Hands of Hope Romania

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Life in Jibou
An Online Journal

Life in Jibou

Jibou is a small town in North West Romania. The 2002 census recorded a population of over 12,000.

Jibou is a particularly deprived area. The EU have designated Jibou as a 'disadvantaged zone', reducing tax for companies setting up there. The Local Council of Jibou initiated the setting up of an industrial park, which may bring more low paid employment to the area.

Factory and farm wages are around £3 per day, while the average Romanian wage as of April 2005 is about £9 per day.

Local People

Most of the people in Jibou live in flats close to the town centre. Towards the edge of town we see houses where the owners have land to grow their own food. People here tend to be more affluent.

At the eastern side of Jibou is farmland and the Roma village, where about 500 ethnic Roma live. Official statistics say that 2.5% of Romania's population are Roma, and they have their own culture, language and identity.

Another large ethnic group in the area are the Hungarians, or Magyars. Their name for the town is 'Zsibó'.

The town

Jibou is just North-West of Zalau (the capital town of Salaj county), by the river Somes, and is easily accessibile by rail.

Jibou has a long history, and it's major tourist attractions are the old Wesselenyi house, Botanical Gardens and spa baths.

Language

There are several other useful on-line resources if you want to learn Romanian:
-Beginners might want simple lessons.
-Simple videos with transcriptions are available on several topics.
-There is on online English-Romanian/Romanian-English dictionary.
-There is a useful phrasebook which will help you learn to pronounce words.