Escaping TRANSYLVANIA - To Modern Civilization

What I 
Have Learned From Professor James Wilkie

I grew up in the Maramures region of Nortern ROMANIA
also called Transylvania, where I have my first memories from. The region was
much nicer, ethnically more diverse, better climate, and more geographic diversity,
with the Mountains of Gutinul and the rivers of Iza and Tisa, as Tisa was the
natural border with the Ukraine.

When I reached 10 years old, I
had to make a fateful decision for may career, and choose between study Russian
or English languages. I chose English. I graduated College in Baia Mare,
specializing in Lterature and Linguistics.

In 1982 I was admitted to the University in Cluj,
in the heart of Transylvania, namely the American Language and Literature –Romanian
Language And Literature Department of Philology. The Boljay University Is considered
the best University in Transylvania.

I excelled in History and American Language.
Unfortunatelly, some 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 into confused submission. Teachers, Professors, were at times acting as
Securitate officers, and as sweaty bureaucrats, and Eagle minds trying to tell
us what to think. Not one professor during my schooling years has ever asked
us: “What do you really think, all of you?”

Each professor had their favorite students, and
made sure they pointed this out in class, stifling any competition, and were
showing openly their favoritism or nepotism. This certaily alienanted a lot of
my colleagus, (myself included) from studying the Indian language, especially.

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 were doomed by being taken over by foreign powers,
especially the Americans. Sic! The russians have been directing Romanian
politicians since 1947!

As awfull as it sounds I learned the hard way and
bought my books from the black market.

The North of the country was
slightly disconnected from the South, and foreign language material was hard to
get by. We couldn’t  buy books in
English, and I was an English major.

The DONTS I had to go threw
were impossible. E.g.: We couldn’t talk to foreigners, and the atmosphere was
dreadful in classes. Speech was not free; one couldn’t 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. Abortion was 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. Corruption is ominous; security officera
run the so called privatization, and are planted in key position; I call them
the vampires debauchery!

Nobody underwent this in my
class.

I had been 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, after teaching for 10 years, I decided to leave in 1986,
and traveled to the border, as well as paid a smuggler to take me through
Yugoslavia. We were caught on the border and sent back in 1984.

The jail was so cold in Timisoara to keep the
bacterias and viruses that it made everybody sick internally with the cold and the
flue. Most of civil society was imprisoned, for trying to open the system, and
denounce the Ceausescu dictatorship. The blanket was as warm as a Kleenex
tissue. Moreover there were no pillow, and the concrete slab where inmates
slept was a back-breaker. The lights were on 24 hours a day, blinding all of
us, and there was constant observation. We were awakened hourly to be counted,
and the Romanian hymn was sung every morning! All under the guise of watching
out for suicides. But everyone could be clearly seen by the guards, and there
was no need to sleep-deprive inmates, as they were doing. There was also
someone in the higher echelon ripping off the food bill. They served only baby
carrots, and spicy beans.

My poor mother was so confused by the propaganda,
that she started crying when I was freed from jail, feeling very emotional
after the death of the nation’s 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 escape the 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 had to be married, and
own a house. Truly I enjoyed being married to a musician; he played the violin
and I danced tango and csardas in weekends.

I have been teaching English in Sighet, Tisa, and
Giulesti, as well as Camara for another 10 years. Conditions were absolutely
horrific; no heating in schools, no teaching material, and constant harassment
from colleagues of  being informed on.

After I met Jim, in the city of Sighet, I decided to
finally leave Romania, well after an execution squad shot the Ceausescus in
December 26, 1989 for Christmas.  Such a
nice gift to the Romanian people.

When the regime changed in 1990, I was free to get a
passport, and Organized Conferences and Seminars at the University of
Babes-Boljay, in the heart of Transylvania, as well as with James Wilkie, we
have opened a PROFMEX office in Moscow, headed by Boris Koval.  I went so far and invited also Mihai Coman,
the Dean of the Romanian University I graduated. We then opened an office in
Budapest, and invited over our Hungarian PROFMEX rep, Istvan Balazs.

I was mostly writing on destatification and privatization
of   Romanian companies. 51% of MARA, the
textiles company I researched was finally sold to the Germans. The
opening up of Romania to the world has finally begun. And so did my eyes open
with having met James W Wilkie on a beautiful day of September 16^th,
in 1990.

It was on a rainy September 16t^th day, in
Sighet. Shortly after I have met James Wilkie, and James Platler, the two American
professors from UCLA, I realized I had to and I was meant to see the world.

The two professors were doing a study on the effects
of the Cold War in post-socialist countries.

I stated my observations and my truths to James
Wilkie, as I saw a kindred spirit in him the moment I have first talked to him.
Many of my thoughts were very valuable to Dr Wilkie, who then asked me to guide
the academic group through Eastern Europe.

The academics 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 then went to the Merry Cemetery, the unique “happy
cemetery” in the world.

I’ll start by explaining the places I went in 1991,
mainly one of the most beautiful part of Romania, through Pasul Prislop.  We then continued and went together 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 at that point in Romania. James Wilkie taught me what CREDIT was.

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 James Platler, Jim’s colleague was worried that I
was a spy, which is because everywhere we went, we received special private
rooms, and great Hotel deals, plus good lunches at the Monastery, where I was a
good friend with the Mother Superior.

But, after reflecting on the situation, James decided
to help me get out of Romania. In Budapest I obtained the Austrian visa, where
I needed a simple transit visa. James Wilkie had tremendous confidence. He was
irradiating confidence.

After, getting the Austrian visa, we next travelled to
Kobentzl, overlooking Salzburg, in Austria talking about the global economy. We
even spent most of our time down Salzburg city, taking pictures, and JW was
teaching me constantly economics, how the world of development worked:
finances, credit, and interest.  JP had more faith in me than ever.

Then we went to Munich, where we celebrated
Oktoberfest.

I have decided to stay in the West that is in France.
I had my family friends waiting for me. I took the plane to Paris, from Munich,
to fly out to Bordeaux to meet the family, which invited me to France. JW had
to go back to teach. He promised he would return for me soon. I was already
missing James W., hardly had he disappear from my sight at the Paris Airport
when we separated that year, in 1991.

After ten weeks in Bordeaux, JW came to visit me. After
one year in France, in Paris, I was refused asylum in France. The national
security Bureau headed by a Gris guy (security officer) was constantly menacing
me…with turning me back.

JW returned for me and arranged with Gerard Chaliand
so that security won’t meddle constantly in my life, and I could leave for the
United States, moving towards freedom faster than ever imagined by me. It was a
very wonderful fall, in Bordeaux, so we drove to see all the castles along the
Loire River.

The 1^st trip 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 the beautiful port of Marseille,
while listening to the PASTORALES, and exploring the beautiful green lands of
France.

In Marseille we stayed at the Sofitel, JW was overlooking
the Bay, into the icy cold 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 Jim W. had to fly out to teach
again, and I flew back to Bordeaux, where I took numerous courses in European
Union Regulations for the environment, and sustainability. I was deeply in love
with James.

In Bordeaux France, 1992

Life with the nuns in Bordeaux, France, the city of
Red Wines, was excellent The mother superior took me to Toulouse Lautrec’s
castle, and swam in the Atlantic ocean. Then I flew to meet Jim in NICE, in
1992.

It is now another beautiful stay at WELCOME, in
Beaulieu sur Mer.

James came back 10 weeks later, when getting a break
from UCLA teaching. So, the second time together, we travelled to Carcassonne,
a fortified city, through Andorra (a gambling center, in the Pyrenees’)
Mountains. The Principality of Andorra was rich and ostentatious with baroque
buildings. We stayed at La Rochelle, a beautiful Bay, nested in the mountains.

Then entered into Spain, toward Madrid, and stayed at
Hotel Paris for a week, in the center of Madrid. We were studying the Spanish
cultures, and later, I had a great background in the Peninsular thinking of the
Spanish conquistadors. Major Spanish cities are named after in Mexico.

 In Toledo, we
enjoyed the charales in the main plaza. Morelia, in the state of Michoacán
reminded me of Toledo later on.

We left to Toledo, the town of knives, and then headed
to the town of Trujillo. In Trujillo we went and took pictures while walking on
the red roofs of houses, perfectly lined up for us to walk.

I took great pride that I was free and nobody minded
my business for the first time in my life. I could walk on the roofs of many
tiny houses, around the main plaza.

Jim and I, we were only taking care of one another.

We went up to the Devil’s 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 rainy Madrid.

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 that beautiful 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; its majestic mountains and the rivers impressed me.

Monte Rosa’s 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 (teleferico) 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.

A passionate researcher, in 1991 in summer I continued
my journey and left France for the United States, more specifically to Los
Angeles that is to UCLA, where I wanted to get my master’s 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.

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 UCLA’s
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 don’t mix, the cold weather and me, it was that simple.

And Los Angeles was waiting for me, the warmth the
Ocean…the hot sun!

Discovering new places and peoples.

It was good escaping Ceausescu’s tyranny and
discovering the hidden side of the word. I realized how we lived in the dark, behind
the borders of RO, isolated, an entire nation. I finally realized, that there
was better climate in France, and 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. Even today, Romania is not part of the
Schengen pact between the EU countries.

While
Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the EU in 2007, are also legally bound to
join the Schengen Area, implementation has been delayed. Bulgaria's and
Romania's bids to join the Schengen Area were approved by the European Parliament in June 2011^[43] but
rejected by the Council of Ministers in September 2011, with the Dutch and
Finnish governments citing concerns about shortcomings in anti-corruption
measures and in the fight against organized crime. Concern has also been
expressed about the potential influx of illegal migrants through Turkey to
Bulgaria and Romania and then to present Schengen countries.[1]

Once I had my Mexican passport, I was finally free to
travel, and live in France.

I know the nuns in Bordeaux were free spirits and
happy women, with a great sense of humor especially the Mother Superior. We
even visited Toulouse Lautrec’s castle, and spent time on the beach where the
Atlantic Ocean met the Pacific Ocean. I had spent unforgettable moments of
discovery, graciousness, meditation, and fraternization with the nuns.

But now I was going to Mexico, which was attracting me
like a magnet. So we now come to Mexico, and yes, I tried to live also in
Mexico, in order to see the pyramids first, at a place called El Bosque del
Secreto, but it did not work out. Cuernavaca is my favorite state, for its
fincas and ranchos covered in Bogumvilla!

Even though the air is too polluted in Teotihuacan, I
have found Mexico D.F. a very nice city, so we travelled around Mexico D.F. and
finally visited the Pyramid of the Sun, the pyramid of the Moon, and I found
this sacred place a place for meditation. Time for meditation

After having worked a long time on getting a Mexican
passport, I discovered Mexico as the most beautiful country on earth.

But as all ironies are happening unexpectedly, when I
arrived to L.A., the riots were in progress. Good place, L.A. to study
Globalization indeed, I was telling myself constantly.

I have touched earth in the
United States; I “parachuted” straight in Marina del Rey, California.

It took 8 years of College
and University learnings with James Wilkie to better understand the Los Angeles
riots for me. James taught me here that there is no black and white issue, but
there are the “greys” in life too.

After enrolling at UCLA, my
self-development took me again to Toronto to see my uncle Nicholas, and cousin
Caroline Lazin. I started teaching History pretty soon, when I returned to UCLA
as a Teaching Assistant for 10 years, during my MA and Doctoral Program.

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 result of 15 years of study on globalization, and a second book on the
bright and dark sides of Globalization with Dr James W Wilkie, Professor at
UCLA. Our books are widely read around the world and are used to teach Courses
at College and University levels. To get the books we have written together with
James Wilkie, download them from: http://www.olgalazin.com/books.html

After 9/11 the whole world has changed. And this will be the
topic for another book. A book in which we are still research/investigate what
has changed exactly in these 25 years in Los Angeles, and how change has
impacted us, at PROFMEX.

After having opened PROFMEX offices in Moscow, Russia, and Budapest,
Hungary, I decided to stay forever with Jim, for the rest of our lives.

My curiosities, as per why are we missing those good things of
the past, as a collective. That is the recovering the collective memory of
freedom.

And here we are now, paying
tribute to James Wilkie the man and the Academic of the Century! Thank you,
Jim! VIVAT ACADEMIA

---

[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

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