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What does it mean to be Gagauz?
The Place: Comrat (Gagauzia), Moldova “Rising above a sea of the grey architecture that was a hallmark of the USSR, an island of vibrance in the form of a bright-yellow orthodox church topped with gold domes scattered the rays of sunlight spilling from the horizon…” Please note that we do not fact-check our interviewees, and that their views do not necessarily represent our own. The Person: Olga Kulaksız, 57, Culture Centre Director “There is a Gagauz cultural centre in the Odessa region in Ukraine, and I am the director of that centre. It’s not academic research or anything. I am the director, but there aren’t many people that work there, so…
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Pros & Cons of the Soviet Union
The Place: Chișinău, Moldova “Silhouettes of featureless, concrete tower blocks split orange rays of the setting sun, barks echoed, feral animals scampered across potholed streets, and I descended my final hill into Moldova’s capital city… I allowed gravity to take control as I glided between haphazardly parked cars, and standstill traffic. I picked up speed with a lump in my throat; less than 15 minutes earlier, I’d watched a distracted driver careen into a stray dog I’d befriended for several kilometres, and I still felt my arms tremble a little as I attempted to maintain my composure.” Please note that we do not fact-check our interviewees, and that their views…
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Inequality & Youth Culture in Moldova
The Place: Bălți, Moldova “…shadows gradually emerged from the white, and Moldova’s peculiarities began to reveal themselves; indistinguishable at first, but gradually they began to take shape… the clip-clopping of a horse and cart carrying farming supplies, audible long before it was visible, which seemed to materialise from thin air. I was in a bubble, extending 100 metres from me in every direction, obscuring everything outside it from view. “ Please note that we do not fact-check our interviewees, and that their views do not necessarily represent our own. The Person: Marina Skaletskaya, 16, High-School Student “I was a volunteer for one-and-a-half years at a small youth centre in our…
Life According to Locals
