Many times I have been amazed by foreigners? wish to understand Romanian people and society better. We Romanians are full of contradictions: from the Dracula story to the secular inactive metaphysical attitude which is written in our DNA, from an endemic corruption to our dazzling political scene, from our Orthodox Christianity traditions to our large acceptance of Halloween or Saint Valentine, from our very good ?sarmale? (stuffed cabbage) to the strong appetite for junk food.
We are quite difficult to be understood by our foreign friends. Having some foreign friends very interested by this topic, I started thinking of a simple and relevant way to describe our society, avoiding what some famous books do, such as describing the psychology of the Romanian people or the results of a different polls and studies. I did not have to think too much, because I found an easy way to describe it: road traffic as a mirror or microcosm of Romanian society.
I advise driving in Bucharest traffic during rush hours to get a taste. However, for the ultimate experience try Friday midday, when Romanians are preparing to escape to their weekend getaways. So, imagine Friday, at 2 o?clock in the middle of an important intersection, let?s say at kilometer 0, Universitate square. There, in that hour, on that specific day, you?ll certainly have the full picture.
The intersection is blocked for several reasons:
In the first lane the roadworks finished in the morning, but, as the weekend approached, workers left the site, leaving the equipment in the middle of the road.
After laying the asphalt, the workers forgot to add the road markings, so all cars hustle between imaginary lanes, with each painting individual preferential lines.
In the middle of the intersection, a few cars are blocking each other for assorted reasons such as: in spite of the legal priority, the driver of the 4?4 didn?t allow to the poor Dacia driver to pass, the bus driver cut up a Mini Cooper driven by a woman, a very expensive car driven by a very young (maybe too young) man blocked the visibility of an ancient Fiat driven by an grandparent. Meanwhile, a mature man with an intellectual expression, looks philosophically to another mature man who has the ?lemon sign? in the windscreen of his not so expensive car, showing that he?s a beginner and the intellectual looking man probably thinks ?what an idiot, to have a beginner sign at his age.?
Above all, the drivers almost never use the car?s indicator lights. I think car manufacturers could reduce costs if they produced cars for the Romanian market ? without indicators.
Beyond all these, in the intersection, everybody can hear a mix of noises: various music, from hip hop to the local manele and of course the ongoing many voiced commentary provided the drivers. ?In my day, young people respected the old!?and ?I?m a woman, why the Hell you don?t respect me??
But what is most important is the role of the authority figure in this situation ??the policeman. He/ she stays still, in the middle of the traffic and noise, looking helpless and with an unhappy face, breathing the smoky air, he/she thinks again and again ? Why the hell am I doing this for such little pay, out in the rain, the snow or the heat??
In this context, perhaps the best thing to do is pray for divine intervention to solve the traffic problem and hope, maybe with God?s help, you can speedily drive home. Of course breaking the legal speed limit and avoiding the police cameras. If you arrive safely, you can tell yourself ?Thank God, another day passed again?.
A society where nobody respects the rules and doesn?t have any direction, with angry people, with institutes that don?t work, with people who are not motivated, with a lack of respect for women, old people or poorer people. A society where nobody cares about anybody and where the price of the car you?re driving is much more important then all the books you?ve read or written.
But, don?t be disheartened, because if you succeed in passing beyond this intersection, you?ll find the real, deep Romania. You will see the mountains, the Danube Delta or the astonishing monasteries in the North of Moldova, where you?ll be welcomed by the usual people who will cheer with you a ?tuica? (plum brandy) and will tell you the amazing legends of this country. If you live in crowded Bucharest, try to forget the traffic and you?ll have the opportunity to listen every two years to the most famous orchestras and performers from the world at the Enescu Festival, you?ll have the chance to meet interesting people or to eat very special dishes.
Beyond the angry people, beyond the ordinary and very Romanian disorganization, beyond the lack of respect of the rules, actually you?ll surely find a good essence, the essence of the Romanian people. So, enjoy the ride!
By Mariana Ganea, Guest Writer?
(photo source: sxc.hu)
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