Ivan Vazquez of Mexico

Hildegard Ignătescu, 02.07.2021, 03:54

Ivan Vazquez is a software engineer, and he hails from Guadalajara, Mexico. Before moving to Romania, he worked in Germany for two years. He has been living in Bucharest for only half a year, but Ivan is not going through his first Romanian experience. He speaks the language fluently, and he says he feels right at home here.

He told us about how he got here:

“I came to Romania a few years ago, eight, I think, I came here for my work, and I first lived for a year in Timisoara. I learned the language there, in six or seven months, because I liked it. Then I went to Mexico, I had some things to do there, then I came back to Bucharest. I came here mostly for my job, but I chose to stay here because I like it better than Germany. I opted for Bucharest because my company is based here. Maybe in a couple of years Ill move to a smaller town, but right now I am good here. It is a big city, and it is true that, because of the pandemic, I havent done much in 2020, but it has a lot of events, and nice people. The weather is OK too, its a bit hot in the summer, but normally it is good weather, we have sunlight, parks, greenery, and I think it is a nice town.”

Ivan says that the good life in Romania is what made him stay here. We asked him what he was lacking in Germany but found when he moved here:

“This is an interesting question, because I know that a lot of Romanians want to move to Germany, and I often get the question: Why move here, instead of staying in Germany? My answer is simple: I like your culture much more. In Germany the culture is much more, lets say square, more serious, more straight, you feel like youre a tourist all the time. It doesnt matter how long you live there, all the time you feel like a tourist, like a foreigner. Here in Romania, the culture is closer to that of Mexico, people are kind and friendly. By the time I spent a year here, I already had ten friends, but in Germany I spent two years and I made friends only with some foreigners, people who were not German. You can feel the difference, and I think it is very important to feel happy in the place you live.”

Ivan is just now discovering Romania, and he appreciates the natural scenery. We asked him what he appreciates aside from the friendly locals, and about Bucharest in particular:

“Generally, I like the weather better in Romania, it is a little hotter. I just got back from Vama Veche yesterday. I like that we have the beach available after a two and a half hour car ride, but we also have the mountains close by, such as Brasov, or Sinaia. Nature is beautiful here. In Bucharest there are plenty of technology companies, and numerous opportunities, if I want to change my job or evolve. It is easier here, where there arent that many companies, or where they are not so many in smaller cities. In Germany they dont have all the companies in the same city, as in Bucharest, and if you want to change your job, you have to change your city, and this is not ideal for me.”

Our guest this week feels great in Bucharest. However, he does not rule out the possibility of moving to a smaller city at some point. We asked him what shortcomings he sees in living in the capital city:

“A smaller city, such as Timisoara, Cluj, or Brasov may be better suited for a family. It is quieter and cheaper there, and if I have opportunities for a job, I think it would be ok over there. It is cleaner, there is less traffic, and I think that people are friendlier in a smaller city than in the capital. Everyone says that people over here are not the friendliest. I myself dont say that, but it may well be true. The there is the scenery in the country, I love the mountains, I love nature, and Bucharest is just a very large city. Maybe in the future Ill move to a city that is large enough to have everything, such as bars, restaurants, and events, but a tad smaller.”

Given the distance to Mexico, Ivan does not get to visit there too often:

“Oh, yes, I visit my family and friends only once a year, for Christmas, New Year, and my birthday. I spend three weeks there, and then I come back. I go on vacation to Europe, because its close by. I miss the food mostly, because it is awesome over there, and we have many kinds of foods, not just the tacos and burritos that they know over here. I miss my world, I have friends and family there. In any case, it will always be like this, it doesnt matter where you live, youll always miss your friends and family. I chose to live in Europe because it is safer, less dangerous than Mexico. I feel very safe here.”

In the end we asked Ivan what he would change in Romania, and if he sees himself living here for the long run:

“I think the biggest problem in this city is the traffic, parking, there are enough cars already. Of course, everyone wants a car to drive, to go to the countryside or the seaside. It would be great for all the new buildings to have an underground parking lot, so that the streets are not full of parked cars. I noticed that they are working on the buildings downtown that dont look so good, I think they are renovating. You cant really change things in a large city, and all capitals have the same problems, but I still think that Bucharest is mostly OK. I dont know if I see myself still here in a year or two, but Ill definitely be somewhere in Europe.”