Culture Shock
Stepping into Romania was a culture shock from Guatemala. Guatemala is a poor country and Romania is not. I wondered, why is this? Is it weather-related? In Canada, you need winter gear and warm homes and without it, you will not survive. You would freeze and so, more money is needed for more clothing and better housing. However, in warmer climates, you can have holes in your ceiling and still be okay. Nevertheless, people in these countries are still starving without food.
In the ministry we are working with, they are overworked. They have goals for us; however, they don’t have a specific direction on how they want us to get there. Because of the busyness of their lives, they don’t have the time to manage our team. Therefore, we are free birds.
We are able to make our own schedule in how we think we could reach the goal that was given to us. Unfortunately, we are only here for three weeks and we have just finished our first week so things are subject to change but it gives you a bit of an idea of what we are doing here.
Our Schedule and Activities
At ten we do Bible study and this week we have been studying James. Afterward, we have lunch and then we start ALT (Ask The Lord). The first day we did this, we did a treasure hunt. That is where we ask the Lord some specific questions and listen for the answers. Then when we go out into the world we have some direction and things to look for. While we were doing this we were also handing out flyers.
The goal of our ministry is to bring young people into the church. Therefore, we set up an event for young people to attend. We offered free English practice, which we have made flyers for. We have an alluring feature as we aren’t from here. Romanians look at America as a famous place to be from, therefore we have an advantage.
The hope in handing out these flyers is to build relationships with these individuals and hopefully bring them to God. We had English practice on Friday and then on Saturday, the church hosted a games night for the people who came to English practice.
This past week we planned a Thanksgiving dinner. Canadians have their Thanksgiving in October but Americans celebrate in November. We invited some new friended Romanians to this American Thanksgiving.
After ALT, we come home for supper and team time. This schedule has not been consistent at all as we have gone to high schools to hang out flyers or we start later because the English practice and games night are planned for later in the evening.
And that is what we are doing in Romania. My team is located in Alba lulia. We are living in a two-bedroom little house. We make all of our own meals unlike in Guatemala where our host made most of our dinners.
What do Romanians Care about?
Appearance
One of the things that Romanians care about is their appearance. One thing I’ve really struggled with once stepping into Romania is the way I look. It felt a bit like stepping back into Canada except a little fancier. I felt very self-conscious at the start because I didn’t have any nice warm clothes to wear. I had work clothes from Guatemala and those casual clothes fit in well there, but not here! Romania’s standard is higher.
Shoes
On top of their appearance, Romanians place a high value on their shoes. Romania will look at your shoes before starting a conversation with you. We get a bit of a pass since we are from the west but it’s still something to be aware of. They don’t have to be brand names as much as they just need to be clean.
The Ground
DO NOT SIT ON THE GROUND! The ground is dirty and cold. Therefore, the ground is not somewhere to sit. However, North Americans sit on the ground a lot so we were warned not to. Don’t sit on the side of the road, and don’t sit on the church steps, in the mall, or home floor. There are some myths that say if a woman sits on the floor she becomes infertile.
Some other things I’ve noticed.
Most Romanians don’t have dryers. They have washers but no dryers. I asked my host about this and she mentioned how they are a slow developing country because they recently stepped out of Communism. It’s also just not necessary which is interesting because I would say that is necessary in Canada. However, depending on where you live, necessaries are subjective. We can all live with much less than we think we need, especially in rich countries.
They have shopping malls, but not large department stores. The reason I think Walmart and Target are so valued is because it has EVERYTHING. If you need something you know those stores have them. However, without those stores, I have to go to specific stores to get what I need. I need to go to multiple places to get all the things I need.
Another cultural difference is the amount of smokers. Everyone and their mother smokes here. During breaks at schools, kids crowd outside to vape and smoke. In malls and restaurants, there is outside seating for smokers. Nicotine is on the rise in Romania and you will find few who do not smoke.
We were made aware Romania is spiritually oppressed and we may feel that. I have not felt this, however, I do believe that the devil attacks when you have your guard down or when you think everything is good. I have seriously considered going home, looking at flights, and also making a plan with people back in Canada for me to come back. However, with new developments from my leadership team, they want me to stay so I’m going to stick it out. It’s really hard here but it’s not the location. It’s the new country, new people, new place and not feeling like anyone is in my corner to fight with me. I cannot travel the world with people I feel are against me. I’m hoping these new developments will strengthen the bond I have with my squad and team. Your prayers have helped me stay grounded when my emotions were/are flying so high. Thank you, God is fighting for me here.
