Bashar Barbary

Bashar Barbary was born in Iraq and is now studying political sciences at the Bucharest University. His coming to Romania was not strictly about education, but also about having to deal with certain family and social circumstances.

Monica Chiorpec, 05.03.2015, 14:12

Bashar Barbary was born in Iraq and is now studying political sciences at the Bucharest University. His coming to Romania was not strictly about education, but also about having to deal with certain family and social circumstances.

Bashar Barbary: “I am half Lebanese, half Iraqi. I first came to Romania in 2003, for a short visit, due to the bad political situation in Iraq and particularly because of the war. I went back to Iraq, but the situation there did not improve. I did not like the social life and it was not OK for me to live there anymore. I moved to Lebanon for one year, but people there were also faced with political issues. I returned to Iraq for another three years and I eventually moved to Romania in 2007. My uncle had been living in Romania since the 1990s. I was admitted at the Cambridge School and I studied there from the 6th to the 12th grade. After high-school graduation I enrolled with the Faculty of Political Sciences of the Bucharest University.“

Bashar has always been involved in educational projects related to politics, as this is a field that he believes is extremely important for the understanding and management of conflicts in modern society.

Bashar Barbary: “The first language I learnt was Arabic, then I learnt English. As the high school I attended was an international one, all subject matters were in English. I learnt Romanian at work and my friends helped me too. In high-school I got involved in the Model United Nations project, actually I was one of the 250 people participating and I came in first. I was encouraged and included in Model United Nations New Roads, in Greece, with 70 competitors. It was an elite project, for those who had at least 6 years of relevant experience. One of my colleagues, who had organized the competition held in Romania, helped me register and I won the first place again. The third project was run in Antalya and involved the participation of 650 people and, again, I came in first. That success brought me into the world of politics.”

The education system in Romania is to the liking of Bashar Barbary. At 19 he says he’s started his adult life with activities that he fully enjoys.

Bashar Barbary: “I haven’t studied in any country other than Romania, so I cannot actually make a comparison, but I like it very much here. Unfortunately, there is too much theory and not enough practice, but theory is helpful too. We are doing things that have had a major impact on history and whose effects are still being felt today. I also have a part-time job, and I work every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 hours a day. An optics lab hired me when I was 14. So, it’s been 5 years already since I first started working and I like it very much. I am kind of passionate about what I do, not about optics in particular, but I like that I work with many people.”

Bashar’s Romanian colleagues have become his best friends, and they have helped him integrate quite fast into a culture that is so different from his own. Bashar Barbary:

Bashar Barbary: “My colleagues were very open-minded. I have never had problems with them being afraid or reluctant, just because I come from a country with problems, where people are at war. There were many jokes in the beginning, but how you react to such jokes is very much about how you are as a person. There are many those who cannot take a joke and get offended. To me it was fine, as many of the preconceived ideas were normal. Actually, my colleagues were very nice and helped me read things in Romanian, when my Romanian was not that good. All in all they have been very good colleagues and friends.”

Just like any young man his age, Bashar Barbary enjoys every minute of his free time. He likes to travel around Romania, but also to discover Bucharest, the city he is living in:

Bashar Barbary: “I’ve been to Brasov, Sinaia, Maramures, Constanta …..It’s a very beautiful and rich country, I like it very much. I particularly loved Mamaia and the sea. I like eating in restaurants. Unfortunately I do not have much time for that, because I am busy going to school and working. When I have time I watch movies, I go bowling, just like other young people do. I like Romanian food very much, but I prefer the Arab one. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with my origins, it’s just a matter of taste.”

Which are the principles that guide Bashar in life?

Bashar Barbary: “It’s about flexibility. It’s about what we want in life, not just about what we must do. It’s also about how much we are willing to sacrifice.”