Author Archives: Fatca Pop

About Fatca Pop

Fatca Pop is a dreamer, adventurer, cook, and blogger. Fatca was a hairdresser, company secretary, and teacher.

“Chaos” as card machines go offline at Auchan

There was an announcement shortly after 3pm this afternoon at the Auchan’s in Cluj.   It was in Romanian, but here is a rough translation. “Dear shoppers.  We are sorry to inform you that we cannot accept payment by card at … Continue reading

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How new tarriff rules could tax expats

A Latvian once told me a joke about a Russian family on vacation.  The Russian family went far over the baggage allowance, but somehow everything fit on the plane. When they arrived in New York City, the customs people looked … Continue reading

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Technical University Run – registration deadline tomorrow (friday 7 November)

“Chase the Sun” is a cross country run organized by students at Cluj’s technical university (UTCN). Advertised in Romanian as “Crosul Universitati Tehnice,” the run is nine miles long and stars at the Parcul Feroviarilor. The run is on Sunday, … Continue reading

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Expat-owned bakery called “cult” on social media

A Youtube video with nearly ten thousand views, which seems to reference other videos from instagram or bytedance, is calling a local bakery a “Cult.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGGAgRSUq5E  The title of the video is “Cluj Napoca are une Cult secret?”  (Does Cluj Napoca … Continue reading

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Things to do on Halloween in Cluj

Go to the movies Sure, you can go to the cinema any day, but on Halloween you can see films at Cinema City for less than 20 lei. Films in English include Zoocropolis (14:40 at Iulius Mall) and if you … Continue reading

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Romanian businesses will be required to published salary data

I received an email “Salariile devin publice din 2026.”  So, why the longer title in English? Well, the email was kind of clickbait.  At first, I thought we were entering a Finnish system, where everyone would know everyone else’s salary.  … Continue reading

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What Romania can learn from Mississippi

Mississippi has traditionally rabked last in literacy in the USA. Perhaps that’s because the state name is so hard to spell (even if it only takes a second to say), and their towns within are even more difficult, that students … Continue reading

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NFL season starts tommorow, on Voyo

Do you have a streaming service in Romania?  The best for sports is normally Digi.  But perhaps you don’t use Digi, or you had problems with it, so you just want a television service and not to change your mobile. … Continue reading

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Travel disruptions to Britain or France?

If you are planning to go to Britain in the next couple of weeks, prepare for possible disruptions. You might have heard of protests in London planned for September 13th.  Well, allegedly, so did some travel companies, and rail tickets … Continue reading

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Are international students being sold fake promises?

With changing demographics, a lot of Universities are facing falling numbers.  And private organizations are partnering with universities.  When it becomes about the money, sometimes even an educational institution will prioritise quantity over quality. Romania is on both sides of … Continue reading

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