From Romania with pride

All things must come to an end, and so does my tenure in Romania – with suitcases packed fit to burst and a heavy heart I return to the US after nearly four years. This will be my last column for Ziarul Financiar and I was delighted when I was asked to write it. However, there was a moment this morning when it looked like I won”t actually get my chance to have my last word.

Last night, in a haze of packing, leaving parties and an assortment of complicated arrangements, I left my laptop – the irreplaceable receptacle holding my entire life – in a restaurant. When I shared the news with my Romanian colleague this morning he was sympathetic, but grim. “It”s gone”, was his thoroughly unoptimistic verdict, “it”s already been sold”. As I imagined My Precious stripped and sold for parts under the cover of frigid Bucharest night, my heart skipped a beat. I rushed to the restaurant cursing the morning traffic only to be greeted by the charmingly solicitous staff who presented me with my quarry. I felt a warm glow that was more than simple relief. “This is the Romania I leave behind”, I thought, “a place where honesty and respect for others mean just as much as anywhere else in the world”.

Yet I soon became angry. Why was it, I wondered, that I simply presumed that my property will be safe and sound – this was, after all, a nice and fairly pricey restaurant – yet a Romanian immediately assumed the worst about his compatriots. Of course, I know that things might not have turned out quite so well for me if a place I had gone to was less upscale, but my colleague”s negativity was a sentiment expressed too frequently and by too many Romanians. I have lost count of the occasions when a taxi driver, having enquired as to my country of origin would ask what I thought of Romania. To my endless frustration, the reply that I loved Romania and thought it wonderful brought about such shock, that I felt as though I was declaring my passion for eating garbage or something equally unsavory. I do think that I understand the origins of this self-directed hatred. Romania had an amazingly difficult time throughout its history and has felt left on the impoverished sidelines of history for far too long. Yet, it is also a country that has managed to shed the burden of its painful past. Sure, things are still far from perfect, yet I will never tire of saying that in recent years Romania has been moving in leaps and bounds, with positive changes happening with almost lightning speed. It is unfortunately true that many of these changes are little felt by the average Romanian, but national pride has little to do with prosperity. Compared to an average Russian, for example, an average Romanian is flush with cash, but I am yet to meet or hear of a Russian who is anything but supremely proud of his country and its accomplishments.

As an American, I am well aware of the social and political dangers of having too much national pride and an overblown sense of one”s country”s importance. However, I am convinced that a lack of national pride is at least equally fraught with peril. The recent allegations that the US has used Romania as a setting for its torture camps are only the most recent example. It might be a good idea for Romania to ally itself with the US, but there is quite a difference between being an ally and a sidekick. Since I announced that I will be returning to the US, I kept hearing things like “Nobody will even know where you lived for the past four years”. While this statement is unfortunately true, I have to wonder why no one has thought to question its content. After all, Romania might well be the least known European country! Albania might be famous for more bad reasons than good, but it is more likely that an average American will be far more familiar with its name than that of Romania.

I fail to see the reason for Romania”s obscurity. After all, besides possessing of a magnificent nature and rich history and culture, it is also, at least by the standards of Europe, a fairly large country. With its agricultural wealth, strategic importance and the delights it can offer a tourist, Romania should be famous. Instead, it is occasionally notorious at best. Expats should not have to defend Romania to Romanians. I may love and appreciate this country, but I know that I could not possibly love it even nearly as much as its own people. It is crucial to remain critical of a country you love, but criticism should not turn to self-deprecation. When I return home I intend to sing Romania”s praises to anyone who would listen, but my efforts will be in vain until the pride I feel in its accomplishments pales in comparison to the pride felt by all the wonderful people I am so sad to be leaving behind.