Romania

The conflicting attitudes about the future of the nation have led to violence, instability, and the rise of dangerous tensions between ethnic groups. The country is not well developed our country is not so developed, but people intend to spend more money on education, and they tend to strive for financial stability. Wealth is defined in properties, possessions such as car, apartment, rest home, money and power.

Greetings on a first-name basis are usually made only between close friends and relatives. However, adults normally address young people by their first names. Where applicable, using a person's title before the surname is most polite. Adults commonly greet each other with a handshake, but a man usually waits for a woman to extend her hand first.

Verbal expressions include "good afternoon," "hello," and "hi," depending on the age and the relationship between the persons. In informal situations, hugs are possible between close friends.

Other greetings include "Buna dimineata" (Good Morning) "Buna ziua" (Good Evening) and "Buna seara". An informal greeting used no matter the moment of the day is "Salut" or "Buna"

Parting expressions include "La revedere" or "Pa".

Depending on the relationship and situation, Romanians try to keep a decent space between individuals during conversation, maintaining eye contact is important.

It is impolite to yawn without covering the mouth. When a person sneezes, he or she wishes "Noroc" (Bless you) or "sanatate" (Good health). On public transportation, men will generally offer their seats to a woman. Gentlemen remove their hats before they enter buildings, except stores.

Guests are usually offered tea, coffee, or wine. When invited to dinner, it is considered polite for the guest to bring an odd number of flowers or an inexpensive gift.

Few Romanians have the means to buy fashionable clothing. People generally dress conservatively in public. The elderly are more likely to wear dark-colored clothes. Conservative business suits are appropriate for men. Younger people are following the recent relaxed trends. Traditional clothes are very lovely in Romania, long skirts, blouses sewed with silver or gold and other elements that make them special. They are not worn often and are usually only seen in a museum or some villages during holidays.

Romanian food is characterized by distinctive ethnic specialties including mititei (grilled meatballs), patricieni (grilled sausage), and mamaliga (cornmeal mush served like mashed potatoes). Breakfast usually consists of eggs, cheese, rolls or other breads, and coffee. Lunch is the main meal of the day and generally consists of soup, meat, potatoes, bread, and vegetables. Wine or beer is usually served as the drink. Pastries are popular for dessert.

The continental style of eating is used. Both hands (not elbows) are kept above the table during a meal. It is considered in polite to keep your elbows on the table. The hostess indicates when the meal will begin and when it will end. Toasting is usually a part of formal and informal lunches and dinners. Usually the head of the family sits at the head of the table.

Breakfast and dinner are usually eaten at home, lunch is eaten out due to work school. Recently more people starting to eat in restaurants or at fast food establishments.

Romanian food is characterized by distinctive ethnic specialties including mititei (grilled meatballs), patricieni (grilled sausage), and mamaliga (cornmeal mush served like mashed potatoes). Breakfast usually consists of eggs, cheese, rolls or other breads, and coffee. Lunch is the main meal of the day and generally consists of soup, meat, potatoes, bread, and vegetables. Wine or beer is usually served as the drink. Pastries are popular for dessert.

The father maintains a dominant role in the family. Most women work outside the home, but they remain responsible for the upkeep of the home and the children. Grandparents often live with the family. Many families, urban and rural, lack proper housing and most go without modern conveniences.

Couples in rural areas marry relatively early and follow local and ethnic customs regarding courtship and marriage. In the past, most students in the cities waited until completion of university or other graduate training before getting married. More recently, however, students have begun to marry in their last year of education because getting housing and a job in a city is easier if a person is married.

Children start playing sports early, usually gymnastics, volleyball, handball, and skating, depending on their school.

Some people enjoy open-air activities like hiking and cycling. Exploring caves is another pastime actively pursued by many. Water sports like windsurfing, water skiing, and scuba diving are enjoyed in the tourist area of the Black Sea. Rivers and lakes attract canoeists.

Usually, before going to school, a typical Romanian child would take care of their hygiene and eat breakfast. In the rural area, some of the children might feed the livestock. Some kids choose not to eat breakfast before school, if they choose to eat breakfast, it is usually some eggs, milk or tea, cheese, ham or bread and butter.

School transportation depends on the child's age and the size of the town/city they live in. In a small town, for example, in the first years of school, the children would be driven to school by their parents, and when they grow up a bit, they would go on foot alone or in groups. In a big city like Bucharest, they take the bus, the tram, or the subway. School transportation is not taken care of by the state or the school, although some private schools offer this service.

In a typical classroom there are desks for every one or two persons, a blackboard, the teacher's desk and some paintings on the walls. There are laboratories equipped with PCs or audiovisuals for the courses that require such stuff. However some schools in the rural areas lack central heating in winter (they still use fire as a heat source) and the bathrooms are impractical. The most serious problem they face in schools is the lack of personal as the pay is extremely low and no one wants to become a teacher any more. For books there are libraries in the school which every child has access to. Pre-school education is organized in groups for children aged 3-7 (lower, middle, upper, and preparatory groups) in kindergartens with standard, extended, or weekly programs. Primary education (compulsory) includes grades 1-4 and is organized in schools as full-time education. Lower secondary education (gymnasiums), including grades 5- 9, is compulsory and involves taking a “capacity examination”; pupils who pass this examination get a “certificate of capacity.” Higher secondary education (high school education) includes grades 10-12, 13 – full-time education and grades 9/10-13 – part-time education and evening classes. High school education has the following branches: 1. Theoretical; 2. Technology; 3. Vocational. Enrollment is made on the basis of the results in the capacity exam. High school studies end up with a “baccalaureate examination”. After passing this examination, the graduates get the “baccalaureate diploma”. Vocational education (1-2/3 years), is organized as full-time education or as evening classes in “vocational schools” and apprentice schools with a duration of 2-3 years and 1-3 years respectively. Lower secondary education graduates whether they are “capacity certificate” holders or not, can enroll in the “vocational schools’ and in the apprentice schools. Admission is granted on the basis of practical tests, specific to the selected profession. The courses of “vocational” and 12 apprentice schools end up with a ‘graduation exam” followed by the obtaining of a “graduation diploma” (occupational proficiency certificate)

For a child between 7 and 10 (children start school at seven years old, and by the time they are 10, they finish the first cycle), a normal school day would have 4 or 5 hours starting at 8:00 AM. A class takes 50 minutes, and the break lasts 10 minutes. They have a 20-minute lunch break at noon when the children eat whatever they bought from home.(not every school has a cafeteria, and the ones with a lunchroom are not free but practice a discount policy). Recently, the government introduced a social program in which the state offered the children some bread and milk for lunch. Class sizes range as little as 20, with up to 30 kids in a class.

Most children return home after school even though their parents are still at work (most Romanians do not have daycare). Children might also practice sports or take private lessons. Sports is one of the main activities (the school provides this). Other activities might include volunteering or working for the school newspaper (this is at a higher level, not in the first years of school).

Evening activities include watching TV, playing on the computer, and reading or playing outside with friends. Occasionally, they would visit their grandparents in the countryside. A typical bedtime would be around 9 PM for middle-class high school students.