Ruti(era) (bus ride to the Roma Hill)

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

Home... what makes us feel a certain way, when we are on the go, exploring new lands to find ourselves, or finding a place we can call ours?
Whether we look for safety or change, we are adept at connecting to these worlds.
We tend to bring a little bit of ourselves and our home to new places. We carry new experiences back home.
We build on the things we know and examine the things we encounter. We learn.
We exchange views on life, customs, trends, language, and recipes by visiting quite ordinary yet necessary places.
We communicate and exchange on the go, no matter how short or long the journey is.
(No wonder, in many cultures travelers are offered welcoming greetings, food, and drink when visiting a new place.)
Might be a cultural trait (at least practiced in Moldova when I was growing up), but, farmer and flea markets are places where people socialize, make acquaintances, and get to hear the latest news. You might learn what is going on in the next village, city, or across the Nistru River by sampling sour cream. Literally.
In Soroca, these markets (piata/bazar) were where farmers from neighboring villages and Ukraine sold goods. Aesthetically speaking, these places offered multi-sensory experiences, events where you learn and broaden your horizons.
First, you hear language and dialects, second, you smell different aromas, third you see what the person has to offer and fourth there is unique interaction in the now.
Here is where you hear the latest news from all corners, tales of love, reasons for conflict, get invited to a wedding, be told of a funeral, or be offered a psychic read.
These are the cultural melting pots, stories told by strangers that transport you to ordinary and extraordinary places.
These are the moments that will stay with you over the years. Later on, similar interactions will remind you of them. (As an example, I made a similar observation in Istanbul, making the connection between food markets, social life, and migration.)
Returning to Moldova after years of living in the USA was a redeeming experience. An immigrant feels like an immigrant, re-experiencing his hometown after nomadic years abroad. Being in Moldova's Roma capital feels more symbolic and meaningful than ever.
My favorite spot in Soroca town is the halfway point towards Dealul Ţiganilor (Roma Hill), an overlook of Moldova and Ukraine I will never forget. It's where you feel the connection to both sides of the river, belong somewhere in the middle, and appreciate the uniqueness of geography.
This is the minibus to Roma Hill (Dealul Romilor/Dealul Ţiganilor), a neighborhood where my grandmother used to live. On the trip you see the famous Roma castles, view Ukrainian fields and villages, hear people coming back from the food market, share news, get impatient with one another, or make jokes about the hard lives of the local folk.
Recorded by Serge Bulat.
Part of the Migration Sounds project, the world’s first collection of the sounds of human migration.
For more information and to explore the project, see https://www.citiesandmemory.com/migration