A Lesson in Communism

You walk down the streets of Oradea, and this is what you see:

Row after row after row of Apartment buildings, all in the same drab color with the same construction. Now the inside of these apartments do not mirror the outside, but from the street the scene is very dreary...very grey. 

When the communists were in power, they didn't want anyone living in a more prestigious looking building than another, so they built all of the apartments to look the same, and to be very plain on the outside. 

When the communists were in power, they pulled people out of their villages and forced them to move into the city to work in the factories, all of which are no longer in service, since the fall of communism. 

When the communists were in power, the city was heated with steam heat through a large pipe. If the people started to murmur, the government would simply shut off the heat for that section of the city to bring them back under control.

It's very strange to be able to experience the lasting effects of communism, even now, 30 years after they fell from power in this country. 

Well, friends, it's time for dinner. Stay tuned for another post tonight about my day with gypsies and baby clothes! 

Cold and tired, 

Ali