-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
I have provided a link to a video about Romanian inventions.
WARNING: this video is a bit cheesy and there are some inaccurate/highly exaggerated statements regarding food and beer. Also, while the part about the beautiful women is cringe-worthy, there is an inordinate amount of Romanian models in the world… and I do feel a bit like a gawky 12 year old on the rare occasion that I go to a club in Bucharest.
That being said, I definitely learned some stuff. Hopefully you will, too!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-oEH2gh-zsxM/a_world_without_romania_hi_res/
It was a bit challenging to write about Romania this week given the fact that I am on vacation in Oslo, Norway, but the challenge has been REWARDING. I wrote that word really large because it is a hilarious lead in to the fact that I visited the Nobel Peace Center yesterday. Norway administers the Peace Prize each year, and as a result it has one of the most fantastic museums I’ve ever visited. I will refrain from describing the museum now though, since this is supposed to be a blog about Romania.
While I was exploring this awesome, technologically advanced and interactive museum, I realized that I didn’t know if any Canadians had won the prize, let alone Romanians (btw, congratulations Lester B. Pearson!) Turns out there was one Romanian who won the prize in 1986; Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author of ‘Night’, one of the most famous works of Holocaust literature.
Wiesel was born and raised in Sighet, Transylvania. During the war, 20,000 Jews were sent from Sighet to live in Auschwitz, with Elie and his family among them. As an aside, Sighet is a really interesting, predominantly Hungarian-speaking city that I need to visit. In the 1950s and 60s, public figures who were declared ‘class enemies’ by the communist Securitate police were imprisoned there (including a former prime minister who died in the prison). It is now the site of the Museum and Memorial for the Victims of Communism.
Wiesel was also commissioned by the Romanian government to research and write a report on the history of the Holocaust in Romania. According to the report, “…of all the allies of Nazi Germany, Romania bears responsibility for the deaths of more Jews than any country other than Germany itself.” It was not until 2004, when the Weisel Commission report was released, that it was acknowledged that Romania murdered between 280,000 to 380,000 Jews. The Romanian government accepted the findings of the report and is now working to educate the public on the history of the Holocaust in Romania.
In case that wasn’t enough information about the gross violation of human rights by oppressive regimes, I also found out an interesting thing that Norway and Romania have in common. Apparently, both countries have denied Jews citizenship at some point in their history. I was shocked to learn that Norway completely banned Jews in their Constitution, restricting them from entering the Kingdom between 1814 and 1851.
Okay, so now that you are convinced that the world is a terrible place, you need to go to the Nobel Peace Center to renew your faith in humanity. Or just visit the Nobel Organization at: http://nobelprize.org/. For any teachers reading, this site has some great interactive educational games. And in case you don’t have time for that either, here is Wiesel quotation for ya:
“Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.”
I just went bowling in Bucharest for the first time the other night. We were interested to find that between each player’s turn, an animated stripper would appear on the score screen. When I threw a gutter ball, she threw her shoe at me (very saucy). When I hit six pins down, she spun around her stripper pole so excitedly that she faded into a pink blur (god I’m good). And when I got a strike, I saw my first pair of animated stripper boobs. So did the gaggle of 12-15 year old boys sitting behind me, waiting to use the lane next.
Don’t we all feel dirty enough putting on shoes that are already warm on the inside? Do we really need to trash bowling up another notch? The answer, in Bucharest, is a resounding yes. Why the hell not.
“Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind.”
Ernest Hemingway
Having lived in Romania for fourteen months on and off, I can attest to the fact that it is much easier to broaden your ass than your mind, particularly in a country where the sour cream is so plentiful. My first six months or so in Bucharest, I traveled around the country, tried to learn some Romanian, and went to museums and galleries. Since then, not so much.
Seeing as travel hasn’t been working its mind broadening magic recently, I thought I would give writing a try. My reasoning was that if I was held accountable to even just one reader (thanks, Mom!), I would be motivated to see it all with the fresh, awe-stricken eyes of a traveler again.
More than that, I wanted to be able to answer the questions that people ask me about Romania when I go to parties in Canada. Since I don’t really retain information, I could just get them to look up my blog on their iPhone and we could laugh and learn together.
Travelers have questions about places. They really want to know stuff. This led me to ask, ‘What kinds of things do people really want to know about Romania?’ A quick search of Yahoo Answers was revealing. And I quote directly:
Q: “What advantages and disadvantages are there to the country Romania?
A: “Too many gypsy, too many robbering, poor people , money hunter girls, too much burocracy in goverment buildings ,the cousine of my mom killed by her wife when he was sleeping , with an axe to her head ,they tend to violence a lot, but very beautiful country, worth to see .”
While this report has a certain human interest appeal that I can appreciate, I have to say the ‘pro’ side of the argument is a little lacking. Maybe a more balanced view…or really any view of Romania at all is lacking in the world outside of this strangely wonderful country. While I am BY NO MEANS AT ALL an expert on anything Romanian, I do have access to some friendly Romanians who speak English. So I put it to all of you:
What do you want to know about Romania?
And for any Romanian or ex-pat readers:
What do you think people should know about Romania?
No question or comment is too silly, gross, stupid or boring (I am required to say that as a teacher. Please give me something good to investigate). In the meantime, I have my own entirely subjective and culturally biased interpretations of the Romanian experience that I look forward to sharing with you, Mom!
Romani...wha? 