Post Communist Culture

It will be impossible to discuss everything that is going through my mind on this subject. It is absolutely fascinating. We knew coming into this country would be a culture shock. Understanding that the Iron Curtain fell a relatively short time ago and that most people that we would interact with were alive and affected by the Soviet Union and Moldova's civil war, we knew the mindset would be different. But as much as I thought "I knew," I know nothing. I learn so much every single day and with every single conversation. Some people do act and dress in ways that help them blend in. While living in communist society, it is unacceptable to stand out. Individuality was looked down upon. People often do not talk very much throughout meals, this came from not knowing whether or not you would get a next meal and from the fear that if you did not eat the food you had in front of you quickly, someone else would come eat it for you. Lines, personal space, etc. do not exist. Its like everyone is in survival mode at times.

However, there is also this tendency for people to want to give you everything they possibly can. Eli, one of our young friends, literally gave Joy his camera so that she could use it for a couple of weeks. Oleg and Natasha would give us the shirts off their backs if they asked. We have spent 2 evenings with them and already they have given us meals, desserts, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, free haircuts (Natasha is a hair stylist,) and paid for our taxi rides twice. Everytime we ask them for advice on where to buy things, they try to buy it for us or give us what they already have. They are the sweetest people and we appreciate their genuine concern for us so much. We also feel very lucky to have Oleg because we can ask him anything. He laughs at us and our ignorance a lot, but he also helps to make sense of the many things that we do not understand.

One thing that I consitently recognize, but still have not been able to grasp or understand is the separatism between Russian and Romanian. Most people are either fluent in both languages or are at least conversational. However, there are many preconceptions or attitudes related to the language the you predominately speak. There is the obvious fear or discontent associated with Russia, this leads to a certain attitude towards people who attend Russian speaking schools or choose to speak Russian more often. However, I have heard so many different opinions. Romanian speaking individuals have certain ideas that are consistent; however, many people have their own individual perception of this relationship. The same is true with Russian speaking individuals. We have heard that there is quite a bit a segragation, as far as where certain people groups live in the city. It is so interesting to live in a city where this exists. My mind is boggled and all I want to do is learn more about this relationship and achieve some level of understanding.