Immigrants come to us for a better life, but their path to success also means real money for Romania's economy. Their direct contribution to gross domestic product is estimated at almost €4 billion, according to research. But beyond the numbers, these are people who have changed lives. And with them, the standards in areas we would not have thought of a few years ago.
Asian massage, for example - once an exotic curiosity, today an art form and therapy that Romanians are increasingly seeking. Practitioners from India, Nepal, the Philippines and other countries in the region have brought with them not just skill, but a different culture of respect, hard work and smiles.
They made their way quietly into our living rooms, then into our hearts. Some have even conquered the internet. Such is the case of the Nepalese from Pitesti, who went viral and appeared on Antena 1's The Ticket.
Charismatic, full of humor and always smiling, they have managed to win the sympathy of hundreds of thousands of Romanians. Through their energy and the seriousness with which they work, they have become an accepted part of the Romanian community.
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And Ambar, one of the best-loved among them, speaks warm and simple Romanian: "Hello, I am Ambar, now I am 37 years old and I like Romanian".
Ambar managed to raise money to send to her family in Nepal to build a house in her hometown.
For Ranjeta, another young Nepalese woman, coming here was the beginning of a transformation.
"I was very fat, I was about 86 kilograms and now I am 64. This is pretty much my life journey in Romania," she explains.
"I am here for my children's future"
Almost every massage parlor or spa in Romania now has Asians.
It is also the field in which most women work, having moved thousands of kilometers away from their children with only one thing in mind: to give them a future. Just as many Romanian mothers did years ago.
"Being able to give my children what they want - that's the happiest moment of being a mom." says one of the masseuses the Antena 3 CNN reporter spoke to.
Her name is Natchelle Lula, she comes from the Philippines and works in Romania as a massage therapist. The job has brought her not only stability but a peace of mind she hasn't felt in a long time. She has three children and they all go to school.
"It's very difficult for me, because my life is there, but they are very far away. Otherwise I can't manage, I do it for their future," she explains.
He calls them every day, they see each other on a screen, they laugh together.
"They are lonely because I am far away from them. But if I send them money, they are happy. They are happy, they tell me - mom, I can buy this, I can buy that. I am extremely happy now, because I can give them what they want", says Natchelle, laughing.
It arrived in Romania a year ago.
"Now, because I'm new here, I've been here for a year, so I can't feel the weight, but the joy here is bigger. I also accepted the culture and the people are very accepting, they can speak English, they are respectful, just like Filipinos." she explains.
She likes the simple life she has built for herself: home, work, friends, shopping. But she says she loves the food here: "It's very fresh and healthy, especially the salad."
"Sometimes I go out at night. No one can touch you here."
When customers don't speak English, she compensates with a smile: "Yes, I meet people who don't speak English, because many customers don't, especially the older ones. Good morning, good afternoon, loud! Sometimes we use that with customers. Is it loud or not?"
Natchelle also says that she feels safe in Romania: "Sometimes I go out at night on my day off, no one can touch you or hurt you here".
Compared to the Philippines, her salary is three times higher in our country.
"I'm thinking about building a house in the next few years, but that means putting a lot aside, because a house there is too expensive. Home is not just a place to stay together, it's a place where we can build our future, there is love, there is peace, there is harmony. And Romania has a lot of harmony, many nice places, nice people", explains the Filipina.
Also in Bucharest, we meet Rona May Espanol. Also from the Philippines, she works for us as a welfare officer and talks about life away from home with much longing. She tells us she's very keen to see other places in Romania and abroad.
"First of all the much higher salary, plus I want to explore, I want to travel to other countries and other places in Romania. The most difficult for me is the Romanian language, pronunciation and diction, it's extremely difficult for me, but being here for some time now I've familiarized myself with it. I am a normal person who works in Romania to earn a higher salary and support my family," she says.
She also explains how she copes when homesickness seems to overwhelm her: "Being away from my family is the most difficult part for me on my journey through Romania. I focus on my job. Those are my rules; if I took this job, then that's what I focus on, that's why I don't feel the home sickness."
For Rona, Romania has become a "second home". And like many women who have left their loved ones, she has learned that longing doesn't go away, it just becomes a force that keeps you going.
For a foreign worker, the recruitment process takes a long time. There have been cases where people have waited up to two years to arrive in Romania.
"The recruitment process takes six months, sometimes longer. It takes time. It's very important that the employees meet the needs of the employers, but the most important thing is the chemistry between people, especially when it comes to staff coming to work in people's homes. This compatibility is essential," says Magda Peisakh, general manager of a recruitment firm in Bucharest.
She also explains, in the context of a serious online campaign against foreign employees in Romania, that no one has come to steal Romanian jobs.
"Foreign employees fill jobs where Romanian citizens do not apply. They are not in competition, but complement and are a solution for Romanian employers. They influence the growth of business and the country's economy", Magda Peisakh adds.
As for Asian massage, it's not just about relaxation. It's about balance: between body, mind and soul. And Asian professionals have brought to Romania a culture of care and respect for people. The fact that they work here not only raises the prestige of spas, but also of a country that is learning to be more open, more tolerant, more connected with the world, say experts in the field.
And foreign workers bring in more money than some Romanian counties.
"We made a very simple calculation: there are 200,000 signed employment contracts. Just by looking at them we can see that about 1% of GDP. That's more than some entire counties in Romania," says researcher Anatolie Coșciug, a professor at the West University of Timisoara.
