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| Negative press about Romania is unfair, says designer | Negative press about Romania is unfair, says designer |
| (4 months later) | |
| Alexandru Adam's affection for Britain was kindled at the age of 17 when he spent a month at a Cheltenham college after taking first place in a national graphics competition in his native Romania. | Alexandru Adam's affection for Britain was kindled at the age of 17 when he spent a month at a Cheltenham college after taking first place in a national graphics competition in his native Romania. |
| "I really liked the education system," says the 32-year-old multi-disciplinary designer. "I liked the way people were looking at things and the way the student wasn't treated as someone to be looked down on." | "I really liked the education system," says the 32-year-old multi-disciplinary designer. "I liked the way people were looking at things and the way the student wasn't treated as someone to be looked down on." |
| A few years later, after attending university in Bucharest, Adam decided to return to the UK to continue his education. Having secured a place at Central Saint Martins in London to study product design, he deferred for a year so that he could earn – and borrow – enough to fund his undergraduate degree. He followed it with an MA in fashion at the Royal College of Art and a stint working for Thierry Mugler in Paris before returning to London, where he now has his own accessories label. | A few years later, after attending university in Bucharest, Adam decided to return to the UK to continue his education. Having secured a place at Central Saint Martins in London to study product design, he deferred for a year so that he could earn – and borrow – enough to fund his undergraduate degree. He followed it with an MA in fashion at the Royal College of Art and a stint working for Thierry Mugler in Paris before returning to London, where he now has his own accessories label. |
| Adam has lived in the UK long enough to discern its cyclical social, political and media trends; the present anti-Romanian rumblings, he says, are oddly familiar. | Adam has lived in the UK long enough to discern its cyclical social, political and media trends; the present anti-Romanian rumblings, he says, are oddly familiar. |
| "I've seen so much negative press about Romania recently," he says. "I remember the same pattern from 2005, when Romania was about to join the EU and everyone was scared that it was about to be flooded by Romanians. And it wasn't. No one talked about it again until recently." | "I've seen so much negative press about Romania recently," he says. "I remember the same pattern from 2005, when Romania was about to join the EU and everyone was scared that it was about to be flooded by Romanians. And it wasn't. No one talked about it again until recently." |
| He feels the latest scare stories are being whipped up by politicians and newspapers with a political agenda. | He feels the latest scare stories are being whipped up by politicians and newspapers with a political agenda. |
| "People need to get votes from people who get worked up about things like that," he says. "It's very easy to launch into a subject like that when you know it's going to raise some public interest. Some people are not educated enough to know what the situation is like and they'll just jump and be outraged by whatever the papers say." | "People need to get votes from people who get worked up about things like that," he says. "It's very easy to launch into a subject like that when you know it's going to raise some public interest. Some people are not educated enough to know what the situation is like and they'll just jump and be outraged by whatever the papers say." |
| But the reality of Romanian immigration, he says, is rather different: many of the Romanians he knows who studied here chose to return home afterwards because they knew they would be better off there. | But the reality of Romanian immigration, he says, is rather different: many of the Romanians he knows who studied here chose to return home afterwards because they knew they would be better off there. |
| Adam also dismisses apocalyptic talk of Romanians swamping an already inundated NHS. | Adam also dismisses apocalyptic talk of Romanians swamping an already inundated NHS. |
| "As someone who has never even considered using the NHS or any kind of UK government support, I just think it's a bit unfair," he says. | "As someone who has never even considered using the NHS or any kind of UK government support, I just think it's a bit unfair," he says. |
| "I did once go to a dentist because I had an emergency, but they were so busy they had to schedule me an appointment three weeks later. In the meantime, I went back to Romania – where I've got my own dentist who's a friend of a friend – had the problem solved and came back. I'd almost forgotten about the appointment when I got a call asking me if I was still coming in the next day. Getting a flight back to Romania was cheaper than getting it treated here." | "I did once go to a dentist because I had an emergency, but they were so busy they had to schedule me an appointment three weeks later. In the meantime, I went back to Romania – where I've got my own dentist who's a friend of a friend – had the problem solved and came back. I'd almost forgotten about the appointment when I got a call asking me if I was still coming in the next day. Getting a flight back to Romania was cheaper than getting it treated here." |
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