A little bit about work

Just a quick post providing a link to the government news from my institution. One of the things I'm doing is developing and training courses for ambassadors in Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See this link to get an idea of the formality of it all: http://aap.gov.md/en/news/59/. I'm preparing an in depth post on work stuff that hopefully will get published in a day or so.

My work in Moldova

Teaching and Mutual Understanding

While here on the Fulbright mission one of the goals, and the primary one at that, is to foster cross-national understanding to promote peace and tolerance. I am finding that the classroom is a good place to pursue that mission. Interacting with graduate students of public administration, public management and foreign affairs, we learn to understand each other's values and beliefs. The key has been fostering interaction in the classroom rather than one way lecture. Interactive learning is not the norm here. However, it's been easier to implement than I had thought it might be. Using basic western teaching techniques and exercises, the sudents jump at the chance to interact and express their thoughts. This is not S.E Asia where speaking out is rude , it is E. Europe where opinions are repressed because of fear of repercussions (like getting fired). I give them a classroom environment with no superiors, and an agreement that what is said by the group stays with the group -- "it's just us" -- and the students are more than ready to speak up and participate in the teaching and learning. They are smart, they are informed, and given the chance they are ready to lead as necessary.

Once this interactive environment is established, we learn from each other. In all three courses I teach here, we continuously find both mis-conceptions and common ground across cultures. In general, we have found that once one gets past the tiny minority composed of top politicians and other power players, the differences across majorities in cultural values and behaviors are endearing rather than mutually exclusive. We may not have all the same values, we do not have the same visions and beliefs, but their is nothing so different at the level of ordinary people that should ever lead to anything but peaceful relations and stimulating debate.

I typically present students with a problematic situation, one that could occur in their Moldavian work lives and could also occur in N. American work lives, and have them figure out what are the key issues according to them, than I help them to see the key issues through N. American administrative eyes and minds. We can then see the similarities and differences in how we view the administrative world, in what we see as important issues, and in how we think it might be appropriate to address issues. The best moments of work are like the one captured in the photo below of a group of student in my management of change course in the school of public managment. They are engaged, debating and learning without me, or any other professor lecturing at them. I've done this by introducing the case method.

It also seems that from both sides, the people think it is the top politicians, caught up in gamesmanship, favoritism and executive narcissism, that create the very problems they struggle so hard to solve. Why is it that leaders do not know when it is time to step aside? Why is it that leaders think that because they led well once in one situation, it means they must lead again now and in the future? One of the great fallacies of leadership is the born-to-lead illusion. We are all born to lead, at the proper time and particular situation. When done, it is someone elses right time. Leaders who hand on after their moment simply can't get out of their own way, or out of everyone else's way. In team ball sports we call it 'clogging' and it always stalls the offense. The basic principle is no different -- catch, pass, clear out, run through.

I have also found it amazing how the older students that grew up here during Soviet times were taught when they were younger that USA is the enemy, full of bad and evil and so forth --- JUST LIKE WE WERE TAUGHT, but the other way 'round. And guess what? It was all such a bunch of hooey. Everything Soviet was not bad, and everything USA was not good, and everything USA was not bad, and everything Soviet was not good. The distortion perpetrated by our governments and by our media and by movies and so forth must not be repeated. But we can be sure it is happening again with the Islamic countries and the USA.


The graduate students at the AAP are mostly accustomed to listening to someone lecture and taking notes furiously the whole time. They are less accustomed to having to read articles and cases prior to class in preparation for discussion and debate. So while I've wanted to use the case method as much as possible during my lectures, I've had to build up to it little by little.

Thank goodness for short cases like "Moses at the Red Sea," "Robin Hood" and "In the Garden." I wish I had more like those. Firstly, everything has to be translated into Moldavian, so short cases make that feasible. Secondly, and more importantly, I've found the students more able to open up if we speak about issues metaphorically or allegorically. If I were to ask them about issues in their own offices, it would be risky I guess for them to comment openly and honestly, or at the very least it would be bad form. However they are perfectly willing to jump all over Moses's inability to make a decision and keep relying upon some big other power to bail out the Israelites. If you know Moldova, then you get the allegory. They have an easy time speaking , debating and arguing about the border hedges of a garden than they do about national defense. So it starts with the garden, and soon they are speaking about national defense strategies and open versus closed boarders, and so forth.

Thanksgiving: The day after

Thanksgiving was very nice for the Fulbrighters here in Moldova. The turkey was sourced by Fulbright student David Jesse, who has a friend who has an uncle with a farm in the north, who traded a few rabbits for a turkey. He slaughtered it, cleaned it and sent it down to us in Chisinau the next day. When David, a vegetarian, brought it over on Tuesday, he could not even look at it. I did -- by American standards this was a skrawny, wirely little turkey. Looking more like a goose than a Turkey.


I thought to myself (yes in prose I thought to myself):

Where's that American turkey?
where's the full blown, hormone, lots of meat, and no bone
big breasted, brine infested, FDA approved and tested?
What's with this Moldavian turkey so thin and lean it looks like jerky?
In dismay it makes me feel
this bird looks like something real, not bred for a Fulbright meal.


Of course I was completely wrong to doubt this bird. I took it and brined it overnight in a bucket, and we added six turkey legs from the local market so that there would be enough for everyone, and some leftovers to send folks home with (especially those poor hungry Fulbright students). It was absolutely delicious. Now it was nothing like my usual Turduken (Have I ever told you about my Turduken!? "Yes Trusty, ... you have." Hmm, well... ok.) With the turkey, we had mushroom ragout, spicy thai pumkin soup, stuffing, corn pudding, squash casserole, gravy, mashed potatoes, cauliflower stir fry, spinach and cheese dip, cranberry bread, Waldorf salad, apple pie with crumblies on top, chocolate chip cookies, white wine, red wine, sweet wine, dry wine, and who knows what some of that other stuff was. The combination of aroma, plenty, friends, and noise almost made us feel we were at home. All we were missing was a family argument, some old unsettled grudges and football on the television.


Every Fulbrighter was able to attend this celebration reception at the Meckler's apartment. The students: David Jesse (and friend), Sean Golden, Carly Blanchard and her husband, Nils Kauffman (and wife, infant son and brother-in-law). The Professors: Mark Meckler and his wife Chrisna (us), Norma Hervey; Valery Mock, and Kim Taylor. We were also joined by some of the friends we've made who live here, who were born and raised in Chisinau: Liliana (local program director for the Peace Corps), Dimitri (doctor and a trainer at the health club, with his wife and daughter). I probably missed someone, but it was a very nice gathering.


One thing that is especially nice about the day after Thanksgiving in Moldova: The day after Thanksgiving is not a major shopping frenzy day. It is not "Black Friday" here. It's just Friday. There are no hoards of people frantically shopping for Christmas gifts. Even better news, that frenzy will not occur at all. The escalation of commitment to Christmas gift buying and giving has not hit Moldova. Businesses do not depend upon it to save the economy. Citizens do not depend upon buying large quantities of gifts to satisfy their psychological needs. Friends, families and lovers do not depend upon large quantities or qualities of gifts to validate their friendship, kinship or love. Christmas will occur Jan 7th in this part of the world, and families will spend the time together, and may exchange some gifts: and that's it for the consumer bit. This could change as local economics change, and as sales people figure out how to get folks to believe they need something they don't even really want. What a coup that would be -- what a challenge! Getting folks to spend money they don't have to spare on something they don't want or need. Sad to say I'm sure this will get done here as it has gotten done all over. For now, it's just a time where normal folks are doing normal things to live and have some fun.

Shoes

If you want to fit in, fashion-wise, and also not stand out like a tourist, one thing that has to match around here is your shoes. Luckily I showed up with a pair I purchased in Chernevtsi, Ukraine five years ago. Black pointy dress shoes, well dress shoes by N. American standards, but just plain old shoes to wear with blue jeans or a sport coat around here. I added a pair of brown within two weeks.

This week, Chrisna got some local shoes. We looked around for about a week because you have to pick just right shoes to express who you are and what you stand for and how bad you want your back problems to be when you are 50. The selection here is absolutely immense. There are shoes for sale everywhere. Shoes seem to be something of a cross between a regional pass-time, fetish and statement. The style for both men and women are elongated toe-boxes, usually somewhat upturned, narrowing toward the end, sometimes to a sharp point and sometimes to a squared off toe. For women, the heels are high and mostly stiletto style. Boots are worn all year, in winter with warm lining inside and it is quite common for women to wear everyday boots that have four inch heels and go up to or past their knees. Five years ago in Ukraine I saw this style of shoe, figured it was part of changing fashion, believed we’d see them in the USA within a short time, and that they’d subsequently go out of style in this region. Wrong. While something like these shoes can be found around Europe, they will be in high fashion stores only, and quite costly. In the USA, they are still not widely seen at all. But here in Moldova, and all around the region up in Ukarine and in Russia and Romania, they are still what everyone wears, and what they grow up wearing.

On our bikes

We've been getting around the city either by foot or on bicycles for the most part. The other main mode of transportation is the Masurtka, or microbus. These are white vans that drive like they are on suicide missions. There is one in the photo trying to look innocent. They pull over anywhere at any time from any speed to pick up or drop off a passenger. I take one to my university, since it's way out on the edge of town, and way up a big hill. I am typically one of the 62 people inside that van. It costs 3 lei, three times more than the trolly bus, so it's relatively expensive, but you can get on or off wherever you want if you can make it through the press of humans to the door. Oh, 3 lei is still only about 28 cents, so even a teacher can afford it.

I bought one bicycle, and we've borrowed another. Biking around town is not something that very many people do in Chisinau, and for the adventurous, it's a lot of fun. There are absolutely no rules for bikes, except one, avoid the Masurtkas. You just go where you want, and avoid the cars and the people. You can bike on the sidewalks, on the streets, the opposite way down one way streets, whatever seems best to get you where you want to go. Since drivers are a lot like they are in Boston, you just have to be aggressive: either go or do not go. There is no hedging here on the Chisinau streets. People honk their horns a lot, just in case you are thinking of being in their way. The good news is that there are lots of streets that are less traveled, and parks that you can cut across, so it 's not too bad unless it's rush hour.

It's late autumn here now, and getting a bit cold, but still the days are nice and we enjoy the changing colors of the leaves in the city parks. This park is right in the center of the city and we pass through it daily. And here I am wearing almost a typical Moldavian outfit except for the shoes. Blue jeans, a nice sweater, a fancy belt, a black leather coat. I think I am wearing timberland shoes. They are not black, they are not pointy and they are not fancy. I probably stand out like a sore thumb. Once summer ends, if you're not wearing something black, your either a tourist or a Roma.

Anything you need it's here

You can even buy your underclothes right on the street. Why pay for someone's rent in a store? I waited a long time at this location, but nobody tried one on.

Chrisna buying napkins

Pots and pans

smoked meats, clothing

Egg & Cheese Omelette

Fresh eggs are for sale for about a $1 for ten. For about half a mile you have egg vendors, one after the other. Some have a open egg displayed to show-off the yellow color of the yolk. When buying eggs at the market you want to bring you're own container to carry them in, or you will get ten eggs in a plastic bag.










Cheese is locally made by many different farmers. This is an inside area of the market dedicated solely to dairy products. Again, from one cheese maker to the next there is not much difference in cheese. Mark has been buying locally made sheep's milk cheese called brinza. Also, fresh "house" cheese, it's like a farmers cheese. There are also all kinds of smoked cheeses, and hard cheeses. I like the way the cheese sellers are dressed. There are also about four -five grades of different butter you can buy.

This woman is selling vegetables on the outside of the market. If, you don't get in on time you don't get space in the market to sell your produce. Those people will sell their produce kinda on the street that runs on the side on the outside of the market.

Oil & Vegtables

Here you have some pictures of people selling cooking oil of unknown origin. So, this is one item that Mark and I have been buying at a regular grocery store.

For rows and rows, farmers set up their fresh produce. Currently, radishes, eggplant, corn, apples, mushrooms, leeks, lettuce, cabbage ( I have seen cabbage and cauliflower the size of basket balls), carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and cauliflower are the most common items sold at this time. Vegetables sold depend on the season. There are fruit that seem to be always available like bananas and oranges. More locally pomegranates and persimmons have been for sale.
I wondered what the difference is between sellers, why does one shopper go to a particular farmer to buy their vegetables? I have closely inspected vegetables displayed by different farmers and must say that there is no "material" difference. So, I believe that over time people buy stuff from the person they have build a relationship with or know. Mark and I have not reached that stage yet, we don't have the tomato guy, or the lettuce woman we exclusively buy from. We buy things from pretty much any farmer if it looks good, and I mean the vegetables not the farmer.

Want sockings, plastic bags, or shoe inserts?

Here are some more pictures of woman selling merchandise, while holding everything they are selling in their hands. I bought some stockings with fun patterns on them for about $3 that were just fine. ( I was a little suspicious of course, since there are no sizes lables, and I was wondering if there would be some kind of manufacturing defect)

I seems like Hugo Boss is very well liked in Moldova. Wonder if he knows.

A day at the Piata Centrala

The Piata Centrala is the place buy anything from fresh fish to electronics. There is pretty much nothing you can't get here. The market is open seven days a week all year round. Supposedly Thursdays are the best days to go get produce since farmers come in with fresh vegetables on Thursday. I have not really been able to tell a difference between Thursdays and other days in the week.

Mark took me to the market my first day here and the first time it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. There are always a lot of people, and so on my first day I learned quickly that personal space between people is not something that people are concerned with. I couldn't understand but it seemed like everybody was in such a hurry. I was pushed forward, to one side, bumped into, and brushed up against by other shopper trying to make their way past each other in the small walkways between stands. However, after my first time I learned quickly that saying excuse me (in Moldovan) is not needed, nobody does it, you just need to be filling to push your way through a crowd, and hold your space when you are buying something and ignore those that bump into you.

I think I am no more a novice, I have graduated to a intermediate market shopper. Still, once there I do always have a little period of oh yes, it's the market, and you just got to be willing to push and push back.

This picture is near the entrance. Woman, like the one in the in the middle of this picture, are stationed all over the market selling nylon stockings, shoe inserts, or plastic bags that say Hugo Boss on them. Some of these woman are Roma(Gypsies -they don't like to be called that so people call them Roma) that come to the city to sell merchandise.

Chisinau in Autumn

This is a nice looking city in Autumn. The leaves of the hardwood trees are all changing colors and falling like snow. It's quite nice, as there are a lot of parks around the city, like the one in the picture is a block or two from our apartment.

There is also an outdoor art market just one block from us, and some of the art is nice, although it is mostly just copies of stuff and kitchy stuff. There is one painting I think we might buy. It's on the top left of the photo.