As soon as we pulled up to the checkpoint, a very cocky looking young man in full regalia including communist looking hat came out. I have been to China before so I am familiar with their ways of intimidation and need to "boss" people around. He and his "comrade" proceeded to try some intimidation by staring in our faces when they checked our passports and giving little commands that were not necessary in order to establish their authority. For example, they told us that Paul was too hot in his car seat and to take him out and give him a drink. If I had not been wanting to get in his country, I probably would have said, "Yes, he's hot because you have spent so long staring at our passports while we sit here and bake in the sun because you don't want our engine idling. If you would kindly just let us by, he'll get cool right away." By the look of his cocky hat, I didn't think he would appreciate my little speech so I took Paul out and gave him a drink. He and his "comrade" thought they were the president of the United Nations or some similar organization, but he didn't know that we were getting a lot of enjoyment out of his strutting around. One young guard we saw was actually walking so similar to a turkey that the kids just burst out laughing.
After we got through the border we continued to have incidents with the police. I guess there is a reason that a communist state is called a police state--it seems like everywhere we looked, there were police there watching and observing and pulling people over. Whenever we drove into the city, we just had to plan on being pulled over once or twice because all along the roads, there were police with little wooden signs, and they just randomly held them out to passing motorists who had to pull over for "checks." We got pulled over often because we were driving a right hand van from England. We were very careful however to keep all traffic laws so it would be more difficult for them to fine us.
We did end up with one fine, however. One of the random police men pulled
us over and we quickly did. When we got to the side of the road, he walked up and said there was a big problem. Now we had already met this guy before earlier in our stay so I knew his name. Earlier when he had pulled us over, he basically just wanted to practice his English. When he approached our window the first time, I asked him if he knew English, and he said, "of course" like he was horribly insulted to think that I thought that a policeman in Moldova would not know English. The kids got a big laugh out of this cocky policeman saying, "Hello, my name is Vladimir." Anyway, here he was again with a big problem. Basically, it boiled down to the fact that we pulled over too quickly. He said that when he flags us over, he wants us to keep going a little while and gradually work our way through traffic to get to the side of the road. This was safer he explained. Well, fortunately my sarcastic tongue can remain under control at times, because I felt like say, " Oh, I get it Comrade Vladimir. You want us to continue travelling after you flag us over and gradually work our way through the traffic so that we won't cause an accident. Then when we get way down the road, you want us to back all the way up since it is safer to back up on the side of the road than it is to cross lanes of traffic. Once we back all the way up, then you would have a wonderful opportunity to fine us for waiting too long to pull us over!" We paid him his fine of about five dollars and went snickering on our way. He said that he had to fine us because just when he pulled us over, his big boss drove by so he would know if he didn't fine us. Sounds like a fine excuse to me. After he left our window and walked on his way, I told him to enjoy his Big Mac. Good thing he didn't hear me--I would have got a fine for something no doubt.
us over and we quickly did. When we got to the side of the road, he walked up and said there was a big problem. Now we had already met this guy before earlier in our stay so I knew his name. Earlier when he had pulled us over, he basically just wanted to practice his English. When he approached our window the first time, I asked him if he knew English, and he said, "of course" like he was horribly insulted to think that I thought that a policeman in Moldova would not know English. The kids got a big laugh out of this cocky policeman saying, "Hello, my name is Vladimir." Anyway, here he was again with a big problem. Basically, it boiled down to the fact that we pulled over too quickly. He said that when he flags us over, he wants us to keep going a little while and gradually work our way through traffic to get to the side of the road. This was safer he explained. Well, fortunately my sarcastic tongue can remain under control at times, because I felt like say, " Oh, I get it Comrade Vladimir. You want us to continue travelling after you flag us over and gradually work our way through the traffic so that we won't cause an accident. Then when we get way down the road, you want us to back all the way up since it is safer to back up on the side of the road than it is to cross lanes of traffic. Once we back all the way up, then you would have a wonderful opportunity to fine us for waiting too long to pull us over!" We paid him his fine of about five dollars and went snickering on our way. He said that he had to fine us because just when he pulled us over, his big boss drove by so he would know if he didn't fine us. Sounds like a fine excuse to me. After he left our window and walked on his way, I told him to enjoy his Big Mac. Good thing he didn't hear me--I would have got a fine for something no doubt.During our time in Moldova, we saw hungry people and children. We were told that some parents actually maim their children shortly after birth s
o that they can use them as beggars the rest of their lives. Some of the people though just looked hungry and we knew they needed something to eat. For example, right outside Moldova in Romania, we came out of the grocery store with our purchases and a little boy just followed us. He didn't ask for anything, but we could tell he was hungry. We gave him one our ice cream bars and he was so excited that he went and showed it to everyone coming out of the grocery store.
o that they can use them as beggars the rest of their lives. Some of the people though just looked hungry and we knew they needed something to eat. For example, right outside Moldova in Romania, we came out of the grocery store with our purchases and a little boy just followed us. He didn't ask for anything, but we could tell he was hungry. We gave him one our ice cream bars and he was so excited that he went and showed it to everyone coming out of the grocery store. One interesting event took place while we went in a Greek 
Orthodox church. We wanted to see how the people were worshipping and what the inside looked like. It was very quiet in there where people were going in and out to pray and burn candles to the icon. Paul, however, was intrigued by all the glittering gold, candles and beautiful stained glass windows and he could not keep quiet about it so the lady that was with us said she would take him out while we finished looking around. She took him in his stroller out to the front steps and stood there with him. We found out later that someone came by and gave the lady a dollar for him. She explained that he did not need it, but they insisted. We found out that the place where she was standing was the place where all the beggars gather at church time to try to get money. They 
assumed she was begging for Paul so he got his first Moldovan lei given to him by a stranger.
Orthodox church. We wanted to see how the people were worshipping and what the inside looked like. It was very quiet in there where people were going in and out to pray and burn candles to the icon. Paul, however, was intrigued by all the glittering gold, candles and beautiful stained glass windows and he could not keep quiet about it so the lady that was with us said she would take him out while we finished looking around. She took him in his stroller out to the front steps and stood there with him. We found out later that someone came by and gave the lady a dollar for him. She explained that he did not need it, but they insisted. We found out that the place where she was standing was the place where all the beggars gather at church time to try to get money. They 
assumed she was begging for Paul so he got his first Moldovan lei given to him by a stranger.During our time in Moldova, we spent a lot of time with a doctor and her husband who was a deacon in the church there. She is a cardiologist and makes $300 a month. I was shocked when she told me what she made, but her wages are about all that any doctor makes. She was just as intelligent and skilled as any cardiologist in the states, but she is just practicing in a poor country.
If you consider the common person makes $30 a month, then she still makes ten times what they do so perhaps that is equivalent to our own economy. She studied nine years to make these kind of wages so it's really a pitiful economic situation.
During our 
time with her, she told us several shocking stories about the health situation in Moldova. She said that one of her most difficult problems is trying to convince people that what their grandmothers did is not necessarily the best way. She said that especially those in the village just will not listen to her if she tries to convince them any differently than the old grandmothers say.
time with her, she told us several shocking stories about the health situation in Moldova. She said that one of her most difficult problems is trying to convince people that what their grandmothers did is not necessarily the best way. She said that especially those in the village just will not listen to her if she tries to convince them any differently than the old grandmothers say. One example is in the care of babies. Because of the extremely high cost of baby food (I saw one jar for $2), mothers chew whatever food the baby needs, then they feed it what they just chewed. The babies get lots of infections and diseases being fed this way.
Another superstition that they hold is that a stomach ache comes because the stomach some how twisted while they were sleeping and now it needs to be straightened out. She said they lay the person on the floor and someone else gets on them and roughly puts their thumb on the persons belly button and twists their thumb around until the person's stomach is straightened out, the person is hospitalized or otherwise gets better.
She also told us that one in twelve people have some form of hepatitis and they have a firmly held belief for how to get rid of it. The cure for hepatitis is to find a very fat dog and to eat the fat of this dog. The doctor said the she had a nice little dog herself and had gotten fat from being so well cared for. Well, it disappeared, and she found out the rest of the story.
Now don't continue reading if you have a weak stomach. Don't blame me if you get sick because I have forewarned you...The doctor told us that there is a lot of tuberculosis in Moldova and here again, they have some sure methods for curing it. She said that they believe that if a person eats a prescribed number of lice for several days, fixed in a prescribed manner, that their tuberculosis will be cured. This was hard enough for me to digest (literally!) but then it got worse. She said that some parents actually let lice grow in their children's hair to sell for "medicinal purposes." I could hardly believe this was true so I questioned her further. It is true and it's easier to believe these things when you see the poverty of these people. The way they think is that if those bugs are on their hair, why should they destroy this source for getting money for those who don't have these bugs? After all, if you are only making $30 a month, life is already so tough that it can't get much worse for many of them. In our time here, I have passed many beggars, but I think I have not turned away any child--that's just too hard to do.
Now if you don't recognize this last picture, I'll let you know. This was the bathroom at the Moldovan border. One thing we learned right away--you don't have to ask where the bathrooms are...just follow your nose.
1 comment:
These dispatches from Moldova have been a fascinating glimpse into a world Americans don't usually get to see. They're a great reminder of how much we have to be thankful for!
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