Gazing from my apartment balcony.. over to a country that might exist soon?

A nearby apartment before a storm starts.
Transnistria is just a half a mile behind this.

I love my apartment. Usually. Right now we have some sort of monsoon season that I thought never existed in a dry, wine/grape growing country and it's getting not so fun now. When I first arrived in 2012, there were wells drying up left and right and rumors were that people were killing off livestock early because it was to hard to keep them alive in a water-less village.

But...I don't think this summer will be the same. I have buckets full of water standing in my kitchen from a not so impermeable ceiling. I have been falling asleep to the 'plip 'plop of dripping water sounds coming from my kitchen. What's more alarming than that is that I don't live on the top floor. Second to the top. Whoever owns the apartment above me is one unlucky dude. With about 7 more weeks left of living here I'm not too concerned but would love it if the wetlands could hurry and dry up in my already outrageous kitchen and we can get back to hot, sunny Moldova.

Especially in the wintertime, I spent hours in my crappy little flat and can't count the times I've stared out over the valley next to my house towards the East, towards the river Nistru and towards Ribnita, Transnistria: a big city in a country that doesn't quiet exist. It's a chunk of land that was torn away from Moldova (and also formerly Ukraine land) in the early 90s as Moldova was receiving its independence and has been a big source of conflict, more as a headache now since the Transnistrian War that killed anywhere from 230-2,000 people in a month long battle in the summer of 1992 (how you can have that shitty of a casualty estimate is beyond me). If you want to read about it more in depth about the war check this article out: http://www.blackseanews.net/en/read/55025

Transnistrian Flag

Right now they are in the process of becoming annexed to Russia...Maybe?? Like another Crimea?? Currently they get reduced gas rates, barely paying anything for gas from Russia, have improved roads, schools, hospitals and other things all in thanks from mother Russia. I am curious if this will change if they will be annexed? Doubtful. If they were to become their own official country, without this mother and baby relationships with Russia, I don't think the free/cheap gas would still fly.

When I was in the cemetery in April for Memorial Easter, my brain couldn't translate anything coming through my ears because everyone was speaking Russian. Many people from this side of the river over the years moved over to Ribnita for cheaper, nicer apartments and a reduced cost of living ( especially not paying the over-inflated prices Moldovan's have to pay for gas). Its great for citizens and business owners in Rezina here too because they can driver over, fill their tanks up with cheap gas, buy less expensive food and even swim in a public pool or catch a Russian film on a big screen (I've never been because I'm not allowed to go over there.. boo). But my big question about this wave of Moldovans moving there for the "good life" is..will they stay there and become even more united with Russia or will they return back to Moldova after the annexation? Will it be harder for them to cross the border than what it is now with just photo identification and a slip of toilet-like-paper with some scribbles on it?

I love this little country but some things here drive me crazy! Starting with the politics.... This being said, I am safe, I'm not anywhere near the conflict zone in Ukraine.. It is on the complete other side of Ukraine from Moldova. The only rumbles from the east are from big dark thunderclouds, not Pro-Russians, just lots of thunderclouds. :)

Clouds outside where I work.
I think these abandoned soviet flag posts look like flying saucers.