The time indoor can also be an opportunity to learn new skills, a new language, or even be better prepared to snap the perfect photo once travel is again possible. Some of the options available locally below.

Learn a foreign language or improve your Romanian 

Many cultural institutes have adapted and moved their course offer online, allowing learners to attend classes remotely. Cervantes Institute, the French Institute, Goethe Institute, British Council are all offering online courses. The institutes also give access to their online libraries of books, newspapers and magazines, video content, and other resources. Further details are available on each institution's website.

The Government's Department for Romanians Everywhere has also developed an online course targeting those wish to improve their Romanian. It includes 30 lessons, grouped on levels, from A1 to B1. It is available here.

Cooking

There are many cooking and recipe websites to get inspiration from, lockdown or not, but there are also cooking courses available online. Meanwhile, many local chefs post recipes or other cooking ideas on their social media channels or their websites. Among them, Florin Dumitrescu has a series of video recipes available here. Chef Daniel Wendorf also holds workshops online, offering recipes and advice on preparing delicious dinners with the products participants might already have in the fridge and cupboard. More details are available here.

Philosophy

The Philosophy Faculty of the University of Bucharest offers several courses online, between April 27 and May 1. The open courses are grouped under the title The Online Symposium, and are available on various platforms, from Zoom to Facebook. Critical thinking, moral philosophy in times of social isolation and pandemic, political philosophy and universal income, and social philosophy are among the areas covered. The courses, held in Romanian, do not require any prior preparation, but registration is needed. They are listed here.

Photography

Photo equipment retailer F64 offers several online photography courses, targeting beginner-photographers, those who want to learn how to vlog, but also the owners of various camera models. The classes are streamed live, in Romanian. All the available courses are listed here. Photography enthusiasts can also take advantage of the online courses offered for free, for now, by camera producers Nikon, Leica, and Canon.

Dance & Ballet

Besides the many sports classes available for free or per subscription, those stuck at home can also try a stress-relieving dance session or some ballet classes. Touted as “the most fun and efficient personal development method,” the dance class is available here. Alternatively, Casa de Balet offers classes online, for both children and adults. The courses cover classic ballet, contemporary dance, jazz dance, and gymnastics, among others. Further details are available here.

Calligraphy

In the era of online communication, calligraphy might be the rarest of skills. Those who want to perfect their design and execution of lettering can take online classes at Academia de Caligrafie, which has classes on Gothic or Italic styles, among others. They can be contacted here. 

Complice.ro also offers a calligraphy class, among many other classes, such as origami, make-up, and cooking. In its turn, the platform Experimenteaza.ro offers workshops on topics such as French pastry and chocolate making, cocktail preparation, defensive driving, pottery making, or fun science. The workshops are listed here. 

At the same time, Vodafone Romania launched the platform “Împreună suntem mai puternici” (Together we are stronger), providing access to music and theater performances but also to sports classes and masterclasses on topics such as parenting, storytelling, acting and more.

(Photo: Lyudmila Spot/ Dreamstime)

editor@romania-insider.com