Small Victories

I'm back, after a lengthy hiatus. In the time since I last wrote, green has returned in full force, along with summer-like heat (32C today, or roughly 90F). The outdoor cafes (terasas) are back in business, pedestrians once again crowd streets and sidewalks, birds are singing, schoolchildren dream of the end of the schoolyear (as everywhere on earth), Romanians find themselves in a flurry of activity to plant their gardens so as to have fruits and vegetables all summer, and canned-goods all winter...and I too begin to recognize all that I'm hoping to get done before the weather turns cold again next autumn.

I'm happy to say we had our first major meeting involving the park renovation project: this one with teachers at the local highschool. We are trying to emphasize the importance of public involvement in this project, young and old alike -- a renewed sense of public ownership of open spaces. To this end we will be: coordinating student projects and contests with the school; holding workshops for local citizens and coworkers at the town hall; and eventually getting everyone to pitch in their sweat and toil during the construction phase this fall. The general concept is that this project will be not only an improvement of an important public space, but a motivating precedent for future public actions. Of course, this is all just "waxing philosophic" until the shovel hits the dirt!

In other news, I had the chance to visit Budapest with friends several weekends ago (see photo link at right). I find Hungary to be an interesting case-study to set against Romania's own situation: both overthrew Communism and the Warsaw Pact at roughly the same time (1989) and began moving towards democratization and liberalization; both eventually joined NATO (Hungary in 1999, Romania in 2004) and then the European Union (Hungary in '04, Romania in '07); and both have seen dramatic improvements in living standards and infrastructure in the past 18 years. There is little questions, though, that Hungary's ascendancy to "1st world" status is far more advanced, at this point. Budapest, to any visiting foreigner, resembles any of Europe's other major tourist cities, with the level of polish and sophistication that that implies: public spaces are clean and well-maintained, transportation is efficient and safe...and prices are as expensive as those in, say, Berlin.

The debate over why Hungary seems to have (outwardly) surpassed Romania in these and other areas is a complicated one, and I'm no political scientist. But I think Hungary's physical proximity and deep cultural ties to Western Europe (the Habsburg legacy, etc.) have played a large role in development assistance. And in any case, regardless of the specifics, Hungary represents for me a model of all that is possible here in Romania -- given an internal will to improve, and a generous helping hand from the outside world. As with various other Balkan nations, the stigmas of Romania's political legacy are difficult to shed (inside and outside of Romania). Luckily more and more internationals and international businesses are stepping up to the plate.

Well, I guess some of my postings have to be serious! Enjoy the photos, and be in touch...