Though Moldova seems to be a shadow of its former bigger brother nation of Romania, it has its very own peculiarities. For those of you who haven’t heard of or simply can’t point to Moldova on a map, I’ve added one for your convenience. Moldova is in Eastern Europe, a newly independent nation as of 1999. Though no longer communist, the citizens of Moldova have repeatedly voted in a communist candidate to lead the country. Only recently, as of last month, was a liberal president selected.
1. Moldova is considered a third world country, though the city center of Chisinau seems relatively modern. It was a bit discombobulating at first to intellectually understand the plight of the country but see McDonald’s staff wearing skirts, button-up shirts and ties as they served crowds of people daily!
Yet, as we drove just one hour from the city I began to see the change. People are less happy.
2. Restaurants and retail stores are non existent. Water for drinking can only be purchased from the small corner store, that by the way, doubles as a bar. They also sell whole frozen fish along side odd pieces of china, sweet treats and 2 litre beers.
this is our team favorite treat-the sandwich cookie 🙂
3. The everyday sink water is polluted with sulfur. It smells like rotten eggs!
4. Moldova has a negative 1% population growth. This means that more people die every year than children are being born. The implications are depressing, literally. The country is losing wisdom, history, perseverance and strength.
5. Communist theory still plays out in the region. People reason without logic and believe without understanding. There seems to be a blind following of old information without a sense of personal responsibility to find out facts.
Communist Part Supporters Rally
Young Adults come out in thousands to protest communism and cheer for Moldovan Reform!
6. Doctors are few and far between. 2.6 doc/1000 citizens….not a great ratio! People are also very concerned about their health…it is the number one prayer request. This low ratio may be why some of the medical “guidance” we’ve heard seems crazy! Example:
-babies should not be bounced
-pregnant women should experience morning sickness (and not hold it in) because it makes the baby more comfortable
-girls should “have relations” before the age of 30…otherwise they “get sick”
-men should “have relations” before the age of 30…otherwise they “die”
-don’t open two windows in the room or car because the draft brings sickness
7. Poverty is a huge issue in the country. In 2005 approximately 50% of the population was below the ultimate poverty line. With several IMF boosts that number has drastically fallen and in 2009, 23% of Moldovan citizens remain below the poverty line of $2 per day.
8. Food is a critical traditional element of this culture. On our first day we were served a traditional meal of sarmale and mamaliga. Then we celebrated Easter here in Moldova with our host family. We set up a table in the church with a full spread of food. Then a few of the men attended a funeral (for purposes of carrying and burying the casket) and were seated down to a “mid evil style banquet.” Bread, fish, meatballs, cheese, cabbage rolls, potatosalads, sweet-savory pastries, stuffed grapleaves and cookies…if food could pave your way to Heaven, Moldovan citizens would occupy a fast land. The table looks like this:
9. The church presence is HUGE is you count the Orthodox churches on every corner; the knowledge and love of God is preached to all those who will listen. Personal relationships with Jesus are not the focus of most Sunday morning services, but people hear the word and thus have context for our message: that God loves you in a way so special that He cares to know you, hear from you, and to speak to you PerSoNaLlY. It is powerful to hear so many trust God with their lives…and that is Never Mundane.
