Well, Just a few more days...

Hey guys, this blog is an experiment, but I will try to keep you all updated on my short adventure to Moldova... I am not sure how regular my internet use will be, but I'll try to make an effort!  For those of us who need a better understanding of where Moldova is (I include myself in that!) see above.  The upper eastern region of Transdniestr is currently under control of Russian separatists, so I most likely won't go there, but I'll be in Chisinau and I'll probably have a chance to get out to the surrounding villages.  I am working for CCF Moldova, an NGO which serves children and families in multiple anti-trafficking initiatives and child protection capacities. 

I'll be leaving the 18th of May -- and will share my not-so-direct travel itinerary cause I think it's funny.  I fly from Missoula to Salt Lake City to Calgary to Amsterdam to Bucharest, and then I'll take an overnight train from Bucharest to Chisinau.  All told, I'll leave Missoula Wednesday morning and arrive in Chisinau sometime Friday morning.  I'm pretty sure I am the only one to ever search MSO-KIV on Yahoo travel. 

For those of you who are wondering, I chose Moldova because it's a place I have never been, yet I can use my rusty Romanian language skills there, fantastically.  One of only two countries where Romanian comes in handy!  I found CCF on the internet and was accepted for an internship.  According to the state department Moldova information page, Moldova continues to be one of the poorest countries in Europe and is a corridor for human trafficking from Russia to Eastern Europe and beyond. 

I am all packed and I am pretty proud of myself, I must say... I packed for nine weeks in a carry-on size suitcase.  Yeah!

Hopefully I'll have a chance to write again soon, when I recover from the journey... au revoir friends!