Columnist Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe writes in her weekly column about life as an expat in Romania. This week she thinks about who can the new generation of young Romanians look up to, who are the role models here in Romania, and who can help show them the way ahead.

Growing up in Denmark, I knew nothing better than to talk to older people. Talking to them made it easier to take the next steps in life, they had all been there and just listening to their life stories was fascinating for me. Or I could read biographies of Danish entrepreneurs who had built up big companies like Maersk, Lego, Novo Nordisk, Jysk Sengetøjslager, all family companies, that had turned into global enterprises, and I learned from them.

Most young people need guidance to make their way especially through the young years where so many decisions have to be taken, which can feel overwhelming at times. And nothing is better than having a good talk with an older person who can offer guidance based on their own life experience. Or having role models within different fields that can help so you can easily navigate when it comes to finding the path in life, when it comes to school, work life, family life and to choosing between the many possibilities.

As a Romanian friend told me: 'Romania takes energy, lots of energy, and I can't wait to get out'. Sadly many do leave Romania, but luckily most of them return. Or if you meet Romanians abroad, they will ask you whether things have changed in Romania, and if it is possible to go back. They like it abroad because of different things, but miss the Romanian culture and the Romanian way of living. Strangely enough for themselves, they will say that they still have a little piece of land in Romania, and they hope one day to move back to Romania to build the little house they always dreamt about. Yes, Romanians dream a lot, they dream about better days, happier days, less struggle and more balance in life.

And I must say Romanians do know how to struggle. Life is indeed tough here at times, and the punches you get here, they hit hard. But Romanians have a way of living that amazes me and at the same time, I am not very fond of. I like that they keep pushing and they keep moving forward in a way and in situations I am not sure most other Europeans could deal with and “would have broken their neck on”. But Romanians have this goal, this pride and this focus, this “I will get there, I will get there!”, and they always have their dreams.

What I don’t like is when the road to the goal is changed by different events, so suddenly it becomes more greyish and the values of right and wrong are not so relevant. Then the one and only goal becomes money, lots of it and in any possible way.

Many people, especially young people, fight for Romania, and fight to stay in Romania, some have already at a young age taken the decision whether to stay or leave, decisions young people don’t have to take in Denmark for example. Which is sad for Romania, as Romanians in their early 20s are already thinking about leaving the country to reach a better future, but their love for Romania makes it a hard decision for them to take. And most don't really want to leave Romania, but they find it hard to see the options here.

Many look at me, a Danish girl in Romania, and I can see and feel that I puzzle them: How come you have moved to Romania? It just doesn’t make any sense to them: how can you leave Denmark, a paradise civilization, to come and leave here? They try to figure out what must be “sort of wrong with me “. But on the other hand, I try also to be a role model for them, and tell them why they should stay in Romania.

Romania should begin to care more about the young generation. They are, as I can see, an extremely hard working and talented generation of youngsters. Young people that need some help and guidance. We have all been there, and as expats we can actually make a difference for them, and we should. We should give them a different perspective on things and offer them paid internships and jobs in Romania if possible. Because all expats I know who have hired Romanians have actually been positively surprised about how hard working and willing to learn the new generation of Romanians are.

We have all been students and been meet with the words: “We can´t hire you because you don’t have work experience. “ But how do young people in Romania get the work experience, as student, part time jobs don’t seem to be an option here. I have met many young people here, students, and some have even had up to 5-6 internships to get the work experience. But what is shocking to hear is that many of these internships are not even paid, so they work for free to get work experience, one can only imagine how tough that must be.

Being young in Romania is not easy, there is a lack of role models or the Romanian role models that exist are not the typical definition of role models. The models have to be about being hard working and about building up something, instead the glitter magazines here are full of people who make quick money and image seems to be everything.

This is not the healthy guidance for young people, so what can we expats do? What can you do to try and make a difference, so there is a better hope for the new generation? We can also give back to Romania, the country that we all have come to love, and that has given us so much in return.

By Eleonore af Schaumburg-Lippe, columnist

Eleonore is Danish, she holds a BA in Organization and Management and specializes in Corporate Communication & Strategic Development. She is also a Market Economist and a Multimedia Designer. She is currently working in Bucharest as the Executive Director of UAPR the Romanian Advertising Association. As a Danish Viking in Romania, with a great passion for ’covrigi’, she has a burning desire to find out more about Romania especially Bucharest, and enlighten the small differences in the culture between Denmark and Romania.. Her weekly columns will give you insights into an expats life in Bucharest written with humor and a big Danish smile.