Welcome to Around the World, a special section hosted by the Greater Hickory International Council. In each upcoming issue, we will focus on a different country. Hopefully one day you will be able to travel to these countries or learn a foreign language in your school. You can also home host an exchange student that is visiting your school from another country and learn about their life back home and how it compares to yours.
This Issue’s Country Spotlight: Romania
Hickory is incredibly lucky to have a large amount of Romanian people living in this area. Because of this, we can learn more about Romanian culture and heritage without traveling half-way around the world. From unique wooden and painted churches to majestic medieval castles and the beautiful Transylvanian Alps, there are so many interesting things to learn about in Romania. Here locally, every year the Romanian Baptist Church Choir spends hours practicing for their highly anticipated annual International Christmas Concert. They share their love of both traditional American Christmas music along with traditional Romanian Christmas music with our community. In past years, they have also brought in special Romanian treats for everyone to sample after the concert. This is a very good opportunity for you to meet people in our community that have different cultural backgrounds and experiences but have a willingness to openly share their culture and language with you and your family.
Capital of Romania: Bucharest
Romania’s National Flower: Peony
Official Language: Romanian. Did you know that Romanian is considered a romance language with strong similarities to Italian? Some Romanian people also speak Hungarian and several dialects of Romani.
Romania’s Flag Colors: The Romanian flag is three equal-sized vertical bands of blue, yellow, and red.
Currency Used: Romanian leu (RON is the three-letter code for the Romanian currency)
Popular Romanian Food: Sarmale (Cabbage Rolls), Mămăligă (Polenta), Mici (Grilled Minced Meat Rolls), Pomana Porcului (Honoring the Pig…many pork dishes), Ciorbă de burtă (Beef Tripe Soup), and Cozonac (Sweet Bread)
Did You Know? The fictional vampire Dracula came to life in the late 1800’s? Dracula lives in Bran Castle, near Brașov. Brașov is one of the most visited cities in the Transylvania region of Romania because of this beloved figure.
Upcoming International Regional Events:
- The 12th anniversary of the International Christmas Concert will be held in person at the Drendel Auditorium on the SALT Block on Saturday December 17, 2022, from 6pm-8pm in addition to live streaming on Facebook. This event is FREE and sponsored by the Greater Hickory International Council, the Romanian Baptist Church Choir, and the United Arts Council. Seats are limited on a first come first serve basis.
For more information on more international programs and events in our region, visit www.hickoryinternationalcouncil.com.