Growing up during and after Communism

Intro

Communism is still an important topic in Romania even after more than 20 years since people went on the streets, started the countries biggest revolution which lead to the execution of our dictator Ceausescu and his wife Elena. The generation of my parents are still talking how were the days during the regime and some they question if will be better if we still were under the regime, being born during the communism regime and growing up in a country which was growing up in the same time as me is an experience that not so many people know about. In my house i grew up hearing the communism stories and how that affected my parents life and i taught why not share with you guys some examples of how that life was back in the days.

But let's go back to the year i was born...

1989

It was a critical year in the history of Romania, the communism was about to fall and people were sick and tired about the oppression of the regime but most of all about the extravagances of our leader. Well for the first part up to his election things were going let's say good in Romania. After 1965 when the first Communist president Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej died Nicolae Ceausescu came to power after some years in which he was Secretary of State. They say he was the most abusive and hard communist leader of all time. But let's start with beginning...

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Up to his succession things went pretty well for Romania during his presidency, one of the best things he did for the country was clearing all the debt Romania had, he basically paid all the money we owned and bring our debt to 0 but that meant a very important change in the country, one of this changes was the food limit per person. Yeah you heard good my mom she used to tell me that everybody was sitting in the line every morning in order to get bread and meat. It was working like this, for every family member you would get half of bread, 1 L oil and 1 kg meat per day. I heard stories that people were walking up and sitting in the line starting with 3 am.

You see Communism is a political system which is trying to build a society without social classes, without private properties owned by public persons and with the purpose of a single unique party which was claiming that all the wealth of the country is belonging to the people. Well this is on the paper what it should actually be, of course some of it was true, the fact that our parents cannot own a property on their name or own a car or a business.

Daily activities during the regime

Among the daily activities were:

• of course sitting in the line for food every day
• In on week you would have had just 2 or 3 times hot water in your apartment and that was just for 2 hours during the day.
• It was allowed only 2 hour per day to watch television between 8 and 10 PM and usually they will put just news or documentaries about Ceausescu and his wife.
• Nobody owned a paired of jeans in Romania because that was a luxury and only if you were super rich you could afford and this is how most of the people got reach after communism felt, they started to import jeans and they got super rich
• Everybody after they graduated from highschool received job by repartition, for example my mom she was send to work in a factory and my dad as well and eventually met there.
• In the weekends you could only drive your car if the license number plates were 2, 4, 6 etc and this double numbers and the other weekends with the single numbers like 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. If they caught you with wrong plate numbers you would have been arrested.
• Of course abortion was illegal and many women got caught doing this and went to prison.
• The borders were closed and basically nobody could go outside of the country, only if you had a lot of money or you had connection. Or if you managed to get outside the country you could only travel to the Soviet Union countries.
• Per month you could only use 20 L gas, that's all. But to own a car was a complete luxury, in 1989 in Bucharest were 200. 000 cars and now in 2016 are 1. 5 millions. The biggest luxury was Dacia the famous car brand which was produced during the communism regime.

One of the most important keys in the history of our countries communism regime was in 1971 when our leader took a trip to North Korea. Our president was so amazed by the countries principle and way of living that up to his return to Romania he tried to implement many habits and things he saw there. All started with organizing big parades on the street during one of the most important feasts and holidays. My parents were taught to sing traditional communism songs and everybody needed to wear same uniform. Also during the class every morning the pupils had to sing the same communism anthem before the class started.

The thing with Ceausescu was that everytime he went to other country and he saw there something which amazed his eyes he would come back and tried to build the same thing but bigger and better. For example building the ''The people's house'' or the Romanian name ''Casa Poporului'' which nowadays his the second's largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Or that time when he used 6 million kg of dynamite to create a road between the mountains called today ''Transfagarasan '' and plus many more extravaganzas from him.

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The revolution

1989 as i was saying was the most important year in Romania, i was born in June and all started in December. People were so feed up to his rich style of living and the fact that were no freedom inside the country, everything was limited from the food to the freedom of speech and so long. People went crazy and 17 December 1989 they decided to start a protest in the city of Timisoara, many people went on the streets and shouted and fought for a change but nothing happened just mass arrests of civilians. In 18 December Nicolae Ceausescu flee to Iran for a visit and on 20 December when he returned he asked people to gather in Bucharest biggest square. During his speech people were so mad and started to booed and jeered at him while he was speaking, things went out of control and the armed forces started to shoot in the crowd. Ceausescu saw that his approach was failing so he took a helicopter and tried to runaway. Next day 21 December the defense minister Vasile Milea committed suicide and he was declared a traitor so interesting thing happened was the army which changed sides and now everybody went after Ceausescu and his wife.

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People from every city in the country went on the streets and started protests in order to capture him. I guess the plan worked because after fleeing with his helicopter at one of his properties in Targoviste he was caught by the military and held for a trial. On 24 December on Christmas day they faced a super short trial in which they were executed him and his wife for genocide and for gathering lots of money without giving any explanation.

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My year 1989

I was born in the year of the revolution, in the year that our dictator was killed, in the year that the communism felt down and in the year we all fought for our freedom. It was my year and i am so lucky to be born during Communism because people they don't usually know how is to be born or live in a country where you have no freedom so as i like to say i fought for my own freedom. Even if i was little but my parents fought for it!

So always appreciate from where you come from because this is what will make you the person who you are today.

After the communism

Things started to develop and implement in Romania, my parents finally bought their first apartment which they owned until this day, the borders opened and people started going outside Romania, finally products were imported like food and things nobody tasted in their life such as juices and cigars and sweets and jeans and diapers because yeah during communism you couldn't find any diapers or tampons.

With almost 30 years since communism felt my parents generation are still talking now that maybe it would have been better if we still had that regime imagine, but in that time they hated so much those days. But in a way i kind of understand them because Romania's economy is terrible nowadays and we have many debts again plus many young people with no jobs and super shitty salaries. Most of the young people with masters and fine diplomas they all go outside to work in order to make a future for themselves.

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Life in Romania is hard now even if you can find many things to buy but you see you don't have money to do so. We had many presidents that didn't do anything just put us in more debts and hard lifestyle. Myself as well i am not considering to live in Romania in the future because trust me i do not want a 300 euro salary after i put so much money and time in my education, i rather was dishes in Italy then stay there. Yeah life is hard but this is a true story and even if we are in the European Union nothing is happening in our benefit just the fact that we can travel to many countries and so...

God knows what will happen in the future but i am optimistic all the day, maybe in 50 year time things will start moving for Romania and finally get European standard salaries and better way of life, in that time i will return to Romania in case i will still be alive. But for my children i am optimistic!

Wish you all the best Romania!