Why do English speakers call themselves Expats instead of immigrants? The use of the term expat goes back in two directions. In American English, it was often used to refer to those…
Author: James
ice hazard warning for walking, biking, driving in Cluj
This January has been much snowier than the previous five years. While frost could easily be found in 2023-2024, and below freezing temperatures have been common, this year seems to have more…
12 angry men – review of Romanian theatre in Cluj
The Romanian Theatre in Cluj, now called Lucian Blaga, is such a beautiful building, it is worth going to a play just to see the internal architecture. According to a guided tour,…
Why do European social media platforms fail?
If you’re French and in your thirties, you might remember the blogging platform SkyRock. For business, the French also had Viadeo, a LinkedIn competitor that seemed to offer the same functionality. (And…
Store brand shoes in Cluj, tested
Most of the world has the same shoes. Unless you are getting pirated products, you will find the same Adidas in Cluj as you would in Tokyo or New York City. We…
Over 6000 police actions concerning immigration in 2025
According to the “INSPECTORATUL GENERAL PENTRU IMIGRĂRI” (yes, that’s the institution you talk to in the basement of the mall), immigration police have acted 6020 times in the first ten months of…
Was Kintsugi in Cluj before Japan?
The story of Kintsugi is as follows. When a shogun in Japan, perhaps Yoshimasha, broke his pot, he sent it to China to be repaired. There, it was repaired with ugly staples. …
Libertatea’s French scandal
Big deal, you say? So, the Romanian newspaper uses a British newspaper to translate French news site. English is an international language. Why not look at the Guardian? Well, we have our…
Review: Vecina (Mircea Bravo 4)
Technically, “Vecina” is not a sequel to Mircea Bravo. I mean, the characters seem to be the same, with the same actor playing Bunica, and none of the actors seem to break…
Where to find umbrellas in Cluj
Umbrellas are not as widely available in Cluj as they might be in Amsterdam, but you can still find them if you know where to look. Supermarkets Kauflaud. A nice variety of…