Romanian Life

On Thursday May 24 we took a trip to Biertan, Romania to check out the fortified church in the town. The trip was kind of a let down, because it started to rain a short while after we got to looking at the church. However, on the ride back I was able to talk a little with our cab driver. From our conversation I was able to glean, even in a small way, the true Romania. While as tourists we enjoy the beauty of the countryside, the rich history it offers, and the low, low prices of just about everything we don't get a chance to see the often harsh reality of Romanian life. The cabbie explained how the cops extort bribes by pulling people over to they can charge them a fee, which goes in their own pocket, in lieu of a ticket. Albeit a smaller fee than the ticket, this demonstrates the corruption of local government. He also pointed out the prostitutes that hang out by a round'a'bout at the edge of town, explaining the indifference of law enforcement. Our cabbie also told of how investors bought up land outside of town to build a Dracula theme park. (We are in Transylvania after all.) In doing so the investors bought out some nice cabins that were bringing in money to the area. He shared that this raised the hopes of everyone in the area that this would create jobs. In a country where around 38 percent of the rural population is below the poverty line people are desperate for work, and any jobs would be welcomed. This short cab ride was an eye opening experience for me. I don't believe I will be able to look at Romania in the same "it's-awesome-because-everything-is-so-cheap" mindset again. That being said I'm truly grateful to have had this conversation with the cabbie whose name I never caught.