In the past months, I’ve been on a wild ride with my career while contemplating on my Romanian roots in an international setting. It’s like a light bulb moment, realizing how my Romanian identity sparkles outside the homeland.
If you didn’t know, we have a second Romania – our diaspora. Spread out all over the globe, about 6 million Romanians are out there living their lives. The Romanian diaspora is the ethnically Romanian population outside Romania and Moldova. The number of all Romanians abroad is estimated at about 6 million people, depending on one’s definition of the term „Romanian” as well as the inclusion respectively exclusion of ethnic Romanians living in nearby countries where they are indigenous. In 2016 Romanians were the 4th largest community of immigrants in the OCD countries after Mexican India and Poland.
Living abroad for over a year now, I bump into Romanian chatter everywhere – on the metro, in the shops, even on street corners. I’ve joined a mini Romanian community here in the Netherlands and guess what? We’re all have common traits – hardworking, quick to adapt, and always up for a challenge. Stress? Bring it on! Finding the best angle for success? It’s our secret recipe!
Speaking with a Dutch person who works with Romanians, he summarized best: „Romanian have the smarts and the drive to survive.” He hit the nail on the head without even knowing our history. Our survival instincts are top-notch, thanks to our Eastern European roots. Sure, we’ve got room for growth, but hey, that’s a story for another day.
Here’s my two cents: outside our homeland, we blossom faster. In the right environment, we tend to grow in every direction. And hey, here’s a fun fact – our survival skills give us a secret weapon: higher emotional intelligence. It’s like having superpowers in our back pocket for navigating any situation life throws our way.
I could dive deep into our historical DNA, but let’s keep it light. It’s all about embracing change, learning and growing from our biases, and leveling up our emotional intelligence. It’s a game-changer for both my personal and professional growth.
Abraham Lincoln once said, „The best way to predict the future is to create it.” That’s my mantra! Taking risks, embracing challenges, and thriving in tough situations – it’s our Romanian specialty. We might not have invented the recipe, but we are perfecting it!
