Category: Pam Nisivaco
Goodbye Romania, Hello Rome!
Posted Friday, May 29, 2009 by Pamela Nisivaco
Many of our readers may be wondering why a group of journalists covering various topics in Romania would be jetting off to Rome to finish their reporting. Well, the relations between Italians and Romanians living in Italy have been quite tense. Find out why this is when you continue reading by clicking on the link below.
Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007 created many opportunities for Romanians to work abroad in other EU states and make more many than in their own country. While these opportunities benefit Romanians, countries such as Italy are not pleased with the sudden influx of foreigners looking for jobs.
That is not the only problem unfortunately. In certain areas of Italy, high crime rates are attributed to Romanian communities that have settled there. Romanians claim it is not them, but the Roma, or gypsy, community from Romania that are committing these crimes. Romanians view Roma as a completely different race of people and do not want them associated with Romanians. Basically, all these different groups are simply pointing fingers at one another, rather than trying to find a reasonable solution to the problem.
So, with Romanians being a minority in Italy who are blamed for many problems in certain Italian communities, we have come here to reveal what it is like to be a Romanian in Italy living under these oppressive conditions. Many of the topics we are covering in Romania also deal with the fact that a large majority of the Romanian population has chosen to go abroad to work and make more money since Romania obtained EU status in 2007. Some of them chose to come to Rome, but they are not always welcome.
After leaving Cluj Friday, May 29, we arrived in Rome. I think we all hope that we have gathered enough information from Romania for our stories, but we are also nervous to begin covering the Rome aspect. Our itinerary has us scheduled to eat at a Romanian restaurant in Italy on evening. I think many of us are hoping to find potential sources there, or, at the very least, some contacts who can put us in touch with sources for our stories. So, continue to follow our blog as we continue with the next leg of our journey: “Revealing Romania” in Italy.
To learn more about the tensions in Italy due to a high rate of Romanian migration, please visit a few of the links I have provided below.
http://www.romanianewswatch.com/2007/11/italy-romania-seek-to-ease-tension-over.html
http://europeanfoundation.blogspot.com/2007/12/racial-tensions-flare-up-in-italy.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7079769.stm
Why Should Romanians Care about EU Elections?
Posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009 by Pamela Nisivaco
On June 7, 2009 Romania will vote for the first time in the European Union Parliamentary elections. It is common knowledge, however, that these elections are unimportant not just in Romania, but throughout Europe. According to Adrian Avarvarei, president of the European Socialist Activists (PES) in Cluj, only about 30 percent of voters actually turn out for the EU elections. Obviously the presidential election coming up in the fall in Romania is what most Romanians will be concerned about, but Avarvarei explains why the EU elections are becoming more and more important for member states, as well as the whole of Europe. Watch the video to learn more and click on the link below to read how political parties are attempting to attract the youth vote in Romania.
Campaigns like MTV’s “Rock the Vote” in the U.S. have created a much higher turnout rate for young voters during election season. Romania has caught on to the importance of attracting this group of people by holding rallies that include loud popular music, break dancing and BMX experts performing tricks.
The interesting thing is that these participants, all clad in matching red t-shirts that read, “You Decide” in Romanian, are not all members of the European Socialist Activists organization. Many of them do not identify with a specific political party in Romania at all. Most, such as the BMX riders, are paid to attend these rallies and perform. In the U.S., celebrities are generally used to attract the youth vote.
The rally is not held in just one specific area either. My partner and I ran into one on a main street in Cluj, but soon after sitting down at an outdoor cafe on a popular side street, a crowd of red came flooding in our direction. They quickly set up their speakers and began playing music and dancing. The emcee requested that the gathering crowd join in the dancing. Soon, 20-30 people on a small street in Cluj were dancing to the “Macarina,” “YMCA” and even “Cotton Eye Joe.”
My journalism partner in Cluj, Iowana, explained how much young people enjoy American performers, such as Akon, Usher and Madonna, only to name a few. When I asked Iowana if she planned to vote in the European elections on June 7 she said yes, but was unsure which political party she would support in her voting.
Encouraging Participation in EU Parliamentary Elections:
Encouraging Participation in EU Parliamentary Elections
Taking A Roman(ian) Holiday
Posted Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Pamela Nisivaco
Is the sun better for you in the mountains of Romania or by the sea? Click on the link below to learn about where many Romanians take holidays, both long and short, away from the congestion and pollution of the city. Here they like to bathe in the sunlight.
On our way to Brasov on Sunday, May 24 we were all surprised to see many Romanians pulled over on the side of the mountain roads. Most of the people had set up small camps and were laying in the afternoon sun, usually in their undergarments. It is in these mountains that Romanians believe the sun is better for them because there is no reflection off the water like when they go to the seashore. According to our tour guide, Luiza, this sunlight helps build up the skin’s resistance and provides vitamin D for bone health.
Luiza explained that the mountains and seaside of Romania are very popular places for people in the cities to go on holiday, whether for a weekend trip or longer in the summer. The areas people had staked out were not necessarily camp sites, but merely fields at the foot of the mountains where the Romanians simply pulled their cars over and set up a little area for themselves.
I was amazed by how many people there were doing this. Some even had small barbecues lit to cook food. Luiza explained that on the way home from Brasov the trip would be much longer than on the way to Brasov because all the people we saw on the side of the mountain road would be headed home after the weekend to go back to work on Monday.
We have Internet
Posted Thursday, May 21, 2009 by Pamela Nisivaco
Our first night in Romania we were without Internet access, which was the most frustrating aspect of being in Romania. After a call to the hotel’s IT guy we now have access. Can you guess what you can find everyone doing now?
Many frustrated phone calls to the front desk only resulted in the bad news that Macs are different here and may not work. Everyone in the group felt lost and was concerned about how to contact relatives and sources.
A few of us spent Thursday morning taking turns using the hotel’s front desk computer to quickly check e-mail in 5-minute intervals. Then we all eagerly jumped at the chance to get on some computers at the Center for Independent Journalism. It seemed we would not survive much longer without the precious Internet.
Everyone was irritated and concerned about how to get work done without the Internet. On Thursday afternoon we spent an hour or so working with the hotel’s IT guy to change all the system preferences on our MacBook Pros so we could get access.
Since getting access, most people in our group can be found in the hotel checking e-mail, working on stories and simply enjoying being “wired”. What would we do without the Internet? We could barely last one night.
Ahhh…the life of a foreign correspondent.
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