Moldova is considered the poorest country in Europe. In my village I have heard that pension range from 50 to 200 US Dollars per month. Most Moldovans cannot live without canning and preserving fruits and vegetable form their own garden.
Due to salaries being low and work is hard to come by many Moldovans work abroad. In the village where I live there are parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends that live and work abroad. The most common countries where people my village are working are Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Italy and America.
There are children have grown up with their grandparents, only seeing their parent(s) on holidays and via webcam on a computer. Marriages and families have been destroyed due to people working abroad. Some people that work abroad send money back to support their family back home, visit when they can, and do their best to continue their relationship with their spouse and children. Others make new relationships in the countries where they have started working and never return home or support their family in Moldova.
The other day, I was using the internet at the local public computer lab and saw a scene that broke my heart. A man in his thirties brought his daughter and son to the computer lab. His children played different games on the computer while he used the program Skype to talk to his wife who is working in another country. I have seen this family before; I think they use the computer lab once a week to speak with their loved ones.
Even though I only heard one side of the conversation, it was heart wrenching. At one point the man ask his wife, “Will you come home this summer?” A few minutes later the father gave the headset to his daughter. The daughter talked a little bit, and then she asked in a barely understandable tear-stained voice, “Mommy, when are you coming home?”
At that point I wished I did not understand Romanian. My eyes filled with tears and I was thankful that my parents and siblings were always together while we were growing up.
Due to salaries being low and work is hard to come by many Moldovans work abroad. In the village where I live there are parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends that live and work abroad. The most common countries where people my village are working are Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Italy and America.
There are children have grown up with their grandparents, only seeing their parent(s) on holidays and via webcam on a computer. Marriages and families have been destroyed due to people working abroad. Some people that work abroad send money back to support their family back home, visit when they can, and do their best to continue their relationship with their spouse and children. Others make new relationships in the countries where they have started working and never return home or support their family in Moldova.
The other day, I was using the internet at the local public computer lab and saw a scene that broke my heart. A man in his thirties brought his daughter and son to the computer lab. His children played different games on the computer while he used the program Skype to talk to his wife who is working in another country. I have seen this family before; I think they use the computer lab once a week to speak with their loved ones.
Even though I only heard one side of the conversation, it was heart wrenching. At one point the man ask his wife, “Will you come home this summer?” A few minutes later the father gave the headset to his daughter. The daughter talked a little bit, and then she asked in a barely understandable tear-stained voice, “Mommy, when are you coming home?”
At that point I wished I did not understand Romanian. My eyes filled with tears and I was thankful that my parents and siblings were always together while we were growing up.
1 comments:
I'm thankful, too.
Mom
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