How sad for the children and animals you encountered then. As always, you did what you could while it was a sad and painful time for you, too. Waiting anxiously to read more of Chapter Five. Obviously you ultimately kept your head.
Thank you for the history lesson of Romania. Some context always helps. I can see myself late at night watching the execution of the Ceausescus over and over because they were so awful, and I deliberately avoid watching executions. Hmmm...the producers you guys with the bill, what ----heads!
A while back, a friend wrote and directed a somewhat schlocky horror movie that was shot in Romania. I had to check IMDB to confirm that it was not the same one. His experience, at least based on his stories, was very different than yours. I suspect that some of this had to do with the fact that: a) he is male and was not subject to some of the same open chauvanism that you were, b) he was there several years later and things may have improved, and c) he is just a really self-involved guy and being surrounded by poverty and suffering simply did not affect him.
I have known a few Romanians, including a Spanish teacher in high school who would often break into Romanian when she was supposed to be speaking Spanish ("Ah, lo siento. Es Romano."). The languages are closer than one would think, and a reminder that the name "Romania" harkens back to the place's Latin and Catholic roots.
Mostly, they describe it as a sad place with a strange and violent history. For centuries, it has been highly contested by various powers, more for its strategic value than its negligible wealth in natural resources. The need to secure the frontier, or access to the Black Sea or whatever, means that it is either fought over or occupied rather than seen as a place to invest in and develop. Places like this tend to remain poor.
At any rate, your experience and insight make for the best entry in this series so far and might make for a better movie than the one that you shot. I am sincerely eager for part two.
How sad for the children and animals you encountered then. As always, you did what you could while it was a sad and painful time for you, too. Waiting anxiously to read more of Chapter Five. Obviously you ultimately kept your head.
How sad!
Thank you for the history lesson of Romania. Some context always helps. I can see myself late at night watching the execution of the Ceausescus over and over because they were so awful, and I deliberately avoid watching executions. Hmmm...the producers you guys with the bill, what ----heads!
A while back, a friend wrote and directed a somewhat schlocky horror movie that was shot in Romania. I had to check IMDB to confirm that it was not the same one. His experience, at least based on his stories, was very different than yours. I suspect that some of this had to do with the fact that: a) he is male and was not subject to some of the same open chauvanism that you were, b) he was there several years later and things may have improved, and c) he is just a really self-involved guy and being surrounded by poverty and suffering simply did not affect him.
I have known a few Romanians, including a Spanish teacher in high school who would often break into Romanian when she was supposed to be speaking Spanish ("Ah, lo siento. Es Romano."). The languages are closer than one would think, and a reminder that the name "Romania" harkens back to the place's Latin and Catholic roots.
Mostly, they describe it as a sad place with a strange and violent history. For centuries, it has been highly contested by various powers, more for its strategic value than its negligible wealth in natural resources. The need to secure the frontier, or access to the Black Sea or whatever, means that it is either fought over or occupied rather than seen as a place to invest in and develop. Places like this tend to remain poor.
At any rate, your experience and insight make for the best entry in this series so far and might make for a better movie than the one that you shot. I am sincerely eager for part two.