There seems to be in Romania a widespread movement of younger generations moving away from village life to a promise of a better life in a city. As a result most Romanian villages are either aging or altogether dying. When we moved out to a village we were moving against the currents typical here in Romania (though we are happy to say we are not the only ones). Given the typical village life here in Romania, where people are slaves to the land and animals, I can understand young people wanting to move away towards a better and more comfortable life. However I believe that such a life can be had in a Romanian village and that it is much for feasible, sustainable (and to me – pleasant) then city life.
During the first week of Cutia Taranului’s launch we were contacted by a few young people who were asking about Cutia Taranului for their peasant parents. We were very happy to witness Cutia Taranului evoke renewed interest in peasantry amongst a younger generation.
Yesterday we met with another peasant family who took an interest and invited us to learn more about Cutia Taranului. They first heard about the project from Ildi & Levente (who were the first peasant family on Cutia Taranului). But it turns out that it was their 25 year old son who lives in Cluj-Napoca who was the one who prompted them to contact us and give it a try. He was with us when we met with them (he comes home to the village on weekends). The meeting went quite well and their son had a supportive role in it. The couple were in disbelief … they simply could not imagine a regular customer base without the hassles of the expensive market place. It, to them, was just to good to be true (it almost is) … even though they’ve heard about it first hand from Ildi and Levente who’s boxes sold out in a week. Their son’s presence was very supportive.
Fortunately he also spoke english and at one point the conversation split. Andreea was speaking to the couple while I spoke to their son. He shared with me his admiration for the project and even spoke about moving back to the village. HE SPOKE ABOUT MOVING BACK TO THE VILLAGE. I cannot describe in words what I felt … it was a physical sensation … a vibration moving through me … maybe joy?
We continued to speak and I shared with him my belief that he could both make a living here and do a great service to his community. I believe there are many small producers in villages in our area who do not have enough produce nor the organizational skills to create an effective offering. However, if someone like him would come out here and organize a kind of peasant-collective … that they may actually be able to organize a very rich offering of peasant-boxes. He listened carefully and I sensed him taking it in and … well another seed has been planted … now I am curious to see what will grow from it 🙂
… and of course … if you are in Cluj-Napoca please stay tuned … we expect to announce in the coming days another 30 boxes 🙂