ROMANIA- OUR REASON TO SMILE Presentation made by

ROMANIA- OUR REASON TO SMILE
Presentation made by MARIA TUDORICA and MOTOFEANU CORINA, CNMV,
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
I.
A bit of politics
Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989 we made great progress in institutionalizing
democratic principles, civil liberties, and respect for human rights.
Before this Revolution to happen we had a communist regime people were going
through really tough times: they had limited resources and the gouvernamet was
strongly controling them.  a short anecdote.
The troubles and misery caused by politics, lack of money and worldwide
preconceptions made us develop a special ability: we now know how to grin and bear it.
(romanian: a face haz de necaz).
II.
A different way to talk about geography
One feature of Romanian humour is that there are a lot of jokes about people of other
regions. Don’t be surprised, in our country making fun of each other is on the carpet, but
just for amusement and nobody takes it personally.
When making jokes, the majority is categorised regarding these regions and focusing
on what those people tend to be known for. (a short comparison with the jokes between
French and English)
• Oltenians (Olteni) and Muntenians (Munteni)
• Moldavians (Moldoveni)
• Transylvanians (Ardeleni)
Examples of jokes:
-
A Transylvanian with a Dacia (car) arrives at a gas station . Not having much
money he asks the seller :
T: How much costs a liter of gasoline?
S : 5.65 lei (about 1,3 euro)
T: But a drop of gasoline how much is it?
S: Well ... I don’t know…it’s only a drop. It costs nothing!
T: Then pour drop by drop 20 liters in the gas tank !
- Why do Moldovans laugh when there is a lightning bolt?
- Because they think someone takes a picture of them.
Q: Why do Oltenians sleep with the clock in their mouth ?
A : So that in the morning their mouth would smell like TIC TAC
III.
DID YOU KNOW?
1. ROMANIA H AS ONE O F THE HAPPIEST CEMET ERIES ON
E ARTH
Photo by Remus Pereni
Tucked away in a tiny village of Maramures county, near the Ukrainian border, the
Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel) is not only a very unique burial site, but also an openair museum and a tourist attraction in its own right. Designed in 1940 by the local
woodcarver Stan Ion Patras, Sapanta’s cheerful cemetery stands out for its colorful high
wooden crosses carved in oak and painted with scenes of the deceased’s life.
Moreover, each tombstone features a witty poem depicting the person’s life and the way
he/she died. To give you an idea, here is a funny epitaph translated by Wikipedia:
Under this heavy cross
Lies my poor mother in-law
Three more days she would have lived
I would die, and she would read (this cross).
You, who here are passing by
Not to wake her up please try
Cause’ if she comes back home
She’ll criticize me more.
But I’ll behave so well
That she’ll not return from hell.
Stay here, my dear mother in-law!
2. ROMANIAN INVENTOR S HAV E CHANGED THE W ORLD
Photo by W ikipedia
Romania gave birth to some extraordinary scientists and engineers, most of whom have
actually changed the world. Some of these include: Nicolae Constantin Paulescu –
discoverer of insulin; Eugen Pavel – inventor of Hyper CD-ROM; Aurel Persu – the first
engineer and car designer to build a car with the wheels inside its aerodynamic line;
Petrache Poenaru – inventor of fountain pen; Emil Racovita – founder of biospeleology
(the study of organisms living in caves); Anastase Dragomir – inventor of parachuted
chair, an early version of today’s ejection seat.
Furthermore, Romanian engineers have successfully contributed to the history of flight.
Henri Coanda, Traian Vuia and Aurel Vlaicu – they all played an important role as
pioneers in aerodynamics and aviation.
3. ROMANIA H AS 7 UNE SCO WORLD HERITAGE S ITES
Sighisoara, Ro mania
These include: the Churches of Moldavia; the Dacian Fortress of the Orastie Mountains;
the Historic Centre of Sighisoara; the Monastery of Horezu; the Villages with Fortified
Churches in Transylvania; the Wooden Churches of Maramures; the Danube Delta.
4. ROMANIA IS EUROPE ’S RICHEST COUNTRY I N GOLD
RESOURCES
5. ROMANIA BOASTS TH E WORLD’S LARGEST
ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING
Photo by Dennis Jarvis
Built by former Romanian dictator – Nicolae Ceausescu, Bucharest’s Palace of the
Parliament – also known as People’s House – is the largest, heaviest and most
expensive civil administration building on the planet.
6. ROMANIA H AS THE BEST-PRESERVED DELTA IN E UROPE
Photo by Anca Pandrea
Although the second largest river delta in Europe after the Caspian Depression’s Volga
Delta (Russia/Kazakhstan), the Danube Delta in Romania is the best preserved on the
continent. It features not less than 23 natural ecosystems, boasting an amazing variety
of unique flora and fauna.
7. THE STATUE OF DECEBALUS, EUROPE’S LAR GEST ROCK
SCULPTURE
Decebalus Statue, Orsova
Somewhere along the Danube, near the small city of Orsova, in southwestern Romania,
lies a 55-m high rock sculpture depicting Decebalus, the last king of Dacia. The
monument can only be reached by boat.
8. THE ONLY GOLD MUSEUM IN EUROPE
Photo courtesy Gold Museum’s Faceb ook
Also known as the Mineralogical Collection of Brad, The Gold Museum in the small
Romanian city of Brad is the only one of its kind in Europe. Founded 100 years ago, the
gallery contains a mind-blowing collection of over 2000 pieces of gold gathered here
from across the world. Highlight of the museum, however, is the native gold which is
displayed exactly as found in the mines of the Romanian mountains. The pieces are so
unique and spectacular that their value does not depend on grammage anymore. For
instance, a lizard shaped item of only seven tenths of a gram of gold has been
evaluated at EUR 3 million.
IV.
Things to do in Romania
Fishing in the Danube Delta
Drive the Transfagarasan
Try Romanian Food
Visit Sighisoara
Visit The Wonderful Monasteries
Circle People's Palace
Breath fresh air in the Mountain Resort
Drink Tuica
Visit Transilvania and meet our costumes
Surse de inspiratie:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/imagesromania/pool/
http://travelaway.me/things-you-didnt-know-about-romania/