Everything is Alright Except......

I was relieved when our passenger plane landed in the capital of Moldova. The whole trip was a little exhausting with a one year old who was rather active and fussy due to not sleeping on the overnight flight. The poor child screamed the last half hour of our flight from Munich to Chisinau. I'm assuming he had issues with his ears. Thus our final landing brought relief that our travels were over.

We had purchased our tickets for January first because no other flight was landing in Chisinau from Munich a few days prior. So I was surprised to find only eleven other passengers on our flight into the capital. I was also surprised to see another American on our flight. She was kind and tried to help me with Josiah's screaming. When we landed her comment struck me, "Everything is alright except we are in Chisinau." What was that supposed to mean? I had heard that Moldova is a poor country, struggles with corruption and has issues with human trafficking. But I was a little taken back by this lady's perspective.

I will admit, Moldova is a little poorer than I thought it to be, but my experiences have shown me that is where you can find the most giving of people.

Someone was sharing with me about life during the Soviet Union. She shared that they thought they had the best life. They were told by their government that they had the best products, quality of life and health compared to the rest of the world, especially those in the United States. When the Soviet Union fell, she said that people became 'broken', realizing the type of life that they really were living in compared to the rest of Europe and the United States.

From driving around the city, you can see the new advancements the country has made. You can also see that there isn't a middle class, just lower and upper. I've already met kids who live in a single parent family because either father or mother is working abroad to support their family. Just this morning one of the basketball players took a bus to his home town where his sister is raising him as his mother works in Turkey.