Category: Bruce Harrison
Capitalism at Work in Bucharest
Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 by Bruce Harrison
A couple prepares to open a travel agency in downtown Bucharest. It is yet another sign of people’s faith and hope in a capitalistic economy in this formerly communist nation.
Iliyanan Ivanova and her husband Miximnco Ovidiu don’t speak the same language. She’s Bulgarian and he’s Romanian, so they use English to communicate and work together in the travel industry.
For over a week, they have been working 12 hour days renovating their property on Smardan Street in downtown Bucharest. Ivanova said it’s hard to find space in the city to open a business.
“They are very expensive and valuable properties,” she said.
Under communism travel agencies didn’t develop a tradition like other businesses in Romania. Ivanova said it’s a new business of the last twenty years and it still needs time to improve and develop. This spurs competition among agencies, even the smaller ones. But you can make it in the travel industry in Romania.
“It’s all about experience, politics, connections, and taking an individual approach to the industry,” Ivanova said.
Ivanova and Ovidiu both have experience. They own a a travel agency in Bulgaria and have worked for cruise lines. Admission into the European Union has helped make things easier for the couple as well. Ivanova said that as soon as Romania joined the European community, things started to change in a positive way. In general, growth in infrastructure and investors.
“For me the change is obvious because I’m not a Romanian,” Ivanova said. “Coming and going out of the country frequently and owning a business outside of the country, you really have the best view to see how development takes place.”
The travel agency will be open in a week with continued improvements taking place over the next month. Ivanova and Ovidiu will be working with Romanian and foreign tourists.
Hear a new business owner in Bucharest:
Hear a new business owner in Bucharest
Stray Situation
Posted Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Bruce Harrison
Bucharest has one of the largest populations of stray dogs in the world.
View this slide show.
Early this morning the group arrived in Cluj by train, an eight hour ride northwest of Bucharest. As the train moved out of the city and into the country, a visible reminder of Bucharest was still present: stray dogs.
The stray dog population in Bucharest is around 200,000; a human to dog ratio of 10 to 1. In the 1980’s Nicolae Ceausescu had parts of the city torn down for building projects and many dogs were released into the streets. More than two decades later and the situation has grown out of control. The city has taken measures to control the number of strays but little progress is evident. I saw many homeless dogs missing limbs and others showing little signs of life.
A Bucharest University student told me that most attacks occur when people cross packs of territorial dogs. He was attacked by a pack of homeless dogs last year and managed to escape with only a bitten rear. He advised me against feeding them and said leaving the strays alone is the smartest thing to do. Good advice when you’re dealing with stray dogs anywhere in the world.
Stray Dogs of Bucharest Slideshow:
Stray Dogs of Bucharest Slideshow
Terrell’s Romanian Root Canal
Posted Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Bruce Harrison
This is the video follow up to Terrell’s post “The Romanian Tooth Canal.”
The Dentist and her assistants were very excited to be filmed on the job and were very comfortable with my presence and equipment. The office was very similar to those in the United States and the only major difference was the Romanian accent. But, I do believe they had better reading material in the waiting room.
Stray Situation
Posted Friday, May 22, 2009 by Bruce Harrison
The human to stray dog ratio in Bucharest is estimated to be 10 to 1. In a city of around 2 million people, that’s a lot of dogs without homes.
The strays
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