Romania: Hermeneutics (or was that Hermetics?)

Internet

American computer professional Joe Mabel has been working in Bucharest for about a year. [JM: Nope, only half a year, but newspapers never get a story entirely right, do they?] Throughout that time, his observations about our country and places in it have spiced his letters sent home to Seattle. I know what Joe Mabel thinks about Romanians, because he's published these letters on his own web page. His observations might make us change some opinions about ourselves.

Joe Mabel is a traveller who has seen a lot of corners of the world. However, because work has given him reason to stay in Bucharest, he's been obligated to pass quite a bit of time in this little city, in which a banal revel in a bar constitutes an event worthy of being televised. He's had time to see nearly all the capital's places of attraction. His letters are, above all, a guide to be used by foreigners who want to visit Romania.

Because of that, Joe Mabel chooses not to focus on the scowling looks of passers-by and the poverty of the streets. Joe Mabel would be right in judging us ill for this, but he does not do so. [JM: Hey, I'm originally from New York, who am I to judge scowling looks of passers-by and poverty in the streets? Seattle has plenty of both, too, and although it's historically been a gentler city than Bucharest or New York, the 'Nineties in Seattle were pretty rough on the poor. 2021 note: and it's only gotten worse since.] He notes bad things, but also good things.

As for us, we were most interested in the negatives. Probably the biggest difference between a Westerner and a Romanian is a lack of sense of following through certain civic responsibility—says Joe Mabel. For example, if people are making noise at an opera performance, it takes a few minutes before others make up their minds to do anything about it. [JM: Hmm. I don't see that one as Romania vs. the West. Italians are way past Romanians in this respect. This is more of a "South" versus "North" thing than an "East" versus "West" thing. Too bad he didn't interview me for his article. I'd have said as much.]

Joe Mabel doesn't sweeten his stories to make his boss like him. He works for a foreign firm, and recognizes openly that every work relation that involves foreign firms and Romanian employees contains an element of exploitation.

I'm not publishing every letter I got on this, since some of them were clearly not intended for publication. Unless I've been told explicitly that a letter is for publication, I've followed my usual practice of sticking to first names or initials. Also I've taken such customary editorial liberties as correcting spelling and making certain omissions (always indicated by ellipses in square brackets). I'm leaving any bad English grammar and some slightly odd punctuation intact because I think that is part of the flavor of the letters.

Celine Dion (Un-)explained

I would like to try and answer your question "can anyone explain to me the appeal of Celine Dion?" The answer is: "Romanians like Celine Dion for the same reason Americans build her a colloseum at Las Vegas" :-)

I don't like Celine Dion at all, probably there are other people (Romanians or Americans), who feel the same way about her and also other people who feel differently.

My name is Adrian and I just discovered your letters about Romania. I was very curious to read them since I am in the opposite position. I am a Romanian, working in the software industry in Bellevue/WA. I didn't have time to read all of your letters entirely. I read the first ones completely and then I read here and there at the end. My first impression is that you were a neutral observer, which is good. You have saw the good and the bad parts of the story. In a couple of places I think you were wrong due to the fact that some of your impressions were formed by the people surround you. My second impression is that you have experienced only Bucharest, altough you have visited Sibiu. The rest of the country can be a lot different when compared to Bucharest (better but not from an economical perspective). I would recommend visiting Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi. Getting to know people from other parts of the country would be interesting though it's more difficult to accomplish.

I think you are wrong comparing the People's House (Casa Poporului) with the Redmond Town Center. [JM: Actually, it wasn't so much the Casa Poporului I compared to Redmond Town Center, it was the Centru Civic as a whole.] It's like you are comparing the Pentagon with Redmond Town Center. They are not similar as size nor style. Other than that I congratulate you on your talent and will to describe all these things that you experienced in Romania. I would love to have the same talent and describe the Puget Sound area and the American spirit with all the good and not so good things (or at least not as I thought).

[...]

Adrian

From a Romanian in Paris

My name is Radu [...] and I am a Romanian away from home since a couple of years. I spent some time in the US and now I am staying in Paris. I found out about your website and your comments about Romania from a distribution list on IT (TIC Lobby). So I checked it out and I was realy impressed. Your insight into the Romanian society is great and for an American (no offense!!!) you really "got them right" so to speak. I am reading your notes right now and I sent the link to my wife also (she is in Strasbourg for the moment). Since we might get back to Romania, an "independent" view on what happens there from someone with a profile close to ours is extremely useful. And your sketches are nice also!

Here are some notes on your text, even though you might have clarified these points already:

• You complained about the behaviour of the spectators at a ballet show. I do not think this is typical for Romania or for other European countries as someone else suggested. It is true that Latins (French, Spanish, Italians, Romanians, etc.) tend to be less disciplined (and less punctual of course) but the bad manners you saw have nothing to do with this. From your description, I presume that what you saw was a performance given by the nouveau riches of the country -- the great majority do lack a lot of common sense.
• The lady in the Storck museum was expecting a tip, bacsis. The workers in the cultural field are the worst paid in the country.
• I strongly disagree with you: Romanian is the most "orthodox" phonetically written language. Just follow the rule and ignore the regional "twists" and you will speak a literary Romanian.
• The covers of the manholes are stolen by Gypsies and sold as recovered iron.
• You talked some about politics but you didn't get the most important element in: generalised corruption. I'm puzzled. Didn't you ever had to deal with it in Romania? It begins at Prime Minister and President level and goes down to the policeman on the street.

Thanks for the great website and for the free publicity for Romania. Maybe we would meet sometime in France, Romania or the US :-)

Best regards,

Radu

Romanian translation to come?

Thank you. I'm a Romanian, established in USA for about 16 years now. I was very impressed by the accuracy and your savory depiction of Romania today. Since I research the web and read the Romanian press (major newspapers) almost on a daily basis I found your web site published in Evenimentul Zilei ( The Daily Event).

I think, Romanians, with their interest in culture and arts, might be interested in a translation in Romanian of your impressions of their surroundings, seen by an American. I'm able and willing to do that and I think will be of great value to be published, for their educational value. I think you write beautiful, and Romanians may become more aware of democracy and civilization through your letters.

[...]

Cristina

[JM: Cristina, thank you for your kind offer of translation. I need to think this over a little, because I am not yet sure exactly what I may be doing with this material beyond just posting it to my website.]

The loop draws tighter (and I draw Dan) 14 May 2002 10x for my picture (in fact urs:)) in ur site. i red it and it's very interesting. dan iancu

[JM 21 May 2002: The question is, does urs in the preceding mean the English "yours" or is it to be read as the Romanian for "bear"?]

An afternoon's read

[...]Just wanted you to know: very nice site about Romania. I read it all in one afternoon. Inspiring. Very good.[...]

PL

I'm Romanian, from Bucharest. I'm also a software programmer, just like you. I just want to tell you that I enjoyed a lot your writings about Bucharest and Romania (on your web page). I spent a whole day reading all the articles. In fact, I learned useful stuff about the city ... and not only the city. I just want to thank you for a beautiful afternoon, while I was reading your letters. [...] Good luck for the future!

Andrei

In today's on-line edition, Evenimentul Zilei wrote an interesting review of your Letters home from Romania. [...] So, allocating initially 5 minutes from my time, I decided to take a look at it. I ended up by reading all the material. More specific, I inhaled it.

My thoughts? Bravo Mr. Mabel! Nobody so far was able to draw such an accurate image of Bucharest. You managed to send me back to Bucharest for a couple of hours. More important, you managed to make me see Romania with different eyes. I realised that, beyond all the disappointments and frustrations I had for almost three decades, Bucharest is still a unique place in the world. You know? I never remembered Cismigiu so beautiful until the moment you compared it with Bruegel's paintings. Never seen it this way until now. I thank you for that!

I thank you for "forcing" me to remember that we have traditions and culture[, ...] too!

I'll check your "letters" every day from now on and I'll recommend the URL to everybody who wants to find out about Romania.

Once again, Bravo!

Best regards,

Cristian

If this keeps up, my ears will turn red

Hi... I am a 23-years Romanian living in Bucharest. I've read today the online version of Evenimentul Zilei. There was a short article about you published, and, following the link, I reached your website.

I found absolutely fascinating your guide and your letters -- and I've spent all evening reading them. They are very objective and well documented. If published, I think they'd made a very good guide to Bucharest, but, better, would help us -- Romanians -- to see how we are really seen from outside -- I mean West. None of my foreigner friends -- Americans, French -- have seen and told me all the good and bad things you discovered and write about in your letters.

I want to thank you for your work and to suggest to try to publish this work, maybe even translated in Romanian.

[...]

I don't know how good are you as a programmer, but as a writer, I think you would make an excellent job. And become famous too, no more NDA's to worry about. :))

Alex

Oh, VM, about those stray dogs and beggars...

Hi there,

I really like what you wrote about Bucharest. I live here and I am Romanian. It is very nice to hear someone talking so sincere about this city.

I want to thank you on behalf of all the people who are tired to hear foreigners saying that Romania means stray dogs and kid-beggars.

Good Luck

vm

Meanwhile, on another channel...

This next batch of letters are from a Romanian mailing list (TIC-Lobby, normally an IT-related list). Translations in process.

Andrei finds it interesting

Subject: TIC-Lobby: lectura interesanta

Citind Evenimentul Zilei pe internet ieri m-am impiedicat peste un link: http://www.speakeasy.org/~jmabel/travels/travelindex.html

Desi putin off topic pentru lista tot ce am citit acolo este extraordinar si e o lectura obligatorie pentru oricine vrea sa inteleaga cum ne vede un american.

In esenta este vorba despre un american din Seattle care a lucrat consultant la o firma IT din Romania si care isi descrie experienta mai mult din punct de vedere cultural decat tehnic. Desi continutul este sub 1% tehnic tot mi se pare o lectura potrivita pentru lista asta.

Ar fi interesant daca cineva de pe lista il cunoaste si poate comenta pe marginea a ceea ce scrie el acolo. Obiectivitatea si candoarea cu care isi descrie experienta sunt absolut remarcabile.

Enjoy!

Andrei C.

English translation

Subject: TIC-Lobby: interesting reading

Reading Evenimentul Zilei on the Internet yesterday I ran across a link: http://www.speakeasy.org/~jmabel/travels/travelindex.html

Although it's a little off-topic for the list, everything I read there was extraordinary, and it's compulsory reading for anyone who wants to understand how an American sees us.

In essence, it's about an American from Seattle who is working as a consultant at an IT firm in Romania and who describes this experiences from a lot of points of view other than technical. Actually, although the content is under 1% technical, I still think it's appropriate reading for this list.

It would be interesting if someone on the list who knows him could comment beyond what is written there. The objectivity and candor with which he describs his experience is remarkable.

Enjoy!

Andrei C.

Consti plays Go with me

[...]

L-am cunoscut, dar nu legat de informatica, ci de Go.

Ce pot sa spun e ca Joe era destul de stresat in Bucuresti, desi a stat destul de mult pe aici (cred ca mai mult de 1 an). A avut si ceva incidente ("agatari" pe strada de catre indivizi care se prezentau drept politisti si ii cereau actele. Joe raspundea invariabil: Va arat actele, dar numai in sediul Politiei).

Se pare ca pentru un strain este mai greu in Bucuresti, decat pentru un bucurestean :)

Constantin G.

English translation

[...]

I've met him, not related to software, but to Go.

One could say that Joe's been pretty stressed in Bucharest, but he's stayed long enough here (I think more than a year). He's had some incidents of being accosted in the street by people impersonating police and demanding his documents. Joe always responds: I'll show you my papers, but only at the police station

I think it's harder in Bucharest than for a foreigner than for a Bucharestean.

Constantin G.

JM adds: Now that I've been here a while and can speak decent Romanian, the maradonistas are hardly a problem at all. I laugh at them. They tell me they're the police, I tell them, sure, and I'm King Mahai, or whatever else comes to mind at the time.

It's gotten to where I can usually spot a maradona coming before I'm even dealing with the fake cop part of it. By the time they arrive on the scene it's to hear me saying to their confederate, yeah, I know, it's a maradona, don't waste your time. Actually, often it doesn't even get that far. Someone starts by saying to me "hey, do you want to exchange some currency" (which is about like walking up to a stranger on the street in the US and saying, "hi, would you like to engage in the illegal purchase of some drugs") and I simply reply that I am indeed a foreigner, but I'm not stupid, and he goes away.

Maybe this means I'm becoming a naturalized Bucharestean.

Mircea thinks I'm just like all those other Yankees

[...]

Interesant, intr-adevar, dar destul de previzibil: perceptia americanilor asupra Romaniei urmeaza cam acelasi tipar. Cel putin asa reiese din discutiile pe care le-am avut eu si din relatari asemanatoare cu cea a lui Joseph Mabel. Ma refer in special la americani, care mi s-au parut in general mai deschisi, mai ingaduitori si oarecum mai dornici sa intelega ceva dintr-o societate in care contrastele "tari" sunt caracteristice. Oricum, mai deschisi decit europenii vestici.

Pe de alta parte, perceptia strainilor urmeaza o anumita curba. La inceput percep mai cu seama aspectele negative (oarecum normal: orice loc nou induce un anumit stress) iar pe masura ce sederea se prelungeste (sau se repeta) aspectele pozitive isi fac tot mai mult loc. Sunt sanse mari ca dupa o vizita de doua zile un occidental sa plece cu o impresie mizerabila, dar sunt si sanse ca o sedere mai lunga sa creeze o amintire mai degraba agreabila.

Pe de alta parte, Romania nu inseamna doar Bucuresti (Bucuresti este mai degraba exceptia decit "norma", asa cum este, de pilda, Istambul in Turcia). Recunosc ca eu sunt mai stresat de Bucuresti decit pare ca era Joseph dupa citeva luni, dar a caracteriza Bucurestiul ca "safe"... (Adevarul este ca, de fapt, nu prea am termeni de comparatie. In marile orase prin care-am fost nu m-am aventurat prin periferii.)

Mircea

English translation

Interesting, honestly, but predictable enough: American perceptions about Romania follow along this path. At least this is what I've understood from my conversations with them and from similar stories to those of Joseph Mabel. I refer specifically to Americans, who seem to me generally more open, more tolerant, and somewhat more eager to understand something of a society in which sharp contrasts are characteristic. Anyway, more open than Western Europeans.

On the other hand, foreigners' perceptions follow a certain path. At the beginning, they more notice the negative aspects (which is normal: every new place induces some stress) but after their visit is prolonged (or repeated), positive aspects take on a larger role. It's likely that after a visit of two days a Westerner is left with a very bad impression [I originally mistranslated "impresie mizerabile" as "an impression of poverty"], but it's also likely that after a longer stay creates rather more agreeable memories.

On the other hand, "Romania" doesn't mean just Bucharest (Bucharest is rather more the exception than the rule, just as is, for example, Istanbul in Turkey.) I'm aware that I'm more stressed in Bucharest than it seems to me Joseph was after a few months, but he's characterized Bucharest as "safe" (The truth is that, in fact, I don't have too many terms of comparison. In the big cities where I've been, I haven't ventured into the outer parts of the cities.)

Mircea

The view from Iasi

[JM: The following is extracted from 2 emails form Calin in Iasi, Romania. I've edited a bit for clarity. He's rather more cynical than I, but what's the point of running only letters that agree with me?]

I'm a 38 yrs old engineer from the city of Iasi, in Eastern Romania. I have discovered your Romanian stories and really enjoyed them. Since 1990, lots of Western people are describing their Eastern experiences but few of them are impartial and fair, as you have been. You really saw the essential of Romanian way of life. I am going to use excerpts from your letters as arguments in my "fights" on forums against extremist Romanian folks which are excessively praising the Romanian nation and its qualities or, on the contrary, stupidly adulating Western nations.

[...] You are the first Westerner who talks about the fate of the "middle class" here in Romania and wish to make some comments about its poverty. You got things right. My wife and I are a classic example. I'm an engineer and she is a doctor (specialized in immunology). We both work in governmental institutions and we earn together under 250 USD per month! Besides this I also have to raise my 4 months old baby-boy! And this whilst senators, police officers, pimps and other are driving their brand-new Grand Cherokees.

If you are still interested by the destiny of my country, here are some facts and opinions from me, the ultra-skeptical middle-class Romanian:

• I am going to tell you why this country has not the slightiest chance to reach the "European great family". It's all about competence. The least competent economist or financist of Ceausescu's Regime was an Einstein in his field compared to the most competent Government employee of today. I am not a communist, nor a Ceausescu-lover, I just see facts. Even if a senator or a state secretary would awake one morning in his 500.000 dollars home, struck by patriotism and yell "I must stop stealing public money and do something for my country!", all this would be in vain: he would bever know what to do, because he is not competent.
• I am against world financial institutions and their politics, but you can really do things with IMF money. If you know what to do. Iliescu's army of overpayed employees never knew what to do with international money. That's why the IMF recently cut off the dollar flow.
• Skilled personnel were systematically eliminated in 1990, in corpore, by Iliescu's gang, knocking their heads with the ethernal [JM: I'm guessing that's "eternal", but it could be "aetherial"] slogan "Off with Communists". Briefly I can put it this way as regards the 1989 "Revolution": "Competent communists to go; uncompetent communists to stay (and to simulate of their best the 'I Love America attitude')."
• The young skilled ones are forced to emigrate, also by Iliescu's gang. The skilled ones who dare to comment about the Iliescu Regime's mafias and corruption are stamped as "anti-NATO" and "anti-Europe" and satanized by the obedient press.
• Iliescu's gang, since 1990, never accepted serious Western economic and financial counselors and advisors. "Don't teach us, we know what to do!"
• Did you know that Iliescu's gang, between 1990 and 1995, chased from Romania famous investors as: Deutsche Telekom, Levis, Chase Manhattan, Siemens? Because the chance to make monkey-business for huge commissions with these ones was null.
• You saw our deep and traditional relations with our Big Sister, France; despite this, the TV5's live transmissions and documentaries they broadcasted was shitty and very subjective (e.g. video documents on the children of the street from... 1996!). In this stuff, the lack of competence of Romanian authorities is also an explanation.
• The Power (read: the Adrian Nastase's party [JM: the current government]) is going, slowly but surely, to become the country's Unique Party; everything gets politicized and, in schools, teachers ask the kids in which party their parents are in...
• I'm not shocked about your descriptions where you remark the Romanians' lack of discipline; I have to admit that's real and this drags my country down. Also I have to admit that lots of Romanians are, physically, not clean. Poverty is not an excuse for sweat stench. And newpapers are asking why Westerns do not invest in Romania ! (If you're interested I have explanations for this...)

Sir, these were some of my thoughts about my Nation and the thugs who are -- democratically -- screwing it.

As information, I have German roots, no parents (both died when I was 17) and in 1986 my aunt who was living in Freiburg asked me to join her in Germany (she wanted to adopt me). I said no just to see how is gonna be after Ceausescu ! Now I see, alright.

I'm here to stay and carry my cross in a beautiful country that I really love even if lots of Romanians are really stupid and childish in their behaviour in front of Western tourists or investors.

Anyway, despite my skepticism, I am persuaded that Romanians will get one day on the good track. After a REAL revolution, of course.