About Moldovan people and tourism

People I Met During My Two-Month Stay in Moldova

Moldova is a fascinating country. 

In Korea where I live, and in neighboring countries like Japan and China, a single language is used. 

 Of course, China has languages of ethnic minorities, but they account for an extremely small percentage. 

In my country as well, there are Jeju Island dialects and southern and northern dialects, but except for the genuinely original and extremely rare Jeju dialect, everyone can understand and communicate with each other.

Officially, the language of Moldova is Moldovan (Romanian), but Russian is also frequently used in everyday life. 

Although I know a little bit of both Romanian and Russian, people didn't care whether I spoke Romanian or Russian. 

It was fascinating. It's like if in Korea, most people could fluently communicate in both Korean and Chinese, and in certain areas, there were neighborhoods where only Chinese was spoken(for ex, Transnistria - they usually use Russian)

One of the interesting aspects about Moldovan people was that many made their own wine. 

In Korea, there used to be a culture of making alcohol using rice, but in the 1960s-70s, the government began regulating this to solve food shortage issues. 

That's when the culture of making alcohol at home largely disappeared. In the apartment where I stayed, neighbors would bring homemade wine and share it with each other. Not only homemade wine, but they also enjoyed beer. 

They liked alcohol, but that doesn't mean they were always drunk. For example, in a place like Korea people drink, some tend to become violent, and fights often break out due to drinking, but, well, there wasn't much of that here.

I think there might be a culture where neighbors freely drink together but are careful not to cause trouble to each other. 

(Of course, there were alcoholics too, but not noticeably many) In Korea, the neighborhood culture has largely disappeared. People often don't greet each other in apartments, and honestly, I don't know who lives around me and I'm not interested. Sometimes I tried greeting them, but it just felt awkward.

Soviet-era apartment life in Moldova, patched facades and everyday colors.

Just 20 years ago in korea, people actively interacted with neighbors, and when parents weren't home, children would sometimes stay at a neighbor's house briefly, but now this is hard to find.

During my stay in Moldova, I visited about three accommodations, and in the apartment corridors or entrances, there were chairs where neighbors would smoke and chat. In this aspect, I think Moldova might have a stronger sense of community than Korea. 

When I was young, I learned that this kind of community culture was more prominent in Asian cultures, but our country is rapidly adopting individualism and has become more individualistic than Moldova. 

Moldova, once a communist country and considered one of the least developed countries in Europe, is now finding it difficult to see traces of Soviet culture.

In Transnistria, remnants of the former Soviet era remained. Unfortunately, I don't know much about other cities besides Chisinau. 

Chisinau felt somewhat quiet and a bit old, but it wasn't a non-modern city. It just looks like a typical European city. When traveling between cities, seeing more marshrutkas (minibuses) than large buses was somewhat different from the Western European countries I had visited. 

As I wrote in my previous Moldova travel journal, it was a country where foreigners were not uncommon. It may lack many qualities to be called an international city, but there seemed to be many international students. 

The international students I conversed with were Turkish, Indian, and African, but I'm not sure about other nationalities. Another characteristic that comes to mind about Moldovan people is that they seemed indifferent, but they weren't hostile. 

They were people who would come to help whenever I appeared to need assistance. How should I put it... while seemingly not particularly interested in me, I felt like they were quietly observing what I was doing. 😂 

There were occasionally people who would ask if I was lost or looking for something. It wasn't uncomfortably excessive attention, nor was it too cold indifference. It was something in between. I like this kind of thing. 

When traveling abroad, I tend to be very cautious of people who approach me with excessive interest. 

However, there were times when I was embarrassed because I couldn't get any help.

Beneath the swirling clouds and moonlight, a moment of quiet wonder in Moldova.

In Moldova, on the other hand, I was able to receive most of the help I needed. Making Moldovan friends through online apps wasn't easy. 

There were very few users... I've made foreign friends in various countries, but in Moldova, I had to go out and find friends directly. 

Later, I was fortunate enough to make a few friends in Moldova, but before becoming close with them, I had more conversations with foreigners visiting there and hung out with them more frequently.

The neighbors there left me with many good memories. The apartment residents took me to see the countryside where their relatives lived. 

And I used to talk with them every day, Through them, I was able to learn about Moldovan culture and various information. 

Also, we shared their food. People are generally good. To be honest, one disappointing aspect was that I think there were a bit more people approaching with financial motives compared to other countries. 

I was actually stolen, received requests to buy a mobile phone from a man who initially asked for money on the street, and was asked for cigarettes excessively more often than in other countries. 

There were also some people who contacted me online with financial motives. Moldova's economy has grown significantly since the early 2000s, but I think these issues arise due to still lacking infrastructure development, people marginalized during the growth process, and insufficient welfare. 

These aspects didn't feel dramatic. I think Moldova wasn't bad for walking around the city late at night. Of course, I'm not suggesting that you explore here and there late at night. I always accompanied friends and walked around roads where people and cars were passing by. In the past, our country also had many similar issues.

Korea was famous for bicycle thieves, and stealing shoes and other thefts were frequent. These aspects naturally faded over time due to economic development, CCTV proliferation, and strengthened security. 

Moldova is still developing, and I see these as problems that will gradually be resolved during this transition period

Moldova’s architecture reveals elegance

From a foreigner's perspective, what's still disappointing about Moldova is the lack of tourism infrastructure. 

 Moldova is a small country, but I believe there must be undiscovered beautiful rural cultures and natural landscapes throughout the country. 

However, accessing such places is difficult. It's not impossible, but there's too little information. Like hotel facilities. 

I hope infrastructure would be expanded not just for wine cellars and Soroca (which isn't very accessible either) and Orheiul Vechi, but also for hidden rural villages throughout Moldova and various cultural experiences.

In Chișinău’s Orthodox church, gold and silence fill the sacred space.

Nevertheless, Moldova has special aspects even within Europe. Mysterious place like Transnistria, affordable prices, and quality wine are among the attractive points for tourists from neighboring countries. 

 That's why I could meet tourists and young people from various countries like Azerbaijan, Poland, and the United States there. 

When I was very interested in Moldova in the past, I used to look around Moldova on Google Earth. I've seen images of beautiful fields, small rivers flowing through them, and an old man f ishing with a net. 

I don't remember exactly where it was. Although there might not be beautiful fields spread beneath mountains like in Switzerland, I think such quiet scenery would surely be a good travel experience for foreigners tired of big city life.

Especially in southern Moldova, there seemed to be beautiful places too.

The links below are my Moldova travel journals on my blog

Moldova Travel Journal