Moldova
As we finished our beers that we had shared with our new Kyrgyzstan friend ‘Tommy’ whom we had met in the hostel and had become friends via google translator we decided it was time to get more beer.
However Moldova is in a very sad state of affairs. The old decayed buildings wept sad tears from the glassless windows and for as far as the eye could see everything looked as though a war had happened yesterday. The pavement was broken like a glass under a hammer. The people looked sad and sunken much like the buildings in the capital. The Moldovan men staggered past us with a strong smell of vodka, some even had gaping wounds on their legs that were deep and full of dirt.
‘I will come with you.’ Tommy translated from google.
‘Thank you.’ I gratefully told the translation app.
Off we went leaving Alona with some stray cats in the kitchen. As we set off across the almost non existent pavement and towards the dark abyss we were confronted with a five lane road and no way to cross.
‘Запустить’ he yelled
‘I’m sorry?’ I replied
Next thing I know he is halfway across the road running for his life, instinctively I followed suit. I launched across the road, running for my life thankfully we made it across safely. In that moment I really wondered what has my life become as I just flew across a road with a stranger in ransacked Moldova.
We made it to the shop and got some beers. Tommy politely took my bag that contained the beers and across the road we ran and along the pavement and back to the hostel. Alona still had the stray cat in the kitchen and also three men. One was old about seventy with laughter lines across his face, the other was a tall tanned man with a very stern scary face and the final man was sitting in a chair in running clothes.
As Tommy handed me the bag I took out the beers. The men had an exchange in Russian which I didn't understand and I took out the beers opening them for the three of us.
‘Do not be scared.’ Tommy translated.
‘It’s ok I have been here a few days and I’m not scared anymore.’ I told google translate
One of the men shouted something and laughed.
‘No, don’t be scared that he has been to prison because he murdered someone but it was their own fault.’ Google translate very robotically told us. We wondered why they would tell us at all.
I spin my head to look at Alona who had managed to keep her face still.
‘Okay we won't be scared.’ I lied to google translate
The men all started talking Russian once more and Tommy translated what they were saying into the phone as this was going on the murderer went behind me and into a small fridge and pulled out a bottle of vodka and some beer.
‘Sergey said he is in a wheelchair because he also murdered someone and the brother of the murder victim stalked him and broke down his door and shot him. He will show you his wound and when he was shot he fell out the window and fell down six floors now he's disabled.’ The phone bleakly told me. Why is everyone a murderer?
As we proceed with the information that we had just received the man sitting down, Sergey, pulled his top down and showed us a bullet wound. The men all laughed and the third man said something and again Tommy translated.
‘It's very funny because they do not know each other but the older man also had murdered someone but don't worry it was a long time ago and now we drink vodka!’
As the elderly murderous man poured out six giant vodkas and handed us an overflowing glass, we all clinked glasses. I couldn’t believe I was worried running across that road earlier.
As we finished off the bottle of vodka and the beers the evening had flown by. They were actually really nice and helped us to learn some vital Russian words.
The next morning we woke up not sure if that had really happened. Surely we had not been stupid enough to get drunk with three convicted murders. As we arose from our room, the oldest man beckoned me forward and pointed to a locker.
‘Present’
He opened the locker and inside was a bag of beers. Tommy had checked out but first he went and got us a little gift.