Its really hard to believe that it has been seven years since my Fulbright in Moldova. So much has changed in my life and not enough has changed in Moldova but there has been progress. We saw a proliferation of businesses and new apartment buildings--somebody has money in Moldova, now. The roads were better though still not great. There were fewer pensioners looking through the trash and asking for money.
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| Andy doing schoolwork in a café while I am doing an interview. |
I long for a day when there are no old people begging for money and all Moldovans have bright futures in their own country. Progress is taking a long time but it is happening!
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| Never missed a playground! |
I was greatly encouraged by the work of those that I interviewed and their passion for making Moldova a better place. Perhaps, it is that optimism or the random acts of kindness that make me keep heading back to Moldova. The babushkas worried that Andy did not have his jacket zipped, the attention that he got, and the kind moments when strangers helped us find where we were going. The there are my old friends--Vicu, Artiom, Corina, Salavat, Nata, Dinu, Gene, Liz, Helen, and Veronica--all who welcomed me with joy and new friends like Olga and Jenn who made my time even better.
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| Multiple Happy Meal toys |
Over the years, I have brought 23 Americans to Moldova--some to study and some to adventure. Then I have met more Americans in Moldova and they are all a part of my "Americans to Moldova Club."
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| Sala Cu Orga. |
...and now, my son, Andy joins the club. His Moldova is playgrounds, a violin and piano concert at the Sala Cu Orga ( he was enthralled for the first half), Kindereggs, trolley busses, marshrutkye, Vicu's home (guns, chickens, and a cow), Alecsandru, and McNuggets. I hope these are as good of memories for him as mine are for me.
All of this is what makes Moldova so wonderful for me while still being so hard for so many who live here.
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| And there are still people driving horses and wagons in Moldova... |
