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Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
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kerohaha
Joined: 27 Jul 2003 Posts: 26 Location: hongkong
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:24 am Post subject: How's life in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria? |
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Greetings
I have posted here earlier about finding work in Eastern/Central Europe and now I would like to open a new topic on life/work situations in eastern Europe (mainly Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria).
I need to choose where I want to live first and I'm considering the 3 countries in the region. But I have NEVER been to the area and don't have any friends from the area, so I have no idea about the kind of social life, people's way of thinking, openness, life attitude, safety/crime rate, students performance, etc. I don't think life/people in these countries are the 'same'? What are the (different) attractions of living/working in these 3 countries? Please excuse my ignorance.
I can learn about the history of individual countries from historical resources but as to the questions on general life/people there, I believe I have to turn to this forum. There're very few posts in the job journals on these countries. I'd love to hear about personal experiences.
Please help. Thank you again. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2003 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Try this website. Http://www.sol.org.uk
It's called Sharing Our Language and places people in those countries and others. Let me know ifyou find other info. My goal is to settle down in Romania. But I want to spend the next ten years or so seeing the world. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2003 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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I think you should visit first and then think more about where you want to be.
Currently salaries in Bulgaria are barely enough to survive. Over the last 8 or 10 yeras there has been a huge exodus of young people moving to Western Europe, the US and Canada.
You could find a job here but it is tough. |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:16 am Post subject: |
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I think you should go with a volunteer organization, if you really have your heart set on going there. Try http://www.peacecorps.gov if you are American, or VSO http://www.vso.org.uk if you are in the EU, Canada, USA, Kenya, and a couple of other countries. Scot is right about people moving from Eastern Europe.
But many countries will be joining the EU soon and things could change for the better, best of luck! |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2003 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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I am a bit puzzled as to why you would selct these three, rather than, for example, Slovakia, Poland and Lithuania.
Really you should visit first. And the advice about the Peace Corps/VSO from another poster was quite reasonable. |
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spatrick
Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 31
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2003 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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I thought I�d add my two cents worth --
I can�t comment on living in Bulgaria or Romania, but Hungary is a different matter. I lived in Eastern Hungary some years ago and found the people and culture fantastic. To me, the Hungarians are the most pessimistic optimists in the world; in one breath they will say that nothing is going to work, and then set down to try to make it work. Amazing.
I taught University and found the students to be hardworking, intelligent, open minded (for their culture, that is), and fun. Hungarians are also some of the best <natural> language learners I have come across.
Yet, I went into the country with a job in hand. From what I saw, though, in Budapest, there certainly were language schools, and the teachers made enough to live on. I only knew a handfull of lang. school teachers from BP, but they seemed to be making more money than the public school teachers I met.
By the time that I left Hungary, say in 1999, there were few differences in basic standards of living between Hungary and other more Westernized cultures (it was higher in my opinion than Poland). Large purchases were out of the question, like personal computers or bmw�s, but the local malls seemed to be doing very well indeed.
I haven�t been back to that area for several years. Still, I would think that the country has only improved economically.
If you have teaching experience and a certain amount of stomach for risk, I�d pop into Hungary and try your luck.
Good luck with your decision,
Patrick |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2003 4:05 pm Post subject: ?????????????????? |
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Seems to me the question is a bit like asking :
"Could you tell me about life in Florida, Maine and Illinois?"
Could you realistically expect any meaningful answer to that question ? A liberal education is supposed to help us formulate questions that can be answered. |
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