Nu...spring-time in Chisinau, Daniel Vicario

I can’t believe my time here in Chisinau is nearing its end. And I regret that I will be leaving right when summer is starting. Chisinau seems like a completely different place than the city I arrived in four months earlier. There have been consistently sunny days and warm temperature, while we have generally been spared from any spring showers.

And the city is bustling with activity. Last week, a cell phone company sponsored a massive free concert in downtown Chisinau. A few days later, a rival cell phone company organized a hot air balloon launch. And in between whatever is going on at the moment, it is great that I can always take a break and just relax, even if it is just buying ice cream or kvass and walking through one of the numerous parks here.

On the language front, I am surprised at how much Romanian I have been able to learn in just four months. It has been a challenge to balance learning Russian and Romanian and I have yet to completely master. One of the more problematic issues is that in Russian I have a tendency to say “ну” (nu), which means well (used as an interjection), but in Romanian “nu” means no. So after four months, I sometimes still start statements with “nu,” regardless of whether I am speaking Russian or Romanian, which can lead to momentary confusion.

I have also been lucky enough to accompany my host family to the countryside to visit their relatives. It was a great opportunity to see how other Moldovans lived, outside of the city. In addition to eating way too much, my hosts attempted to teach me how to dance to some traditional Moldovan music and while I’m not the most graceful, I received some applause for my efforts. It was also an occasion for my hosts to showcase their wine (made from their own vineyards), which is also a point of pride for them.

More recently, my Russian professor and I traveled up north to the city of Soroca, which is situated on the Dniester River, and is known for its considerable Roma population. Besides visiting a centuries old fortress and admiring the ornate mansions that can be found on winding streets, we also visited a recently constructed monument, Luminarea Recunostintei (the Candle of Gratitude), which is dedicated to the unknown people that have preserved the culture and history of Moldova. The candle-shaped monument also serves as a chapel. And the monument, which is situated on a hill, offers an amazing view of the Dniester and the two countries that it separates – Moldova and Ukraine.

I only have one more week left, which means I have to make the most out of my time outside of class. I still have two places I’d like to visit. Hopefully, I will able to make a trip to Orhei Vechi, known for its cave monastery, as well as the cellars at Milestii Mici, which is considered the largest cellar complex in the world. I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I’ll soon be leaving. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye.
 

Daniel Vicario is studying Romanian in Chisinau, Moldova for the Spring 2010 Semester.