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Published: November 21st 2006
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Some areas of Eastern Europe are super modern. Other areas haven't changed much.Hello everyone,
I started my adventure in the former Soviet countries without knowing what to expect. It has been an eye opener.
How did the Communist system get so strong? Under normal circumstances, it probably wouldn't have landed more than one or two countries, but times weren't normal. Many countries had been under seige for up to five years. Each day they left the house wondering if it would be there when they got home. Their lives and that of their families were threatened every single day. When the Soviets liberated them from Germany, at least the bombing stopped. In the beginning Communism sounded good. Everyone would have a home and everyone would have a job. In the initial elections in the late 1940's the Communist party would win by a landslide in many countries. When people started losing ownership of their homes and businesses, it was too late to go back.
During the cold war, I was raised to believe that communists, especially "those Russians" had forked tails and ate their young. Does it surprise you to learn that they had been told the same thing about those "people" in North America! Their most common expression was
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One of the apartments where I stayed was in this building. They need repair, but with each apartment privately owned, where does the money come from? "dirty capitalists." My guide in Romania said the most common expression used for West Germany and North America was "decadent." They were told that our system was so corrupt. Our politicians kept lying to us and we just kept believing it. They also looked with distain at our system of exploiting the less fortunate. They saw movies from the U.S., but they were old--generally from the 1930's and 40's. They usually showed the U.S. as racist and corrupt. I said that when we saw pictures of people in communist countries, they were never smiling. We would be told, "look how sad they look!" My guide said that they were not allowed to smile in official pictures--like our passport pictures now. Because they couldn't afford to have other pictures taken, they gave copies of these official pictures to family members. In the meantime, in pictures of North Americans, "they always had these silly grins." They were convinced that people were smiling because they really didn't know what was going on. North American leaders are manipulating them into thinking that they are happy.
I started to get a sense of life after the Soviets left. If we apply our standards, we
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The owners of this building managed to add a little character to the outside. are inclined to think that of course they would be glad to get out from under communist rule. For many this was the only life they have known and any change is not a good thing. Others told me that when they suddenly had to make their own decisions, they didn't know how. Someone else mentioned that she felt that the streets were safer before. She said that the penalties for crime were so stiff that it just wasn't worth it. Now, some younger people have misunderstood what "freedom" means. She also felt that with the new emphasis on money, it has led to more pickpockets and petty theft. She also felt that the health care system worked better before. For others, especially older people, it wasn't a dream come true. The new system didn't take care of their needs: they expected the communist system to provide for their old age. For some it was just too late to start over in the new system. A good example is the unofficial system of home stays. At bus or train stations I would find an older woman standing next to me and offering me a bedroom in her home. I found
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Life is especially hard for older women. out later that they size people up before they make the offer. I guess I don't look too scary. They have all been widows in their sixties, although two were over 80. I was a little hesitant the first time, but decided that this charming tiny woman wasn't an axe murderer, so I went along. It has been wonderful. The price is about half the price of a small hotel. I get my own room, use of a kitchen, often a patio or balcony and sometimes a private bathroom. Each one seems to enjoy having company. I felt more like a houseguest than a paying customer. Some invite me to join them for meals. I leave money under the sugar bowl before I leave when that happens. It is also a great way to see how people live. After communism ended around 1990, in most countries people were able to acquire the apartments that they occupied. For some--Russia for example--they were outright given their apartments. In other countries the formula is more complicated. One especially interesting stay was in Plovdiv Bulgaria. "Dora" approached me at the bus station and offered a room for rent for the equivalent of $15.00 Cdn. I thought she was mid-sixties, but it turned out that she had just turned eighty. Amazing condition considering the hard life Bulgarians have had--excellent hearing, good eyesight, no stiffness and was proud to tell me that she takes no medication. Her apartment was in a typical Stalinesque building. They had been built quickly in the late 1940's to accommodate the hundreds of thousands that were homeless. They would have been pretty basic fifty years ago. Today they are pretty rough--holes in walls, broken light bulbs, missing tiles. It was larger than I expected--about 850 square feet with two balconies. When things break, she can't afford to get them fixed. One example is her stove. She said that it broke a long time ago. She has a gas tank in the corner of her kitchen. It has a burner on top. She turns the nozzle and with a flick of her bik she has her one and only cooking surface.
Back to home ownership. In Bulgaria, in the town of Veliko Tarnovo they really wanted to preserve the very old historic buildings. People had been living in these houses, but didn't own them--the state owned everything. Like the infrastructure, necessary repairs had not been made to these houses. My guide had one such building. In 1984 the government moved her into a new apartment building in the suburbs. She lived there free for four years while the government upgraded her house. Some people lived in these free apartments for up to fifteen years. When she moved back, she had to pay 70% of the cost of the repairs. Mortgages over 25 years were arranged.
They have an interesting challenge in Bratislava, Slovakia. One section of the city was used to put street after street of these cement block buildings. As I said, they were built as quickly and as cheaply as possible. Some apartments are still occupied by the original people, but other apartments have been purchased by the young newly affluent. The new owners would like to fix up the lobbies, elevators and facades, but the old people can't afford the repairs. It gets difficult enough when a necessary repair--boiler, roof, etc.--is needed. There is usually no contingency fund, so the bill gets divided amongst the owners.
The process of regaining ownership of a business was a little more challenging. In the late forties, the government took ownership of all businesses. After communism ended around 1990, the businesses were given back to the decendants of the original owners. A twenty-room inn in Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria was a good example. It was built in 1858 and had always operated as an inn. In 1944 the government took it over and turned it into a museum. In 1990 it was given to the heirs of the original owner. They couldn't afford the repairs to make it into a viable business so they sold it to an American investor. In other cases, business were given to heirs who didn't have a clue about how to operate the factory or mill that they had just acquired. In Russia, those who held top offices in the government got first crack at getting these factories and businesses. It is the main reason that there is such a difference between the rich and poor in Russia today. After the fall of communism in the late 1980's, returning the land was more complicated that anyone would have thought. Just give it back to the original owners, right? The original owners from 1945 are dying off so there are numerous inheritance challenges. As well, there are problems about where lot lines, etc. are located. The process can take years to sort out through the court system. Our guide in Romania gave the example of his grandparents' apple orchard. It is in a neighbourhood where people have become accustomed to helping themselves to apples. His grandparents can't afford to put up a fence or hire a guard to protect their apples. As well, the orchard was not maintained for 50 years and they can't afford to get it back in shape. He said the family now has a place to get together for a family picnic once a year, but that is about it.
The government in Czechoslavakia had an interesting programme. In the early 90's, just a few years after factories and other industries were privatized, every adult over 18 was given a book of investment coupons. Each coupon was worth 100 points and they totalled 5,000. They were given a list of newly privatized companies in which they could invest. The idea was for the citizens to build investment portfolios. They had to use their own instincts because there was no financial history to study. As in most systems, there were abuses. People travelled to small towns and farms and offered people a few hundred dollars (or less!) for their book of coupons. For people who were living on next to nothing, it seemed like a good deal. These purchases put thousands of coupons into a few hands. The same people who held the coupons also read the indicators and made some wise investments. It helps explain how some people got so wealthy in such a short period of time.
There is a huge difference between people under thirty (children during the communist era) and those over thirty who have never known anything else. One example is when dealing with desk clerks. The young ones are problem solvers, the older ones follow the rules. It may be a simple as asking about bus schedules. The younger ones phone the bus station, but the older ones tell me to go to the bus station to find out for myself. There is a wariness among the older citizens that I seldom find with the younger people.
In Bratislava, a company is either new or old--nothing in between. The new companies--banks, manufacturers are in brand new buildings and you seldom see anyone over 35.
Sometimes old habits die hard. For example, in Russia bribery is a way of life. They also have that elaborate system of making tourists account for every night they spend in Russia. I guess sleeping on a park bench is a no-no. In Sofia Bulgaria, I was waiting for a city bus and scratched my "to do" list on the back of my bus ticket. The inspector told me off. An English-speaking passenger explained that I was not allowed to write on the back of a ticket.
They seem to have a great need for security. There are uniforms and guards everywhere in these countries. I even saw a uniformed guard in a deli. I guess someone could grab a cold cut and make a run for it.
Some countries--Czech Republic and Poland have accomplished a great deal in the past fifteen years. Other countries--Bulgaria and Yugoslavia still have a long way to go to rebuild their infrastructure. Roads are falling apart, public buildings are a safety hazzard and sidewalks are broken. The national museum in Belgrade has been closed for ten years because of the repairs. It had been let go for fifty years.
The ten weeks that I spent travelling through these countries has been a terrific study of countries in transition.
Bye for now,
Donna
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Marg Hambly
non-member comment
Eye Openers...
It's good to hear from you! You are gaining such insight into the lives of ordinary people who who survived the trials and tribulations of a difficult time in history. Such insight you would not gain from a textbook - what a great experience. Hope you are keeping well. Take care and do keep in touch. Marg