Paul Ostermann-Healy ’27: Managing an Absent Minority in Transylvania
The city of Sibiu wears its German heritage on its sleeve. The street signs marking the city limits proudly display the city’s German name, Hermannstadt, and…
Alex Chen ’28
Back from a week-long trip in Transylvania. Interesting, its name: according to one of our more credible tour guides…
Adria Major ’27: Exploring Historic Transylvania
Romania is one of Europe’s most quietly captivating destinations. It is layered with history, shaped by diverse cultures, and…
Theo Tirschwell ’27
Upon arriving in Bucharest, I struggled to quantify the city, that is to say, it was profoundly unlike any city I had ever visited…
Rivers Curry ’28: Stories from the Buildings of Bucharest: Height, Power, and the Nation
Height is a sign of power. For much of human history, tall buildings have functioned as symbols of…
Emilia Arabia ’28: Transylvania: Collage of Identity
When we got off the bus in Brașov, the first stop on our excursion through Transylvania, I expected…
Ben Krebsbach ’27: (Extra)ordinary Turda!
While visiting Cluj-Napoca, I took an excursion to the Turda Salt Mine with Leo Wang and Adria Major…
William Marinovic ’28: Reining in Cats & Dogs in Transylvania
My cat turned 15 earlier this month. His name is Charlie. Back in November, his fellow feline Murphy passed away after a long battle with kidney disease. They tolerated each…
Mayra V. Estrada Pinzon ’27: New Sights, Identity, Immigration, and “Otherness” Abroad
I never thought I would be abroad for any reason. Let alone Romania, a country I didn’t know anything about until I applied to this program. We have just wrapped…
Alexis Bell-Bronzan ’28: Home in Transylvania
Before leaving for our tour of Transylvania, the furthest I had gotten from Bucharest since arriving in Romania was the village of Buşteni, which was my first taste of a…
Lejla Mehmedovic ’27: Stepping Outside of My Balkan Comfort Zone
I have never traveled to Europe beyond the Balkans, and to be frank, I thought my first trip to Europe would be to a conventional tourist-heavy country like Italy or…
Zoe Voigt ’28: Urban Aqua-Infrastructure: How Bodies of Water Reflect Romania’s Ability to Build Back after Communism
Everyone absorbs new cities in different ways, whether they visit museums, parks, or restaurants that encapsulate the area’s vibe. When I visit new places, I like to walk as much…
Lizzie Appelbaum ’28: Political Juxtaposition in Transylvania
Before our journey through Transylvania, we spent two and a half weeks taking classes in Bucharest. One idea that interested me was Romania’s struggle to create a coherent national identity.…
Felix W. Shapiro ’28: The Physical Presence of Religion
Despite growing up religious I seldom found myself in physical religious spaces, going to temple only a handful of times each year for the High Holy Days. Since coming to…
Leo Wang ’28: Spending Time On My Own in Transylvania: Solitude, Storms, and Sewing
Most people know me as an uber-social, golden-retriever type of person. But, like any other, I need time for myself. During a time as hectic as OCS, especially this program,…