Ep.1Staring From Behind
Ep.2 The Hidden Name
Ep.3 Grandma’s Farao
Ep.5 Money-strapped Student
Ep.6 1994:The Day His Dreams Were Shattered
Low cost of living
Although he was invited to Beijing as a government-sponsored student, life was tough. He was given only 350 yuan, or about 7,000 yen, for living expenses.
The dormitory was free, but food and daily necessities had to be paid for by the student.
7,000 yen was not enough to cover food expenses. So Vitalie started working part-time. His first job was helping with Russian trade.
The languages university where he was enrolled for his first year in Beijing had international students from many countries, and he was introduced to this part-time job by one of them, a Russian student.
A company employee from Russia browsed the products in Beijing’s chaotic markets and purchased a large amount of clothing.
He packed the items into cardboard boxes one after another. The boxes were then taken to the airport by truck.
The part-time students followed him to the airport in a taxi.
As soon as they arrived, they unloaded the boxes from the truck and placed them on the conveyer belt for luggage heading to Russia.
They repeated this process over and over.
The part-time wage was an astounding 10,000 yen a day!
Vitalie received 7,000 yen a month from the government for living expenses, but only 10,000 yen a day!
Good deal!
He also worked part-time as a waiter at the best Russian restaurant in China in Beijing.
If he worked hard, he could earn about 13,000 yen a week.
Vitalie used his keen observation skills to provide the best smile and service possible (replace ashtrays, plates, glasses quickly, etc.), and received a lot of tips.
Customers who were in a good mood after drinking would give him tips of 1,000 to 2,000 yen. So, sometimes the tips alone were about 13,000 yen a night… (A week’s part-time wage was the same as one night’s tip!?)
Since the restaurant was frequented by many people, it was a place where all kinds of information could be exchanged, such as business related to Russia, insurance, cars, tickets, etc.
One day, a Russian company president who was looking for a guide and interpreter came to the restaurant.
Vitalie accepted the job and decided to fly to Shanghai. It was his first trip to Shanghai by plane! I’m so excited!
Negotiating with the garment factory and acting as an interpreter was difficult, as he had to negotiate in Chinese about customs duties and delivery deadlines, which vary depending on the item.
It was a tough job that gave him headaches, but he was rewarded with $100 plus travel expenses and high-quality Russian watercolor paints.
He says he still treasures the watercolor paints he received.
In this way, he learned to paint while earning money.
After his painting skills improved, he held frequent solo exhibitions and sold his paintings to various places, including hotels in Beijing and the embassy in Beijing.
The large abstract paintings he exhibited at his solo exhibitions were particularly popular, and they quickly became a source of living expenses.
First homecoming
A poor aspiring artist, earning his living by working part-time as a baggage carrier, finishes his first year at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. It’s the summer of 1994.
He wants to go back home during the long holiday from July to August, but he only has enough money for a one-way trip.
Wealthy students studying abroad are returning to their own countries one after another.
Vitalie also wants to go back to his hometown where his kind family is waiting for him.
But he wonders if he can come back to Beijing again…
If he can’t afford the return trip, he can’t go back to Beijing. In that case, his art studies will end halfway.
But Vitalie is more daring than most!
He buys a one-way ticket for the Trans-Siberian Railway.
A week-long journey on rails.
He buys some long-lasting food and gets on the train. Awaiting him is his warm hometown, where time flows slowly.
He smiles as he looks at the various faces reflected in the train window – wondering how his grandmother is doing, his mother, father, sisters, the villagers…
Home county Moldova
