Seven countries in one shot is a lot to take in. As I wrote in a previous blog, I have information overload, but details of all of these countries are readily available to anyone on the internet. I would like to write a couple of personal observations from my brief encounter with these new democracies of Eastern Europe.
In every country we visited there are scars left from many oppressors, but there are also signs of rebirth and hope for a better future. Many Eastern Europeans feel overwhelmed by the weight of new freedoms, mixed reactions to the European Union, and frustrations with their newly elected leaders, who may differ from the old dictators, but remain ever constant in their juggling for power, control and money. Over there, as here, people worry about corruption, minority inclusion, the economy, mortgage bankers, crooked politicians, the cost of living and unemployment. They want a better life for their children, pride in their heritage and hope for their future. It is a swiftly changing world, at times moving too fast for some of the older generation and, at times, too slowly for the impatient young.
We may be from different cultures but I felt more similarities than differences with people in these fledgling democracies in our hopes, fears and ambitions. One Romanian said to me "You will never really understand us. You have always lived in a democracy." He may be right, but I really believe that our commonness as human beings will, in the end, be our saving grace.
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