A couple of points. I would love to know the routing from Texas that got you to Moldova for under $1,000 -- having been there for work a couple of times from the SE of the US, I find it very hard to believe that airfare is possible without a very weird itinerary.

Second, you should mention that Moldova should be avoided in winter when it can be extremely cold; and that cold spells are very possible as late as late April or as early as September; the place has a continental (inland Balkan) climate. Also, unless you love risk, make sure you have good health insurance that covers you there, and be very careful on the roads -- individual medical personnel (and dentists for that matter) may be very good and up to Western standards, but the public health system (and A&E facilities in particular) are pretty sketchy (and very varied in quality, especially outside Chisinau).

On the other hand, Chisinau has probably the lowest alcohol, tobacco, and restaurant prices in Europe; it is the poorest country in Europe. And nice food and people if you don't run afoul of one of the gangster/oligarchs who run the place from behind the scenes.