Different countries have different attitudes toward refugees. The process in many European countries seems backwards. Many people who are allowed to live in Belgian, for instance, are not allowed to apply for work.
Romania asks its refugees to work. After a small period, they are expected to support themselves. Perhaps that is why Romania is not attractive to fake assylum seekers.
That said, the Romanian government and military does what it can to make sure that those who really need treatment get it. In a recent video by the Wall Street Journal, we see that Romania uses its military aircraft to help evacuate Gazan children who need medical treatment that they cannot get in Gaza.
While Gaza is under seige, not many people are allowed to leave. However, those that can get out (children who need medical attention and caretakers who need to attend them) often find help from Romanians.
Raed Arafat, Romania’s minister of Health, was born in Syria to Palestinian parents. (Raed Arafat’s parents were born in Nablus, in the West Bank.)
Note, Raed does not seem to be related to Yasser Arafat. Most name databases we could find only cover the surname in the United States.
According to Raed Arafat, what Romania is doing is “only a drop in the ocean” although Romania is doing what it can. Not many people are allowed to leave Gaza, but those that are can find planes to send them to countries such as Romania and the Netherlands.
It is difficult for Arabic speakers to learn Romanian and adapt to the country, but they do not appear to have any problems with the local population. As long as they can find work to support themselves, they are fine. Many would prefer to return home to their families. However, as Raed Arafat laments, things appear to have been getting worse in the middle east since he left in the 1980s.
Expats from other parts of Romania have found the language somewhat difficult. Most courses that we see advertised teach through English, a few now teach Ukrainian refugees through slavic languages. There are some funny Romanian shows you can watch.
We spoke to some expats who said if they had to learn again, they would start with the Smurfs (Ștrumfi in Romanian). It helps learners get the rhythm of a language, and the visual manner means you can follow a story before you have the vocabulary. At a slightly more advanced level is the Fixies (Fixiki in Romanian).
When you can start reading, newspapers like Magazinul are interesting. (Perhaps Garfield in Romanian is more suited for lower levels.)