My Perceptions of Otherness
I have struggled much with how to wrap up this experience. Many things caught my attention throughout the past ten weeks, like why do Romanians love Reggeaton and seem to be able to dance Salsa way better than me? What’s
Beyond Nationalism and Xenophobia in Eastern and Central Europe
I have struggled much with how to wrap up this experience. Many things caught my attention throughout the past ten weeks, like why do Romanians love Reggeaton and seem to be able to dance Salsa way better than me? What’s
Living in Romania for the past few months provided me many opportunities to reflect on how my interactions with others are shaped by unconscious bias, both theirs and my own. So often are people’s behaviors towards others structured by the
The world is art, and we are music, finding our own melody in the stream of creation. We move with the rhythm of our routine. And we impose a harmony on the mural before us. Sometimes, in an effort to
Where Are You From? “Where are you from?” The souvenir seller at Sighisoara asked me. “United States.” He sniffed. “No. Where are you really from?” “Why does it matter?” “Well I’ve lived in Spain for 6 years, but my blood
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they
I ate almost every one of my meals besides breakfast at restaurants while in Bucharest. This entailed having encounters with many waiters/waitresses and other restaurant employees. In this blog post I will reflect on these experiences. I am used
Whenever I travel abroad, one of my primary goals is to learn more about the people and culture of the place I’m in. One of the best and most obvious ways to do that is to meet people, and have
With the Romania program now behind me, I think it’s fitting to reflect a bit on my experience here. Prior to my arrival in Romania, I had no idea what to expect. My knowledge of Romania was a bit more
As my time here in Bucharest draws to a close I am surprised to find myself feeling nostalgic for this place and my memories here. I often feel nostalgic about a place as I prepare to leave it but I
“People-watching” is one of my favorite pastimes. While I do not recall since when I have developed this habit, I brought it with me to Bucharest. In the past two and a half months, I have been observing people in