This Thanksgiving, we wanted to do something a little different for this blog post.
We’re extra thankful to call America home. Our United States is a very diverse country in races, ethnicities, and beliefs… and that fact increases our strength, creativity, and success as Americans! We’re proud to live in a land where we are free to live, work, and worship as we see fit.
But for those of us born and raised in the United States, it can be easy to overlook the freedoms and opportunities this country offers.
For this special Thanksgiving blog post, we decided to interview Daniela, our friend who immigrated to the United States from Romania nearly 20 years ago.
From 1947 to 1989, Romania was a communist country. Citizens faced rations on everything from food to fuel, especially during the strict austerity measures implemented in the ‘80s. Differing viewpoints were not accepted and an estimated hundreds of thousands of citizens were killed — either by government forces or by starvation — over the course of its communist era.
Since Daniela has seen firsthand what living in a communist/socialist country is like, we wanted to learn from Daniela what she would share with us about embracing and protecting our freedoms here.
What brought you to America?
“I married my husband so I met my husband on the cruise ship. He is an American citizen, so this is how I ended up living here.”
What were your views of America prior to moving here?
“My view before I even had any kind of experience is just like the movies. You think that it’s everything that is in the movies — that’s America. That’s pretty much a Hollywood view.”
How did your view of America change when you moved here?
“I was working on a cruise ship, this was how I met my husband, so I started having contact with American people. I kind of got to see America a little bit from the coastal side of the country — you know, New York, Miami, other ports. When I moved here, I realized that people are living normal lives. They have struggles, and it’s nothing like the Hollywood shows.”
As someone who has lived in both Romania and now here, what would you tell people who were born here about your view of freedom in this country?
“I would tell them to be very careful of this influence of the media that is totally misconstrued. [America] is the best place to live on earth. There’s no other country like the United States. I traveled quite a lot and I saw lots of other countries, but there’s no country like the United States. It’s the best country in the world to live in as a society. Versus my country, which was 40 years as a communist country.
[Romania] considers themselves free, but it’s still what communism lives behind: corruption. It’s a lot of corruption. It’s like a cancer, you cannot eradicate it. We just went and visited [Romania]. The police have no kind of influence. They can’t control the country. They can’t control the people, because everything is so corrupt. The justice system is so corrupt there. Even if the police take any action, they let them go free because of connections, corruption — you rub my back, I rub yours, you cover me, I cover you — this kind of justice system in Romania.
I’m seeing right now the same situation happening in San Francisco, where they’re all communist there. Socialism — I call it ‘communism with a big red ball on it’ — that’s what it is. People who want socialism, this is what it is: communism. They’re electing all these attorney generals who they allow for the criminals to get away for their crimes. This is a corrupt system.
This is what socialism and communism brings to the table. It brings destruction. It brings pain and suffering to the people. The hard working people are affected the most.
It’s heartbreaking to see, for me right now, the direction that our country is going in. All the mandates, how we’re losing our freedoms here.
But what I’ll tell the people is to hold the line and resist this kind of control. If you let a little bit go, they’re going to take it all. There’s no turning back. I would really warn people. I hope people open their eyes, pray, and be wise. I pray they don’t allow this to happen to our wonderful country. This is the only country where you can still live freer than any other country in the world. We still have freedom around here, compared with what’s going on at this point everywhere in the world. We can’t let that go.
This is what I believe in. I’m a very passionate woman, and I have really strong beliefs. I’m very opinionated.”
Do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
“Yes, we do celebrate Thanksgiving. I’m very thankful for my family. I’m very thankful for God. I’m thankful that we have a future in Christ, and no matter what is going on, we’re still going to be going to a good place. We just have to hold tight here.
I’m thankful for the country, for the opportunities it brings to each and every one of us. And for the future of my children, there’s still going to be a free country [for them]. I’m very thankful for all of this.”
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We sure are thankful to Daniela for sharing her experience and wisdom with us! And we are filled with gratitude for this country and the people who have sacrificed their lives to protect it. Happy Thanksgiving from Stoney Creek Farm to you and your family!
P.S. We would love to hear your own Thanksgiving memories and traditions! Please email us your stories.
