UNCATEGORIZED
OK, so allow me to get all the housekeeping out of the way…this week’s blog is a personal travel journal with MY observations and MY opinions and conclusions. It does not represent any official stance of my colleagues at Foundry Orthopedics. If you are not interested in what may follow, then change the channel.
My wife and I are currently travelling with some dear friends through what were formerly Eastern Block countries under the sphere of influence (thumb) of the former Soviet Union. We started our sojourn in Romania, and have travelled up the Danube with stops and visits in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia. I am writing this in my hotel room in Budapest, Hungary.
Why here? Well, for one thing, these countries have always been an enigma to me. As they were behind the “Iron Curtain”, a term originally coined by Churchill, I could not get access to them. Visiting them was not an option. I had also read a lot about the natural beauty of the Danube as it makes its way eastward towards the Black Sea. Presented with the opportunity to explore this region, we jumped at the chance.
We have chatted with many locals, and have been invited to visit with them in their homes. They are very proud and happy to be able to speak freely with visitors and share their thoughts. Universally, the Communists were hated and despised in all of these countries. Stories obviously vary from family to family, but it is quite clear that nobody liked having their homes, farms, and farming equipment repossessed by the state. No one liked being told that they could no longer worship at their churches. No one liked the fact that the only second language that their children could learn was Russian.
Our guides in each of these different countries have been quick to point out the startling contrast between the original beautiful gothic or baroque architecture of their most beloved buildings, and that of the “Stalinist era” grey. These cement block style towers that now still exists as apartment dwellings were used to relocate families whose homes were taken by the intruding Soviets. The true ugliness of these structures is manifest not only physically, but also emotionally when one stops to realize what they truly represent. The dark, damp and rainy weather we have experienced has served to magnify this impression.
Times are better, as evidenced by our guides who explain plans to brighten “Stalinist era” grey with bright colors of paint and hanging flowers, but these people still struggle. Currencies vary from one country to the other, as does the languages. They still all share the burden of their association with their Soviet benefactors, and I suspect that it will take several more generations to recover.
The average wage varies somewhat, but very few people earn more than the equivalent of $1000 per month. Basic healthcare is free, but still substandard per Western guidelines. Medical specialists have left for the West (UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, US) where they can earn much more.
Yep, there’s no place like home. I hope to never experience a day when I leave for work at Foundry Orthopedics only to return home to a barricaded that now belongs to the state. The Communist Socialist model has failed miserably in this region of the world. What we were hearing as children about Communism was not just merely western propaganda. With the coming of Thanksgiving, perhaps we should all pause to think about what we have available to us at home.
