Americans take so much for granted: opportunities, success as an expectation, pursuit of happiness as the ultimate goal. Over the past two days, I have sat with people who have become new heroes in my life. I met with several organizations after flying to Timisoara for the day yesterday: Pentra Voi, Casa Faienza, Ovidiu Foundation and several journalists. "Holy Work" is the phrase I can find to describe what they do. Graduate students from the university have developed "state of the art" programs by US standards with no models from which to build, no resources, and very little support. They are clinicians, advocates, fundraisers, spokespeople to the media, and loving arms for orphaned , disabled, mentally challenged children - all rolled into one person. The children would be stuck in crumbling institutions otherwise.
It was with that courage found in the students and people of Timisoara that sparked the revolution on the 16 December 1989 before it reached Bucharest on the 22 December. They call themselves the first "free" Romanian city. Seeing bullet holes in the sides of the buildings near the square, I was told that 312 people were killed by gunfire and run over by tanks.
The same took place on Sunday as two girls close to my age guided us to see the People's Palace (photo included), the 2nd largest building in the world and Ceaucescu's "pet" project. Over 700 architects and 35,000 workers worked 24/7 to erect the monstrosity during the most desperate time during the regime 1984-1989. All materials and labor came from within Romania and required 80% of Romanian industry during those years. It was called the "People's Palace" because it was built "by the people" but the regime never allowed them to enter. Instead the vast majority of the country was starving and hopelessly impoverished during the construction.
I'll never forget listening and watching two girls close to my age verbalizing stories about the ration lines - how they stood with their mothers starting at 4am for butter, bread, and milk. They told me that for a family of four, they were allowed 1/2 a stick of butter and watch them cut it. When I asked if she remembered be hungry, she only nodded "yes."
I never want to complain again.
Romania is ripe for development. Signs of progress were everywhere in Timisoara, but it is considered the intellectual "hub" of the country and far ahead of Bucharest in raising standards. Progress is slow everywhere because of lack of funding and leadership still prone to corruption. Walking in the old city of Bucharest, my entrepreneurial real estate eyes surveyed multiple opportunities to renovate and restore jewels of buildings with the most remarkable Eastern architecture. (Bucharest is 230 miles from Istanbul.) However, no low interest loans or tax incentives are provided by the government - on the "words" they they want to make it happen. "A lot of words" - those are fed most to the people of Romania. They need more than that to bring them out of their past.
I'm heading down to eat breakfast on the sun-drenched, stone terrace before meeting with the US Ambassador at the Embassy. Ah...they don't make breakfasts like this in the US - coffee so thick you can stand your spoon, vegetables that look like candy, and pastries that melt in your mouth. I feel an odd sense of "home" here that I don't think will shake easily.
