Moldova: Happiness is Somewhere Else

Apartments built during the Soviet Union's reign

Chisinau, Moldova's capital

I had completed half of my expedition around the world, and I had come to the apparent realization I am not a generally happy human being. Being surrounded by cheerfulness was beginning to leave me feeling disheartened and yearning for the contentment these countries had. I desperately needed to take a break from happiness and visit something a little more recognizable to me, hopelessness, just on a much wider scale. Moldova materialized to be the perfect country to satisfy my unfortunate need for melancholy. According to the enlightening information I collected at the WDH, this is the least blissful place on the planet, which undoubtedly fails to be surprising considering this was a former Soviet republic. My plane landed in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, and I was surprised by how normal looking the country appeared. There is classic Soviet architecture everywhere you look, that is the buildings have a serious lack of any style (besides the graffiti)-just cheap and there. When I asked people if they were unhappy I got a universal yes. The citizens there have no money to live and survive off of. Everyone had Moldovan Scowls on their faces and looked as though they were about to die. The young looked old and the old looked ancient, I would come to find this was a result of a serious lack of happiness. Maybe unhappy was not what I needed, maybe Thailand was.