.
Romania, Bucharest, where Adriana
was born.
by Kambiz Taleghani
20080701
Arrived Bucharest past midnight last night.
This
is where Adriana was born and lived until the age of 9.
This was her first visit since
the family left Romania over 40 years ago. Adriana still remembered the street name where they lived.
Amazingly, the taxi driver knew the street. We went there.
Adriana
found the house exactly as she remembered it as a child. Except, now there were cars in the
streets!
As a child, one sees things in a different relative scale. Now everything
seemed smaller.
We walked to the building, took a few pictures (see pictures and video).
There was an elderly lady sitting on the ground-level balcony of the building. Adriana
went ahead to ask a few questions about the building, and lo-and-behold, she was an old neighbor who has lived in the same
building since 1930’s! This lady remembered Adriana and her family
perfectly. She invited us in, and recited the history of the neighborhood and the building.
(see pictures and videos).
Apparently they all had a very hard life, first during World War Two, then under the communist regime. Life
was better now. This Lady told Adriana that she feels her generation was a “lost” generation.
She spoke perfect French, but had never been to a French speaking country. She would have loved
to have seen France.
It was truly interesting for Leila and I (Kambiz) to sit and listen
to the two former neighbors exchange stories and memories. One a child, and the other an adult at
the time.
During the communist era, if you were allowed to leave the country, you had to keep quiet and not tell anyone.
Then one night the government car would come and take you to the train station, with almost all of your belongings
left behind. Once permission to leave the country was granted, you immediately were fired from
your job. So, the family had to make do by selling the furniture, etc.
The
neighbor was musing over what a commotion was created when the neighbors learned that the family had left the night prior.
“Everyone” descended to take whatever they could, including the informed government employees who did not
want to miss any of the “action”.
Then there was a huge fight over the apartment
itself and who would get that, etc. …
We left after an emotional time in the old neighborhood which, amazingly, had not changed
much.
