Living the dream (ongoing project)
The Romanian community in Cleveland is large. The recent census indicates that there are nearly 20.000 Romanians in the metropolitan area of Cleveland where the population is about 2 million. But in the last 15 years not a lot of young people decided to settle in Cleveland so the community is growing old. They chose other cities like Chicago and New York.
The Romanian community in Cleveland is the oldest in the US. The first Romanians that settled in Cleveland in the late 1800s were solitary immigrants in search of work in the steel factories. Then and now the Romanians found in America an alternative to the restrictive social, political, and economic possibilities in their homeland.
The first Orthodox Church in America was build in 1906 on the west side of town where there was a high concentration of Romanians. The church has always been a center for the community. Besides religion not a lot of traditions have been kept in the community.
“We didn’t have a really steady culture that would resist to the power of the American culture. The first generation that comes to America keeps the traditions, but the second and third generation get’s lost in the American ocean”, says Alin Rosca, the Romanian counsel.
The community is diverse. Romanians work in very different fields from cleaning businesses to funeral homes, from managers and doctors to drivers.
Most of the times young Romanians work two-three jobs, sometimes illegally, in order to gather up money to go to school because their college degrees are not recognized in the US.
Whether they came in the late 1800’s in search for a job, or trying to escape the communism regime, or just because this was the chance of their life, all the Romanian emigrants want to live “the dream”. That can mean anything from making a fortune to getting a free education, but as Alin Rosca says:
“America means a new beginning. You get the chance to reinvent yourself in the terms that you pick. You can see how much you worth and discover your limits.”
Romanians gathered at St Mary’s Orthodox church in Cleveland on Easter night for the midnight service.
The first Romanian Orthodox Church in America was built in 1906. The building now belongs to The Cleveland Public Theater and is used as a rehearsal facility. “Some people love the fact that we gave a role to the old building. An old lady told me once that she met her husband in this church and it’s nice to see it still standing and not degrading”, said Raymond Bobgan, Executive Artistic Director at Cleveland Public Theatre.
Nelu Talpa is member of one of the largest Romanian families spread through out the US. He came to America in the 70’s and worked in a factory but when he retired he found a way to make money and in the same time to remain young. He buys old, damaged houses and repairs them and for sale or rent. “I didn’t know English when I came here and I only learned it to get my citizenship and to get around, but besides that I don’t need it,” says Talpa.
Father Remus Grama baptizes Leah Salman. The sacred act of baptism symbolizes the washing of the original sin with which we are all born. Leah’s father, Daniel, came to America when he was 12 years old. He met his wife Andrea on a dating website. In order for them to get married she had to convert to the orthodox faith.
Daniel and Mirela Popa play with their daughters Alisa and Emma. The Popas speak in Romanian to their children so they would learn it and be able to communicate with their grandparents. “In Romania, I don’t know how many times I heard this is the last sacrificed generation. If I am part of that generation, at least my kids wouldn’t be. That’s why we came to America, that was the dream.”, says Daniel Popa.
Elena Rosca reads a fortune from a deck of cards. She arrived in America a couple of months ago for her son wedding. She doesn’t know English that well and doesn’t have friends. “I don’t know if I want to stay in the US or go back home. I am lost between the two worlds”, said Rosca.
Paul Popa got up on Easter day to go to work. He works at a cleaning company that belongs to another Romanian. In the fall he hopes to go take physiotherapy classes and change his profession. “I worked for so many years in cleaning that I developed my own system and it doesn’t take me more than one hour to complete the job”, says Paul.
Diana Savin is getting her manicure done. “I like to get them done because it’s relaxing and also I get more tips”, she said. Savin quit working for a cleaning company after she got eczema on her hands from the cleaning supplies and now is working as a waitress to pay for nursing school.
Diana Savin, 25 attends her psychology class at Cuyahoga community college. She takes night classes to complete her degree in nursing. Diana came to America three years ago because she needed to be by her mother’s side that had a stroke. She didn’t know English and wasn’t planning on staying longer than a couple of months.
Mona Hirst poses for a portrait in her spa that is based on a green recycling concept. She doesn’t use fumes and she doesn’t offer manicures in her list of services because of the toxic substances. Business is slow, but Mona is hopeful and she makes a comparison between the life that she saw in Romania during her visits there and the life in America: “Even though there is no high fashion and high heals in America at least you have hope.”
George Feher worked as an engineer for NASA. He now lives only with his wife after both their children moved away to different cities of the US.
Father Remus Grama talks to the Salmans and their godparents during a baptism ceremony. The religious ceremonies are usually bilingual because there are a lot of mixed marriages.
Lucretia Stoica was born in the US in 1922 and has been a career woman all her life. “I had a wonderful life because I had the luck to have the same job for 42 years that I loved immensely”, said Stoica. Since she doesn’t have any living relatives, she recently threw away all her photos, believing there were no longer of value to anyone. In May 2011 her accomplishments as the executive director of International Services Center were celebrated as she entered Cleveland Hall of Fame.
Jimmy Craciun is one of the decedents of the first Romanian families in Cleveland. He is considered a historian of the Romanian community in Cleveland. ”I see it as a sense of duty”, says Craciun. He is also a human rights activist who cares about what happens in Romania. In 1974 he smuggled bibles into Romania when the communist government prohibited printing bibles.
Fabian Barbolovici has owned his own pizza restaurant for 15 years and he only hires Romanians. It’s his way of giving back to the community and he says it makes it easier to communicate in one language in the working environment. “A lot of engineers, doctors and artists have worked here in this pizza place at first,” says Barbolovici.
Paul Popa, Diana Savin and Alin Barbolovici are enjoying a traditional Easter lunch at Diana Savin’s relatives. The meal is based of lamb dishes.
Going out on Saturday night is a tradition for the young Romanians. Diana Savin and her friend dance to Euro house music in Bar Fly club in downtown Cleveland.
Paul Popa got his green card at the beginning of February, 2011. “I lived here illegally for three years. That’s how much I wanted America. I managed to maintain a house and two cars”, he said. Popa has a child back in Romania that he hopes to bring to America.
Every Friday night a group of young Romanians gather to play basketball at Cuyahoga Community College, before going out for beers. “We stay out pretty late and when we are at the bar we make bets to see which one of the girlfriends or wifes is the first one to call ”, says Paul Popa with a smirk on his face.
Diana Savin waits for her boyfriend and their roommate to get ready to go visit friends. Savin broke up with her boyfriend, Paul Popa, in June 2011 and she was forced to move out of the house.