Aren't You Lonely

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA The most frequently asked question I get is: aren’t you lonely when you travel alone? My answer is that I’m always bumping into someone with whom I can have a conversation and that often makes me feel more alive than talking with people I’ve known all my life. Today was a good example. After tramping through much of Bucharest alone, I stopped to get some lunch. The tables were full, so I asked a young man if I might share his table. His name turned out to be Marius and five hours later, after he had given me an extensive tour of the city, disabused me of most of my original impressions of Bucharest, and shared with me his opinions on everything from the Orange Revolution to Count Dracula, we parted company, each assuring the other that we would stay in touch. Because of Marius’ difficulty with English, I won’t attempt to capture all that we talked about and that had convinced me of his rich knowledge of history, philosophy, politics, and culture; I’ll just report on a few of the things he said that now stand out in my mind.

Marius

Orange Revolution: The West doesn’t understand what’s going on here. The current president, Traian Băsescu, is very corrupt and has mismanaged the economy. He bought $2 billon worth of used F-16s that are now mostly worthless and sold out our navy as well. Next to the President of Moldova, Băsescu is the last Orange Revolution president remaining. In two weeks we will have a referendum and he will be voted out. 75% of the people want him out. We are not like Ukraine; we are a democracy and will remain a democracy regardless of who our president is. The West needs to know this.

On America: America is the model of democracy for the rest of the world, but Obama is not a strong leader. On paper, of course, he is, but he doesn’t project this power to the rest of the world. I like him and think that he’s very smart, smarter than Bush. In the end, I think the American people will choose well whether it’s Obama or not. This is how democracy works. But for me America is inaccessible. I tried to get an America visa once, but the American consulate here in Bucharest turned me down. I guess I need to know someone in America.

Personal Situation: I have a Bachelors degree in social work, but not a paying job as a social worker. I volunteer my time helping disabled children. To put food on the table, I own a small distributorship while my wife works as an English language translator. Together we make 1,000 Euro per month, hardly enough for a family of three to live on. Unfortunately, although we’re a part of the European Union, it’s impossible for us to get a job in another European country. They think we’re gypsies. I’m not, but that’s what they think, and they don’t like gypsies. Not all gypsies are bad, just as not all Romanians are good. I don’t understand why people don’t get that.

Bucharest Photo Album