24 hours in Moldova
Flying into Chisinau, we observed the gentle, rolling hills written about in the literature on the country. There were lots of farms and many villages dotting the landscape. The green fields surrounding the villages and white homes within the villages made for a beautiful introduction to this country.
Boarding the plane prior to our flight, I was pleased to see quite a few Westerners. There is a sense of comfort for me to know people like us are going to the same place. As much as I like new experiences, I don’t know if I was made to be a “pioneer”! Those “people like us” were given the privilege of waiting in line for over 1 hour to obtain a visa. Our only difficulty in getting one is that we wanted a three-month visa. “But it is $144,” the Moldovan official exclaimed. Finally, he understood we needed one since we would be here that long.
Outside of the airport, we were greeted with a view similar to what we observed from the plane. Chisinau is a hilly town, and it is quite green. So from various viewpoints on the drive from the airport, we could see lovely views, again of white homes contrasting against the green fields and trees.
We are living very close to the Director of the agency Dan is working for. Ivan is a gentle, humble man, and those who know him cannot say enough about what a fine business man he is. It is particularly exciting that he is our age, and we seem to have a lot in common with him and his wife (for the wives, one common interest includes hand-making cards).
From the first impression, Dan and I couldn’t ask for a better living situation. Our home is in the same “compound” as our host family’s home. The host family does not speak much English, but we enjoyed tea with them, and managed to find out a few things about each other (who knows if what we think we know is really accurate, though!). The apartment is probably twice as big as “The Attic” and we have just what we need as far as furniture and appliances (save for a microwave). It is quite modern, but I have to believe we are fortunate to have such nice accommodations, especially since our host, Tatiana, pointed out we will have hot water all the time, and all we have to do is turn on the faucet!
I was excited to see a little girl, kindergarten age, in pigtail braids playing in the garden when we arrived. She is the youngest of the five children in the family. We’ve already spent 2 hours trying to communicate. She likes my up/down and in/out game, even repeating what I say as we move up and down on a step and hop in and out of the apartment doorway.
Already in our time here, we’ve experienced the bureaucracy of registering our visit with the municipality. Four lines and 2 hours after beginning, we were on the record of staying in Chisinau. We also shopped (with help) at the local farmer’s market, awed that our total bill for 1 kilo of potatoes and ½ kilo of tomatoes was 20 cents. But not everything is that cheap; prices for household items and clothes at the local Costco-type of store are close to American prices.
**So there are my first observations! Even though I am posting these almost a week into my stay, I really did write them 1 day after arrival – hang in there with me as we figure out how to get internet access. (That goes for those of you who e-mail me, too!)**
Boarding the plane prior to our flight, I was pleased to see quite a few Westerners. There is a sense of comfort for me to know people like us are going to the same place. As much as I like new experiences, I don’t know if I was made to be a “pioneer”! Those “people like us” were given the privilege of waiting in line for over 1 hour to obtain a visa. Our only difficulty in getting one is that we wanted a three-month visa. “But it is $144,” the Moldovan official exclaimed. Finally, he understood we needed one since we would be here that long.
Outside of the airport, we were greeted with a view similar to what we observed from the plane. Chisinau is a hilly town, and it is quite green. So from various viewpoints on the drive from the airport, we could see lovely views, again of white homes contrasting against the green fields and trees.
We are living very close to the Director of the agency Dan is working for. Ivan is a gentle, humble man, and those who know him cannot say enough about what a fine business man he is. It is particularly exciting that he is our age, and we seem to have a lot in common with him and his wife (for the wives, one common interest includes hand-making cards).
From the first impression, Dan and I couldn’t ask for a better living situation. Our home is in the same “compound” as our host family’s home. The host family does not speak much English, but we enjoyed tea with them, and managed to find out a few things about each other (who knows if what we think we know is really accurate, though!). The apartment is probably twice as big as “The Attic” and we have just what we need as far as furniture and appliances (save for a microwave). It is quite modern, but I have to believe we are fortunate to have such nice accommodations, especially since our host, Tatiana, pointed out we will have hot water all the time, and all we have to do is turn on the faucet!
I was excited to see a little girl, kindergarten age, in pigtail braids playing in the garden when we arrived. She is the youngest of the five children in the family. We’ve already spent 2 hours trying to communicate. She likes my up/down and in/out game, even repeating what I say as we move up and down on a step and hop in and out of the apartment doorway.
Already in our time here, we’ve experienced the bureaucracy of registering our visit with the municipality. Four lines and 2 hours after beginning, we were on the record of staying in Chisinau. We also shopped (with help) at the local farmer’s market, awed that our total bill for 1 kilo of potatoes and ½ kilo of tomatoes was 20 cents. But not everything is that cheap; prices for household items and clothes at the local Costco-type of store are close to American prices.
**So there are my first observations! Even though I am posting these almost a week into my stay, I really did write them 1 day after arrival – hang in there with me as we figure out how to get internet access. (That goes for those of you who e-mail me, too!)**
posted by Beth at 10:05 PM
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