Care & Community - MOLDOVA Volunteer Stories

Care & Community in Moldova - Christien de Kruif

Christien De Kruif, from Holland is spending three months on a Teaching Project in Moldova, here she tells us about her time:

A warm privjet (welcome) from Chisinau (or Kishinev in Russian), the capital of small and friendly Moldova that's almost on the outskirts of Europe and tries hard to find a balance between its giant former partners (Russia and the Ukraine) and its inevitable future partner, the European Union. Moldova becomes an official border state when Romania joins the European Union next year.

Unmistakably, this is reflected in Chisinau itself: western culture, Hugo Boss, fancy cars and McDonald's are omnipresent. On the other hand Chisinau is a city of bustling, chaotic and extremely cheap public transport (weary faltering trolleybuses, taxis and quick overcrowded minibuses), large warehouses consisting of very tiny shops, busy almost Turkish markets and rows of identical Soviet apartment blocks with small communal leafy parks and clothes lines. An impressive original statue of former hero Lenin even remains in Morilor Park: a marble Lenin in between Marx and Engels! This all makes Chisinau the intriguing capital of a country in transition and I find it stirring to be a part of it!

Once in the countryside it becomes shockingly clear that Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. But in Chisinau too few people earn enough to pay all the bills. Due to the fact that the regular salary of the average Moldovan is insufficient, many work extra hours. A day here starts around 5 or 6 in the morning and ends late in the evening. Lessons start at 8am. Pupils normally study for 7 or 8 hours in a row without any lunch or tea break but it doesn't seem to be a problem to any of them.

After over two months of teaching I've grown completely used to this rhythm and I am enjoying every minute of it! The wonderful liberty I received to teach at different schools and even for some NGO's has been unique and brought me into contact with all layers of Chisinau's mixed population. Regardless of their social background, all my students are very eager to learn English and they're extremely hungry for information on all aspects of 'western' life! I have never had such a variety of questions to answer! From "Is it true that people in Europe ..." to what my opinion is of Mr. Putin or whether or not I believe in Doomsday!

Speaking English is still quite difficult for most of them. This results in many lively (and sometimes hilarious) conversations in the sunny schoolyard with everyone who wants to join in: from 7 year olds to 18 year olds. For many Moldovans English is mainly a written language since all films are dubbed and only few have access to European television channels. Song lyrics are the main source of 'live' English and I must admit they can be extremely practical in conversations!! The overall knowledge of English, however, is impressively high. It's surprising how much factual knowledge about English speaking countries students have! This is due to the fact that a part of their language education consists of learning text passages by heart on different topics and I can tell you from my own experience (I am taking Russian classes here) it's not that difficult! Drilled by my excellent Russian teacher I'm now perfectly capable of telling you stories about Moscow, family life, spending weekends at the seaside and so on! Although Romanian is the official governmental language it's mainly Russian you hear in the streets: over 90 percent of the inhabitants of Chisinau speak Russian and this is also the official language for intercultural communication.

Genuine pride in their country and optimism are other aspects of the Moldovan character. Every time you're invited to someone's house you experience this together with the strong family ties and the warm hospitality! Don't be surprised if you (regardless of the time of day) are treated to a very tasty home cooked meal and Moldovan champagne when you visit someone!

Time has flown by for me and in the meantime it has become a relaxing summer: Chisinau is an almost Mediterranean oasis of green trees and sunshine with chestnut trees blossoming, couples kissing, men playing chess and every Sunday the older generation (the "babushkas" and "dedushkas") dances to the lost tunes of a brass band in Pushkin Park. an intriguing but necessary balance between the security of the past and the restlessness of today's changes. I raise a toast to sweet Moldova: Sanatate and Za Zdorovje!


Christien de Kruif

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