After the 1977 earthquake, the institution I worked for had to change location and came to occupy one section of a factory that had not been provided with any heating source whatsoever. The idea was that the machines would furnish the necessary heat. We stayed there for 12 years. In the morning we?d find the water in our glasses frozen. We wore knitted gloves at work (they had to be flexible enough for us to be able to use pens). At the end of the day there were some 7-8 degrees Celsius inside; there were many of us (28 persons), and our breath and the temperature of our bodies made the atmosphere somewhat endurable. More than half of our colleagues have passed away ? for various reasons. Those of us who are still alive have remained the constant patients of rheumatologic clinics ? suffering from incurable illnesses.

At home we followed the instruction to ?put on an extra coat?. Anyway it was heaven ? 12 to 14 degrees. But there was still no gas for the gas stove, we could not cook, we could not feed out children. (75)

We shoved bricks into the oven. Or we manufactured those small BCA stoves. You had the wire, one meter long, you drilled a hole into one of those BCA bricks, carved a slit for the wire and then plugged it in. If the wire was resistant, the heat was good enough. If not, everything could blow up. It was a dangerous thing.

I will not complain for having to put on more clothes in winter. We dressed as is normal for people to dress in winter. If we put on one extra pullover or a vest coat or some warmer stockings? it was the normal thing to do. As everybody does? even now. Nothing extraordinary about it. (I. H., 29)

HOLIDAY

During this period, though more difficult than before, one could go skiing. The main thing was to get proper equipment: ski footwear, skis, suit and good quality boots brought from abroad and sometimes sold on the track. We did all our best to get them despite the huge price because it was a long-term investment. Poor people were satisfied with a "second hand" equipment. Displaying firm skis or bright-coloured suits stood for social wealth.

Tracks from Sinaia and Predeal (Virful cu Dor) were used by people of Bucharest because one reached Poiana Brasov (where the track was much better) with difficulty. A one-day trip was impossible and there was no vacancy. Once the manager of the resort made the following statement public: "One thing should be clear! Poiana Brasov is only for foreigners!" O.N.T. Carpati (Tourism National Organization) had contracts with Western travel agencies (especially R.F.G.-German Federal Republic) and all hotels were reserved, especially in winter. We were satisfied with     the tracks you could go to by train or car, at 9 a.m. when the cable car started to work and skied until 4 p.m. when we came back home. We had some sandwiches in our sack and, possibly, a beer drunk while standing because we could not afford to eat at a restaurant.