Romania in Transition

If you are anything like me music sparks memories. Certain events can be tied to a specific song, band or CD. For some reason, Falling Up's album Captiva brings floods of memories to me about our entire trip....for everything from our flights to specific encounters while we were there. The funny thing about this is that I really only listened to my iPod on the flight to and from Romania. Strange.

I remember the night we arrived in Cluj-Napoca. I had no idea what to expect. I remember thinking that I felt like I was at the old terminal of Ontario airport because we exited the plane down a staircase to the tarmac. I expected it to be colder than it was and I expected more hustle and bustle. At that time I didn't realize the airport was so far from town. The cab ride to the apartment we were staying at was intense! The cab driver must have been practicing for a road race or was late for dinner. I remember closing my eyes at one point because I thought we were about to side-swipe another car. Little did I know, that kind of driving was typical in Cluj.

Since the revolution Romania has been a flourishing country. Romania, the largest country in the Balkans, has had high growth rates and rapid development. It is among the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Romania's main industries are steel and clothing/ shoe manufacturing. The part that impressed me the most about Romania was the education system. The diversity of the educational landscape is amazing. Students come from all over the world to study there.

Here are some interesting facts about education in Romania:

• There are 111 universities and schools of higher education in Romania- notable are 37 in Bucharest and 9 in Cluj.
• The oldest university was established in 1813.
• As of 2005 there were 738,806 students and 30,857 teaching staff....that is only about 24 students per teacher!
• Most popular fields studied are computer science, economics, business, law and telecommunications.
• Just over 3% of the population of Romania are students.

As you can see, education is a priority in Romania. I was so impressed with the students I met in Cluj. They are very smart and dedicated to their studies. I had a realization while I was in Romania. Most Romanians don't strive after the "American dream" like most others. Their emphasis is on family and education.

Next week I will discuss religion in Romania. Let me tell you, God is alive and at work in Romania. Praise God!

My thanks go out to my friends in Romania that helped me with information for this week. Thanks Florin and Ovi...you guys are great!

Multumesc pentru citit (Thank you for reading).