What It’s Like to Work Abroad at Bannersnack — My Experience So Far

Let’s talk about what it’s been like to work in Transylvania, as an American citizen, at Bannersnack.

I guess we should start back at the beginning, right? I should probably answer all of your questions relating to, “How did she get there?” or “What’s it like to work abroad?”, or most importantly, “How many vampires have I come in contact with?”.

Well then, to answer all your curiosities, let’s just go ahead and jump right in.

So, firstly I should mention that my name is Heleana and I’m 21 years young. In my free time, I’m a Youtuber and during the day, I’m a content marketing specialist here at Bannersnack.

Although, I didn’t start out like that.

I moved to Romania when I was a really small kid(7 baby years old) because my parents started a foundation here to help the people of the villages.

When I was just a wee, young high-schooler, I had the opportunity to start teaching some fun, conversationally-based English classes here at Bannersnack. I did that for about 3 years and it was definitely a blast.

Lots of laughs were shared and the company atmosphere was always light and fun. I always appreciated that about them. My job then didn’t even feel like a job. It was just a fun time. OH, and did I mention they always let me, and even E N C O U R A G E D me to bring my doggo to work? So yeah, that was a major plus for me.

Then, about one year into my first year of medical school, I had a chat with my boss. I wasn’t really enjoying med school as much as I thought I would, and I kept watching my colleagues and my husband enjoy what they do.

As I said, everyone at the office was always light and airy and the atmosphere was always positive. I kept feeling drawn to working online but was always scared to take that leap.

Then, Gabi brought up the idea of me becoming a full-time content marketing specialist, and it all sounded very interesting. I thought about it for quite some time and ended up not returning to school the following year.

So here I am now, 2 months into working at Bannersnack, and I’m ready to spill all the tea and deets on my experience here and what it’s like to work in the team, online, in Romania, and everything in between. Let’s do this.

Living in Transylvania

The first thing I can say about Romania is that it is absolutely filled with beauty. Almost everywhere you look, there are mountains and hills, and hidden treasures in nature or around town are always to be found. The architecture is stunning, and the people are very hospitable. It’s really fantastic.

Have I met any vampire yet? Fortunately enough, I can say that I have not. Although I have been to Dracula’s castle with my husband and that was a creepy, yet really nice experience!

And dang, did I mention the views? Absolutely gorgeous.

Another thing that I really love about Romania is the ability to just walk wherever you want and it’s incredibly safe.

In Romania, the law relating to having a license is that you have to be at least 18 years old before you can begin driving.

So even though I started driving in the states when I was 15, not being able to drive in Romania til I was 18 didn’t hold me back at all. Public transportation is very affordable and available, so you can get from one side of our city to the other in about 20 minutes.

When you’re walking, biking, or skateboarding around town, you’ll be greeted by beautiful, romantic, old buildings, quaint little coffee shops, the occasional festival, bakeries, and farmer’s markets just about anywhere you go.

A lot of times, and especially on warm days, my husband and I will forget about our cars altogether and just bike or walk to our destinations.

We also were able to buy 1 kilo’s worth of french fries… so really. This place is just one big fat win.

Working at Bannersnack

When I first got hired here, I started from absolute scratch. All I ever knew was medicine and biology, so this was a huge change for me. It was a total 180.

I was honestly scared, but really really excited. I knew some of the people from the office from my English classes, but those were just once a week and I didn’t know everyone.

And now, I was starting from 0. My biggest fear was to be a burden to anyone.

The really cool thing about this company is the transparency and the helpfulness from everyone, all around.

They really took me under their wing here and helped me understand everything I need to know, and didn’t mind if I asked the same question I asked today, tomorrow.

They really had patience with me and I have lots of room to grow and thrive here which is awesome.

Since being here, I’ve learned how to write pretty solid articles, I’d say. And I actually know how Google search works, which until now was kinda like a mystery. A know-it-all search engine. But learning the science behind everything has been really cool.

I’m also trying to develop some design skills, by spying on my neighboring designers while they create amazing visuals. LOL. I’m just kidding, I don’t spy. I just scootch my chair right next to them and start asking questions, and they’re pretty much always thrilled to answer all my questions.

Bannersnack’s platform is really advanced, yet simple to use, which I really like. You can get really into detail about your images and posts if you want to, or you can keep it nice and simple by using templates and just editing the bare minimum and still getting original and custom results. It’s pretty much all up to you.

I’ve also had time to develop my writing skills, and in the process, have learned about a lot of things that I never had a clue about before. This job is really a win-win, because each time I write a new article, I learn new, relevant information and really get to develop as a cool human being.

Another amazing thing about our company is that everyone plays a vital role and the great thing is that there’s no “higher power” here. We’re all a team and we’re all working towards the same goal. No hierarchy here.

Everyone is heard, everyone is important, and it’s more than just a workplace. It feels like a little home away from home.

When I first came here, my desk was between our team lead, Dorin, and a master of content writing, Diana. They’ve both been in the business for many years, and then there was me, as a lil fish here in a sea of big fish.

The cool thing and something that I really liked was that no matter how busy either of them was, they always took the time to talk to me and had patience while explaining to me very simple questions that I had, even if the answers seemed insanely obvious.

So for that, I’ll always be super grateful.

On another note, I’ve learned Romanian over the course of my years here, so I understand everyone in the office.

To the untrained ear, it might sound weird when you first walk into the office, because someone will ask me something from across the room in Romanian, and I’ll shout back an answer in English.

It’s really quite the show.

Also, the coffee?

I can’t even.

The view?

Yes.

All in all, my experience here has been amazing. Every day I get to know everyone a little better, everyone is very kind. I’m always heard, ideas are encouraged and welcomed.

I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to find the career of my dreams and that they were willing to teach me everything I need to know and I’m still learning every day.

Overall, a 10/10 experience, would recommend. I’m excited to see where this journey takes me!

If you wanna check out some of my articles or you ever feel the need to make a banner, you should use our editor, www.bannersnack.com, or if you’re looking for some fun and chill videos to watch in your free time, check out my channel!

Til next time,

Be kind and stay positive.

-Heleana