to have you here. I hope you enjoy your stay and continue living here. 🙂
Thank you 🙏🏾 Only God knows how long I’ll be here but I have no intentions of leaving anytime soon!😊❤️🇷🇴
I have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this video. I'm always curious to hear what other people who are not feom here think about us (the people who live here) and the country in general. Most of the time it's not good as we are perceived as the "gypsy" nation but there's so much more to Romania than what meets the eye so thank you for shining a light on that as someone who came here by choice. We kind of talk bad about our country whenever something happens but always defend it when other people try to tear us down. It's also interesting that you said that you will never really feel like you are feom here, because I've always struggled with a sense of identity being hungarian who was born here. I obviously am a citizen who will defend Romania against prejudice and stereotypes but i am also proud to be Hungarian. It's a really interesting topic for sure.
A Kenyan on a second year living in west Romania🇷🇴, from my experience ppl here are overly warm compared to countries in the west that I have been,My language skills r pretty basic but it goes along way as I strive to get better.This country offers a lot to just keep getting compared with the west side .
Welcome to Ro and i really hope you enjoy your staying here and feel welcomed. This topic about skin colour here in Ro makes me laugh everytime. We don't understand this racism here in Ro. We all humans and period. In general we stare cause we don't know how to say nicely welcome to our country and if enjoying your stay or need some help. Come visit Iasi. Is full of students from everywhere. Indeed like any other country we have bad people crazy on his thinking but don't generalize us from a person or two. Mostly we are raged about government people that are bad and we hate cause nothing good comes from the young generation to lead a government with a strong hand. Other things like racism are so silly 😂😂
I’ll definitely visit, it’s in my list! 😊👍🏾
Great video man! I am Romanian and I will add to the point about 'never being a Romanian". I don't think that is true, being Romanian is more than just genetics, since clearly we are made up (in varying degrees) of saxons, romanii, latins, slavs, mogyers, jews, arabs and i dare say even (more recently) asians and africans. Being Romanian is a way of life, culture, and way of seeings the world, which honestly anyone can embrace. We have a great person by the name of Cabral Ibraca (famous boxer and tv personality) who is black and yet he sees himself as Romanian, and rightly so. :)
It’s nice to hear a different point of view. The longer I’m here, the more I feel at home so maybe one day I’ll feel that way🤷🏾♂️😊
@@romaniac He is right, I am a Romanian from Moldova (the republic) and to me, Cabral is the most Romanian Romanian with an extra pinch of Romaniannes on top. It's not about your skin colour indeed.
Thank you for this education, as I did not know this. I assumed wrongly Romania was monolithic. One day hope to travel.
It’s a little different with Cabral because he was born and raised in Romania, and his mother is Romanian, he has Romanian blood he is only half black haha
But i get your point! Anyone can be romanian!! Nu conteaza cine esti sau ce limba vorbesti asta este tara ta, Romaniaaa 🎶🎶🥳😆
Very realistic observations and description of the status in Romania about the subject. I hope you are enjoying staing in Romania! Very good video. Keep up the good work!
Funnily enough the eye-staring by older people is a running meme even for us natives here, if you ever go to a village or drive around in one, you can see all the heads SLOWLY TURNING, with First-person-shooter-like tracking.
😂😂😂 nice comparison 👍🏾
Not all stares are mean, i stare out of appreciation, to see that we can live in harmony together, I'm happy to see foreigners enjoying our culture.
And yes we are really obsessed with foreigners liking our country. In general Romanians are quite patriotic.
Enjoy your stay in Bucharest!
Thank you for saying this about our country!
Multumim frate ♥️
The thing is, we don't really have many foreigners in Romania because we don't really see our country as the type of place a foreigner would choose to go to. That is mostly because we are underdeveloped compared to the other European countries, and many of our citizens have left to find better jobs westward. We do have a curiosity when it comes to other races or peoples but never in a bad way. We're just puzzled sometimes that people would choose Romania over Germany, France, UK etc. Aside from that I like to think that we're a welcoming people. As long as you're a decent person and get flat out drunk at parties you're truly one of us (especially the latter). I hope you have a great time here man, much love and best of luck with your studies.
Hello. I'm Belinda, and I am currently in Bucharest visiting for the week, I'll be here until July 16th. I'm so glad I came across your video. I've been here three days, and this video summed up my exact experience. I hope by the end of the week, I'll have some good stories to tell about my time here.
I'm a traveler/nomad, so I travel A LOT!
Watched the video, great job.
The thing with staring applies for us Romanian as well even if we are white persons.
We have distinctive clothing taste and we don’t blend in easily especially abroad. You can tell that someone is Romanian, Polish or Ukrainian just from their appearance and clothing.
I lived in London for a few years and as a white person I’ve got my share of stares, most of them with disgust because of that stigma you’ve mentioned in the video.
I personally sometimes stare at a black person in Romania but just because I’m fascinated about their style.
Keep up the good work. See you in Bucharest.
I mean, the one place where we shoot ourselves (as Romanians) in the foot with this is with the sense of humor. PC culture is just starting to penetrate this society and we tend to make jokes that are otherwise wayyy too edgy and inconsiderate for most western countries, which often at times makes us look as if we're more discriminative, conservative or racists than most people actually are (though we do still have those kind of people, just like any other country)
Later edit: Regarding the stare. Yup, can confirm. I even caught myself sometimes doing that, but it's almost always fascination and curiosity because we hardly have any black people. I know it'll sound wrong, but you guys are sort of exotic here because of multi-ethnic demographic scarcity. Many from small towns would stare at Asians in the same way, but there isn't any racism behind it, more like naive fascination.
Subscribed btw. :)
oh bless! Finally someone with a vertical statement, able to understand what/how the Romanians are feeling.
I'm from Ro living in UK (Staffordshire, Birmingham area) and the huge difference between the way we are acting as society is given by our historical background - we never did what the English did with the World as we were too busy to defend ourselves against others like them. ;)
I wouldn't use "Negru in România" other than a colour description and I'm sure the Romanians are thinking in the same way. Be one of us and we will became one of you, no matter the colour of the skin.
As a fact, if I'm going now back in my mom's village just 70km away from București, the old ppl there will stare at me and ask me where I'm coming from and who will be my parents/family. Then the next question will be if I like their place and I'm thinking to stay longer there.
I just love these "connection questions" and they will make me to fell so safe and home. Same rules applies to foreigners no matter the skin colour.
Just stop and talk with them, is working like a kind of password of getting integrated, changing "Bună Ziua" and other precious info.
After this nobody will ever be lost or filling alone (no matter the skin colour).
😎 😂 🤗 🤪
I live in London and when I come to Romania I find the Romanians a little insistent because I haven't lived in Romania for a few years. I'm used to it like in the UK, where people don't look at you too much. I'm white and Romanian too. So it's about our way of being. Don't stress about it.
Thanks for the comment :)
Romanian here. First of all Im 22 as well so it's nice seeing the perspective of a black man same age as mine. With that out of the way...
I like a lot how you structured the video and how you described every situation you've been in. And yes, your observations were on point . Romania was unlucky enough to be under communist rule for about 40 years. 40 very important years during which the west changed and developed a lot. So older people are more... shall I say, surprised. To me seeing black people is actually quite pleasing as it feels like we are slowly transforming into a western country in the sense that we are more and more open to foreigners. And yea, this applies to all foreign people regardless of race, but black and asian people you notice in a heartbeat for... obvious reasons. I sometimes look a bit longer because im curious if i can figure the nationality by speech, clothing, body language. I live in Cluj now, here to study. And this is the second biggest city in the country and also full of foreign people especially in universities. I come from a much smaller town, so initially I had a bit of a culture shock. I was thinking there arent as many black people here, considering it's not Bucharest. But after all, it's a very international type of city so... go figure. I've seen a few french black people and I gotta say, yea, to some people black might be black but I can see the differences quite fast. French is not british, ain't american nor african. It's all about how much you've been exposed to those cultures to figure the differences. Me, I ain't travelled much but we younger people have had the internet almost since birth (those born post 2009-ish literally had it since birth). Helps a lot to understand the world you live in and get a broad perspective over the world. The elders hardly have that. Anyway, about the national pride, I think you hammered the point home, western countries kinda see us like the west's pariah. But even without this stigmatism, I think it's something common to all latin countries. Go to a scandinavian country and you'll see they are "colder" in approach. We also like to party so if you meet romanians in a laid back environment you'll definitely like us.
greetings from Romania, Suceava💕
just discovered you guys and I already love your vids
I'm glad you're talking about this.
I'm half Romanian half Japanese, and I grew up here in Romania. I want to share some of my experiences too.
Most people, at least those my age, are respectful, and I never really had to deal with anything particularly bad.
However, growing up, kids would keep calling me Chinese, even after I had explained that I'm not and what the differences are ad nauseam. I think they didn't understand why I cared, but imagine going to Japan and the other kids keep calling you Hungarian or something. That'd be annoying. They'd say stuff like "Coni-chihuahua" (like "konnichiwa" which means "hello") or "să ai o nară" (like "sayonara" which means "goodbye"). They'd repeat these phrases over and over again until they really weren't funny anymore (not that they were that funny to begin with). Sometimes they'd just come up to me and say random Japanese phrases or words for some reason, which was always awkward. Sometimes they'd say stuff like "ching chong" bc of course they did. Baically making fun of one of my native languages just cuz they thought it's weird. I generally got along with my classmates, but ngl, when it came to my race, they'd always get weird about it.
Adults were weirder though. They'd ask me "Where do you like it better? Here or in Japan?". Bruh, I was like 5. Wtf. It's like asking if I love my mom more than my dad. Or they'd ask "Why did you come here?", like I know??? My parents decided it, ask them and stop bothering me??? It's fine to ask stuff about Japan, but make it age appropriate. I was a kid lol, how was I supposed to answer those questions?
I'm in Uni now, in Bucharest, no longer in Sinaia, about to finish first year, and I still get weird reactions from ppl from time to time.
Once, a presumably drunk man was shouting, presumably at me (I didn't look at him but there weren't any other Asians around): "Tokyo! China! Asian monkey! Do you eat rice?". I personally find it funny, but that doesn't mean it's okay at all.
Sometimes ppl don't have any ill intent though, but that's when it gets tricky. I've had teachers put me on a pedestal for being half Japanese. Kind of to a fetishistic level honestly. If I'd try to tell them stuff about Japan from my personal experience, they wouldn't listen and they'd keep talking about it, as if they know that country better than me, even though they'd never been there. One teacher even pulled her eyes in front of my brother and my mom! She didn't have any ill intent, but it's still not okay. And it's hard to point it out because they'll say "But you don't understand! I mean no offence!". I know they mean no offence, but they still put me in really awkward sitiations bc of their perception of Japan, and that's not okay.
There is nothing wrong with being passionate about Japan and Japanese culture. I'm very passionate about it too! I love sharing it with people! But I really don't like it when they have this utopian view of it and then expect me to be basically above human. It's also frustrating because I'm half Romanian too! If all my good traits come from my Japanese side, does that mean my bad traits are from my Romanian side?! I just hate it when Romanians start talking about Japan like it's a perfect place because they also ALWAYS start trashing on Romania. Hello?! Romania is also my country! You don't get to talk about it like that, okay? It makes me really uncomfortable and Idk that many people whom I can talk about this with.
Now to share some positives or funny things, sometimes, because I'm socially awkward, people notice I stutter and struggle to speak, so they realize I'm not 100% Romanian and they start speaking English. I can usually tell by accent that they are Romanian, but I was educated to always reply in the language I'm spoken to, so I just reply in English. That's how I end up accidentally practicing my English with strangers lol.
I also wanna mention that most ppl, from my experience, are genuinely just curious about Japan and they're respectful and they listen when I tell them about things that make me uncomfortable. It's very neat, honestly.
Ah, and I almost forgot: THE WEEBS! I don't mind most of them. They can be a little embarrassing to be around, but they seem to have geuine appreciation for Japan. From my experience, they're sometimes a little too eager to learn about Japan, and I'm happy to do my best to deliver! Even if that means taking off their rose-tinted glasses little by little.
Anyway, all in all, I think Romania still has some rascism issues (regarding Romani people, for instance), but the average Romanian is not ill-meaning, at least speaking from personal experience.
Ok so, born in Romania but I live in the UK, and boy have I had my share of older customers who assumed they knew my country better than I just because they'd been there a couple of times. People from multiple nationalities and backgrounds, mind you, so you'd think they'd know better. But nay, seems that arrogance is a worldwide issue 😂
Thanks for sharing your experience though. And agreed, I think more people should bring up the issue of racism and indifference over there. The topic has been on my mind for some time now but finding articles written by Romanians (both native and naturalized locals) has been rather tricky.
Also, I can sorta relate to the repetitiveness of certain reaction from strangers. Often times, when a new person finds out I'm Romanian they'll try to use me as a travel booklet. Some have even stopped speaking to me once they've learned everything they couldn't be bothered to google. Or they'll go on and on about Dracula and fun facts they've learned online as to impress me, without giving a crap about what I might have to say.
I also date an American so my accent sounds pretty Georgian...to English people that is lmao. I get asked if 'I'm a yank' at least 2 times a day and some will take the piss out of the way I pronounce certain words. (Which is. Kinda funny tbh. But only if it's from people I know.)
It all just becomes awkward and annoying and flat out draining after a while. I've only had to deal with these things since I was 17, can't imagine growing up like that. The story with the teacher pulling her eyes in front of your family was just nuts (then again, I did have a physics teacher that went on a racist rant about how much she fears Roma children,in front of my Romani clasmate, so it's not that shocking that there would be more idiots like her).
I swear, people rely too much on what little they know about other places, and our culture has a huge issue when it comes to personal boundaries. And we don't speak up when things get inappropriate? Idk why, and it's one of the main reasons I've left Romania (the othes being education and me being queer, it didn't feel super safe there).
Anyway dude, I'm sorry you've had to deal with so many twats and I hope public education back home realizes it's about time they start teaching people how to be more accepting, and less fucking intrusive with their questions -_-
@@Crowcus Thanks for sharing your experiences too!
Definitely agree that education should change over here, especially when it comes to being more open to other cultures. I always thought that public school education here is quite Eurocentric, with seldom any acknowledgement of other continents. It's not an issue exclusive to Romania, but it is an issue and I think it'd be really neat if we'd learn a little about, say, music from other continents too. At least a little bit. Otherwise, what you get is a whole bunch of people, who probably have no ill-intent, having a mental image of East Asia that is limited by that siamese cat in The Aristocats that plays the piano with chopsticks (in the "Everybody Wants to be A Cat" scene, if you remember).
And I can relate to trying to read about the topic of racism in Romania, but finding somewhat questionable stuff. I think we need to get a whole lot better at talking about these issues because at this moment, I think I know more about BLM than about what's going on in Romania, which is weird. And maybe we can also talk more about other topics of discrimination like anti-lgbtq+, ableism, ageism, sexism etc. because we've... I mean, it's not the worst place to be in, but it can be better. My mom would be pretty upset she'd find out I wanna go to the Pride Parade/March/Protest and she's all I got so it's kinda hard for _me_ to do that stuff, so I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite by saying we should be doing stuff when I'm not doing that stuff.
I hope things are going well for you in the UK. I heard some pretty bad things on YT in terms of how queer people are treated. Stay safe.
I am a Romanian, soon in my 50thies but living and working in London for 6 years for now :)). I have worked abroad since my young years so, I am used with foreigners of all races. I tried always to make more tolerable and understanding my people when I came back home... I really wish you a great experience in Bucharest and I apologise to you for all my co nationals who made you feel bad in any way.
I am grateful to UK society and as a country for what I live here...
Of course, I had some "funny" experiences with "pure white British"... as an East European I wasn't good enough...
All the best to you... by the way... do you know the actor Victor Yila? I have to check if I wrote correct his surname!
Absolutely love this video ! So happy I came across this video .. I’m interested in studying there but my family was scared because I’m mixed and my father who is black said it’s a racist country. Hearing your opinion , really explains it all .. Thank you ! Keep up the great work 🙏🏽 Love all the way from the Caribbean ☀️
Thank you🤗🙏🏾
Hey...as someone born and raised here...I do agree that there is a curiosity from our older generation, especially those that never travelled abroad, towards people of different race, ethnicity or nationality. Nothing malicious behind, just people tend to stare cause it's so different for them 😊
@@cristinadumitru1162 I completely understand now 😅.. Thanks so much for letting me know as well .. it’s great to hear it from a Romanian National themself .. you seem so sweet 😊
As a romanian I can say that we are not racists,and most of the time we tend to treat forugners better than our people 😁,to make your dad trust more about romania You can serch on You tube the videos posted by the african students refuggees from Ukraine in romania and the way they were treated👍
NOO IS NOT TRUE. ROMANIA IS NOT AN RACIST COUNTRY. MAYBE RUSSIA
Maaaan, if i could i would like this video 100000 times. Amazing video!
I lived in Romania for 8 years. It is my second home. I lived up in Maramures and was stared at a lot. I’m an older white American that stayed in a state run orphanage in a village. A young Romanian friend told me that Romanians stare at each other. My son, who grew up in the orphanage, was thrilled when he met someone from Africa. He told me he was like Usher 😂
Hi! I am romanian, and i never shake hands with a black people, or a chinese, or an indian, and when i see one i stared, bechause i've only seen on movie. For me it's like a movie star comming in My town, so sorry If i disturb but it is not a bad intention
Haha a movie star is far too flattering but I it’s understandable if there aren’t usually any foreigners in your town😊
hey man, you made my lough 😂. Yeah, I know. I am Romanian living in the UK and one day I came with one of my ex-girlfriend which is black and showed her my country and she also said that old people were staring at her all the time :)) yeah it's ok don't worry it's not about racism is just as you said it. They have never seen it before.
Speaking as a Romanian expat from Canada, thank you for doing a marvelous job highlighting the ways & reasons as to the way Romanians perceive others who don't look like them. Enjoy Romania, people love people there, without discrimination, but from a place of love. And they have a lot to offer the world. Keep being the best human being you can be & the world will love you back!
Thanks for understanding us and our inadequacies.
I know two black girls who loved to visit Romania because they felt like superstars as they used to say. All the stares, the attention, the curiosity can also be something fun for people of other ethnicities, I guess.