Doru Giuchici

Doru Giuchici on Moving to Romania

Doru Giuchici says moving to Romania can be ideal under certain circumstances. Moving (or deciding to expatriate) to Romania from a country either from within or from outside of Europe can be a daunting task to take on. The biggest challenge in getting adjusted to life in Romania will come from blending in or integrating oneself into the culture. Romanian culture can be hard to understand if you’ve not grown up with the different traditions and customs which take place yearly throughout the different regions.

For example, there are some traditions which might cause one to scratch their head and say “wait a second… but why?” Curious as to what i’m talking about? Well let’s talk about the tradition of gate stealing. When asked what this means, Doru Giuchici responded and told us that, “the gate stealing custom in Romania is one of the oldest and most practiced, it dates back to pre-communist times and continues to be favored to the modern day.”

Doru Giuchici on Gate Stealing in Romania

So what is gate stealing? It’s exactly as the name says, a band of youth (usually male teenagers) roam out in their villages and communes looking for gates to steal. Why would such a thing take place? Well, first, they’re not really stealing the gates. Yes technically they’re stealing them if you consider unscrewing them from the hinges, removing them from their connections, and take them away from the property. But (and yes there is a but), they are doing it with the intention of the owner eventually finding the gate.

Doru Giuchici says that the custom isn’t as malicious as it sounds. The gates are returned and, in fact, stealing the gate in the first place is actually a sign of appreciation. See the gates from the houses are stolen by young boys from the homes of young girls they have crushes on. The family whose gate gets stolen usually knows one, if not all, of the perpetrators who commit the act.

To be a young girl living in Romania, waking up to your gate missing, is actually a sign of desire. In fact, if a young girl’s gate is not stolen by anyone in the village, the girl is usually left heart-broken by the fact that she doesn’t have any admirers at the present moment. It’s not unusual for girls who’ve woken up to a missing gate to gleefully skip to school where they can brag about it to their friends.

You can see how a tradition like this might seem odd to someone who hasn’t lived their whole life in Romania. A new comer to the country might even call the police if he saw some teenagers stealing his gate at night while his daughter slept. The good news however is that the police would probably tell him “no no, it’s a good thing that your gate is being stolen, even our sons our out stealing gates at this moment.”

You can see how such an incident can cause alot of confusion. So if you’re planning on moving to Romania, take the advice of Doru Giuchici and plan well ahead by doing as much research and reading on the countries many different customs and traditions.

Doru Giuchici on Daily Life in Romania

When asked what living in Romania is like, Doru Giuchici told us “it’s a wild ride full of adventure and excitement”. Some of the best things Doru Giuchici told us he enjoys about the country are its; nature, people, food, mineral water, and cost of living. We will break down each of those topics into why exactly they are excellent in Romania.

You might be thinking, yes but all those things mentioned are also available in my country. If that’s your train of thought, then you are both right and wrong at the same time. You are right because yes those things are all universal of all the nation’s countries, but, at the same time, each country, and ESPECIALLY Romania, is unique in those regards.

Nature in Romania

So why does Doru Giuchici chose nature as his first favorite aspect of the country? The answer shouldn’t shock anyone. Romania is full of breath-taking beautiful nature. From rolling hills, to flowing waterfalls, to gorgeous mountains and forests, Romania has a bit of it all.

If you’re a nature lover, there won’t be any dull moment in your life when you’re in Romania. All it takes is a short bus ride outside of any major city and you’ll already be surrounded by gorgeous nature. There are national parks, hiking trails, camp sites, and pristine lakes where you can enjoy a full day nature gazing. More images from Doru Giuchici can be found on flickr.

As a bonus, if experiencing nature isn’t enough, if you’re a history lover, you win two times as much enjoyment in the country. Romania is full of deep and rich history, the country’s location in-between west and eastern Europe has placed it at the forefront of some of the most significant events in European history. Romania is full of historic castles, monuments, fortresses and many other historically significant sites. Doru Giuchici suggests that if you’re in the Suceava area, you visit the Fortress of Suceava and learn about the significance it played to establishing the region which is now Bucovina.

Romanian People

The Romanian people are some of the nicest and most generous you will meet. Unfortunately though, often times that generosity is reserved for family members and friends, Romanians often treat other Romanians with suspicion. However, anyone can focus on the downside of relationships, it’s always best to focus on positives.

So why does Doru Giuchici say Romanian people are wonderful to spend time with and get to know? Well, first of all, many (if not all) of Romanians are masters in their fields, anytime you find a Romanian who has chosen a discipline to master, you can be assured that they are top in their field. Romanians take consistent learning and development very serious and the results show in their work.

From a relationship standpoint, Doru Giuchici reminds us that it’s always a blessing to be surrounded by people who take life seriously and are constantly improving themselves. People who put alot of work and effort into developing their skills appreciate others who do the same because they know how difficult self-improvement can be.

Spending time with like-minded people is defiantly a winner, and in Romania, there is no shortage of men and women who strive to achieve greatness in all that they do.

Romanian Food

So what makes Romanian food so amazing that Doru Giuchici would add it to his top list of things he loves about Romania? Well, for starters, Romania is a highly agriculturally driven country, that means much of the food is locally sourced. If you know anything about radiation damage from food transport, then you’ll understand why locally grown produce is essential to a nutritious and delicious recipe.

So what are the top foods Romania is known for? The first one is something called mamaliga, also refered to as polenta. This good is a traditional dish that goes back many centuries. It’s made from corn meal that’s heated, stirred, and left to cool and harden. Mamaliga is served hot as a side-dish to accompany other items such as home made sausage, wild picked mushrooms, and goat cheese.

The second most popular Romanian food is something known as sarmale. Sarmale are stuffed cabbage rolls that are eaten hot with a side of sour cream. The rolls are made out of either ground pork, beef, or a combination of the two meats mixed with rice. The mixture is then inserted into the pickled cabbage roll, seasoned, boiled, and then served. According to Doru Giuchici, sarmale are one of the most desired Romanian food dishes world-wide.

Mineral Water in Romania

You might be shocked to see that mineral water made it to one of the top reasons for living in Romania. Your shock will, however, quickly disappear when you do a little bit of research on the topic. Doru Giuchici tells us that Romania has the largest mineral water deposits in all of Europe, and one of the highest concentration of mineral water springs anywhere in the world.

So what is so amazing about mineral water. Well, for starters as it’s name implies, mineral water is full of minerals. We all learned in nutrition class that minerals are essential for healthy living and body functions.

 

Today’s modern diet makes it harder and harder for us to obtain the essential minerals our body craves through all the processed foods we devour. That’s where mineral water comes in to supplement those needs.

If you’re a fan of healthy living, good nutrition, and delicious and pure tasting water, then according to Doru Giuchici, Romania is the country you need to be living in. There are currently over 30 different mineral water brands available on shelves in stores and markets throughout the whole country. Virtually everywhere you go where water is sold you have to option of buying mineral water. The best part about it, it’s extremely cheap! A 2 liter bottle of pure mineral water can cost as little as 2 RON, the equivalent of US .50 cents.

Cost of Living in Romania

Is cost of living in Romania really so much cheaper than the US, Western Europe, or other developed countries? The answer is yes, and no, and, it depends. For instance, Doru Giuchici tells us that although many things like rent, and locally grown produce are extremely cheap compared to western standards, things such as imported goods that don’t originate from Romania can be two to five times as much as what they cost in their originating country.

So what’s the bad news in that you might be wondering? Well, it wouldn’t matter much if imports are more expensive than local if you could just buy locally produced items and goods. The downside to that though, is that Romania doesn’t produce many goods and relies on importing. Some of the most necessary items come at prices much more expensive than other parts of the world.

A few examples of things that cost more in Romania than in many other countries are things like clothes, electronics, cars, and high quality or organic certified foods. So what is cheap in Romania? Labor, rent, property, land, local produce, items manufactured in the country, and transportation.

 

There is a balance when it comes to getting the most out of cost of living in Romania. If you’re willing to sacrifice some of the more luxury goods and live like a Romanian local, then, according to Doru Giuchici, you can get by just fine.

Doru Giuchici Final Thoughts on Romania

Doru Giuchici tells us that his final thoughts on living in the country come down to this. If you have some kind of background, relationship, or understanding and knowledge of the country, then you can find peace and happiness there. However, he warns that if all you see are pictures posted on the internet and read articles about the positives of Romania, your expectations might be brought down after spending enough time in the country.

The best advice Doru Giuchici says he has for others considering the plunge of buying a plane ticket and moving to Romania permanently is “don’t.” But there is caveat, he says that you might actually love living in Romania, but don’t just up and move there, spend some time there first.

His general recommendation is to spend at least 3 consecutive months living in the country and getting accustomed to the system there first. If after 3 months you think you find happiness in Romania, then you and the country might just be a good fit.