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Escaping Transylvania to the World
From the Romanian Gulag to Old and New Cultures - Memoirs
By Dr Olga Lazin
Chapter 1 - How the University Really Worked in Romania
In 1963 when I was born in Transylvania, the golden ageof socialism wasin full progress.
The city of Satu Mare was undergoing catastrophic transformations, as it was
forcefully modernized, and people from the villages were forced to work in huge,socialistic factories. Along the Somes river, the tiny village of Vetis, where my
ancestors on my fathers side were born, is now a heavily populated colorful and
diverse grew into a lovely place. On my mothers side, Bixad, in the Oas region ofRomania is still a beautiful traditional village, with houses spread far apart, not all
jammed together. My mother was osanca, as they would say in the old days.
Transylvania belonged to theKingdom of Hungary(Transylvania) as part of theAustrian-
Hungarian Empire[.After World War I, in 1918 Transylvania became part ofRomaniaagain. I1940Northern Transylvaniareverted toHungaryas a result of theSecond Vienna Award,but
Romanian queen Maria reclaimed it after the end of World War II.1
All of Romania was seized for its oil by Nazi Germany (1940-1944), liberated by the
Soviet Union (1944-1947), and re-liberatedto become the Popular republic of
Romania (under USSR remote control) as the Cold War was beginning to freeze the Iro
Curtain into to place.
The first president, Gheorghiu-Dej (1965) ruled as puppet of Moscow, but when he
died, his Sec Gen of the Communist Party of Romania, Nicolae Ceausu, was elected as
the second president (1965-1989), shifting his savage dictatorship into a harsher
nationalistic Gulag than known in the USSR. At the end of 1994 the Russian military
organized presidential electionsof peoples committeesin the region.2The end of the
war occupied some formerly Romanian northeastern territories occupied by theSoviet Union
1More on the diversity of cultures in Transylvania:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Transylvania
2from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history_of_Maramure%C5%9F#Antiquity
I finally had the chance to leave the country when an execution squad shot Nicolae C. in 1989Obtaining visas to western countries was extremely hard in 1990, right after Ceausescu was
shot. I convinced my then-husband Valerian Pipas to come with me to Bucharest and arrange
for visas to France. I also needed transit visas through Austria and Germany.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transleithaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transleithaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vienna_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vienna_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vienna_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history_of_Maramure%C5%9F#Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history_of_Maramure%C5%9F#Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history_of_Maramure%C5%9F#Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_history_of_Maramure%C5%9F#Antiquityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vienna_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Transylvaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian-Hungarian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transleithaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungary8/13/2019 ESCAPE FROM TRANSYLVANIA To The West Bunn n Escape Feb Trans Yl
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withRed Armyunits stationed on Romanian soil. In 1947 Romania forcibly became aPeople'sRepublic(19471965).
My parents: Eugen & Magda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Armyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Armyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Armyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Romaniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army8/13/2019 ESCAPE FROM TRANSYLVANIA To The West Bunn n Escape Feb Trans Yl
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For two decades I neither understood the dimensions of tragic situation of
Transylvania (located in northeast Romania on the Ukrainian border), nor did I
understand that I would have to escape the Gulag of Romania by the skin of my
teeth.
For peoples of the world Transylvania seems to be a far away
place, where most people know the werewolves and vampires have beenrumored to roam & lurk in nature. In the imagination of people
everywhere, whose beliefs are soaked in mystical folklore, even today it
is hardly possible to have a rational conversation on any subject matter.
Most occupying forces never understood either the culture of the Romanian
people or the distinct culture of Transylvania.
Naturally I am a bi-national citizenship, but without belonging to any of the
two countries. Summoning my unconsciousness to write this autobiographica
piece, I need to reaccustom myself to thinking of the distinct cultures of theregion.
Once in general school I excelled in Romanian and American Languages.
The population consisted ofRomanians,Hungarians(particularly Szkelys) and
Germans.
These languages are still being spoken on the Territory of Maramures County,
including Rroma, or the Gypsy language. I always liked and loved the Romanian
language, so I decided to become a Professor of Romanian Language and
Literature.
After getting married in Satu Mare, on the Hungarian border, my parents moved to
Sighetu Marmatiei, when I was only 3 years old. In the North West corner of
Romania, closer to Ukraine than to Hungary.
My childhood was marked by fights I had to protect my little brother Alexandru.
was known as the student-poet, the class poet, and I won some pretty prizes for mypoems.
I grew up in the Maramures region, where I have I have my first memories. The
region was much nicer, ethnically more diverse, better climate, and more
geographic diversity, with the Mountains of Gutinul and the rivers if Iza and Tisa,
as Tisa was the natural border with the Ukraine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanians8/13/2019 ESCAPE FROM TRANSYLVANIA To The West Bunn n Escape Feb Trans Yl
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I was admitted to the University in Cluj, in the heart of Transylvania, namely the
American Language and LiteratureIndian Language And Literature Department
of Philology. The professors, started reading the mounds of new Decrees every
day, which made me laugh, and staff of the university was suspicious of me not
believing their expose in the classrooms. Professors were trying to befuddle us
with words from a wooden language, totally bent toward twisting our brains intoconfused submission. Professors, securitate officers acting as sweaty bureaucrats,
uneducated idiots trying to tell us what to think. Not one professor asked us,
What do you really think, all of you? Each professor had their favorite students
and made sure they pointed it out in class, stifling any competition, and showed
openly their favoritism or nepotism.
When I reached 22 years, I started being argumentative, and started criticizing
professors, esp. the history professor. I was getting so sick at academics yelling at
us, and being forced to do the military service as a woman in the academia. After
all, Americans were coming to take away our socialist country.
We couldntt buy books in English, and I was an English major.
We couldnt talk to foreigners, and the atmosphere was dreadful in
classes. Speech was not free; one couldnt argue in class, or make any real
analysis or debate. You had to regurgitate what they were telling you, and
read whatever was there in the old books stacked in the communist library. I
was an English major, but could not get the books in English necessary for
the Exams. They did not exist. Talking to foreigners in English or
answering one question was a crime, according to a stupid decree. Abortionwas a crime for 20 years. Doctors performing it ended up in jail, and so did
the pregnant women. 5 years jail for an abortion. If my uncle from Canada
visited us, we were all under surveillance, the entire family. Even today, in
2014 one has to go and declare if you have family visiting from the USA or
CANADA for some bizarre security reasons. Well after 22 years, not much
has changed in poor Romania.
Nobody underwent this.
I was a professor of Romanian and English in Sighetu Marmatiei,
Maramures County, at School #2. It was very exacting commuting all the
time from Tisa where I lived in our private Museum (Pipas Museum of Art)
to Sighet. So, finally I decided to leave in 1986, and traveled to the border,
as well as paid a smuggler to take me to Yugoslavia. We were caught on the
border and sent back in 1984.
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The jail was so cold in Timisoara to keep the bacterias andviruses that it made everybody sick internally with the cold andthe flue. The blanket was as warm as a kleenex tissue. Moreoverthere were no pillow, and the concrete slab where inmates sleptwas a back-breaker. The lights were on 24 hours a day, blindingall of us, and there was constant observation. Every hour one
was awakened to be counted. All under the guise of watchingout for suicides. But everyone could be clearly seen by theguards, and there was no need to sleep-deprive inmates, asthey were doing. There was also someone in the higher echelonripping off the food bill. They served only baby carrots, andspicy beans.
My poor mother was so confused by the propaganda, that she started crying when
was freed from jail, feeling very emotional after the death of the nations father,
Ceausescu.
Fed up with all the restrictions, and full of frustrations, I hit the
border with Yugoslavia.
I have been unfairly jailed as I tried to leave the country in 1986. I was
ready to give up my freedom, just to escape an impossible country, with
impossible leadership.
In 1989, Ceausescu finally pardoned everybody who tried to escapethe horrendous conditions in the country.
The first act of freedom I have performed it was to secure a passport
for myself. And got married to Valerian Pipas, a famous violinist from
Virismort Tisa in Maramures county. Otherwise the consulate would not
have given me the visas. Conditions were one has to be married, and own a
house.{ }
I have been teaching English in Sighet, Tisa, and Giulesti, as well as
Camara for another 10 years. Conditions were absolutely horrific; noheating in schools, no teaching material, and constant harassment from
colleagues of being informed on.
After I finally left Romania, after an execution squad shot Ceausescu.
Shortly after, I have met American professors from UCLA, who were
doing a study on the effects of the Cold War in post-socialist countries. My
observations were very valuable to Dr Wilkie who then asked me to guide
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the academic group through Eastern Europe. They were traveling in a
German Opel (a U.S. made car). I took them to the Museum of my friend,
D-ra Mihaly de Apsa, in my hometown, Sighet. We went to the Merry
Cemetery, and it was dusk by the time JW arrived in Sighet at the Marmatia
Hotel.
Ill start by explaining the places I went in 1991, on one of the mostbeautiful part of Romania, through Pasul Prislop. We went Around
Romania, visited the monasteries of Moldova, C-lung Moldovenesc,
Suceava, Sucevita and Agapia monasteries. Then we went to Lacul Rosu.
We took the scenic road to Cluj Napoca, where I was trying to get the plane
in order to fly out to Paris, in France. I had all the visas. But there was no
flight. Nobody took credit cards, so JW had to take out a lot of cash, so that
we can travel safely.
I fell in love with Jim Wilkie. After this I am going to call him JW.
I was deeply in love with James Wilkie, whom has hired me as a
guide.
He said: call me Jim. We finally left for Budapest after the airport
visit in Cluj Napoca. We got through Budapest, finally, and then got out
towards Austria and Germany.
Dr JP was worried that I was a spy, as we received special privaterooms, and great Hotel deals, plus good lunches at the Monastery, where I
was a good friend with Mother Superior.
Richard Beeson, who headed up Deutsche bank, London office, where
he represented all EE countries, had convinced EE countries Central banks
to deposit their golden cash at Deutsche Bank, London office. He reunited
with JW in Prague, and Cracow, where the horrible polluted air blinded
him.
In Budapest I obtained the Austrian visa, where I needed a transit visa.Then we travelled to Kobentzl, overlooking Salzburg, talking about
the economy. We even spent most of our time down Salzburg city, taking
pictures, and JW was teaching me economics, how the world of
development worked: finances, credit, interest. JP had more faith in me than
ever.
Then we went to Munich, where we celebrated Oktoberfest. Then I
took the plane to Paris, from Munich, to fly out to Bordeaux to meet the
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family, which invited me to France. JW had to go back to teach. He
promised he would return for me soon.
After ten weeks in Bordeaux, JW came to visit me. In Paris, I was
refused asylum in France. The national security Bureau headed by a Gris
guy.
JW returned for me. It was a very wonderful fall, I Bordeaux, so wedrove to see all the castles along the Loire River.
The 1sttrip was to and along the river of LOIRE; we left in September,
and came back in December. Then we went to Paris, and visited the
Versailles, Champs Elysee, the Montmartre, and Montparnasse. We had
everything to ourselves, and then we went to Marseille, listening to the
PASTORALES, beautiful green lands of France.
In Marseille we stayed at the Sofitel, JW was overlooking the Bay,
into town. And we went to the COTE Azure. We stayed at Hotel Welcome.
Then rode over the serpentined Cornish roads, overlooking the
Mediterranean, Cap Ferrat, and Monaco. Then JW had to fly out to teach
again, and I flew back to Bordeaux.
LIFE with the nuns. I flew to meet Jim in NICE, in 1992.
It is now another beautiful stay at WELCOME, in Beaulieu sur Mer.
Jim came back 10 weeks later. The second time we travelled toCarcassonne, a fortified city, through Andorra (a gambling center, in the
Pyrenees). The Principality of Andorra was rich and ostentatious with
baroque buildings. And La Rochelle.
Then entered into Spain, toward Madrid, and stayed at Hotel Paris for
a week, in the center of Madrid.
Here we enjoyed the charales in the main plaza.
We left to Toledo, and then to the town of Trujillo. In Trujillo we wentand took pictures while walking on the red roofs of houses, perfectly lined
up for me to walk. I took great that I was free and nobody minded my
business. Jim and I, we were only taking care of one another.
We went up to the Devils Throat(a town deep in a canyon, tucked
into the mountains) to continue up in the mountains, and then went down to
a walled town of Avila, to Trujillo, and continued to Madrid.
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Then we headed toward El Escorial, the monastery, and then JW flew
out of Madrid. I took the plane to France, and in Bordeaux I joined the nuns
again, and continued my studies of Folklore at the University of Bordeaux,
where I was writing about the mythical Lilith.
To paint it in a picture of words, I am flashing out the pageant, of thatbeautiful Catholic Church, as we went down from La Rochelle, along the
clean river, where we called to make reservations in a pretty tiny hotel,
ahead and we found a room with a high ceiling warm and cozy.
Out of many, Switzerland is my favorite European country; the
majestic mountains and the rivers impressed me.
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Monte Rosas Peak and Matterhorn were absolutely fabulous, left us
breathless, and the chalet Michabell was looking down on Italy. The view
out of the window was that of Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt.
I enjoyed the lovely scenery in Luzern, and Interlaken, with the
beautiful lake with little bridges leading up to the center, all dressed up in
geranium flowers. Multicolored geraniums flowers were hanging out from
each houses window. The beautiful trip is to go up on a chairlift(telefericul) to wheel you up over the meadows, seeing cattle and,
magnificent glorious view of the Swiss Mountains, and the peaks. It is a
very gentle and slow trip.
In 1991 in summer I left France for the United States, more
specifically to Los Angeles that is to UCLA, where I wanted to get my
masters degree in History.
In L.A. I witnessed the 1992 riots. We found a lovely hotel, Marina
Del Rey, in Marina del Rey, where I stayed for a week, and we looked for a
place to live.
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I have escaped from the bad world into the good world. We loved each
other so deeply.
I moved into Westwood and enrolled into the UCLAs Master
program in summer 2004. I graduated soon after in 2005, but no family was
present, as my mother died of a heart attack, and could never travel by
plane.I understood that I never had good communication with any of my
husbands. I was sensitive and creative; and only JW could appreciate me.
My uncle Nicholas Lazin, who has fled to Hungary in 1947, and
settled down in Oshawa, Canada, invited me to visit, Oshawa, in Toronto,
Canada. It was wintertime in Canada, and it was a harsh experience staying
there and getting accustomed again to cold weather. It just does not work
with me; we dont mix, the cold weather and me, it was as simple as that.
Discovering new places and peoples.
It was good escaping Ceausescus tyranny and discovering the hidden
side of the word. I realized how we lived in the dark, and that there was
better climate in Mexico than in Romania; and one does not be the prisoner
of their own thoughts and limited spirit of the others, living the same
nightmare, as I did back in Romania.
I know the nuns in Bordeaux were free spirits and happy women, witha great sense of humour especially the Mother Superior. We even visited
Toulouse Lautrecs castle, and spent time on the beach where the Atlantic
Ocean met the Pacific Ocean. I had spent unforgettable moments of
discovery, and fraternization with the nuns.
Because I have entered the Mexican state, in order to see the pyramids
first, I tried to live also in Mexico, at a place called El Bosque del Secreto,
but it did not work out. The air is too polluted in Teotihuacan, and aroundMexico D.F. that I only visited the Pyramid of the Sun, and the pyramid of
the Moon, and hurried to find a nice place. When I finally found the house
surrounded by beautiful red bougambillas, I realized it was too isolated
from town, without a car, far from the market, in one word, it was not
feasible.
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As all ironies are happening, when I arrived to L.A., the riots were in
progress.
I was settling in marina del Rey. Then I left again to Toronto to see
my uncle Nicholas, and cousin Caroline Lazin. I started teaching pretty
soon, when I returned to UCLA.
Dr Lazin & her Students at UCLA:
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After 2 years in the Doctoral Program in History at UCLA, I graduated in 2001,in January. After graduation I have published my Doctoral thesis, and a second book
on the bright and dark sides of Globalization with Dr James W Wilkie, Professor atUCLA. Our books are widely read around the world and are used to teach Courses at
College and University levels. To get the books, download them form:
http://www.profmex.org
ORhttp://www.olgalazin.com
After 9/11 the whole world has changed. And this will be the topic for another
book. A book in which I will investigate what has changed exactly in these 22 years,
and how. Why are we missing those things, as a collective. That is the collectivememory.
At UCLA, with my students in History, 2014
http://www.profmex.org/http://www.profmex.org/http://www.olgalazin.com/http://www.olgalazin.com/http://www.olgalazin.com/http://www.profmex.org/8/13/2019 ESCAPE FROM TRANSYLVANIA To The West Bunn n Escape Feb Trans Yl
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Source:http://www.scribd.com/doc/203836679/Escaping-From-Transylvania-30-FebTRANSYL?post_id=2538457_10103066199638166#_=_
Copyrighted Dr Olga M. Lazin-Andrei 2014 Escape to the West
____________________//___________________________________
Written on a E mail;[email protected]
On Google+:https://plus.google.com/u/0/+OLGALAZINDrTwitter: olgamlazinFacebook: Olga LazinBlog:http://olgaandrassy.blogspot.comhttp://drolgalazin.blogactiv.euhttp://olgalazin.wordpress.com
http://drolgalazinandrei.wordpress.comOn My Space: olghita
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