„I learned Romanian by myself, but for the tricky parts I needed a proper course.”
Dmytro Burlachenko is a Ukrainian seafarer from Odesa. He has been living in Romania for more than three years, but only recently joined the intensive Romanian language course run by JRS Romania in Constanța.
„I started learning the language from my first days in Romania. It wasn’t hard for me, it came quite naturally. I had a plan, I read a lot, I listened a lot. But at some point I got stuck. I wanted to understand the grammar, all the tenses, the forms, the exceptions. Doing that alone is very hard.”
By then, Dmytro already spoke pretty good Romanian. He knew enough words, could talk to people, understand them, and manage daily life. But he wanted to sound more like a local.
„I wanted to speak the way native speakers do. Not just know words, but speak correctly and clearly, in a way that makes sense. That’s why I joined the course.”
In class, the teacher, Mariana, didn’t only explain grammar. She also talked about Romanian culture, geography and everyday life. That changed the way Dmytro felt about the language:
„I really enjoyed that. When you understand the people and the country, you understand the language better too. Why they say one thing and not another. It stops being just words and becomes part of the world you live in.”
Dmytro doesn’t plan to change his profession. He still works as a sailor, goes on long voyages and even has the chance to use Romanian with his colleagues on board.
At the same time, he is seriously thinking about starting a business in Romania:
„I already have a job and I’m not planning to leave it. But I want to open a small business here, something of my own. And the language is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Without it, you can’t open a company, sort out the paperwork or speak to officials. Yes, many Romanians speak English. But we live in Romania. You have to know Romanian. It’s a sign of respect for the country where you live.”
Today, Dmytro is convinced that language skills are not “for someone else” or “just for show”:
„They’re for us. So we don’t live isolated. So we can make our ideas real. So we can live here normally – and with dignity.”
These classes were supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development with funding provided by the European Union under InvestEU.