I'm writing a novel where a large amount of back story takes place in Bucharest, Romania, in the present day. Thing is, I don't know ANYTHING about that place, and I'm too lazy to check out books from the library about Romania or stuff like that. So, here are some things I must find out: 1. How large is the Roma population in the city? 2. Is the city modern, or is it a sort-of "old-worldly" (think certain places in Switzerland) place? 3. Is the economy failing? 4. What's their equivalent of middle school? 5. The predominant language is Romanian, right? (Stupid question, I know) Thanks in advance!
Google search for Bucharest, Romania. http://http://www.google.com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Bucharest%2C+Romania&oq=Bucharest%2C+Romania&gs_l=hp.3..0l10.3673.3673.1.7490.1.1.0.0.0.0.437.437.4-1.1.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.2.6.hp.mtbq8P9P6n8&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43828540,d.aWc&fp=6536e23986d2c8d7&biw=850&bih=440 And cool pic too... http://http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Bucharest%2C%20Romania&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43828540,d.aWc&biw=850&bih=440&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=tqdGUfvtBuO9yQGry4H4Ag Looks like an interesting city. Cool mix of old and mew.
I've been there. 1. How large is the Roma population in the city? I can't give you an exact number (look it up) but let's just say the roma are noticed. Romanians call them gypsies, and they are frowned upon by the majority of people there. It's a big deal. 2. Is the city modern, or is it a sort-of "old-worldly" (think certain places in Switzerland) place? Most of Bucharest has been reconstructed.It's modern looking and fairly ugly,but there is a small part kept historical,that is beautiful,with cobblestone,etc. 3. Is the economy failing? The average salary there is very low.There's also a good deal of corruption,and a lot of the new wealth there are from post communist entrepreneurs. 4. What's their equivalent of middle school? Not sure, maybe high school, but their school systems are pretty good,though cheating has become common place. 5. The predominant language is Romanian, right? (Stupid question, I know) yes
It's entirely possible to write about a place you've never been to - Bram Stoker never set foot in Transylvania. Secondly... You can't be lazy when you're writing a book! Especially with your research. You must have a solid understanding of your setting. The internet is a good tool. Start there. If you don't want to go to the library, used books on Amazon are pretty reasonable.
Hi, I'm not from Bucharest, but I am a Romanian, living in Romania.\ 1. How large is the Roma population in the city? We call them Gypsies (tzigani) or Roma (rromi). From approximately 1.7 million inhabitants, 24 thousands are self-declared "rromi". Usually, the Roma population is localized in some neighborhoods. 2. Is the city modern, or is it a sort-of "old-worldly" (think certain places in Switzerland) place? As many european cities, in Bucharest you can find an older part (Old Center) and new neighborhoods with block of flats an, more recently, sort of suburbs villas. 3. Is the economy failing? No, it's quite developing. Salaries are low, compared to Western Europe countries, but it's an emerging economy. 4. What's their equivalent of middle school? Scool is like this (in batches of four years): children ages 2-6 go to kindergarten ages 6-10 go to primary school ages 11-15 go to middle school or gymnasium age 15-19 go to high school or lyceum (there is another way instead of high-school - a three year vocational school for jobs like: mechanics, hair stylists, woodworker and so on) after that is post-lyceum for two years (sort of college) or university (3 years for graduate + 2 for master degree) and, of course, doctorate and post-doctorate studies 5. The predominant language is Romanian, right? (Stupid question, I know) Romanian, yes. Especially in Bucharest. There are, however, counties in which Hungarian is predominant. Hope this helped.
