tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.comments2023-11-05T12:59:29.404+02:00Csíkszereda musingsAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comBlogger1836125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-26789710942430570202016-10-22T21:48:09.608+03:002016-10-22T21:48:09.608+03:00Thanks everyone for the comments. (I do complain a...Thanks everyone for the comments. (I do complain a lot don't I Laura :-))<br /><br />Thanks for the blog post Andreas, I didn't see it at the time (I made the mistake of reading the comments though, which didn't help my mood :-) The number of people I meet here who know beyond a shadow of a doubt that large swathes of Western Europe are living under Sharia Law amazes (depresses) me. People are always telling me that various English towns I'm familiar with live under such a system and the fact that i refute this based on stuff like facts and evidence never seems to convince them because they read it on some right wing website.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-76216325857415476702016-10-22T14:58:29.759+03:002016-10-22T14:58:29.759+03:00In my whole year in Romania, I never had any run-i...In my whole year in Romania, I never had any run-in with the police.<br /><br />But I absolutely agree with your observation that sadly, most people in Romania have never meet a non-European in their life and thus equate anyone of foreign complexion with terrorism. The things I heard from Romanian friends who had never been to the Middle East about Middle Easterners were ridiculous. Even more sad, I as someone who has spent considerable time in the Middle East and knows many Muslims, could not dissuade them from their narrow-minded worldview.<br /><br />And this is not only from ordinary people. One example is the mayor of Targu Mures who made racist remarks although the university in his town is home to many foreign students: https://andreasmoser.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/dorin-florea/ Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01177832299625734844noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-17388227575818487172016-10-21T16:27:34.982+03:002016-10-21T16:27:34.982+03:00I perfectly agree with you, Andy! That is why I le...I perfectly agree with you, Andy! That is why I left Hargita and later the country... I still can't understand how people can be so silly and not able to understand or accept anything else than the good old ways. I have friends who work here for a wonderful gay couple and they don't have the courage to tell their family at home that their employers are "different". It took me a very long time to make my family (even though they are wonderful with everybody) accept foreigners (black, Asian or white) as "normal" just as anybody else. I have friends at home whose daughter married a black person and "can you imagine it, she ruined her life!?" It is very very sad how people can be so narrow minded...all they know is whatever the TV tells them. I've always sad that nothing will really change in that country before those who were raised and were living during the communism are no longer.<br />But then again it's not only Romania. It happened to me here in GB that the cab driver was sincerely surprised that I am not British as "all strangers have darker skin" and surely I'm cleaning houses and hotels as I am from Eastern Europe.<br />Anyway :) Hope you and your lovely family are well. <br />Keep up adding these little posts here or FB. It's always lovely reading them. Even if you're complaining about something again<br />Laura Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18339634954748692016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-3537443213541274382016-10-21T12:17:36.341+03:002016-10-21T12:17:36.341+03:00
To feel better in the ongoing miasma, I regulary ...<br />To feel better in the ongoing miasma, I regulary read Yanis Varoufakis - try this Oct 2016 post https://yanisvaroufakis.eu/2016/10/11/to-prevent-brexit-from-turning-nasty-progressive-internationalists-must-come-close-to-winning-10-downing-street/elizabeth_annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00287602569953368086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-23951294834217431872016-10-21T12:08:08.004+03:002016-10-21T12:08:08.004+03:00Thank you so much for writing this - as you say it...Thank you so much for writing this - as you say it's so much easier just not to bother. I am reminded of Steve Biko "the greatest arms in the hands of a dictator is the mind of the oppressed"<br />Until I was 40, I thought I had made myself the way I am, then with age come (a little bit of) wisdom, and I was really quite shocked when I finally saw in myself the part of culture which underlies my way of being.<br />Those of us who have migrated, changed cultures, (or just travelled and visited other cultures) can see better the <i>different</i> ways of being which are inherent to different societies.<br />Then, as the eternal "outsider" comes the question "should I say something ... do I have the right to say something?" <br />This is a brilliant piece - thanks again.<br />And on a lighter note ... I can't imagine living in a "Depression" is there no lighter translation ?<br />A village near us, when it became a ski resort, changed its name after a few years from "La Morte" to "l'Alpe du Grand Serre" and the new name caught on really quickly :-)<br /><i>P.S. I am writing from a country in which the police are having somewhat furtive (and definitely illegal) demonstrations in the middle of the night at the moment LOL... only in France!</i>elizabeth_annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00287602569953368086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-11629455379255896292015-11-19T14:35:16.118+02:002015-11-19T14:35:16.118+02:00It's almost certainly not the right person. I...It's almost certainly not the right person. It's as if the entire K-12 system is an after-thought. The new guy (Adrian Curaj) is not a university rector but he has been head of the funding agency (UEFISCDI) for the last five years or so. Definitely a wonk. And has never been in Parliament.<br /><br />(Actually, now that i think about it, Andronescu was a deputy the first two times she was minister, but had gone back to Politehnica by the time her third term came around).Alex Usherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214819989768954468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-47796680749061583872015-11-19T13:57:06.091+02:002015-11-19T13:57:06.091+02:00Is it? I'm now not sure. I think that usuall...Is it? I'm now not sure. I think that usually the ministers are mostly elected. Though I'm sure you're right about education since you've had more experience with them than I. (Having said that though, that does raise the question about whether someone in HE is necessarily the right person to run the school system) Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-69634789578523172972015-11-19T13:52:19.992+02:002015-11-19T13:52:19.992+02:00Agree with the sentiment, but where cabinet is con...Agree with the sentiment, but where cabinet is concerned, isn't it always like this? The Education minister is never an elected deputy, usually a university rector or head of Senate (Andronescu, Pricopie, Cimpeanu, etc). My understanding is that's true of Finance as well - not clear about other ministries. Isn't the real difference that it's the PM who's not a deputy this time?Alex Usherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214819989768954468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-66064322662725661272014-12-18T12:33:22.260+02:002014-12-18T12:33:22.260+02:00Apologies all for only just noticing these comment...Apologies all for only just noticing these comments.<br /><br />Well, I was obviously wrong (not for the first time), and I am happy to have been so. <br /><br />I don;t imagine everything now will be perfect but this is a small but important step in the right direction, absolutely.Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294221123964774524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-10232179060254515022014-12-15T19:49:27.333+02:002014-12-15T19:49:27.333+02:00You old misery.
So, with a week to go until Iohan...You old misery.<br /><br />So, with a week to go until Iohannis takes the reins what are your feelings about where things are likely to go?<br /><br />Richard.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12974271268541402849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-50210062264947826572014-12-06T20:22:07.796+02:002014-12-06T20:22:07.796+02:00Hey! What is your opinion after the events? Surpri...Hey! What is your opinion after the events? Surprise. Just like Johannis won the elections in Sibiu when really nobody expected, the same he won presidential elections.<br /><br />I recently came home to Cszikszereda, i am half hungarian, half romanian but i was living in Poland and will leave again somewhere in a few months.<br /><br />We can meet for some talks and chats, if you want.<br /><br />Octavian TodirutAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11258619556671493082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-7844936121238864512014-11-30T15:46:52.731+02:002014-11-30T15:46:52.731+02:00Ahem ;)Ahem ;)Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00334047171075159355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-79170818221690765342014-11-22T04:14:36.987+02:002014-11-22T04:14:36.987+02:00Buna. I would like you to know that I really enjoy...Buna. I would like you to know that I really enjoy reading your blog. What are your thoughts now about the Romanian election? My wife and mother-in-law, both Romanians, were very shocked and pleasantly surprised with Klaus Iohannis victory. Do you see change for the better coming to Romania? Thanks for your timeMFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09512959999739427778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-82071260378147016952014-11-16T07:13:38.263+02:002014-11-16T07:13:38.263+02:00Good post. A very interesting topic. My mother alw...Good post. A very interesting topic. My mother always said that the Székelys are the most Hungarian Hungarians. And she should know. Her ancestors lived in Székelyföld (the Székely land) for as long as anyone knows. Her family was Roman Catholic all the way back although my cousins who still live there are either Hungarian Reformed or Unitarian.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07107146169365608083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-32454569849173221232014-11-11T18:53:28.905+02:002014-11-11T18:53:28.905+02:00Well said. We hope, people will vote with open min...Well said. We hope, people will vote with open mind...<br />VRJúliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03591765514905413124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-20977256010215234542014-10-16T21:34:48.298+03:002014-10-16T21:34:48.298+03:00Perfect :DPerfect :Dernobiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872778498473437876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-30646162611707411872014-08-30T06:40:51.985+03:002014-08-30T06:40:51.985+03:00Well stated , thanks for thinking deeply about thi...Well stated , thanks for thinking deeply about this. dumneazuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03595663581295671582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-79573357905554945932014-08-15T06:51:42.805+03:002014-08-15T06:51:42.805+03:00Thanks. One of the clearest and most honest statem...Thanks. One of the clearest and most honest statements about the Gaza situation that I have read in a long time.dumneazuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03595663581295671582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-82594890437298058822014-07-08T19:28:55.993+03:002014-07-08T19:28:55.993+03:00"MDS analysis based on haplogroup frequency v..."MDS analysis based on haplogroup frequency values, confirms that modern Hungarian and Szekler populations are genetically closely related, and similar to populations from Central Europe and the Balkans." http://www.khazaria.com/genetics/hungarians.htmlMaggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07610518376118890912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-23348515781927639912014-07-08T18:47:59.104+03:002014-07-08T18:47:59.104+03:00This is by far the best english description of &qu...This is by far the best english description of "Szekely" I have ever read. Trust me, I am something of an authority on this, being a tosgyokeres, csiki bicskas szekely ficko who escaped communism 25+years ago and now lives in Kansas who speaks english better than most people in north america, and whose accent/thinking/logic still gets made fun of by the non-szekely, or semi-szekely (ie. Vasarhelyi) hungarians of north america (mostly my friends in Toronto)<br /><br />I don't know much about Yorkshiremen, but based on your description I feel instant kinship.<br /><br />As for the anthem, there is often big bruhaha over that--exceeding the flag fiasco, mostly at hockey games, in Bucuresti ;) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10336273946246710449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-49359882073675640942014-07-01T20:19:19.970+03:002014-07-01T20:19:19.970+03:00As usual, very interesting to read you. I had no i...As usual, very interesting to read you. I had no idea things were like that over there, so thanks for sharing that. However, it's really a shame for most kids like yours who have to go through that and see their lives, to a certain extent, defined by that terrible system of assessment. Not much of a difference with Nicaragua, my friend, in terms of subjectivity in our assessment/evaluation systems. Still, tests do not determine such important things as in Romania. And with all you know...well, I can imagine your pain! Good vibes, Andy.ale-khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01841079172345855457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-91379484891973182932014-07-01T12:58:34.963+03:002014-07-01T12:58:34.963+03:00Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant -...Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant - it's very similar here in Italy and it goes all the way up to university level where candidates are given marks more or less according to the random whim of the professor. There is little or no attempt at standardisation, and the importance placed on oral exams means that a candidate unlucky enough to get the prof on a bad day just has to suck it up!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03847587319542953438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-14688790104041272402014-07-01T12:57:43.938+03:002014-07-01T12:57:43.938+03:00Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant -...Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant - it's very similar here in Italy and it goes all the way up to university level where candidates are given marks more or less according to the random whim of the professor. There is little or no attempt at standardisation, and the importance placed on oral exams means that a candidate unlucky enough to get the prof on a bad day just has to suck it up!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03847587319542953438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-71466926737804956932014-07-01T12:56:37.144+03:002014-07-01T12:56:37.144+03:00Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant -...Hi Andy - I can really sympathise with your rant - it's very similar here in Italy and it goes all the way up to university level where candidates are given marks more or less according to the random whim of the professor. There is little or no attempt at standardisation, and the importance placed on oral exams means that a candidate unlucky enough to get the prof on a bad day just has to suck it up!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03847587319542953438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7689571.post-87850726552409396632014-06-30T16:25:21.051+03:002014-06-30T16:25:21.051+03:00Ahh, the hair-drying and sitting in the draft is t...Ahh, the hair-drying and sitting in the draft is the same in Hungary and it drives me crazy! This winter I gave up and started answering peoples' "Put on a hat, or else you're going to get sick!" with a smile and a "Thanks, but I only get sick from viruses and bacteria."Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17582694522237808281noreply@blogger.com