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January 01, 2007
Transylvania Joins EU
честита нова година! Un An Nou Fericit! Happy New Year!
Two former communist nations are proud new members of the European Union today. I first became interested in Bulgaria when cast as Nicola in a college production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. Back then, all sorts of places I had a hankering to go were behind the so-called Iron Curtain: Poland, Lithuania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and, according to some, Massachusetts. Wait -- I was in Massachusetts. Three years there, and I could probably count the number of communists I met on one hand. (I did meet fascists in New Hampshire, but that's another story.)
Last year a young door-to-door salesman named Gyorgy stopped by with some decent children's learning aids, and so we purchased a set of books and posters. He was gratefully surprised that we had heard of his home country, and that we even knew that its capital is Sofia. He seemed to have experienced more than a few blank stares when presenting this information to other Chattanoogans.
I've had less experience learning about Romania, but it's a fascinating place as well. I was just mentioning to my sis-in-law that the former dictator there was executed after being deposed, yet coverage of that event paled in comparison to that of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's demise. She kindly reminded me that one reason could be that the US didn't have such a direct role in events leading up to Nicolae Ceauşescu's execution (but don't tell Ronald Reagan that).
In a very selfish way, I hope these two nations' inclusion in the EU further strengthens the possibility that we can someday travel there, and visit Sofia, Bucharest, the Black Sea coast, the rugged interior mountains, and, of course, Count Dracula's castle. (Note to eager commenters: I'm aware that it's a tourist trap. Sometimes these kitschy things can be fun.)
International | By joe lance | 11:12 AM