Dan Constantinescu (husband of Ella Zeler, table tennis multiple champion) was another celebrity of 2 Mai. He came alone at the beginning of June and stayed until the end of September when he left for the Danube Delta. Everyone gathered around his tent over a glass of vodka or cold beer taken out from "the fridge" - a box buried in the sand with ice brought from Mangalia, from the confectionery lab. (P.P., 158) Well, Bucharest people liked Vania, a Lipovenian fisherman who lived there, a kind of Rasputin if we take into account his sexual and drinking skills. During the day he was surrounded by men who liked to drink and at night by ladies from Bucharest and also a famous woman poet. He was said to have been stabbed by other villagers who envied his success. His death resembles Panait Iastrati's plots. P.S. I have found out lately that it was not true. He is alive. He lives to his liking. (129) I used to climb the mountains because the Security guy advised me to do so when I was a student. I had to see the beauties of our country. We wanted to leave for Switzerland, but he told me it was impossible. (S.R.-B, D.R.-B., 138) HOLIDAY TICHETS They were distributed through institutions at half price. The people on top took the good ones (as they still do) and the poorer ones went to the regular employees, if the period and destination agreed with them (seaside or the mountains). At least you could afford to go on holiday somewhere, which is no longer the case today?(M. A., 155) HOSPITAL In the sanitary system there was an acute shortage of medicines and medical equipment. The syringes were rusted and yet we had to sterilize them and use to treat children and old people who were more sensitive and predisposed to contact some diseases generated by used medical instruments. Communicating information about a contagious disease was not permitted, if they happened in a certain period of the year (viruses, hepatitis). The population got vaccinated against serious contagious diseases, that were already eradicated, but there weren?t vaccinations against the flu. In the operation rooms, besides the totally obsolete medical equipment, the bandages and other necessary products were distributed rationally ant sometimes it was insufficient; thus the bandages were sometimes washed, sterilized and used again in operations. (O. U., 17) |