Alina Doaga - Chișinău, Moldova

Alina and I met through her friend, Lucia, via Couchsurfing. All of us became friends pretty fast. I like Alina's laid-back attitude toward other people. She is a caring individual who cares deeply about her country. She has a knack for being the funny quirky girl in the group. I love her take on life and how she can be herself with total strangers. She's a wonderful person and a proud Moldavian. - Dan Hellinger

What improvements do you want to see Moldova make in the next 5 years?

What aspirations do you want to achieve in life? ​
"Well, I love my country no matter what, but there are some thing that I would like to see done in the near future:
1) More parking sports for cars
2) Reconstruction of architectural monuments
3) More happy and smiling people on the streets
4) More shelters for homeless people (they are human beings that need help, care and love too)"
"Hmmm, this is a really hard question because I've changed my mind so many times about what I want to be. But, there is one thing that I'm sure about: I want to become a head chef and to have at least one Michelin Star."

Is money important or is the power of knowledge more crucial to you? 

"I'll say that money plays a significant role in our lives, and I'm sure many will agree with me, but, you can not gain as much money as you want if you don'`t know how to use your brain. So, education is the key to success. And, personally for me, the power of knowledge is more crucial!"

"Why do you need a travel experience? Because it's all about the memories you'll have in the end. Do it because it's fun, and do it for yourself!"

Alina's Travel Story

"I've never had a crazy travel story to tell in details to someone. So far, I consider that my best story and my best life/travel experience is when I was in USA all alone for 4 months as a foreign J1 student. For me it was a crazy challenge to live so far from my family. It was exciting and frightening at the same time. I became a totally different person. I came back home not a child anymore, but an independent girl, who found out how it feels when you receive your first paycheck in your life, when you understand that there are people whose life is not as good as yours, and you start to be more thankful for what you have, for what you are, and for what your family is. Distance makes you understand a lot of things. Being far away from your home is fun, it is crazy, but the most important is the life lessons that you'll receive! This experience forced me to do things out of the ordinary and make new friends. Why do you need a travel experience? Because it's all about the memories you'll have in the end. Do it because it's fun, and do it for yourself!" - Alina Doaga

What would you want to tell a fellow traveler about your home country? 

"Moldova is well known by being one of the smallest countries in Europe, also the poorest one. So this is not an indicator about the people who live there. Being a traveler, you may be surprised by meeting lots of smart, lovely and harmless people, that are ready to help you out even if you seem to be a stranger. Moldova has it's own historical route. Priceless centuries in a row full with glories. All this time, pursuit to develop the infrastructure, culture, economy. We kept our traditions through centuries and now we can be proud of many historical and culture entities. You must go visit the strongholds of Soroca and Tighina where in numerous wars our ancestors held the unity of Moldova. The most known king of Moldova was Steven the Great (Stefan cel Mare) who built 44 monasteries in the name of his 44 wins from 47 battles against the enemies. Some of them still keep the shape and gorgeousness: Capriana, Curchi, Hancu etc. We also have some places where you can admire some very old cities (that stoped to be populated over 17 centuries ago). The archaeologists found the ruins of those cities that are situated near the Orhei city. The wreckage are kept at National Muzeum of History in Chisinau. So, all that being said, we are proud of our country by all the good things that have happened and hope we can raise it back again to the level it has been."