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Bob Eckhart (2023-2024 U.S. Scholar grantee) discusses life in Moldova with a Youtuber here. 

You can also find Bob's opinion below:

Life in Moldova for someone on a Fulbright grant is very comfortable. Most scholars
tend to be in Chisinau, the capital, which has an incredibly walkable city center, and
attractive, quieter, more spacious suburban sectors which are all connected easily by a
network of reliable, comfortable trollyebuses.

Chisinau is a European capital city with all of the niceties of one–restaurants, cafes,
monuments, and most importantly, ample and spacious public parks. In the fall, there
are festivals almost every weekend–starting with Independence Day on August 27 and
Language Day August 31–culminating in Wine Days the first weekend of October and
City Day on October 14.

The country currently balances the past (thousands of years of agricultural
tradition–especially winemaking) with the future (the IT sector). The terrain starting
immediately on the edge of the city is beautiful and when seen from above might remind
you of Tuscany. Chisinau maintains its historic authenticity and is a wonderful place to
enjoy the European lifestyle while at the same time reflecting the unique legacy of
Moldova being part of the U.S.S.R. for 50 years.

History
There are several books which are the best resource for this, such as The Moldovans:
Romania, Russia, and the Politics of Culture (2000), by Charles King. The nutshell is
that this territory has been Moldavia, Bessarabia, Romania, the U.S.S.R., and has now
been independent since 1991.
While it is most important to understand the history, and especially the intense struggles
Moldova and Moldovans faced emerging from the U.S.S.R. in the 1990s, the reason to
understand the history is to understand the future. Moldova is trending towards
membership in the E.U. now, which highlights a fundamental conflict of values. There
are still many, many people in Moldova who long for the days of the Soviet Union when
everything in life was arranged by the government. There is also the current tension
over Transnistria, which remains unsolved. Finally, there is a unique part of Moldova
called Gagauzia which is an internal autonomous region in the south.

Culture
Many cultural traditions in Moldova overlap with Romania but then again maybe
Romanian cultural traditions reflect Moldavian ones. These traditions go back hundreds
of years before there was a Romania. There are also unique holiday traditions for
Christmas and New Year’s, because of the impact of the Soviet Union. Essentially, there
are two possible celebrations for Christmas (Dec. 25 and Jan. 7) and two for New
Year’s (Dec. 31 and Jan. 14), with each family seemingly placing different importance
on all four of them for reasons that are religious, political, or simply convenience (when
relatives from abroad can get back to celebrate).

The winter may seem long and dark but the city officials in Chisinau keep the main
holiday market open past Valentine's Day and by the second half of February, you will
see artisans all over the city with little stands selling red & white lapel pins, ornaments,
and decorations to commemorate the spring festival of Martisor which lasts throughout
March and builds up excitement for the spring. You should wear a little martisor pin on
your clothing all month and on April 1, find the branch of a fruit tree to drape it over and
it will blossom there.

Finally, don't miss the many opportunities to attend ballets and operas at the Marie
Biesu Theater, and countless other concerts at the beautifully-restored Organ Hall, or
plays at Eminescu Theater. Tickets for all these events can conveniently be searched,
found, and purchased from the iTicket app. You will never have easier, more convenient
and affordable access to the highest quality cultural offerings than in Chisinau.

Education
Students are enrolled in primary schools, gymnasiums, and then either college or
lyceum. There is a nationwide exam at the end of 9th grade which is used to determine
where students go for college (a pre-professional specialized training which may or may
not lead to university) or lyceum (similar to an American high school, preparing students
for work after graduation or the university).

Higher education in Moldova is offered through many state universities and at least one
(ULIM, the “free” university in the sense of “liberal” not no-cost). Many students, if not
most, who stay in Moldova for university are on a full scholarship (called a “budget”)
where they receive a tuition waiver and monthly stipend. However, Romania holds 5000
similar budget positions for Moldovan students so it is not uncommon for students to
just assume throughout most of their school career that they will go to Romania. A few
of the most elite–academically and/or economically–also go to other European
universities.

A crucial phenomenon of great importance to Fulbright Scholars is that enrollments at
most Moldovan universities have been steeply declining. There simply aren’t the
number of students currently (in some cases by 50%) that there were in the past. It is
easy to contemplate the impact this has on your university and the administrators you
will be working with.

Shopping

There are shops in the center and all the sectors where you can find everything you
need (and most of what you want). There are also multiple grocery stores everywhere
you look (including a German-based one called Kaufland) offering whatever you might
need. As for clothing, there is a small chain of thrift stores (MegaHand) offering ample
choices of clothing for all seasons–but especially winter–so there’s no need to pack a
bulky coat…you can buy one here for the equivalent of $15-20 and then donate it back
to the store or a refugee center in the spring. There is also the ever-popular Piada
Centrala which Fulbrighters insist sells “everything”...from chainsaws to corn tortillas.
Online shopping doesn't seem to be as commonly utilized in Moldova but 999.md has
many things on a convenient platform and will save you scouring the city for items that
might be more easily found in America, e.g. kombucha, gluten-free flours, etc.

Transport

You will never be in a country that has a more well-developed system to move people.
This ranges from rutieras that circulate on appointed routes within the city to
marshutkas that travel between cities. There are also incredibly modern trolleybuses
(and some classic ones still on the streets from the 80s) and regular buses. Note: you
will be corrected if you use a generic phrase such as “I’m going to take the bus” when
you actually mean a trolleybus. The cost of the buses and trolleybuses rose
astronomically from 2 lei to 6 lei in 2022 which might not seem like that big of a deal to
someone from America, but it is important even from the outset to realize that a jump
from $.10 to $.30 is nothing to you but for people on a Moldovan salary (which might
only be a few thousand lei/month), these increases are significant.
Taxis are also an option that Fulbrighters might consider “cheap” but the cost of the taxi
is sometimes paid psychologically by sitting in serious traffic jams. Chisinau wasn’t built
primarily as a car-centric city so “rush hour” is pretty much all day in the center. But
nonetheless, taxis are sometimes the best option and for now the Yandex app is
essential and the easiest to use but Letz (a google product) is surging in popularity.
The best transportation in Chisinau, however, is your feet. It is healthier, better for the
environment, and better psychologically. Believe me, the trolleybuses can get
CROWDED. Not necessarily like Japanese-subway crowded, but uncomfortably
crowded even for locals.

Housing
You will have a vast array of options here, ranging from a few hundred euro to over a
thousand/month. First off, rents always seem to be in euros because property-owners
are many times already abroad or go abroad frequently. Secondly, there is a wide
disparity based on if you want an authentically local (or local’ish) apartment or an all-out
expat luxury one.

Actually, on one end of the spectrum, I just heard from a French teacher at my university
that he lives in a university-owned apartment (and isn’t paying any rent at all). I’m not
sure if that option was available to me but I didn’t even know to ask. His apartment is in
a building that was allocated to the university during U.S.S.R. times and is still
controlled by them. On the other end of the spectrum, you can visit several
easily-searchable websites and let your imagination roam free. Despite the very low
local salaries, the market you will be encountering on this website caters to staff of
NGOs and foreign-based companies. So, the housing market (and to a lesser extent the
restaurants) reflect a two-tiered economy which can seem hard to understand.

Food
Prepare to be surprised–there are new restaurants opening every day including our
favorite, Asian Street, which has a “business lunch” special (offered until 5pm) that is
worth planning your day around. There are local places which are soviet-style cafeterias
(Galbenus, TikTak, Bistro a la minute); there are places that offer all the local specialties
(Eli Pili and La Placinte); and more expensive European restaurants (LeAcasa, Lume,
Sisters, etc). Restaurants are everywhere and all over the price spectrum.
Moldovan food is typically explained as placinte (sweet or savory filled pastries),
mamaliga (polenta), and zeama (chicken soup featuring fermented broth). The best
placinte seem to be from a hole-in-the-wall mainly carryout shop in the basement of a
school next to the opera house, Stefanita, which many locals don’t even realize had a
few small tables for dine-in. The best zeama and mamaliga are, of course, made at
home by grannies.

Best practices
Like anywhere you travel or teach, the best practices are to be patient, tolerant, loving,
and kind. You are not in America anymore so you should be respectful of your hosts and
try to be a dignified guest. For many Moldovans, life has been very hard but they
haven't let that defeat them.

The supreme cultural value of Moldovans is hospitality and if you are patient,
tolerant, loving, and kind, you will be welcomed with open arms and open hearts. While
Moldovans might not all be rich people, they are rich in spirit and rich in kindness. You
will know you have been accepted when students bring you bottles of grandpa's wine at
the holidays or pin a Martisor on your sweater on March 1.
 

Useful links:
iticket.md (tickets for cultural events)
https://taxi.yandex.md/
glemus.com (apartments)
https://charleskingauthor.com/book/the-moldovans/
https://moldova.travel/en/cultural-heritage/
999.md (online shopping)