I met two Norwegians in the seaside resort of Mamaia yesterday.I was having a cup of coffee with three Romanian friends when I heard my mother tongue from a table close by.
Since I wanted to practice my mother language again I turned around and asked how they liked Romania. I mean, it was + 28 degrees and all nice so I regarded it as a safe question. The couple seemed surprised to be addressed in their own language, but the lady smiled broadly and said: " Oh it is really nice, wonderful really,the weather, the hotel, it is all more than ok..." Her husband however looked at her, then at us and said: Well, oh yes.... ok...but where are all the beggars? "
Last week a cousin from Norway visited me and he asked me why there are so few Norwegians coming here. He too was surprised by the nice beaches, the weather, the service and the country itself. I gave him a long reply about poor promotion, no charter flights.... now I understood I had forgotten one basic point: The beggars. The beggars in Norway, not the few here. The Romanian beggars who according to Norwegian media are flowing into the polar nation and ruining the peace and welfare of the Norwegian people. Even my cousin himself had mentioned this even before meeting this couple in Mamaia. - So very few Norwegians want to visit Romania because they believe they will be harassed by armies of beggars?
I did not translate to my Romanian friends in Mamaia. How could I explain that Norwegians seem to believe that all Romanians are beggars? It would ruin a beautiful day for sure.
My Romanian friend Andrei Cosmin has now been living four years in Norway and he says that he is not comfortable at all when he hears Romanian language in a Norwegian street and see the same people asking for money. He blames the Romanian gypsies and the Gypsy mafia for them coming. But he also blames the Norwegians for letting the begging gypsies stay. And the Romanian view is very simple:Somebody must give them money. If nobody..and he means nobody... gave these professional beggars money, they would leave and never come back. So if Norway want them to go, they must stop donating,either by cash or gifts.It is a naive, but simple solution. Says Andrei.
They know.Romanians know. In Romania Romanians never give money to beggars pretending they are poor, or using a handicap or a kid to get sympathy. It is all too obvious. So the professional beggars move on. Among other destinations also Norway.
If the reason for very few Norwegians visiting Romania these days is fear of begging and beggers, it is a complete misconception of course. It is a pity for Romania and her tourist industry of course, but even more so for the Norwegians who miss out on visiting a beautiful, friendly and lovely country.
