Sunday, May 8, 2011

The Motherland, Part I

This is about to become a travel blog.  I will be traveling pretty much the entire month of May.  I don't know how much internet access I will have, but I will do my best to update  you my  dear friends. My sister and I will be visiting the place where I was born and spent my childhood.  We plan to spend most of our time in the little town where my grandparents live.  There is something so surreal about going back to one's roots.  Especially for those who are immigrants.  Walking around a town where everyone is your nationality/ethnicity is unbelievable! 

Most people in the US have never heard of Moldova. So here is some of the essential info you should know.

Lets start with geography:


Moving on to politics.  What mostly started as a student protest turned into the overturning of the communist government in 2009.  They still do not have a president-which is a world record.

Economics: As a largely agricultural country Moldova still struggles as it tried to fit into the global Post-USSR world.  The infrastructure has aged, unemployment rates are astronomical, and many chose to work as illegal immigrants in the neighboring EU countries.
Faded glory to communism. A statue in my old school yard. By Velkuv, 2008
Wheat fields are a common sight across Moldova. By Velkuv, 2008
Sociology: Alcoholism, ethnic divides, and  poverty are ordinary occurrences. One of the biggest problems however, is human trafficking. Due to the previously stated issues Moldovan women are easy targets especially because of the country's geographic proximity to Western Europe, the lack of state infrastructure, and widespread corruption.

Here's a video highlighting some of the causes by people who are trying to do something about it.  
Moldova is a paradox, almost impossible to understand by logic alone.  The combination of my own memories are combined with the reality of Moldova becomes very confusing.  I remember it as a place where I spent my childhood; vast sunflower fields, my grandfather's laughing eyes, and eating cherries directly from the tree with my sister until we got sick.

Over the next couple of weeks I will try to share with you my own stumblings in the attempt to understand this mysterious forgotten by the rest of the world country.

2 comments:

Tina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tina said...

can't wait to hear more about your trip!!!

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