Reflections
Bill
Let me ask one thing before we close this interview. Did anything surprise you? Was there a way in which somehow the Romania you came in touch with in 1984 was different from the Romania that existed when you were young?
Or did you see a different side of Romania in your role as negotiator for the US? Is there anything that surprised you in this critical cross-cultural interaction? Or is there anything that surprised you about your American colleagues as they got involved with Romania?
Agnes
Undeniably, the Romanian culture is much more community group-oriented, family-oriented, hospitable, and generous than the American culture. The Romanians are proud, not in a nationalistic way, but proud in a sort of individual way: We’ve survived so much stuff. And we will get through this one as well. And then there’s humor and a legendary resourcefulness.
There’s a wonderful Romanian word, that has roots in its history: Descurcăreț, which implies We can get around anything and figure it out”. You can’t trust any allies for too long. You have to push back on anyone who tries to dominate. So, there was a lot of this small, resilient, kick butt kind of country spirit in the Romanian delegation. And a lot of winking. A lot of subtext that would have escaped my American colleagues, who are very pragmatic and had themselves high-performing athletes in their day. They were here in Romania to close the deal. So, there was something very matter-of-fact and literal about the approach taken by my American colleagues. There was something much subtler, with a lot more color and subtext in the way the Romanians listened and responded.
