Why Moldova?

A bit over a year ago I returned from my student exchange. I had been back to school in Finland for just a few days, when in one course we were given a chance to participate in an international project that would start with a training in Moldova. Because while living abroad I really started to enjoy internationality, I enrolled in without a second thought.

                               

I haven´t travelled a lot but I had gotten used to two different, yet Western countries. You don´t usually think, how diverse countries and cultures Europe really has. When entering a foreign country everything often sounds and looks a bit different and instead of getting used to it, it feels like the longer you stay there the more different it feels. Traffic works really differently compared to Finland, none of the people around you speaks English and the currency is leu which I have never even heard of before. Some people, and especially Moldovans themselves, keep asking me how on earth do I fancy that country so much. I don´t have an answer yet but I think I need to visit Moldova again to find out.

A year and a half ago East didn´t even cross my mind. Now I´m desperately trying to learn Russian that I could go back. As a huge cliché as it is, sometimes you really need to go far to see close. It´s only healthy to change surrounding environment every once in a while to get to know yourself again. If you ever face the opportunity to take part in international actions, either abroad or in-country, have the courage to take it. You never know in advance what kind of sparkle it flares or where it eventually takes you.

Student intern Suvi