The Different Sides of Romania

After our fall break we spent a week in Cluj. Unfortunately because of a passport situation in Greece, two of the students were not able to come and had to stay in Greece for a week. This week in Cluj was full of interesting lectures, experiencing the city life as we went sight seeing, and being able to experience the nature of Romania.

Every day we had two lectures from professors who worked at Cluj University and people who were part of different organizations. These lectures ranged from the bad living conditions in Romanian villages, where we learned about the conditions and came up with possible solutions, to the lecture on the court systems in Romania, where we learned how unjust they are and how many court laws are broken on a daily basis. From these lectures I feel that all the students were able to understand a lot more about Romanian society and the aspects that need to be improved. From the speakers we realized that changes are being made and that awareness is increasing.

While in Cluj we visited a lot of the city. We saw some churches, shops, and ate at different ethnic restaurants, such as a Turkish and Chinese one. One day we went to the Gorge and took a hike where we were able to see different rock formations. This hike was very peaceful and a chance for us to look at the beautiful nature that Romania has to offer. Another day we went to a botanical garden and had the chance to see different flowers and the rich colors of the leaves as fall was upon us. We were again given the chance to see the beautiful nature that Romania has to offer.

Cluj week gave us the opportunity to experience so many different aspects of Romanian life. We were given a look into the history and the life today of Romania in different areas, experienced the city life of restaurants, shops, and the important landmarks, and also had time to be one with nature.