Experiences in communist countries

vanity

[moonshot925]

Have you even lived in or visited a communist country? What was your experience?

[moonshot925]

I visited Budapest for a week in 1988. Lots of things I remember. Housing was very poor quality. Many people lived in large rectangular apartment blocks. They were pre-fabricated, essentially featureless, and made of unpainted concrete. Some of these apartment buildings didn't have piped water or inside toilets. The cities were polluted and buildings were covered with soot. Early in the morning there were long lines of people waiting endless hours for a bottle of milk, 1 kg of sugar, 1 liter of cooking oil or some meat. The lines where often formed just because someone heard a rumour about some item that maybe, will be available that day in a specific store. Bread, butter, meat, milk and eggs were rationalized. There was very limited selection of items in shops. Costumer service was non-existent. The process of purchasing a car was difficult and usually took years. People over 14 had to carry a person identification card -- basically an internal passport -- at all times, and police could stop you and make you produce your card at any time for any reason or for no reason. People listened to American Forces Radio and Radio Free Europe for entertainment. Everyone hated the police and Soviet oppressors. There was only one TV channel which was broadcasting for about 2 hours daily. 80% of which was propaganda. Black markets were big. Everyone had some kind of sideline way of making money or obtaining goods outside legal means. It was necessary to survive.

[matt04]

I have relative who lived in Cuba for a short time. From what they told me, at least in the area they were in basic supplies were usually available, but housing and infrastructure were very poor to nonexistent.

[irishtenor]

I’ve been in a communist led country for the last three years, and I didn’t even have to move from America.

[mnehring]

Are you describing Budapest or Detroit?

Kidding aside, I have a friend from Norway and he described growing up kind of like this. Not as bad. So even the Euro-Socialist countries are a good example.

[riri]

Good idea for a thread. BKMK

[onona]

I visited Vermont once. They were happy to have me spend my US dollars there.

[JSteff]

I used to visit NJ, but stopped a few years ago.

[Aria]

I went to the Olympics in Sarajevo. I learned how it must feel to be a rich Arab - couldn’t spend all my money because there was so little to spend it on. They had crystal goblets, rather primitive art and a few other things to bring home. Overall the people were eager to see us, in a way seemed sort of naive, they were not affluent at all. We stayed in a local’s house one or two nights - she couldn’t speak English but managed to communicate that her husband had died in a war.

Lots of little stories - but in the end I felt so sorry for the people when the war came - as predicted by one of our taxi drivers.

BTW - many of the men were quite good looking - I saw what could have been the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen when he got on and later off a bus in the middle of nowhere on the road between Dubrovnik and Sarajevo.

[ottbmare]

Yes, I’ve lived in Montgomery County, Maryland for 30 years. What did you want to know? :-)

[gunsequalfreedom]

Capitalism is alive and well in China, if that is what you want to know. Lots of pub crawls. Don’t protest the government by why would you, it’s not your government and you don’t want to be kicked out. I always found it amazing that you can post to FR from China without interuption while for some reason CNN and the Washington Post are frequently blocked. Oh, and when a U.S. official is visiting, all the stores that sell copy CD/DVDs close for a week.

[oyez]

I've never been in a communist country, but if I survive for the next two years, the chances are I could be living in one.

Once Obama makes voting obsolete, all those things you mentioned will come to pass.

[Copenhagen Smile]

I live in one.

[AlexW]

Budapest today is another world from 1988.
My first visit was in 2000, and had a number of visits after that, staying in a very fine pre-Communist house in the area known as Oktogon. I spent summer of 2004 in Romania, and the rest of my time till Jan 2009, in Slovakia.
Budapest, Since the late 90s, is quite nice.

Anyone here that is going to be in Budapest, I can recommend
a very fine B&B, run by an acquaintance in the same building where I stayed.

[dagogo redux]

I spent a number of months off and on in China over the course of several years back in the early 1990’s, and eventually married a young woman from there.

It was pleasant there. There were no hassles for me. The people were friendly, and seemed content with their lives.

About a year after my wife came to live with me in the States she surprised the heck out of me one day by going on a rant about how much more freedom people had in China, pointing out multiple instances of government intrusion and hassles in our daily lives. She was right, and it’s just gotten worse in the years since then. Not proud to say so, but there it is.

[ExGeeEye]

Took a couple-hours bus tour of East Berlin in 1984. The Osti tour guide was every stereotype caricature one could hope for. "Soviet brothers" this, "glorious revolution" that, and "Marxist Leninist Leadership Honecker photography forbidden" scattered around like confetti.

No hiding the drab sameness of the Trabbis or the pervasive sadness of...everything.

[moonshot925]

Today there is a statue of President Reagan at Freedom Square in Budapest. A tribute to the man who freed millions.

[riri]

I don't have a personal account but I have some friends who immigrated from Poland after the wall came down.

They tell us some interesting stories.

One that stands out is that every year they were forced to partake in blanket drives for the poor, under-privelidged kids of capitalist America who were freezing in the streets. They said they were poor as church mice and every year they were forced to give up blankets for this cause. They knew it was complete BS but they were forced to go along with the farce. They said it was such a dysfunctional society based on lies and pretending you didn't know they were lies.

[Flightdeck]

I’ve spent time in Russia and it looks like both the US 1960’s as well as what I imagine the US 2020’s will look like.

[Tramonto]

My parents are from Romania. I have heard lots of stories about life under the communists. They had to live largely off of what they could grow and raise on their 10,000 sqft lot. There was almost never any food available for purchase.

[Scotswife]

HA!

OK.

That post made me snort