London

If you want to annoy a Romanian, just say ‘Dracula’. ‘People still think Romania is a land of communists, orphans – and Dracula,’ says 24-year-old Bogdan Tiganov. Despite living in Britain since the age of nine, he is still fiercely protective of his homeland.

Born in Braila, a small town about 200km from Bucharest, Tiganov grew up in the twilight years of Nicolae Ceausescu’s harsh communist regime. Although his parents had prestigious jobs (his father an engineer, his mother a nurse), life was hard. ‘The only way to get certain foods was through “connections”. Then you might get some meat – but even then it would usually be rotten,’ he says. Feature continues

The 1989 revolution against the communists, and Ceausescu’s execution on Christmas Day, threw the country into turmoil, and in 1990 Tiganov’s parents emigrated to Britain – and a new set of problems. ‘When we left, my parents were at the top of their professions but their qualifications were not recognised in the UK. In London they were placed in refugee accommodation, first in a hostel on the Edgware Road. ‘We were living in a small room and had no money. I remember my father walking all over London trying to find work. Sometimes he would come back with bleeding feet.’

And there were other difficulties: ‘I only knew how to say yes and no. I had to guess what people were saying. And British schools are far less disciplined than Romanian ones. The kids always seemed to be running wild.’

But it was also an exciting time. ‘I had never seen so many sweets or toys before and I wanted to buy it all. When my mum told me we couldn’t, I started crying.’

Tiganov’s salvation came in the form of London’s public libraries. ‘I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was – the best way for me to learn the language.

’The family was repeatedly moved between temporary accommodation and by the time he started secondary school, Tiganov had lived in Kilburn, Leyton and Teddington. ‘Life was a constant round of painting the walls and getting furniture,’ he says.

After a brief spell in Canada, the family was granted asylum and settled in Twickenham. Tiganov graduated in English literature from Kingston University in 2004, then became a TEFL teacher. When his teaching contract came to an end, he started work in a call centre in Richmond, interviewing people applying for jobs in high-street banks. ‘I was horrified to have to spend so long on the phone but I’ve got used to it and I’ve never met so many aspiring actors, artists, writers and musicians in one place.’

There are around 4,000 Romanians in London today, mostly based in north and west London, in particular around the Mill Hill area. The number is set to increase in 2007 when Romania joins the EU. Tiganov says the community is fairly close-knit but it is losing its traditional customs. ‘We have become very Anglicised, eating ready meals and fast food.’ Occasionally he joins other Romanians at the Romanian Orthodox Church in Fleet Street; at Easter his family eats the traditional beef pâté dish; at Christmas they sit down to racitura, a jelly and meat dish, as well as home-made minced meat rolls called mititei.