an example of modern architectural clash in downtown Bucharest
A Preface: Seeing Romania in Perspective
Andreea Demirgian
andreea_demirgian@yahoo.com

Twenty years ago, my grandmother, who had survived World War II and its traumatic aftermath, told me, “We were waiting for the Americans to come. Instead, there came the Russian tanks and the Soviet Invasion.
They renamed our towns, they changed our history, they shot our horses, they took our land, they moved entire villages from their ancestor’s land in the deserted field of Baragan. We are still waiting for the Americans. We listen to a radio station called Free Europe we have to be prepared”
My grandmother died in 1987. For her, the Americans never came. They did come two years later. First they gave us Coca Cola. The dollar was worth 26 lei then. They gave us blue jeans and our radio stations started broadcasting American music and our cinemas started showing American Movies. Then came McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken, MTV. Then the dollar went crazy and the economy nose-dived. Today, most Romanians are a bit tired of Coca Cola and McDonalds but they are too apathetic to show it. Now the dollar is worth 33,000 lei. Romanians know that some politicians steal whatever they can and won’t stop until they have had enough. They know that some police are corrupt and they expect no help from them. Romanians watch the wars on CNN live and they really want to become part of the European Union because they have heard that living standards are better as a member of the European Union than they are as a God-forsaken country in Eastern Europe. Now, they watch the government pay out billion of dollars for social protection, the protection of minorities, and of our cultural heritage while all they can think about is “ how am I going to pay my bills this winter.”
Most Romanians don’t really care about the Hungarians living here, except when the Hungarians print posters saying they want autonomy for Transylvania. They don’t really pay attention to the Jews – there are too few left for them to be noticed as a group. Romanians don’t really want to know about Romany Gypsies unless a pickpocket is caught in the act or rapes a girl from the neighborhood. Then they get mad.
The stories in this selection are part of an experiment. Bill Dowell told a few journalists : “Forget about your editors. Forget about other people. Write these stories, as you would write for yourselves. Tell me all you think about it. I want to know what’s behind your daily thoughts.”
So these reporters and editors did. But without knowing the context, you might think that Romania is a savage country where Jews are expecting a pogrom every day. You might think all orthodox priests are evil and are urging people to an orthodox jihad against homosexuals and Romany Gypsies. You might think that some people live here in terror. The truth is that there are lunatics in Romania as there are anywhere else. Villains exist on both sides. But bear in mind that these stories were written as a sort of a catharsis. If you come to Romania to see for yourself, you will find that there is no Jihad here. Romania is a beautiful country inhabited by some people who are very rich and some who are very poor. What is important is that Romania is at peace.

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