By UBB, we mean University of Babes Bolyai, in Cluj Napoca.
We just found out there is a UBB in Poland, University of Bielsko Biala, which also offers courses in Polish for beginners. If you want online courses in Polish, just remember that Poland is in a different time zone by one hour. We are one hour later in Cluj, they are one hour earlier in Poland. (We have the same time zone as Estonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Finland, Lithuania, Lativia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine, and Cyprus, but in Poland, they have the same time zone as Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Monaco, Vatican City, San Marino, Andorra, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Hungary.)
https://welcome.ubb.edu.pl/polish-language-course/polish-language-course
Chinese
The Confucious Institute is offering courses in three subjects this year, or has announced three. Chinese language, caligraphy, and Tai Chi.
From previous students, these classes are taught by native Chinese speakers who will give some instructions in English. Besides just Romanians, there are students from other parts of Europe and other parts of the world.
prices
Tai Chi is 300 lei per semester, or more accurately, 300 lei for ten sessions. (So, it averages to 30 lei a session if you show up to all sessions. But yeah, you pay for all sessions.) Sessions are on Saturdays.
Caligraphy has two prices, 400 for beginners, or 450 for more advanced students. Sessions are on Friday evening. I hope that doesn’t cause a problem with those students who want “weekends free.”
Chinese is more complicated. There are the normal courses at 350 lei for 12 sessions, then there are small group courses at 500 lei for 12 sessions, and then there are one-on-one classes at 800 lei. The normal courses are 7 to 8.30 pm, and the day of the week depends upon your level. (Complete beginners are on Tuesday.)
We note that last year there was also a music course on offer. We do not know whether this has been discontinued, or whether it will be offered later.
The social media website for the Cluj Confucius institute have been updated with the information and the sign up form, but the website has been “deactivated.” (Which might mean under construction.)
Polish
I think the Polish courses are through the medium of Romanian at the beginner level, and Polish at later levels. However, I could be wrong, maybe they can accomodate to English speakers. Anyway, check out their social media page if you use Facebook.
Children’s Polish courses
“Lekcje języka polskiego dla dzieci.
Zapisy na na zajęcia online: centrul.polonez.cluj@gmail.com ”
“Lecții de limba poloneză pentru copii.
Înscrieri la cursurile online: centrul.polonez.cluj@gmail.com ”
So, email them in Romanian or Polish for more information. No, they don’t give any information in English, so we assume they are native Polish speakers who have learned very good Romanian.
Again, they give the non-existant address of 11 Str. Moților. AARRGH! It’s 11 Calea Moților, Calea, not strada. The movie, A Miracle on 32 Street, not a Miracle of 32nd Avenue. If someone tells you to go to fifth avenue, they don’t mean fifth street. Ever heard of the movie “Sunset Road?” I haven’t, I’ve only heard of “Sunset Boulevard.” Why does everyone insist on misnaming Calea Moților? Aren’t they afraid that the Calea will get offended? Or worse still, people will type the name into their satnav, and be redirected to somewhere in Turda?
Strada and Calea are not the same thing. Nor is Bdul. There are different words used in “street” names. Now, excuse me while I watch an episode of Sesame Boulevard with Elmo the Grouch.
Other than that minor typo, we know Romanians who took Polish classes there and most of them enjoyed it. Perhaps the guy who was unhappy is still looking for Strada Moților.
Classes for adults.
These are free for students from UBB.
It seems that like the Korean course, the first day meeting is simply to organise things. (I guess people say when they are available, and you learn the details then.) 8th of October, 6pm. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll speak Romanian at the meeting. The next course will probably be different days for different levels, and might be a different time. (Maybe you can negotiate if there’s a conflict. Maybe you’ll win. Maybe you’ll lose.)
300 lei for students from other universities.
Non students? I don’t know, where there be any non students?
And non students?
Are they available to non-students? We don’t know if anyone has tried. In our observations, and from what others have told us, very few people over 25 take language classes at UBB in any language. If you’re over 25, you might be the oldest person there. (It’s worse in Belgium. If you take Dutch classes in one commune after a certain age, you might be referred to as ‘the old man’ or ‘the old woman.’ Compare that to Wales, where the typical evening language student is retired, and you have to be over 80 to qualify called “old.”)
However, the summer school Transylvanian Culture and Romanian Language course had a lot of people over 25 (including two people who were already retired.)
Don’t worry too much about it. If you really want to learn Polish, show up, the worst that can happen is you get deported. Or you get the look of death, called “old,” and laughed out of the classroom. (That never happened so far, but who knows?)
Other courses
We have some more information on other courses. It appears that instruction in Korean uses English language textbooks, but the staff (and potential students) are Romanian speakers. Our student connection said that everyone there was Romanian. So, I am guessing that the course will be through Romanian.
Here is a link to the Centrele culturale straine, foreign cultural centers, at UBB. Some have neither websites nor social media sites, only emails, phone numbers or addresses. So, while we can contact some of them for you, it might require you to talk to people to find out what’s going on. (When learning a language, it usually helps if you can communicate through some form.)
https://www.ubbcluj.ro/ro/structura/unitati/centre_culturale_straine