Editorial Comment - . - ..- . - ■■ *ÜÉë4:?î WËËÊm. 1 w&ÿMtamM L S^y v-C - ■ .•-, . .' ■ fstiek l' ,M * mmm * m% m mm ms S6t Canadian Statesman January 11,1995 Teenager Sees Many Changes During Two Year Stay by Lorraine Manfredo Young Romanians hold the key to their country's prosperity, says a Bowmanville teen recently returned after living there for nearly two years. Colin Galinsky, age 16, lived with his family on an Ontario Hydro town site in Cemavoda where he was able to witness a new political culture struggling to come to the forefront. "The new generation has to bring its ideas forward," he said. "It has to bring hope." The young people are the ones striving for a better life, he ; says, but they must battle an old communist mentality which prevents prevents citizens from trusting their own initiatives. Teen's father ms partof a team of consultants invited by the Romanians to set up a nuclear power station. The Galinsky family travelled to Romania in the fall of '92 and returned returned last June. Colin's father, Rick, is an Ontario Hydro safety shut-down engineer, and was part of . a team of Canadian, Italian and Argentinian Argentinian consultants invited by the Romanians to help set up a CANDU nuclear power station. The Galinskys had also been part of a similar nuclear set-up project in Korea in 1981-83, where they adopted Jennifer, now 15. The Romanian plant was originally originally expected to be operational by now, but the opening has since been delayed until 1996. Consultants and their families lived on a protected town site about the size of a typical North American subdivision, complete with commissary, commissary, schools and other amenities. "It was fenced in, with Romanian guards as a precaution against stealing. stealing. To the Romanians,we were literally literally millionaires." the comparative luxury of his own lifestyle left Colin with mixed feelings. "You'd get fed up with the stealing. stealing. There's a lot of hatred for foreigners. foreigners. They see us with cars, bikes, and nice clothes. The jealousy creates friction. But it also felt neat to have so much freedom and opportunity opportunity to travel. The town site gave us everything we wanted, including access to drivers." Being in the heart of Europe, the students had the opportunity to visit Turkey, Greece, and France. They went skiing in the Carpathian mountains mountains and sunbathing at the Black Sea. Such an extravagance was beyond beyond the expectations of ordinary Romanians Their concern about daily daily survival eclipses concern about serious pollution, transient populations populations and even animal welfare, Colin Colin points out. There is "mega" pollution in both the air and water, he says. Sewage is inadequately treated -- just about "dumped in the Danube". Despite a separate water filtration system on the town site, many people developed developed stomach parasites from water and food. Stray dog and cat populations were so out of hand that they had to be controlled by regular poisoning. Caravans of roving gypsies target wealthy tourists, pickpocketing and trying money changing scams, Colin says. The dark-skinned gypsies have become so mistrusted by Romanians that they are unable to find employment. employment. Colin considered his family's one-bathroom apartment (with a ceiling as "soundproof as cardboard") cardboard") cramped for a family of five. However, Romanians would view it as "wonderful," he says. Most buildings are seriously deteriorated. deteriorated. Roads are in such bad repair repair that a drive to Bucharest, which should have taken one hour, took three. Colin's association with Romania's Romania's teens came mainly through high school sports. "We would invite invite them or they would invite us for a basketball game or volleyball or soccer. The Romanian schools lacked adequate facilities. They didn't even have proper soccer balls so they weren't very good." The standard of living for average average Romanians is poor, Colin said. "Plant workers make about $5 an hour. They have to work ten years to buy a car." Colin's photo album is full of photos of Romania's deterioration, but he can still imagine a prosperous future. "When we went to Korea it was very poor also, but now Korea is booming. It's building and getting better because of outside help." At this stage in its development, Romania must strike a balance between between reliance on international aid and creating opportunities on then- own, he says. He's leaving that up to the young generation. "They have a focus and a hope, and that's really what they'll need until the old generation loses its grip on power." Romanian winters can be mighty cold, says Colin Galinsky, who returned from a two-year Stay there with his family last June. Colin says the traditional Russian hat is most often made with rabbit fur, but poorer folks choose cat. The Galinskys lived in Cemovoda, where Colin's father was part of a team of international nuclear experts experts helping the Romanians set up a CANDU power station. Dropping some spare change in for emergency vet care, vaccinations that wooden box at the checkout and food for cats and dogs that counter could save a life. might otherwise be destroyed or Money collected by Durham An- sold for research, imal Adoption in local stores pays Durham Animal Adoption gives The trouble may be, she admits, that a lot of people don't know Bowmanville has an animal shelter, let alone that the shelter sells animals animals for research. Continued on Page 3 Do you have room in your life for Oliver, a handsome, entertaining, entertaining, two-year-old with a playful nature? Somehow, Oliver was overlooked overlooked by visitors to the Animal Shelter, and when his time was up there recently, a Durham Animal Adoption volunteer took him in. The volunteer felt certain someone would love to adopt him. Perhaps that person is you. abandoned animals a second chance at loving homes. Co-founder Nancy Armstrong says the group was founded in 1990 as a backup to the Animal Control Shelter which was often filled to capacity. Durham Animal Adoption believes believes pet overpopulation can be controlled through responsible pet ownership. The group hates to see pound strays sold for research. Volunteers Volunteers devote considerable time trying to place the ones whose time has expired at the shelter. Volunteers across the Durham Region take in homeless pets temporarily temporarily until suitable permanent homes can be found. "Foster care can be for 24 hours or 24 months," Armstrong says. "It's also a fun and nice way to sample if your lifestyle works well with a dog or cat in it." She says the group is always in need of foster care locations. She estimates estimates there are currently about 100 animals on the waiting list for new homes. "Spaying and neutering top our list for responsible pet care." Across Canada 1.5 million animals are euthanized euthanized each year because homes arc not available. Sophie's owner, recently "And the least a responsible pet p asse( j away. And, due to aller- owner should do is to search for the family cannot take the animal if it goes missing, Arm- t Sophie gets along with other strong says. Don t just throw your F * 6 d she hands in the air! Go look for them at cats ana tolerates dogs, a e the pound." would suit a mature person.
The Clarington Digital Newspaper Collection is a collaborative project between the Clarington Public Library and the Clarington Museums and Archives.
Questions or comments? Please contact the Library by calling 905-623-7322 ext. 2712 or by emailing info@clarington-library.on.ca.