September 12, 2008: Gigi

Dear Friend,

We didn’t have language lessons today, but we did have a small EE class. During my free time I worked on this blog. Chelsea, Hollyann, and Anne came in to work on their travel plans for the semester, which, according to Daniel, will inevitably change once they get into the full swing of classes. Chelsea and I had a Harry Potter bonding moment when we explained to Anne what happens in the sixth and seventh books. Anne wasn’t interested in reading them. Everyone was exhausted when Chelsea and I finished. Hollyann even fell asleep at one point. How any of us got anything done, I don’t know.

The EE class time was spent listening to Ilie (remember him from Viaţa?) talk a little bit about the Retezat mountains and what trail we’ll be taking. We don’t have to worry about bears, and the foxes won’t attack us. We have to make sure our tent is closed so no little critters come visit us, and to keep our food well protected. Always filter the water!

The evening was spent at Dana and Brandi’s. We were going to be introduced to Gigi, a friend of Dana’s. Gigi would give an account of his experience living under Communism. While we waited for Gigi, Daniel and I worked on getting the coals hot for our barbecue. Actually, Daniel did all the work and I stood around waiting for him to tell me what to do. He and I conversed mainly about college. He and Janelle graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, which is a CRC college. His parents both work at the college. He spoke about the bands and music artists his dad managed to get at Calvin. He also asked me where I wanted to travel while I was here, to which I answered, “I don’t know.” The girls have been pretty crazy about scheduling where they’re going to travel, and I think Andrew already knows where he's going. My time, however, has been spent working on other things. Daniel recommended Budapest and Istanbul.

Gigi looks a little bit like Harlan Van Oort (chaplain of Northwestern.) He used to be a disc-jockey, but during Communism he had to be careful about not getting caught. I popped into the room a little after he started talking, so I didn’t catch the beginning. What I did catch, though, was his hate for Communism and what it did to people. He spoke about the secret police, how they were used to regulate the people. He spoke about the arrests of the intellectuals, the ones who opposed Communism, and how many were worked to death as a way of keeping them in order. He didn’t say too much about Ceauşescus, the crazy dictator who was so crazy he promoted his poodle and had a parade for it. Fear and distrust were the products of Communism. Gigi even told us how he doesn’t want to have children because of the world they would be born into. He said the members of the secret police are still alive, and the only way for Communism to truly die is when they die. However, these people are raising there children with Communism, and those children will probably raise their children with Communism. That’s the vicious cycle Gigi wants to break.

All this time, Gigi spoke about a book he’s been writing, or wants to write, about his experiences. He wants people to know about Communism. Dana was sitting in the room during Gigi’s talk and couldn’t express in plainer terms how evil Communism had been and how much of a hell it had created. Gigi made a comparison to the Nazis, which Dana couldn’t emphasize more. Dana went on to mention once again the importance of promoting social capital in Romania. During Communism, no more than three people could meet at any given point in time. That’s how strict the laws were, and anyone could be accused by anyone of anything, whether it was true or not. Fear and distrust.

I was really sobered by the talk. I had read about these things, but even Gigi’s talk wouldn’t be able to make it all real to me. My own life experiences, while not involving Communism, could only help me understand a little. Fear and distrust were certainly a part of my life at one point.

I see how Theatre of the Oppressed is so important here. Theatre in and of itself, at least the way we do theatre at Northwestern, could be an invaluable tool here. The emphasis on ensemble, working together in community, seems so much more important in the light of there not being much of a community at all. The Viaţa camp also seemed so much more important, teaching kids about social capital. At any rate, these are the demons, fear and distrust, that I’ll be facing in Bucureşti when I finally join A.R.T. Fusion.

In Christ.
Kailen