Moldova in danger, the other carpet country

When I went to Moldova in search of Moldovan rugs the year before the pandemic, I found a country that, while admittedly poor (perhaps the poorest in Europe?), was populated by endearing and kind people. The language barrier was immense, as Russian is spoken more widely than English. But commerce is an international language, just like hospitality and culture. Today, we are all worried; Moldova is bound to be next on the path of the tanks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for our latest import, as well as for those to come. So, I've decided not to talk about colorful rugs today. I simply want to express my affection for this country, whose richness I discovered and to which, with some difficulty at first, and then more deeply, I grew attached. To leave a record, so that you, if you read these lines, can have a better idea of ​​the country from which the Moldovan rug you fell in love with originated.

A population torn between Europe and Russia

Corsica became my adopted homeland when I fell in love with a Corsican woman who deigned to marry me. There, politics isn't organized along a left-right axis but rather around the notion of nationalism, to varying degrees. In Moldova, what divides people isn't being right or left, nor even rich or poor, because millionaires are certainly not commonplace, but rather pro-Russian or pro-Western European. Russian influence is very strong, starting with the Cyrillic alphabet. This division is also reflected in the way people dress: many women still wear traditional clothing, while others dress like Westerners. Those who dress like us are said to be "Europeans," and those who don't are "Russians."

A female president

This bipolarization was already present during the last presidential elections. And it was a woman, Maia Sandu, who won in 2020 with over 57% of the vote. A former World Bank employee and economics professor, she campaigned on a "European Moldova" platform. Known for her incorruptibility, her image seems, for the moment, untarnished by any scandal. I can't help but draw a parallel with the current Ukrainian president. From the moment of his election, his legitimacy was contested by some members of parliament as well as by Moscow. Born in 1972, she is a year younger than me, and I can't help but feel both fear and tenderness for this woman who is certainly much stronger, braver, and more talented than I am, and surely needs economic and political support far more than tenderness!

Are the tanks arriving?

"You're crazy, don't write that, you'll bring shame upon us."

Okay, so I won't write any more about what we all imagine and what terrifies us. Perhaps it's best to keep things light and avoid pathos. Let's focus instead on introducing you to the Moldova I love and which you will, I hope, one day have the chance to discover. But don't rush...

What does Moldova produce?

Moldova is a poor country, very poor. But nevertheless, not without resources.

I'll leave it to Wikipedia and the chambers of commerce to inform you about the economic activity of this very agricultural country. Go ahead, read on, because to love something, you have to know it. A cliché, not necessarily relevant, that I hesitate to delete as quickly as I wrote it! My French teacher was right; I overuse clichés as much as digressions...

So I'm going to tell you about what I liked during my all-too-short stay in Moldova:

• Moldovan carpets
• Ethical caviar
• A little Moldovan wine

Moldovan Carpets

That was the main reason for my trip. The ultimate goal of my quest. I searched extensively, and got quite lost. But, thanks to the miracle of the internet and a stroke of luck I'll tell you about another time, I found it. More importantly, I found a family, a passionate artisan and former industrialist who helped me and opened his home to me. I won't say more because I've already written too much, and too poorly, about Moldovan rugs here.

No-kill caviar

I visited a caviar farm. A unique place where sturgeon are raised, and almost cherished, like dairy cows of olden times. On this farm, instead of gutting the fish to extract the precious black eggs, they sedate the animal to harvest the caviar and then let it grow for another year before the process begins again. I grant you, it's not vegan at all. But I felt it was a step towards less barbarity that could at least be acknowledged.

A little Moldovan wine

I'm not going to play the wine expert. I really don't know much about wine. But I have drunk some. Sometimes even a bit too much in Chisinau. I thought it was good. But perhaps it was just the people who joined me on my drinking spree who gave me that pleasant feeling.

Revisiting my Moldova

I'd love to go back to Moldova. Maybe not tomorrow, with the pandemic and everything else. Especially everything else... but definitely someday. Moldova isn't Morocco. Chisinau isn't the Marrakech of mompreneur bloggers reselling handicrafts they found in the souk among other tourists. Let's be clear, I respect these Parisian shopkeepers, who are also my colleagues, and I'm aware that I'm not so different after all. But if you "really" like to get off the beaten track, if Instagram isn't your only source of inspiration, then maybe you'll go to Moldova one day. Let's not kid ourselves, you won't bring back the photos of your life. But maybe travel isn't just about Instagram posts, which are ultimately just the modern version of our parents' slideshow evenings.