Journo Birds

19/12/2024

Hi! Marian here.

In Estonia in the early 2000s, I spent my teenage years in a suburb of Tallinn. I remember stabbings and street fights between Russian and Estonian speakers. I remember poverty and post-Soviet education when being overly curious was not encouraged. I was bullied by some of my teachers because I was too loud, too excited, and too much of everything. But I had my big dreams! Like many young people then, we wanted to get away—to the West!

At the same time, our country was preparing to join the European Union. I remember the discussions about "imperfectly shaped" vegetables that we thought wouldn't be allowed to be sold according to EU rules. There were discussions about hunting quotas. The EU wanted to ban hunting wolves and beavers, but we had too many animals because our land was covered in forests.

A couple of weeks ago, I listened to an Estonian diplomat, Taavi Toom, speaking to Moldovan government officials who are now trying to get Moldova to the EU. At the time, Taavi was among the leaders working at the Foreign Ministry of Estonia. He was at the leadership epicentre. As part of the Estonian Centre for International Development project, he now visited Moldova to explain how Estonia joined. And how Moldova is now in a similar situation.

And I get to witness it all again, but as an adult and in Moldova!

Moldova doesn't have the crime levels we had in the early 2000s, but there is a war next door. So, of course, there are differences between these two countries. But I did witness how Estonia turned it all around and is now one of those boring, wealthy, safe places we all wanted to escape to back then.

By the way, I, too, left Estonia and studied and worked in Western countries for six years. But then, suddenly, everyone wanted to come back. People would move back with families, bringing their foreign spouses. And I, too, moved back home.

I am incredibly proud of what Estonia has achieved, and I'm sure Moldova is next.

I summed up what Estonian diplomats tell their Moldovan and Ukrainian colleagues in an article on the Estonian Centre for International Development and in Romanian language on Moldova.org (links in comments).

MoldovaEuropeană Guvernul Republicii Moldova

09/12/2024

A peek inside the studio of Moldovan designer Darya Golneva from .studio

She shared that this building once served as a Jewish school, where kids used to sneak out of class through those very windows.

(We’re working on a story about Moldovan clothing brands.)

29/11/2024

Can artificial intelligence (AI) write a story?

A good story is something AI will never be able to craft, no matter how well we prompt it. Those who think AI will take their job as storytellers don’t know what storytelling is.

A good story plays on the delicate strings that make us human: experiences, memories, dreams and regrets, thoughts and feelings. Only another human can really understand them.

No AI tool will ever be able to describe someone’s day, let alone their feelings. They wouldn’t know what happened to you today. They don’t know what images came to mind. Try asking ChatGPT what matters to you and why. Pointless, right?

Everything beautiful in our world is a non-AI creation. Everything worth writing down as a story is human (even the children’s stories with animal characters are from a human perspective).

You cannot look at a painting AI created and think: “Wow! It speaks to me!” You cannot listen to only a computer-created song and resonate with it on a deeper level.

Storytelling is a form of art. The author collects and reorganises what happens in the world. This helps the reader make sense of the world and, even more importantly, of themselves. A good storyteller asks, listens, and immerses themselves in (human) situations to feel and resonate on a level no AI invention could ever do. They connect with their subjects and look them in the eyes.

Journo Birds is not against AI. It’s a wonderful story editor and a great support for freelancers. It can find typos and suggest missing pieces of information or facts. It can help you reword paragraphs.

In our work, we use Claude as a storyline editor. Perplexity for facts and data (because it comes with verifiable sources) and ChatGPT to translate.

But we would never give the whole story to a computer to write. It kills the vibe. It takes all the flavour and feeling out of it.
Only perfectly written words are left. But that’s not how humans write or live.

A good story is imperfect, like its writer.

(and like this photo below)

15/11/2024

Hiring!

Hello to all the creative and talented people in Moldova!

Journo Birds is looking for writers (1) and video creators (2).

We offer lots of flexibility and creative freedom.

Journo Birds lifts good people through storytelling. We help nonprofits show they work and amplify their impact. See how to apply at the bottom of the message.

1) Writer and journalist (in English):
We are looking for a talented writer proficient in English (Romanian language skill is an asset) with experience in writing articles. The ideal candidate will know how to simplify the complex and make the boring interesting. With the help of an editor, you will brainstorm ideas, plan the story and the sources, and go to the field to interview and write the story.
If you're based in Moldova, curious about learning and people's experiences, and you have a knack for writing, we want to hear from you!

2) Social media Video creator
We are looking for a talented video creator proficient in English (Romanian language skill is an asset) with experience in social media to create engaging short reels. The ideal candidate will have a creative flair and a strong understanding of current trends to capture the audience's attention. With the people and their experiences in focus. You will brainstorm ideas, write the script, go to the field together with the journalist (in Moldova), film, take photos, and edit short video content that aligns with our client's voice.
If you're based in Moldova, passionate about social media and have a knack for storytelling through video, we want to hear from you!

When applying, please start your email to [email protected] with the phrase, "Birds fly high, and so do I!". Attach your CV and a cover letter explaining why you're the best match and what's your work process.

Please share the message, share the love.

Here's a video purely to get your attention:

01/11/2024

Hi! Your Estonian friend Marian here.

"You are probably the only person I know trying to get to the European Union twice in their lives," my partner told me recently. And yes - it's true!

As an Estonian, I remember joining the EU in 2004. I remember the debates around it and the referendum. Now, I am witnessing it all again, living in Moldova.

Estonians received a lot of help from the Finns and the Swedes. Now, it's Estonia's turn to help Moldova.
Do you agree?

If anyone can relate to what's happening in Moldova and give hope to this tiny country harassed and bullied by the giant from the neighborhood, then it's Estonia.
We get it. We know.

"We urge Moldovans to seek help," Ekke Nõmm, the head of the school for diplomats in Estonia, told me two weeks ago. He said that Moldovans should really not hold back now and ask and get all the help they need.

“Moldova has made good use of the open window of opportunity," said Klen Jäärats, the Estonian Centre for International Development head. "But this window can close just as quickly it opened."

And Estonians are helping a lot! Supported by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), they regularly visit Moldova, train diplomats, and cyber experts, and help digitalize the government and the school system.

The Estonian government supports micro initiatives and collaborates with the Moldovan government and NGOs for big projects.

If you're a Moldovan and have an idea, check them out.

(check out the story about the EU referendum and the ESTDEV's activities in Moldova in the comment section).

Because I would love to join the EU, again, with Moldova!

26/09/2024

A year ago, two Estonian journalists—Marian Männi and I, Tiina Kaukvere —had the idea that Moldova should be portrayed more objectively to the world. Coming from a small nation ourselves, we understand the struggle of making our voices heard and being understood. This is the fate of small nations: we must be the most vocal in explaining ourselves, or others will do it for us. Do you think they already know enough? The truth is, they don’t!

Moldovans are the most hospitable people I’ve ever met, but now it’s time to turn that kindness toward themselves. True beauty is born from taking care of yourself. This is the main lesson I learned after a year as a foreign journalist in this country.

Thank you for every like, every follow. It has been a year full of discoveries!

Our one-year project, powered by the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, has ended, but we hope to continue. There’s a constant need to tell Moldova’s story. We are searching for support to show the world what Moldova is about. Any advice is highly appreciated.

Our stories were published in Moldova Matters, Moldova.org, Fair Observer, Balkan Insight, Postimees, Eesti Ekspress, Euronews, Politico, Edasi.org, Emerging Europe, and more.

Thank you, Stella JS, Vasile Tofan, and Anton Waschuk, for believing in us. Thank you, Elena Vr and Tatiana Namashco, for your efforts to put Moldova on the world map! Thank you, Tiina Rekand, for your support online and offline. Thank you, Maria Gerth Niculescu, for your in-depth, well-written stories. Thank you, Rustom, for kindly joining us with cameras underground, on the ground, and in cemeteries. Vazy Production for flying the drone and taking photos on our hiking trip. True Agency for creating our visual identity. Startup Moldova for footage and support. Thank you to our patient families! And to all the amazing sources who were kind to open up, to not run away when we approached on the streets, in their offices, villages, at the borders - south and north, east and west. Thank you to all the grandmothers who opened their doors. Thank you, Moldovans, for all those heartfelt conversations, smiles, encouragement, and bags of grapes (nobody took "no" for an answer).

Artcor was our base. Among many, many others, we spoke to Nata Albot, Alex Melnic, Alina Ciobanu Events, Nadejda Gori, Fred in Moldova, Ukrainian truck drivers, Viorel Garaz, UNHCR, The UN Refugees Agency Friends, NRC - Norwegian Refugee Council, Katalyst Kitchens, VILA Dorului, Wine of Moldova Romania, Cătălina Plinschi, A. O. Salvați Chișinăul / SaveChișinău, NXNHouse, Yurii Palkov, Asociația Companiilor din Industria Electronică din Moldova, Elena Maevski, European Union in the Republic of Moldova, Janis Mazeiks, Elena Druţă, Zona de Securitate, Natalia Bejan, Bloomcoding Moldova, Mike Butcher, Parkopedia, Sergiu Musteata, UNESCO, Sergiu Prodan, Pasha Parfeni, Catalin Josan, Yuliana Scutaru, Lev Voloshin, Oleg Condrea, Animest.

10/09/2024

We had a question, so we sought answers: What is missing from Old Orhei for it to be included in the UNESCO list?

UNESCO's official response was that they wouldn’t comment directly on the matter, but they provided us with valuable background information about the Old Orhei saga.

�What are your thoughts on this? You can read our full article, now published in Fair Observer and Moldova Matters.

02/09/2024

Moldova with kids: An honest guide

Hey! Marian here! We have two toddlers and live in Chișinău. In our free time, here’s what we do.

When I pick up my three- and six-year-olds from their kindergarten, we usually head straight to the park. It’s nicer to process their after-school meltdown in the fresh air and me holding a takeaway almond latte.

The park Valea Morilor is where my Moldovan man took me on our first walk to impress me. He didn’t think it through. It was February and depressing. But more than eight years later, after heavy renovations and flower planting, all my foreign visitors with kids come here for a stroll by the lake. In the summertime, this is the coolest place to be. This is the Times Square of Chișinău. Except that instead of the flashy screens, there are plants and sand.

If you enter the park from the Telecentru district, you’ll see playgrounds and an old-school outdoor gym, which is a big hit among toddlers. Who cares about slides and swings if you have an old rusty metal pole to grab onto? The smallest kids compete for the bravest to climb to the top of the ladder while parents beg them to stop. Their hands will smell like coins for hours afterward.

On the plus side, the public restroom attendant is nearby and lets kids in for free (but gets judgmental if you forget to greet her demonstratively).

The tricky part is keeping the kids away from the bouncy castles someone has set up next to the playground as a side hustle. Even if I find cash for this overpriced half-an-hour fun, my kids get bored after ten minutes, and I have to spend the next twenty asking them to stay inside the giant inflated bag—and they better enjoy it.

When we feel more adventurous, we head to Rose Valley Park. From Melestiu Street, you can quickly see the skate park and the kids’ favourite attraction—a multilayered climbing frame where kids run up and down like hamsters. Such a simple but genius entertainment that could be Moldova’s trademark invention!

There are tandem swings and a playground for the tiniest humans. We sometimes walk up the lake in the middle of the park and hop on a car-shaped water bike. Exploring this tiny body of water takes five minutes, but then your kids can start chasing down other bikers. Without their knowledge, of course. Don’t worry, life vests are provided.

Longer trips out of the city

If we can, we usually leave the capital on the weekends. Sometimes, it just means renting a simple Airbnb house in nature (hello, an EcoVillage Moldova in Rîșcova). In the villages, we sometimes knock on locals’ gates and ask if we can buy their produce. The kids would climb on tractors and taste the apples from the garden.

Or we would drive to a vineyard. Lately, many of them have built playgrounds. I guess they figured out that people have kids? North of Chisinau, in Crama Mircești, ask the locals about the old self-made potter who only makes black bowls and plates. The vineyard gave him the deal of his lifetime and ordered their table set from him. He happily opens his doors to visitors and talks about his adventurous life.

In the east, by the border with Ukraine, lies a village, Lalova. Near the river, a Moldovan family built a traditional bed-and-breakfast, Hanul lui Hanganu, where we sometimes like to take time off. The owner built most of the houses there by himself. It’s a quiet place (I mean, quiet before we arrive) with a playground and a swimming pool.

Of course, a major argument for my three-year-old is the simple swing, on which she spends hours. Which means that I spend hours there, too. Other highlights include idling horses and cats.

When Orhei Vechi in Butuceni village has outdoor concerts or other events, we stay the night at Eco Resort Butuceni, especially during the spring berry season. My kids can spend the whole morning eating berries, and I can sneak into a hammock to read a book. Or we can dip into the pool. But since there aren’t any pool floats for the kids, and I always forget them at home, this option is less relaxing.

When we have guests, we sometimes take the ferry to the other side of the river Nistru. It’s free, and you can take your car from one village, Molovata, to another, Molovata Nouă, with it.

You do have to pass a young teenage guy with a Russian flag sewn on his uniform, but officially, it’s Moldovan territory, so there’s nothing to worry about. We would go to a hotel, VILA Dorului, with a heated pool. Last year, we went swimming there in late October.

Or, the kids can splash in the river. Or, eat the cherries if it’s the season. You can find wild grapes in the pine forest there. On our way back, a heavy storm prevented the ferry from crossing. So we waited at the bus stop, singing and looking at the branches falling. It was as eventful as a theme park.

(The ferry did leave eventually if you wondered if we were still stuck at that bus stop).

Moldova may not have famous wellness centers (such as Therme in Bucharest, Romania) or marked, child-friendly hiking tracks. Its best-known theme park may be the miniature village filled with goats. The only beaches are bits of sand by the Valea Morilor lake or the river Nistru.

But if the goal is to spend time with family, then you really don’t need more than a few trees, a fun picnic blanket (which I bring everywhere) and lots of snacks. And that usually makes the day for our toddlers.

Edited by Emerging Europe
Also published there with links (see the comments).

30/08/2024

Touring in Moldova (3- and 5-year-old edition) part 2:

1. Stop at the nearest sunflower field to touch those giants (they are rare in our home)
2. Old Orhei (because it’s kind of a must)
3. Zeama (because it’s kind of a must too)
4. Hearing if the sheep’s “baa” is different from “mää”
5. Ferry trip from Molovata to Molovata Noua (and a dip in the Nistru)
6. Underground trains of Cricova (because the train ride is the main attraction there)
7. MOLDOVAN WEDDING (when you’re in Moldova in August, you just can’t skip one)
8. Vartely winery (because the parents thought it was a good idea)
9. Hike in Tipova (holy hill!)
10. Hanul lui Hanganu - ahh, we finally made it to heaven!
The End!

21/08/2024

Hey! Marian here! This summer, guests from all over Europe—Portugal, Germany, Italy, Estonia, and Sweden—visited us in Moldova.

One thing I noticed almost everyone mentioned was the taste of Moldovan fruit. "But Marian, this melon tastes like honey!" they would tell me. "Or these plums... how is it even possible that they are so sweet?" They would keep pressing for me to reveal some big secret behind this taste. There is no big secret, I would tell them. The soil here is really fertile. And the sun is as hot as an Estonian sauna. Even the Italians were blown away. Well, this little Moldovan secret is now out and increasingly on the shelves in European shops. And ironically, that's thanks to Russia.

Russia’s behavior in recent years has pushed Moldovan fruit producers to send their goods to Europe instead of Russia (like before).

Only six years ago, Moldova exported nearly 70 percent of its apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums to Russia. By 2023, only about 18 percent of those fruits ended up in Russia!

Moldova has become one of the biggest plum exporters to the European Union.

This change is remarkable, isn't it? In only such short years, the Moldovans have become serious players in the EU market.

Have you tried Moldovan cherries or plums in your country? What did you think? Can they compete with the fruit from the rest of Europe?

We just published a story about Moldovan fruit export in Emerging Europe. Check it out to learn more.

DNA FRUIT Asociația Moldova Fruct Agenția de Investiții din Moldova Iurie Fala Ministerul Dezvoltării Economice și Digitalizării al Republicii Moldova EcoLocal Farmers Market Moldova European Union in the Republic of Moldova Travel to Moldova Travel to Moldova / Viajar en Moldavia / Călătorii în Moldova Moldova Travel Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund

17/08/2024

Our first vlog is finally up! Check out in Youtube! We went hiking in Moldova (and almost got hit by a rock)! Thank you for amazing frames! Thank you for the hike! ☘️☀️🌻

17/08/2024

Check out our first vlog! We went hiking in Moldova (and almost got hit by a rock).

You can find perfect seashells in the landlocked country of Moldova! We hiked in a place where almost no one else does. Why is that?00:00 Intro01:16 Nobody h...

14/08/2024

New story out: Moldovan summer camp offers a respite for Ukrainian mothers and children.

Four-year-old Vova hasn’t got used to air raid alerts. In the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, where he lives with his parents and sister, they have become a daily occurrence.

“He usually reacts very strongly to these alerts,” his mother, 31-year-old Nadia Burenko, said. When Vova attends kindergarten, each siren means a trip to the bomb shelter.

“This can happen anytime, for example, while the kids sleep or play,” the young mother added.

Now, Vova is spending a holiday in Moldova—a break from the daily disruptions caused by war.

Full story written by Maria Gerth-Niculescu, linked in the comments.

12/08/2024

A day in Chisinau as a foreign tourist (3- and 5-year-old edition):

1. Went to the history museum.
2. Visited an Orthodox church.
3. Talked with a local cat.
4. Couldn’t get into that interesting house!
5. Had placinte in front of the government building.
6. Visited the temporary museum of deportations.
7. Hugged a tree.
8. Met a local boy, David (greetings!!), in a restaurant. He showed us origami. Exchanged origami art and talked about life.

07/08/2024

Who’s the gatekeeper of Chisinau?

Did you know that Chisinau’s block-of-flat architecture was particularly unusual during the Soviet Union era compared to other capitals? Residential building complexes shaped like sailing ships, toothed wheels, or traditional Moldovan gates are a reminder of that. Soviet architecture was more experimental in Chisinau.

That’s one of the reasons behind the famous apartment building called the Gates of the City.

Locals criticize that the building now only serves as a reminder of how it once looked. Up close, they feel embarrassed that their city symbol is in poor shape. Raisa Banteleievna worries about that, too. She does what she can and makes at least one corner of the building more beautiful—she takes care of the garden of this building, which is today considered one of the symbols of Chisinau.

We found her in a pop-up street market, selling flowers and other garden goods. That’s what some 86-year-olds do in Moldova.

What does she remember about moving into this symbolic building? Read in the article linked in the comments.

05/08/2024

When plates are stacked one on top of another on several tables lined up in Moldovan homes, it means there’s a major celebration. Generally, Moldovans aren’t fans of “small” holidays. From the variety of colors on the table, you can tell the importance of the celebration. A holiday is considered complete when guests leave and the table is still full of food. It’s a form of respect in Moldovan style.

Nothing should be missing from the culinary variety: meat in all its forms, fish, fruits, the indispensable pie (plăcinta), and sarmale (also with meat), platters of cheese, and various sweet baked goods. You might only be dissatisfied if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. But rest assured, there will be something for you, and you’ll be well taken care of by the hosts.

So… now I’m trying to understand: do Moldovans love the food at celebrations, or do they love the celebrations because of the food?

Or maybe there’s a third option…

01/08/2024

Check out these details of houses from around Moldova, sent in by one of our followers. Have you spotted any of these elements before, or did you grow up in a similar house? We’d love to see your photos of Moldovan architecture—feel free to DM us with any you have!

29/07/2024

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Thank you!💚