The diary of a rebel (or how I refused to sign my Communist Youth Union membership card) — part 4
These are my childhood stories. All from communist Romania.
I am alone in the huge room. I feel drawn to the television as if a little dwarf inside of it is calling my name. I know that I am doing something wrong. That is because my Grandmother and Grandfather don’t allow me to watch television. It is a waste of time, they say. I don’t agree, but who cares what I think. My Granny watches Dallas every Saturday evening. And my Grandfather watches Teleenciclopedia before that. Teleenciclopedia is a half an hour program about animals for communist Romanians.
I get closer to the small wooden box with a small logo in the bottom corner that reads Electronica. My heart beats in my ears. My heart jumps out of my chest and bounces in the room like a crazy dwarf. I turn on the TV. I have to wait for a long time for it to start, I know that. All this time I listen to the door. I don’t want my Granny to catch me doing something like this!
Suddenly, Nicolae Ceausescu is on. He is a strong man. He is big and determined. I know from my school class coordinator that he is the best man in Romania. He is just and wise. I slowly sit down listening in awe. He is talking about world peace, and about Romania’s role in keeping the peace. His voice raises and he starts beating the air with his fist. He starts mispronouncing words, but I can understand why. He is a patriot and when he talks about Romania he becomes a god who sometimes mispronounces words. My Romanian teacher in school does the same, although she teaches us Romanian. I guess all patriots have a problem pronouncing words in Romanian. I am watching the Romanian hero, leader of the people. He is talking about Romania’s efforts to become a multi-developed country. I feel very proud. He inflates my heart. I feel my cheeks burning. I feel my heart going up my throat and hot tears come out of my eyes. I wipe them quickly, because I feel crying is not something a patriot does. (to be continued)
Originally published at http://vivianaball.ro.
