This is going to be a very brief post. There's a reason why communication belongs to the category of so-called "soft" skills. And that reason is: it's not (usually) supposed to be harsh. Barking at folks will not get you very far, unless you're into making enemies or turning friends away. And my guess is, … Continue reading Soft Skills – Communication
Tag: Romania
My Interview with RFI Romania
A few days ago, I was interviewed by Otilia Ghitescu from RFI Romania about our travel guide TIMISOARA23 and the European Capital of Culture 2023. You can read or listen (in Romanian), here: https://www.rfi.ro/cultura-152184-timisoara-2023-pregatita-sau-nu-de-turisti-multe-asteptari-si-un-ghid-cu-secrete Our stories about Timisoara and the Banat region, beautifully illustrated by Claudia Tanasescu, can be ordered on Amazon, in paperback or … Continue reading My Interview with RFI Romania
Happy holidays!
Just a quick line to wish you all a happy and peaceful holiday season and to introduce you to my most recent project, a non-fiction book that uses storytelling to bring my hometown of Timisoara, Romania, European Capital of Culture 2023, closer to potential visitors. There's still time to order the paperback or download it … Continue reading Happy holidays!
Weltanschauung – die rumänische Art (Maramuresch)
Here's a folk song from the northern Maramures region of Romania that can give you a fascinating insight into the Romanian soul (and outlook on life): "Şi-aşa-mi vine câteodată, dorule/ Să dau cu cuţitu-n piatră, dorule Din piatră să iasă foc, măi dorule / Dacă-n viaţă n-am noroc, măi dorule Când s-o-mpărţit norocul/ Fost-am eu … Continue reading Weltanschauung – die rumänische Art (Maramuresch)
Culture reflected in language
Most of the time, a culture's innermost values are hidden. One of the external manifestations where they become visible is language. What does the Romanian language tell us about the country's cultural profile and its core values? Romanian is a Romance language of Latin descent with many Slavic, French, English, Turkish, Hungarian and German imports. … Continue reading Culture reflected in language
New trends on the Romanian labor market
Human Resource experts claim they are noticing a new trend on the Romanian labor market, with companies increasingly looking to hire people in their fourties and fifties. According to an article published by the Romanian daily Gandul, many companies have decided to resort to older employees because these are more responsible, have better communication skills, … Continue reading New trends on the Romanian labor market
Short-term vs. Long-term Cultures – Can they be ranked qualitatively?
Psychology and behavioral economics (see Dan Ariely at Duke University, for instance) tell us that decisions based solely on intuition and hot states (that is, intense momentary stimuli) are often wrong and unsustainable in the long term. They are influenced or even manipulated by limbic processes (shock, fear, loathing, pity, joy). Can we derive from … Continue reading Short-term vs. Long-term Cultures – Can they be ranked qualitatively?