From poor to rich
As I left Alona who went to Romania and flew to Toulouse in France, it was an outstanding contrast from Moldova the poorest country in Europe to France one of the most richest and it was sickening.
The first thing I noticed was the people in Moldova. The people had been around the same height as me 5’6 but we very rarely saw anyone taller than us. They wore basic clothes that looked like they were from the early 90’s frozen in time. Their hair was wild and windswept. People had crinkled lines around their eyes.
In France I was once again one of the shortest people in a room, everyone towered over me. They were dressed in modern clothes even some designer. Everyone was fit and healthy with many men in particular wearing vests showing off their very muscular arms. Everyone had perfectly styled hair without a strand out of place.
The next thing that hit me was the buildings in Moldova. The buildings were in a sorry state they looked broken, battered and betrayed. The buildings served their purpose but they looked like they had given up many years ago. Pavements, walkways and public spaces were destroyed and ran into the ground. It was almost a small treck from point A to B.
In France the decadence of the buildings went for as far as the eye could see. Every beautiful building stood tall and proud with such elegance. The pavements and public places were stunning with recycling bins everywhere. Well looked after flower beds that rippled rainbow colours through the pristine parks.
The food in Moldova was amazing with fresh vegetables for pennies. The fruit and veg was huge with bright colours and everything was from the local area. The fruit and veg was so delicious.. All the meals had a lot of love put into it and all the food was made there. When you ordered it would take a little longer as every meal was made from scratch to order.
I was mortified at how expensive food was in France. I know food in France is expensive but in comparison it was shocking. As the food was back to EU standard the tomatoes were half the size and a little less colorful, all the fruit and veg were almost identically shaped compared to the wild and free ones in Moldova.
The thing I was really shocked to discover was how safe I felt in Moldova. I wasn’t scared of the people, for my belongings or for my personal safety. However when I got to France I was worried about pickpockets and bag snatchers. I didn’t want to go out late at night just in case. I thought about this a lot and put it down to the fact that my whole life France has always been in British media and exposure to it is huge.
It’s very common for people back home to say to people who are going on holiday about pickpockets however a comment you don’t hear too much back home is: ‘mind pickpockets in Moldova.’