Postcard from Europe

The former Soviet Republic of Moldova gained its independence in 1991. It has been in the news recently because of elections in which pro-Western opposition parties gained an upper hand over the ruling Communists. Yet Moldova is still a largely unknown spot on the map – usually described as the Europe's poorest country and one of it's most corrupt. Miles Ashdown has this postcard about life in this country of about 4.5 million people.

I live in Romania. More specifically, I live in the Moldovan region of Romania, right next to the border of the Republic of Moldova. So, I expected to find a lot of similarities when I crossed over the border into Romania's neighbor to the east to report on the Moldovan parliamentary elections at the end of July.

Geographically, the landscape was about the same: farmland, hills, sunflowers and vineyards. It's charming and rustic. Little communities line the main roads, their houses surrounded by flowers and vegetables.


Meanwhile, Moldova's largest city, the capital Chisinau, is lively, but hasn't reached the extreme of pollution, traffic and indifferent attitudes that you'll find in Romania's Bucharest.

Romania and Moldova share essentially the same language, Romanian, which is called Moldovan across the border. But there are millions in Moldova who speak Russian. I was surprised to find Moldovans on a regular basis who didn't seem to know a word of Romanian. Thankfully, there's usually someone around who speaks both languages willing to help.


This, too, was a similarity with Romania. Both Romanians and Moldovans are unbelievably hospitable. A Moldovan friend drove me outside the capital to stay at his family's countryside home for a night.

A mouth-watering experience

There, I was treated to a delicious spread of local foods. This included fried eggplant with a savory sauce nicknamed "Limba Soacrei" – "mother-in-law's tongue. We also had rabbit, thanks to my host's own backyard rabbit farm. Also: "placinta" – a tasty fried sandwich filled with either potatoes or cabbage.

Every spare meter on the family's property seemed to be used to plant some form of vegetable, fruit or flower, putting their rich land to good use. My hosts joked: "We may not be rich, but we never go hungry."

We also, of course, had locally produced wine. It was excellent. Moldova is perhaps known around the world for its wine more than anything else.

Violent upheaval

But the parliamentary elections in April brought the country into the world spotlight.

Violent protests left several people dead, dozens injured and hundreds detained. Demonstrators claimed election fraud during the so-called "Twitter Revolution."


This election was big news in Romania, in part, because Romania was alleged to have played a role in the process. I don't doubt it. I've seen graffiti in Iasi, one of Romania's larger cities, that claims Moldova is "Pomund Romanesc" – Romanian land.

Mostly, though, I'd heard Moldova described as a dirt poor country at the crossroads between the West and the East, that is, between the EU and Russia's "aear abroad."

An oversimplification

Yes, the UN reports that about half the country lives below the poverty line. Yes, hundreds of thousands of Moldovans have fled their homeland in search of better-paying work elsewhere. And, yes, "real" unemployment rates are about 25 percent.

But, I found Moldova to be an alluring country rich with cultural intricacies that go beyond a clash between West versus East. I hope I'll be able to spend more time in this little nation to understand its people and culture even more.

Author: Miles Ashdown
Editor: Rob Turner