Gradina Mea in Casa Mea

On paper, 1 out of 4 working age Moldovans are working abroad, though the other day we organized some activities in a field in our village of 3000 and when we asked the kids to raise their hands in they had a parent living in Italy, Moscow...at least half the hands went up. We then asked how many had both parents abroad and I would say it was about 1/4. Moldovans are resiliant. Here are a people who have had to learn to make the most of difficult situations and survive through the hardest of times. Yet another result of collectivism are that Moldovans have these incredible gardens that they all know how to extensively cultivate throughout the year. In my village, the property where they reside on rough average is at least 2-3 acres but there are large fields of corn and potatoes which line the villages. At first I thought these belonged to business or wealthy individuals until my family took me out to their 8 acre plot. Each family int he community owns a section and works it extensively. Every tree on their property and even along the road bears fruit of some kind, sweet cherries, sour cherries, apples, pears, fresh apricots. Their gardens are packed with cucumbers, peas, beans, tomatoes, rasberries, strawberries, dill... Grapes (poamme) grow everywhere and every property has a large cellar dug into a hill where they have oak barrels of homemade wine. They make tons of jam, large bottles of compote (fruit juice), they eat a ton of the sweet corn and dry the rest in their attics to hand grind as feed for their chickens, rabbits, pigs... Their food is local, organic and incredibly delicious. Sounds like paradise right? That's why Jessica and I in our naivety have struggled to understand why so many members of their families have gone overseas, "Why don't they just live off the land and enjoy themselves." But all of this hard work that they do is their just to supplement their turbulent enconomic future and past. The stark reality is that it is simply not enought to survive on, which means going abroad can be a negative mindset towards their prospects here but it is also in many cases a dreaded necessity. Those that we have met love their country, their lives here, their rich culture and unified communities.
How did this economic collapse occur? How can the Moldovan economy be reinvigorated? Jessica and I have learned much in regard to this already and no doubt it will be the topic of many of our blog entries. What i know now is that we will need the creativity, prayers and support of our communities back in the states to use their expertise in order to wrestle with the various dimensions of their struggles and potential solutions. I already have tons of questions for those of you who majored in economics, business, and environmental sciences. Jessica and I hope that we can bring the beauty and the current struggle of the Moldovan way of life into your world so that you can collaborate with us on ways to make their future successful.
Salutari Moldova!