In Moldova, there are nearly deserted villages, where only two or three families live. One of them is the former Petreuca village in Anenii Noi district, which was incorporated into Mereni village a few years ago. The two people remaining there don’t even know that Petreuca doesn’t exist officially anymore. There are only two inhabitable houses and two derelict ones in Petreuca. Neighboring people say the village once extended 2km in length, but one day the villagers were demanded to move to the nearby village of Mereni, where they were offered new houses. Some refused to move. Gheorghe Postica is one of them. He said he had lived in Petreuca since his birth in 1955. He remembers when Petreuca had many households and looked like a village. There was a culture house, a school, a shop. None of these exist today. An apricot tree now grows where the shop once was. The villager says that the mass exodus from the settlement has started years ago. Only the elderly remained, but with time they passed away. Gheorghe Postica has been living for 10 years without electricity. He has no gas or water supply either. He makes fire in the stove, brings water from the well and lights candles at night. In summer it’s easier, he says. The day is longer, he needs no fire and has a shower outside. His only link to the world is a radio set on batteries, from which the man hears the news and learns about the officials’ decisions. Gheorghe Postica’s children moved to Chisinau and his wife went abroad. The man works his land and wins some money as a journeyman for the people from Mereni, who have lands in the vicinity. He has to travel 3km to the nearest shop. Sometimes he catches some transport with the people who return from the gardens, but usually he goes alone. It is harder in winter. His biggest regret is that he has no one nearby. “It’s better with neighbors. You go to them, they come to you. It’s different, but alone you live like a hermit. It’s tough, but I got used to it”, Gheorghe Postica said with sadness. The mayor of Mereni, Eugen Salcutan, told Info-Prim Neo that the land of Petreuca was officially incorporated into the terrain of Mereni village in 2005. Since then, people have been offered homes in other settlements and now, the terrain of Petreuca is used by people to build private sheepfolds and stables. Whereas Petreuca has no electricity, gas and other utilities, the village of Odaia in Soldanesti has both, and even telephony and satellite TV. However, Odaia isn’t too populous either. Victor Svet, mayor of Alcedar commune, which includes Odaia, said there were only two families in Odaia. One man from the village is in jail, while the other house is inhabited by a woman and her son. There is one family that has a holiday house in the village and comes every now and then. Odaia is 1-1.5 km from Alcedar. People travel to the neighboring village or to the district capital by cart. [Elena Nistor, Info-Prim Neo]