"Industry lives! Medias' dusty, hopeless looking factories and power plants are a visual turn-off for new arrivals, but its center satisfactorily evokes the town's medieval past."
-Lonely Planet Romania
I just returned from a visit to the town of Medias, located about three hours from Cluj. Medias warranted exactly five paragraphs in the 2010 Edition of Lonely Planet Romania, and aside from the fact that I lived there for a year and a half, it's not the type of place a foreigner would typically visit. Still, Medias has a certain charm that I appreciated when I lived there, and I enjoyed the chance to stroll the streets, stopping into a few favorite spots and visiting friends.
Change doesn't come easy in a town like Medias. I think that's why I like the last photo above; if you look closely, you'll see that this woman, standing in front of a traditional Transylvania home that could have been built five centuries ago, wearing an outfit that you might have seen on the same streets five decades ago, is sporting a cool pair of sneakers. Similarly, there's a hip new coffee shop in the center of town, and an Irish pub across from the train station. But otherwise, the town is just as I remembered it.
It was an interesting experience to live in Medias. The typical salary was, and still is, $200-$300 per month. A pizza costs $5, a coffee is $1, a taxi across town generally runs about $3. Unemployment has been high since Communism ended and especially as one of the main sources of employment, the Vitrometan glass factory, started to drastically cut production. Although I did some tutoring for high school students who needed to pass their English exam, it was the first time since graduating from college that I couldn't find a suitable job. I used the time to pass the remaining section of my CPA exam, and first got the idea to start my tax accounting business. I read a lot and learned to cook and set up a Facebook account for the first time and joined an aerobics class and walked everyday and spent hours at coffee shops. I have good memories of our time there, but remember the nagging feeling of being antsy, knowing that I could and should be doing more.
The main source of entertainment for the people of Medias is sports-- the reason why Rob & I moved there in 2007. The basketball and soccer teams are funded by the national supplier of natural gas, Romgaz, since its headquarters is located in Medias. Even in tough economic times, the team has no difficulty coming up with money for the players' salaries, bonuses, and rent. The games are well-attended, and the players are stars around town. After countless games behind the Gaz Metan Medias bench, I have to admit that it was a bit strange to sit on the opposite side of the gym this weekend, and to cheer against old teammates. But even after a painful loss, I was happy to say hi to old friends: some of the fans, the assistant coach's wife, the gym's caretaker, the woman who used to wash all of Rob's practice & game gear, the team manager, the trainer, the local radio interviewer... It was the people that made Medias a good place to live, and comforting to know that they're still there, relatively content with the way of life in a little town in the middle of Transylvania.
Medias was an improbable place for me to spend a year and a half, but my time there allowed me the opportunity to confirm just how much I need the professional and cultural opportunities that a bigger city has to offer. For the most part, I'm the same person as I was then, but thanks to Medias, I'm a business owner and a decent cook. I guess it's safe to say that in it's in own way, this little town- a town that doesn't see much change- changed me, just a little.
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