Assertions of awareness…

Every single trip I’ve taken abroad has been marked by a very special feature, which I did not notice immediately, given the mental accommodation with another country. No, it was not the politeness and amenity of citizens. Nor was it the tidiness and respect for the law clearly visible almost everywhere. No, the thing that struck me most was this minor detail: everywhere I went to buy something, the change was given back to me to the last penny. Amazingly, no chewing gum was involved. A foreigner reading this would surely not get the gist of it. But for those living in Romania, having two currencies, leu and Orbit/Airwaves, can be a true pain in the neck. Instinctively, you take the ‘change’, unwrap it and start chewing, feeling slowly your money going down the drain with every icy and fresh expiration.

Sick and tired of all that, I decided to make things take a different turn today. So, having bought some two dozens of gums thoroughly stuffed into my pocket, with a premonition of great accomplishments thoroughly stuffed into my soul, I hit the road. It was that vibrant mood which gives you a sense of kinship and brotherhood with all the great heroes. I felt as if I was fighting along Che Guevara in the jungle or marching alongside Gandhi towards the ocean, not merely going to a shop in a little mountain town, as I was doing. The day for a social revolution was finally here. I was about to overcome an entire monetary system. Yes, my time had come!

Acting very naturally, I entered the store, took a bottle of mineral water and asked for the price. While I was slowly counting the gums I was placing on the counter, the Che Guevara in me was elaborating various scenarios of arguments in case of a rejection, while the peaceful Gandhi within was thinking of nonviolent methods to react in such an occasion. ‘What are you doing?’ said to me the ominous-sounding voice of the salesclerk. Here it comes, it’s time for war… ‘I’m paying’. What will it be, peace or violence? Mahatma or El Comandante? All these dilemmas running through my head came to an abrupt halt, killing both heroes in a minute. The salesman laughed and smilingly took all the gums I had placed on the counter…

We’re all better in Christmas times, aren’t we?