Moldova Lessons

One nice thing about being a schoolteacher is the textbooks have sections for the students to learn about Moldova. I really like it because it often has basic information about Moldova that is not talked about in everyday conversation. And sometimes it has an explanation about the history or meaning of symbols I see around her. I think I’m more eager to learn this stuff than they are.

So today, I learned about the Capitoline Wolf monument. I’ve seen this statue in Chișinău and other cities in Moldova. The copy of old Etruscan Sculpture with image of she-wolf breastfeeding the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, was installed in the late 80 in front of the Museum of History of Moldova. The sculpture symbolizes the Latin origin of Romanian Bessarabia. The sculpture pedestal is engraved a quote from the famous Romanian poet, Mihai Eminescu, about the origin of Romanian nation.

Romulus and Remus are Rome's twin founders in its traditional foundation myth. They are descendants of the Trojan prince and refugee Aeneas, and are fathered by the god Mars or the demi-god Hercules on a royal Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia, whose uncle exposes them to die in the wild. They are found by a she-wolf who suckles and cares for them. The twins are eventually restored to their regal birthright, acquire many followers and decide to found a new city.

According to a legend, after a flood, Romulus and Remus were found and suckled by a she-wolf (Lupa) and fed by a woodpecker (Picus). My partner teacher tells me the statue represents the Latin languages. And since Moldova’s official language is Romanian, they honor the statue.

So maybe it’s kind of nerdy, but I really like learning about Moldova. So I try to use that curiosity in classroom, and I ask the students to teach me about Moldova. I think they really like the idea of students teaching a teacher.