Peter with a statue of Marx

Back in Moldova after ten years away! The Trabants and Moskviches (two Communist ere cars) have mostly gone. True, they were death-traps, but it’s still sad. The carousel in the airport broke down and they’d forgotten my hotel booking, so Moldova hasn’t become organised at least.

Our Director in Moldova is Igor. He’s good fun, but his English is an excited kind of Russlish. When you ask him to repeat something, he does so much louder than before but otherwise the same. (To be fair, Igor speaks Russian and Romanian fluently, so English would be his third language).

Igor took me to the Noua Casa Orphanage which was quite something – lying on a beach on the banks of the Dniester doesn’t make up for being an orphan but it’s still nice – some volunteers are expected there next week.
“Motivations” is for the rehabilitation of young people who are confined to wheelchairs – the man in charge is Nicolae Beşliu (pronounced “Besh-liu”) who is really inspiring (although he rushes about a lot). Nicolae wants volunteers to help with swimming, drawing and loads of other things.

Igor also showed me the children’s cancer ward and an amazing day-care centre.

Then it was time to sign a partnership agreement with Eikomena soccer club. This is for sports placements and for young African footballers to get some European experience. After signing, I had to kiss the officials, which is what Moldovans do (and which is not at all what the English do).

I took a day off to visit Balta. Stunning. In Stalin’s days, it was the capital of the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. I’ve attached several pictures of this wonderful unknown run-down place. What history! Marvellous!

Peter Slowe
July 2007

–there’s me pretending to enter the abandoned Communist Party HQ

-finally there’s a plaque on a disused cinema commemorating the first ever meeting of the Moldovan Young Communist “Komsomol”