Welcome to Moldova!

We are officially settled into our new home in Moldova. A little over two months in, and things have been hectic. Navigating the usual logistics of school enrollment, a new job & embassy, and learning the cultural and linguistic nuances of a new country.

Chisinau, Moldova as a city has pleasantly surprised us. Summer here stretches into October (a lot like SF!) so we have been able to enjoy some amazing weather. The city has it’s own charm. Soviet style old buildings, with tons of gorgeous parks, really fresh produce, a plethora of eateries. The languages here are Romanian and Russian, English is not widely spoken- but younger Moldovans seem to be fairly proficient in English and are happy to practice with us. V and I are enrolled in Romanian courses (covered by the embassy) and we are trying to learn the basics to at least get around town.

Chotu is enrolled in an English speaking Kindergarten. He will be in french classes twice a week, because we want him to try and keep the French that he learned in Burundi, it may be an uphill battle to keep him fluent- especially since V and I don’t really speak the language.

Our house in Moldova is gorgeous, and much more spacious than we expected. We have 3 levels with a total of 3 bedrooms, and an office as well as a lower level living area with a Sauna. Winters are long and dreary here so it will be nice to have a sprawling house to hibernate in for the winter.

Food & Wine

Soups dominate the local cuisine, especially as winter approaches. The Moldovan style of eating soup is with a dollop of sour cream. Favorites so far have been placinta’s (savory and sweet stuffed pastries), stuffed cabbage rolls, and the Ukrainian beet soup Borscht. The produce here is super fresh and makes for some yummy salads. The one thing the food scene is lacking is ethnic cuisine. There are a few Thai and Chinese restaurants but the flavors can be dialed down as locals DON’T do spice in any capacity.

Lastly- wine. Moldovans are super proud of their wine, and for good reason. They won the best wine award at the 2023 London wine competition (more than 30 countries competed), and they won big at the decanter world wines award this year. We are excited to head out into the countryside and explore some local wineries.

Have I convinced you to visit us yet? :)

Zeama- Chicken noodle soup (with a side of sour cream of course!)

Ginger Lemon Tea

“Ash Dori un Chai”= I would like a tea. This is one of the few Romanian phrases I always seem to remember.

Wine day in Moldova, with traditional music and performances.

Work

This is only my second post, so I find myself continuously comparing things to Burundi- and the two places could not be more different. The basics of my job are the same- simply doing the same job in a new location. I still work in the health unit, oversee and manage local staff, function as the primary care provider for all Americans, and provide occupational health for local staff at the embassy. This is a bigger embassy than Burundi, and so for me that just means more patients. I will take patient care over admin duties ANY DAY. So no complaints about the increase in patient visits. The vibe at this embassy is very different. Much more serious, and everyone seems to have their own lives, and they don’t hang out too much on their down time. I could use a little anonymity in my life after working and living in what felt like a fish bowl at my last post. I’m perfectly happy to do my job, come home and have a separation of the two.

CME

ACEP conference with my anonymous bestie :)

3 weeks after arriving in Chisinau, I hoped on a plane to head back to the U.S. for our yearly MED conference. This year we went to ACEP in Las Vegas. It was pretty bananas to fly from SF- Chisinau only to turn around after 3 weeks and make the exact-same-trip. It was exhausting, and TBH the conference and Vegas were.. meh. But hanging with my fellow medical providers and friends from orientation made it all worth it.

Food & Wine

Work

CME

Life

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