In the 10th and 11th centuries, Ukraine was home to the first Eastern European state, Kyivian Rus, the largest state in Europe.  In the 18th century the territory was largely absorbed into the Russian Empire, but after the 1917 collapse of the Czarist government, Ukraine enjoyed a brief 3 year peace, only to be later conquered by the USSR.  During its time as a Soviet satellite, Ukraine suffered from 2 deadly famines in the 1920’s and 30’s that cost the lives of 8 million people.  Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukrainian democracy was stalled by the legacy of state control and government corruption.  Many religions, including Judaism and Pentecostal Christianity, still faced persecution.  Political strife, leading to the 2004 peaceful “Orange Revolution”, remained as well.  The Ukraine has sent 41 refugees to Pennsylvania this year.

In the past 4 years, the Ukrainian economy has greatly improved, thanks to high demand for steel, the nation’s number one export.  Its telecommunications system has also improved as the nation moves into the digital age.

Ukrainian stands as the country’s official language, but many citizens are fluent in Russian, which stood as the official language of the land during the years of USSR domination.  Ukrainians eat many potato based dishes, but also add fish, cabbage, pepper, pork, beef, and sausage are also popular staples.

Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south.

In antiquity, the territory of the present day country was part of Dacia, then fell under the influence of the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, most of the present territory of Moldova was part of the Principality of Moldavia. In 1812, the eastern part of this principality was annexed by the Russian Empire and became known as Bessarabia. Between 1856 and 1878, two southern counties were returned to Moldavia, which in 1859 united with Wallachia to form modern Romania.

Upon the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1917, an autonomous, then independent Moldavian Democratic Republic was formed, which joined Greater Romania in 1918. In 1940, Bessarabia was occupied by the Soviet Union, and was split between the Ukrainian SSR and the newly created Moldavian SSR. After changing hands in 1941 and 1944 during World War II, the territory of the modern country was subsumed by the Soviet Union until its independence on August 27, 1991. Moldova was admitted to the United Nations in March 1992.

In September 1990, a breakaway government was formed in Transnistria, the strip of Moldova on the east bank of the river Dniester. After a brief war in 1992, it became de facto independent, although no UN member has recognized its independence.

The country is a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. Moldova is a member state of the United Nations and currently aspires to join the European Union. About a quarter of the population live off less than US $2 a day.

Moldova is known for its wines. For many years viticulture and winemaking in Moldova were the general occupation of the population. Evidence of this is present in historical memorials and documents, folklore, and the Moldovan spoken language.The country has a well established wine industry. Most of the country's wine production is made for export. Many families have their own recipes and strands of grapes that have been passed down through the generations.

Nearly 94% of all Moldovans belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church. The nation boasts the writers Mihai Eminescu and Ion Creangă as its national writers, hailed in both Romania and Moldova for their talents.