Honesty does exist in Romania

We've shared several times about the corruption that is ever present within Romanian society.  Much of this is due to the pain of living with constant inflation while salaries remain enormously below the poverty level.  Even a physician may only make around $600/month, while the average salary is more like $300/month. With such a struggle to provide even the most basic of needs, it is no wonder that people are looking for any way to survive. 

 

Today, however, I met an honest Romanian and I'm not referring to the one I married!  Naomi and I walked to the market like we often do buy some fruit and veggies.  This is an open market where different people come with their assortment of produce and each hopes you will buy from his stand.  As I went to pay for some apples I handed the man behind the stand what I thought was a 50,000 lei note.  Now this would be equivalent to about $1.75.  He handed me some change which I tucked in my purse, placed the apples in Naomi's stroller and started to walk away.  He called me back and was asking his co-worker for more money.  You see I had actually given him a 500,000 lei note by mistake. It would be like handing someone a $20 bill when you thought you had only given a dollar.  He could have easily kept the change and I wouldn't have noticed until I got home.  So thank God with me for the honest fruit stand man and pray that he is rewarded in some way for not taking advantage of a naive American mommy.

 

S.