An Interview with Corina Apostol

Corina is in her junior year of undergraduate studies at Duke. She is from Constanta, Romania, and is an only child. She is double majoring in History and Art History.

Why did you decide to come study in the States?

Well, I started university in Romania and I went to an engineering and computer science university for a year. Then, I decided I wasn’t happy with it because I could only study science and I didn’t have any time to do art or literature or other things that interested me, so I took some friends’ advice and applied to several universities here. Duke was one of them, and I was really excited about Program II and designing your own major. Also, I had a very generous scholarship from Duke, so I could afford to come here, which was a big incentive.

What did your parents think about this decision?

They liked it, but they were also very sad that I was going away because I’m an only child. They didn’t want me to go so far and thought that if I was going somewhere else, it should be somewhere in Europe. But I was really excited about it, and finally they said yes because it’s a really good school and a good opportunity. But I think they’re still a little sad that I’m here.

Normally for Romanians, do they go to college or do they enter the work force right after high school?

It depends on your family background. If your parents both have degrees, then it’s normal for the children to go to college, but it doesn’t happen that often since there are a limited number of spots in public schools in Romania. They only pick the first 100 students or so, and it’s all based on grades. I think a lot of people my age right now prefer the work force because, for example in computer science, you get good pay and you don’t have to have a degree.

But, either way, they usually stay in Romania?

Yeah. The friends I have in the work force usually tend to travel in Western Europe a lot, because a lot of the companies there hire people.

When you first came to America, what were some of the bigger cultural adjustments you had to make?

The first was the language. I spoke good English in Romania, but having to speak with someone in it on a daily basis and having to write in it so much was definitely a challenge for me. I got over that after a month or so, though. I was also doing FOCUS, which was writing intensive and had a lot of presentations, but it helped me adjust. And just the environment – the university campus was overwhelmingly big for me at first and seemed separated from the city. I didn’t really go into Durham until my second semester, I think.

Now that you have explored Durham, what do you think about it?

I love Durham. I think it’s really cool. I really love the Durham music scene, and I’m actually involved in a local band here. I’ve made a lot of friends in Durham, which I think is unusual for Duke students, but for me it’s normal to get to know people in the city in which you’re go to school. I think there are a lot of good places to eat, and I actually like going out to get real Mexican food that I can’t find on campus.

What are some of the organizations you’re involved with on campus?

I work a lot with the Nasher Museum. I was an intern for them and I organized Family Days, which are weekend activities for people in Durham and their families to explore the galleries. We have performers for them, and they also make their own crafts. We also now have bilingual Family Days, for Spanish- and English-speaking audiences, which I think made the program more popular, so I’m really proud of that. I also work for the Duke University Union and Campus Concerts, so I organized a lot of the Battle of the Bands, concerts at the Dillo, concerts on the Plaza, and stuff like that. Because I’m involved in the Durham music scene, I’m very passionate about getting more bands from Durham onto Duke’s campus. Oh, and of course I’m involved with International House.

In the past three years, how have you changed as a person?

I think I have learned not to be so dependent upon my family. In Romania, I was very reliant on them since I had always lived with my parents and my grandparents were only 20 minutes away. That was a big switch for me, and I definitely made more friends here and I make friends a lot easier now. I’m also not afraid to go out on my own and explore, which is a big shift from Romania, where kids are very tied to their parents and don’t go too far away from their families or their cities. I also discovered a lot of things I’m good at, like changing my major to art history. I never thought that it would be something I would actually pursue, so I was able to discover new opportunities that simply didn’t exist for me in Romania.

What do you miss most about Romania?

In Romania, people say what they mean to your face, and sometimes they’re really mean to you. If you go to public functions and offices, people will not treat you with a lot of courtesy. They’ll be busy and they don’t think that it’s part of their job to be nice to you. Here, you’re supposed to smile and say “Hello” to everybody – the customer’s always right. It’s like the opposite in Romania – you have to prove that you’re right. I kinda miss that, because you know where you stand with people and I also enjoy that dry, sarcastic humor that Romanians have in those kinds of circumstances. A lot of times, customers will gather together and make fun of a hostess that’s not treating them appropriately. It’s like making fun of bad situations, the humor of which people don’t get here.

How do you think Romania has changed since the fall of the dictatorship and, afterwards, since its entry into the European Union?

Since the dictatorship, there were two stages. The first was when the communist party had a new name but was still in power, which went on until 1996. After that, the second stage happened when the liberal party won the elections. That was a real change in politics. I think Romania, up until we got into the EU, had progressed and had become a more open society. For example, in the year 2000 or so, it became okay for some of my friends who were gay to be openly gay, or to even talk to me about it. Also, you could travel more in Europe and have jobs outside Romania, which made a huge difference. Since entering the EU…I like it and I don’t like it. It’s creating a lot of jobs and a lot of companies are entering the market, but we’re also becoming very consumer-oriented. Every time I go home, there are these huge advertisements covering all the buildings, which never used to happen, and it’s sad for me. You lose a lot of the culture. We used to have special places to go for vacation, but now everyone goes there. There are so many foreign tourists there that it’s no longer special.

What do you plan on doing after you graduate?

Well, actually, my visa says that I need to find a job or get out of the country, so it’s not really up to me! I’d love to stay here and not have to do anything – just travel and be with my friends. But I’ll probably have to get a job. I’m also thinking about staying here for grad school and getting my Ph.D. in art history.