Saturday 23 February 2008

Moldova - Republic Moldova


over there is Transnistria (on the other side of the river)

Republic Moldova….for those who don’t know, was part of Romania for many years until Russia decided that she want this part of the world for her…(after the second world war)…yeah, who ware we to fight against this decision?

After Soviet Union broke up ware many rumors that we going back together as old time because we are brothers and we always be!!!

Well, this didn’t happened, and the “rumors” ware more in their part then in ours. Because of this “rumors” the self created region (inside Moldova) was birth : Transnistria …..because they didn’t want to be back again with Romania, basically because they are more Russian then Romanians (inside of them- metaphorically speaking).

After more then 15 years, this re-union didn't happened and is probably no chance to happen, so the fear of those who created that region didn’t came true BUT they still exist , even if they are supported just by Russia. Strange isn’t ? the reason you do something doesn’t exist and you are still doing it??? (similar with some manipulation process I might say).

I never was in Moldova until 2 weeks ago…the impression I grow up with was that this brother love is more from there to us, then from us to them; we often made teasing jokes about them and not being so empathetically with their situation and looking back at them as being with several steps behind. This is the image is created by the environment we grow up.

I was curios to see what I discover there…

I didn’t have to many expectations but still I was surprised. I didn’t felt at all like in brother country, or between people that are the same like Romanians…because they are not – being 50 years in URSS made the difference. I hear more Russian then Romanian on the street, I talk with the people on the street and they answer in Russian, everywhere (shops, bars, products) you can see written in Romanian and Russian and sometimes just Russian (not just Romanian).

Russian language is not an official language.

Russian minority is not more 10% (but to this we add the Ukrainians and other minorities from former URSS)…..they have problems with learning Romanian,

many of them don’t even speak Romanian.

All the Romanian speakers speak fluently Russian. They call this, that they are smarter and they are able to learn and speak 2 languages ….but I’m not sure you can simplify like that.

Young people seem that express themselfs better in Russian than Romanian.

Yeah , many aspects are still similar, but the general feeling and impression was that I’m not in that Moldova that was often presented around me, the same like Romania.

But, this brotherhood exist more from historical, nostalgically reasons BUT from my small experience I think is a low level and I didn’t felt it , and dint saw it in the people.

3 comments:

Maladets! said...

Being Swedish I´m always interested to hear what people from Romania has to say in this question... I never had the opportunity to hear anyone from Russia, except for Mr. Putin in the news sometimes ;)

Identity questions in Moldova are a very complex matter... but it´s also nice to see the low level of conflict. I have the feeling that ethnicity and language is a bigger problems in for example Belgium.

But where did you actually go? I didn´t have the impression that Russian is the dominant language in Chisinau, but I know it´s a different story in smaller places, like Balti or Edinet.

Andreea-Loredana said...

Well...I was in Chisinau for 10 days (just one day close to Transnistria).

evil.me said...

mie mi se pare ca romanii au impresia ca dincolo de Prut sunt fratii lor, pe cand "fratii" se cred mai degraba veri indepartati, pentru ca muma lor tot Rusia o sa fie. stiu ca sunt, probabil, victima publicitatii politice din zona, dar cred despre "fratii" nostri ca nu mai au nimic romanesc in sange... poate ca e bine pt ei, dar parlamentul nostru insista sa sprijine moldovenii... pe cand poblemele romanilor nu primesc acelasi interes!
politic, mi se rupe de rep.moldova, dar social, mi se pare o irosire de resusrse sa ne atarnam de ideea de fraternitate.