Can a Jew change his minhag if he grew up in non Orthodox home & folks don't know of any Moldavian minhagim?

Question

My folks came from the former Soviet Republic of Moldova, but they do not know of any Jewish traditions of our ancestors due to lack of Jewish education under the Soviet rule.
When I was in Israel a Dutch Jewish immigrant taught me everything relating to the Torah (ex: Parshos, Talmud, rules relating to Shabbas and etc.). Can I adapt his customs? I really like the minhag of his community of waiting 72 minutes before consuming dairy products after eating meat. I have no minhag of my own as I said previously and looking for some minhagim if I can adapt them. My rav thinks it is foolish and I should research Moldavian minhagim. However, every time I ask few Moldavian Jews about our menhagim both here in the States and when I was in Israel most did not know of any. Moldavians who knew said they are like those from other Ashkenazim. If they are similar to other European Minhagim does it mean that I can adapt Dutch, German, Polish, or French menhagim?

Gratvol what is the standard Ashkenazic amount of time to wait? If you are German you can wait four hours, Eastern Europeans wait up to six hours, and the Jews from former Republics of Yugoslavia wait up to 5 hours. Of course the Dutch Ashkenazim wait 72 minutes.

Answer 1

I know what you mean. I really wish I could just change my minhag to waiting that short too.

Speak to an Orthodox rabbi and he will probably tell you to accept one group's minhagim without picking and choosing e.g. standard ashkenazi or sefardi. I know people who have been allowed to adopt thing as they learned their heritage. So for example, friend is ashkenaz but his family came from Germany. He looked into his family history and decided that it was probable that they used to wear a tallis before marriage. He ended up adopting this custom.

Answer 2

oh common is the only reason because you cannot wait a few hours between meat and milk?

If that is it you really need to butch and be a man. I come from the same background as you so I can talk.

I also wanted to just wait an hour, but I came to grips with it and I hold the standard Ashkenazic amount.

- Germans wait three hours not four.
I have never heard five, but I have heard into the sixth hour (five hours + one min) that is what my old yeshiva did.

Most Ashkenazim wait six or into the sixth