Valea Morilor Park, Chisinau

Fulbright Update:
Life is good in Moldova, and so is the Chisinau Rotary Club
I haven’t written much about this, but life is very good here in Chisinau.

If you live in the center of town, as I do, the city is very walkable, and there are a number of beautiful parks at ones’ fingertips. Schedule permitting, I often spend an hour during lunchtime strolling the central park, Valea Morilor lake, or cathedral park. The nearby (10 min bus ride) Valea Trandafililor park is also worth the visit.

I live near the piata centrala, the central market, and thus tasty, cheap, fresh fruits and vegetables are also at my fingertips. The seasonal fruits (cherries and strawberries now; grapes in the fall) are notably excellent. Moldovan food is among my favorites—always fresh and well prepared. (This is a good guide to traditional Moldovan dishes.) 

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks

The restaurant and beer scene here has picked up considerably since my first visit in 2001. There’s a credible Asian restaurant, several good Georgian restaurants (dumplings!), and you can even get very good falafel in several places. There is craft beer everywhere, including two fine brewpubs. I’m recommending the Vienna lager at Holz brewery, and the dark house beer at Kozlovna brewery.

It seems like there’s always a festival or celebration of some kind going on in Chisinau, from the recent Europe Day to last fall’s raucous wine festival. 

Rural Moldova is charming. I spent a few days in Cahul, in the south, last fall, and loved it. I recently spent a weekend in the small village of Igntei north of Chisinau, and marveled at its natural beauty and in the warmth and hospitality of my hosts.

I would be happy living in Moldova long term, if I could bring my family and friends. Since that's not possible, I’ll have to content myself with occasional visits.

Charming Ignatei, north of the capital

Moldova Rotary Club
One of my favorite activities while in Moldova, not coincidentally done with some of my favorite Moldovans, was my participation in meetings and activities with the Rotary Club of Chisinau.

I had worked with them in 2022 on a project that connected my Rotary club in Parkville, MO to the Chisinau club on an initiative to benefit Ukrainian refugees. Having already had that connection, I had an “in,” and was generously invited to meet with them weekly. These meetings were great—always fun, frequently celebrating a birthday or other milestone. Especially memorable was a party to celebrate Rotary International’s birthday, and an afternoon spent planting cherry trees on the farm of one of our members. (Despite my brown thumb, the trees are reportedly thriving).

This club means business, and spares no expense or effort to make Moldova a better place, with multiple public service projects to provide scholarships, buy A/V equipment for schools, teach kids about the dangers of drugs, and even, simply, to help out a family in need. As I said during my last meeting with the club, I was honored to be associated with the Chisinau Rotary Club.

Chisinau Rotarians plant cherry trees