More than a quarter of Romania's population lives and works abroad. The first group to leave was the inhabitants of Certeze, a village in Northern Transylvania (Tara Oasului). Migratory workers within the country during the Communist regime, these villagers were ready to explore new territories once the borders were opened.Since 1992, they have used guides to illegally get into Western Europe, determined by one goal: to come back home with money.Being a highly traditional community whose main engine is acquiring social prestige, they build huge houses in their native villages to show their successful lives abroad. This model of success is perceived as a thriving one and the surrounding villages have started to copy it. Peasants are abandoning their work in the fields, are selling their animals, leaving their children back home with the grandparents and going abroad, wishing to prove they also can succeed abroad and build a bigger house than that of their neighbor.
More than a quarter of Romania's population lives and works abroad. The first group to leave was the inhabitants of Certeze, a village in Northern Transylvania (Tara Oasului). Migratory workers within the country during the Communist regime, these villagers were ready to explore new territories once the borders were opened.Since 1992, they have used guides to illegally get into Western Europe, determined by one goal: to come back home with money.Being a highly traditional community whose main engine is acquiring social prestige, they build huge houses in their native villages to show their successful lives abroad. This model of success is perceived as a thriving one and the surrounding villages have started to copy it. Peasants are abandoning their work in the fields, are selling their animals, leaving their children back home with the grandparents and going abroad, wishing to prove they also can succeed abroad and build a bigger house than that of their neighbor.