Before taking the first flight to Denmark I had a fuzzy feeling about Romania. Living abroad made me see things differently and made me understand where that fuzzy feeling was coming from. I hated the idea of being Romanian and wished more than anything to get lost in the world. I realised that's basically impossible, because no matter what, I will always be Romanian just like my children, grandchildren and so on. Now, in the middle of the financial crises, most of the people I am meeting have the same feelings I had before leaving. Because arguments are the best way to understand the world and sustain your cause...I decided to bring everyday examples of why I hate the Romanian system and not Romania or Romanians.
No ticket, no ride
I am a hypocrite, because the only city I have ever travelled without a ticket during the day is Bucharest. Why don't I usually buy a ticket? I used to always have a monthly pass when I was in school, because it was 50% off. After I finished school, I never bought a ticket again:
1. though I continue being a student in the EU I don't get the 50% off anymore - I don't know if this is about an EU agreement or something, I hope I will find out soon;
2. the bus doesn't have a schedule and comes randomly, sometimes having to wait even for 20 min - it would be impossible for the bus to have a schedule in the madness of the traffic in Bucharest, it would be a lie – this how the system connects it’s faults and relates them one to another;
3. the bus is super crowded and in summer it becomes an impossible environment - no air conditioning system, sometime the windows are stuck, becomes it barely comes, just like in any other European capital a lot of people use the local transportation and of course it gets crowded...
...and other reasons everyone who travels by bus must know about.
So...I never buy the ticket, though it's my responsibility as a person getting on the bus. I am a bad person and I backstab the Romanian economy.
The same thing happened just a few days ago. I was going with my sister at the doctor and I didn't have a ticket and neither did she. (NOTE! All the brackets are bubbles of thought emerging above my head during the conversation I was about to have.) The control comes and I politely tell them that I don't have a ticket, and neither does my sister. He asks me where I am going (as if it was his business!) and tells me to get off at the next station. He tells me that my sister needs to have a ticket from the age of 7, but since she's not 14 and doesn't have ID he can't do anything (so why should she have a ticket from the age of 7, if he can't do anything about it until she's 14, it's polite, but who cares about politeness when you don't have enough money to buy bread!). Than he turns to me, he had my ID in his hand. He clearly tells that I cannot pay less now and more later as the law changed (actually the law changed only in the sense that I cannot pay him now and more later), so I can only pay a lot more later and only and the legal office of my district...and while he was saying this he was turning a green paper in front of my eyes. I told him that from what I saw in the bus it still says that I can pay half now and more later, but he says the law changed and they forgot to take the stickers in the bus off (very smart...bullshit!!!). Than he asks me:
“What do you decide?” (What are the options?)
"What are the options?"
"You decide miss, the decision is all yours!" (Oh no, he's asking for bribe and I am not giving him anything)
"I would like to get my normal fine, thank you"
"Do you have enough money to pay so much for a ticket" (excuse meeee!!!!! why do you care?!)
"No, I don't…but I will manage"
"Please think well, you cannot pay half" His colleague comes and tells us that we discussed for a while and we should make up our minds. (Great!!!). He says:
"So...I will make you a favour. (HA HA HA!!!!) I will write you a paper, with which you can pay half..." (Didn’t he just say that the law changed and it's not possible to do that anymore?)
"In 48 hours like before right?!"
"...no, I will let you till...hmm...Friday...if my computer, because I will check (HA HA HA!), says that you didn't pay I will send it to your district's legal office..."
I get my green paper, I say thank you and hit the road. Out of curiosity I read the paper he was till then waiving in front of my eyes. You can pay 50 lei in the first 48 hours everywhere you can find monthly subscriptions, just like before. It becomes between 100 and 150 lei (I don't who decides the exact amount) and if you don't pay, you get a request from the districts legal office to pay it within 15 days or you will get called for audition.
All he wanted was a small bribe. When I got home and told my mother, she asked why I didn't give him something to solve the problem. Well, this type of problem solving got us where we are, hating our nationality. I didn't pay the fine and I am curious about what will happen next.