Transcript of the original interview (conducted in English) by Anca Goja, Graiul Maramuresuliu newspaper.
- You came to Romania, for the first time, in 2008, when you took part in a conference. What made you return here, a year later? Whas it the spirit of adventure?
I first came to Baia Mare, and Romania, in April, 2008 for the 3rd International Unconventional Meeting of Young Canadianists. At that time I was attracted by the fact that this was a Canadian Studies conference (my particular area of academic study) in Central/Eastern Europe, a region I had previously visited (although not Romania specifically) as a teacher of English in Slovakia. I stayed in Baia Mare at that time for only a few days, but kept in contact with Professor Ana Olos. After completing my PhD studies in June, 2008, I began looking for academic work in Canada. Under normal economic circumstances, finding permanent, gainful academic employment in Canada is a challenge – but when the “economic crisis” began in Fall, 2008, many Canadian universities and government institutions (the most likely place a PhD in the humanities and social sciences, like myself, is to be employed in Canada) were either frightened by dire economic predictions, or used the crisis as an excuse to cut their costs. Even before the economic crisis, Canadian universities had been following a trend of hiring recent PhDs on short-term, low-paying contracts – and since Fall, 2008 this trend has unfortunately intensified. As a means of opening as many doors as possible, I began applying to as many jobs and postdoctoral positions in universities and government as I could find that were related to my studies in Canadian History and Canadian Studies. One of the possibilities that I was offered, was a three-month Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowship through the International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS). Through my contact with Professor Olos, I had applied for this fellowship, and was quite pleased when my application was successful. However, at the time the award was announced (in March, 2009), I was employed on a short-term teaching contract at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick (Canada), so I took-up the award in Fall, 2009, resulting in my return to Baia Mare in October. Thus, my return to Baia Mare and Romania was in part inspired by a taste for adventure, but also by professional (if not economic) opportunity. As a young academic, it is important that I “stay busy” – in other words, I need to build my CV and stay as professionally active as possible. In the current academic job market in Canada this also means taking short-term opportunities abroad. My being here is therefore part adventure, part professional necessity.
- I found out, reading some posts on your blog, that you didn't know much about Romania before comming here. Wich was your first impression about our country once you arrived here?
It’s true that I did not know very much about Romania before I came here. With the exception of an awareness of Romania’s existence in Central/Eastern Europe, its post-communist status, and a vague awareness of Dracula and Nadia Comaneci, I was admittedly rather ignorant. My first impressions, technically, came in April, 2008, when I first visited Baia Mare. These were: the natural beauty of the Maramures district; and a curious fascination with the fact that some Romanians took the study of Canada rather seriously. The Petre Dulfu Library in Baia Mare also impressed me. On the other hand, I was left with an impression of regret that the Sasar River is so badly polluted (even visually, with garbage) and that the region’s transportation infrastructure (roads and railway – I arrived in Baia Mare by minibus from Budapest, and departed by train) need serious improvements.
- I know that you kind of have known the taste of Romania since childhood, when your neighbour, Rosa, originarry from Satu Mare, treated you with some rosca grapes. What did you think when you found this kind of grapes here, in Baia Mare?
Growing-up in rural southwestern Ontario (the village of Courtland), I understood my neighbour (who I called “Gramma Rosa”) to be Hungarian (as there were many Hungarian-speaking immigrants in Courtland at that time – many, if not most, of my schoolmates were of Hungarian origin, for example). So, when I arrived in Baia Mare in the Fall, and smelled the unique fragrance of the grapes (called rosça, I believe, but I’ve also been told they could be fraga) I had grown-up tasting (fresh off the vine, or in a jelly), I was pleasantly surprised. My first instinct was that these grapes must be grown generally in Hungary and Romania, but after mentioning the story to my parents in Canada, they spoke to Rosa’s granddaughter who said that she was in fact a Hungarian-Romanian from Satu Mare (Szatmar). So, without even knowing it, I had tasted Romania as a child. I have since had the great pleasure of tasting some wine made from these grapes, which maintains their unique fragrance. I am now fascinated by the idea that Rosa must have brought with her to Canada some seeds or cuttings from rosça vines in Satu Mare; and this leads me to believe that she must have also brought other seeds and plants from the region, as she had a huge garden. No doubt I tasted other fruits and vegetables from Romania in my youth as well, but these grapes – with their unique fragrance – are a variety I have never encountered anywhere else.
- What do you think about Romanian food? Do you prefer a certain meal?
At first, Romanian cuisine bothered my stomach – but I believe this is a problem all traveller’s face, no matter where they go (I have experienced similar discomforts in other countries too). But after getting used to the food, I have grown to like very much mamaliga, sarmale, and ciorba de fasole. However, I think the new traditional food of Romania must be pizza – it’s by far the most common food in restaurants here, I think!
- After a few month spent here, how would you describe the Romanians? I would like to learn the good and the bad parts, as well...
After spending the better part of the last 5 months here, I have the following observations of the Romanian people (although I do dislike making general statements about a people as a whole, as there are always exceptions): (1) socially and religiously conservative – this has been a difficult adjustment for me, as my own personal and cultural perspectives tend to be more liberal, I think. Generally speaking, I would also say this trait is also rather different from other European countries I have spent time in; (2) helpful and friendly, but perhaps because of the above observation, in my experience, still somewhat reserved; (3) on one hand, very proud of their “Romanian-ness” and generally eager to show foreigners their traditions and culture, but on the other hand, also quick to criticize themselves and their fellow countrymen. For example, the mostly negative regional stereotypes that I’ve heard about people in Bucovina (“they are poor”) versus people in Maramures (“they are slow-minded”), or that no one in the north seems to care for Bucuresti; (4) Romanians are generally very good at languages, or at least it seems so – I’ve had very few problems communicating in English, for example, and a good many Romanians speak French much better than I do; (5) fatalistic – at first when I heard the expression, “everything is possible in Romania,” I interpreted it as positive. But I soon learned that it is most often used in a negative manner – for example, when I mentioned to a woman on the train that it’s a pity there is so much visible garbage and waste littering the countryside, she said “everything is possible in Romania.” The fatalistic expression, “what can we do?” (usually in combination with a shrug of the shoulders) is also a common response I’ve heard to bureaucratic/political difficulties. Such attitudes are quite the opposite from my own cultural upbringing, so have sometimes been the source of frustration and confusion for me.
- Besides being a little shy and not asking too many questions, what can you say about Romanian students?
As a teacher, I’ve noticed Romanian students to generally be quite shy and ask few questions. However, I’ve also noticed a very different culture of education than the one I am used to. When I first learned that I would be teaching MA students in Romania, I was rather excited. In Canada, MA students are a joy to teach because they are students with active interests in the topics they have chosen to study – they are also eager to contribute ideas and new scholarship, often in creative ways. In other words, they are active participants in their education. With only a few exceptions, I have not encountered the same spirit amongst students in Romania. When I ask my Romanian students why they are studying, the overwhelming answer I receive is “because I have to.” I’ve learned that MA and PhD students in Romania often study out of a sense of duty, or for monetary or professional reasons only. I have met only a very few students with a burning desire to learn. As a university teacher in the humanities, educated in Canada, this is tremendously frustrating. I don’t perceive this as a problem of Romanian students alone, but as a symptom of the culture of education that currently exists in Romania (even some Romanian teachers appear to merely teach out of a sense of duty, rather than out of a love of teaching or inspiring knowledge, and this is a pity – the relatively low respect and small pay that teachers receive here no doubt confounds the situation).
- You travelled around Romania, taking part at a lecture tour in a few universitarian centres like Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi and so on. What area of our country do you prefer?
I was quite fortunate to receive a small grant from the Embassy of Canada-Bucharest and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade which has allowed me to travel around Romania on a short lecture tour. To date I have visited the University of Bucharest in Bucharest, Al. I. Cuza University in Iasi, Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, the University of Oradea and Universitatea Creştină Partium in Oradea, and Stefan cel Mare University in Suceava. This week I will travel to Timisoara and lecture at the Universitǎții de Vest. Outside of my lecturing responsibilities, I have not had a lot of time to explore the Romanian countryside, but while in Suceava I was treated to a one day tour of monasteries in Bucovina. Many of the first Romanian immigrants to Canada in the 19th century were from Bucovina, so this trip was particularly interesting and meaningful for me. I found it encouraging to see EU money going towards the improvement of tourist facilities and roads in Bucovina, and I expect similar benefits will be seen in Maramures soon. My train journeys to Bucharest, Iasi, and Suceava – travelling through the mountains – were also memorable. In future I hope I’ll have an opportunity to visit some of these sites in person (not only through the window of a train!). I have been shown warm hospitality in all of the cities I’ve visited, so have fond memories of each of my Romanian urban experiences thus far. With each visit I have learned and encountered something new and interesting.
- Did you have the occasion to visit Maramures county? What did you like and what did you not like here?
I have been on three short trips through Maramures county. The historic wooden churches are particularly memorable here, as are the beautiful landscapes and quaint rural villages. The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, which I have visited twice, and the Memorial of the Victims of Communism and the Resistance in Sighet also stand out as memorable sites. Twice I have been on short hikes in the hills above Baia Mare, and with warmer weather coming, hope to partake in more. The difficulties of travel – roads in disrepair, limited train services, etc. – will hopefully improve in years to come, and make visiting Maramures county easier and more appealing to visitors from abroad.
- Reading your blog, I learned that you had some bad experiences here, in Romania, like travelling by bus, seeing the dogs on the streets of Bucharest, seeing the garbage and plastic bottles thrown everywere or trying to bye some very expensive English books. Are these the worst parts of Romanian life, as seen by objective eyes? Or are there some more?
Many of the challenges that I’ve met on my travels through Romania have been in relation to transportation – it is difficult to travel quickly and comfortably in Romania, it seems. Roads and railways in disrepair mean that travelling even relatively short distances can take much longer than one might expect. The situation of children beggars in Baia Mare has also left a negative impression and highlighted for me the great discrepancies between the rich and the poor. As I mentioned before, adjusting my personal sensibilities to fit within a culture that is generally more socially-conservative than my own has been challenging and sometimes frustrating. The discarded plastic bottles that seem to litter every corner of the Romanian landscape continue to disappoint and puzzle me. Even when hiking in the hills and forests around Baia Mare I come across discarded plastic bottles and garbage. At the current rate at which these appear to be accumulating, the Romanian landscape will be overcome by plastic bottles in a very short time. The countryside is very beautiful here, so I can’t understand why so many people appear to disregard it by littering. As a non-smoker, enjoying a meal or drink in a restaurant, café, or pub anywhere in Romania is a big challenge. Non-smoking environments are very hard to find, so I spend less time in such places than I otherwise might. Other negative experiences have been related mainly to the usual frustrations that a foreigner faces in dealing with cultural and linguistic differences.
- I know you spent the Christmas holiday and New Year's Eve in Slovakia, which you call “your second home”. Where did you spend the Easter holiday?
I spent the Easter holiday travelling a little. I spent a few hours visiting Satu Mare, the hometown of my childhood neighbour, “Gramma Rosa.” It was intriguing for me to see something of this city – I wish now I could have asked Rosa (who passed away several years ago) about her memories of this place. I spent the better part of the Easter holiday taking a road trip to Sibiu. I rented a car and travelled there with a friend, spending two days in the city, exploring its sites. I was impressed with the multicultural flavour of the architecture and people in Sibiu. On our return from Sibiu, we stopped for a few hours in Alba Iulia, which I’d heard much about for its important role in the unification of Transylvania and Romania. Walking around the Alba Carolina Citadel on a sunny Easter Sunday was very enjoyable.
- Are you going to fructify your experience in Romania? I mean, are you going to teach some foreign students about Romania, or write articles about Romanians or about Romanian culture?
At this time I cannot yet predict how my Romanian experiences will bear fruit in the future – but I am certain that my experiences here will emerge in my future activities in one way or another. A small part of me is now Romanian, so to speak, so I will carry my experiences here in my memory for the rest of my life. The cultural flavours that I have tasted here – and the awareness these have inspired – have undoubtedly shaped me.
- What are you going to do after you leave Romania? Which is your next destination?
My immediate plans after leaving Romania are to return to Canada and continue my academic projects (and continue seeking permanent work there). This summer I will also spend some time in Slovakia teaching English, as well as researching and writing a travel book on Slovak culture. I have spent several summers in Slovakia in the past, as well as one year teaching there. Perhaps my experience in Romania will result in something similar in the years to come.
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