One of the most impactful circumstances here, for me, has been the way my work role is embedded both in an educational setting and in a political setting. Firstly, because Moldova is so small, the Fulbrights in Moldova are administered through the US Embassy. Thus we are tightly associated with the US Embassy in the minds of our local institutions. (In other countries, Fulbrights are administered by separate Fulbright administrative offices, and are not tightly associated with their US Embassies.) Secondly, my placement is with the "Academia de Administrare Publica, Pe Linga Presedintele Republich Moldova." That means Academy of Public Administration under the office of the President of the Republic of Moldova. Can't get more political than that for an academic institution. So I'm a Fulbrighter, working with the U.S Embassy (and thus State Department), certainly seen as a representative of the US Embassy, placed in the President's academic institution for government employee training and future public administrators and international relations employees. While I certainly have no political agenda whatsoever, and while the US embassy has in no way tried to influence me with their political agenda, I'm still stuck in the middle of those who do most certainly have strong political agendas. And now I'm also training the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who have their own strong political agendas and perspectives, and who report not to the President but to the Prime Minister. So in a way, I'm stuck between President's interest, Prime Minister's Interest and U.S State Department interests, and I'm sure the three do not all see eye to eye on all things. To put it nicely, it's been interesting. I think I'll work backwards from here to explain more. Those of you who know my history of getting somehow stuck in between in these odd ex-patriot situations and coming out on the tail end of things (think ping-pong with the minister of justice) can understand my discomfort.
Friday, Dec 7th, 8pm.
It was a cold December Eastern European Friday evening, while having dinner with my wife Chrisna, the phone rings. Against my instinct to not answer the phone, Chrisna (who NEVER picks up the phone) says, "it's Friday night, it could only be a social call, it won't be work-related, pick it up and see who it is." I do, and it's work. No wait -- it's politics... again. This time a ministry representative telling me that they are discussing pulling all of their employees out of the training program right in the middle, just not showing up anymore at the Academy of Public Administration (my host institution.) Would I think about finishing the sessions at their place? They had a big meeting and would like to continue with "The American Professor" but don't like anything about the rest of the program. Not that I wasn't already of the opinion that they were very disappointed -- I was aware that at least some were unhappy -- but to pull out right in the middle? OY! Nice way to ruin a relaxing Friday night. More politics getting in the way of getting some positive work done. Imagine how rude that would be for the training group to simply quit right in the middle and for them to just kind of steal the one professor they like? It's now even an ethical dilemma: to whom is my loyalty and duty, what team do I really belong to here -- my host academic institution? my students? the US embassy? the host nation? my colleagues at the Academy? I hung up after saying just wait till Monday, talk about it again and tell me what you guys are going to do.
Chrisna and I agreed this was (hopefully) not our issue, but something to be worked out between the brass at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Embassy, the President's office, and the Academy of Public Administration. However, I knew in my heart that I was stuck right in the middle, and that I might have to make a choice and stand my ground. The problem is, I don't even understand what's going on. Communication, both horizontal and verticle is so poor here in administration it's a wonder to me anything gets done right at all. Coordination is often a matter of lucky guessing. Plus, there are so many layers of b.s, and so much face saving and ass-protecting behavior (as I see it) in these organizations, that a direct truth speaking and seeking professor can gain only very limited, and perhaps skewed information. The truth is hidden. So this Fulbrighter is living very much in the land of bounded rationality. Choices to be made when I can barely make sense of the situation.
Thursday Dec 6, 3:30 PM
When class meeting #2 began, after getting a 1 1/2 hour lecture from the Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Affairs, there were only seven students left in the audience, out of 18 who were supposed to be "required" to attend the training. Three apologized before I began that they simply had to get back to their office, they could not spend a full afternoon with their country desk unattended. Despite having a meeting of only seven, the class went very well. It was enjoyable, we learned from each other and we had some very frank and open discussion. Everyone participated. They shook my hands and thanked me at the end of class. All genuine smiles.
There are other kinds of smiles and thank-you's you know, and since I've been here, I've become decently proficient at discerning one from the other. These were actual real smiles and handshakes of appreciation. And to tell the truth, one of a teacher's best received compliments. I've been learning that politicians, ambassadors and embassy types are really good at not letting you know which is which. Between trying to figure out what's actual truth from sideways or slantways truth, and trying to figure out cross-cultural differences in non-verbal language, and cross -cultural differences in verbal indirect cues, and cross-professional cultural differences, it's been tough figuring out what's what around here.
Thursday, 2:15pm
In the office of international cooperation at the Academy of Public Administration before class, I warn the administrators in that office that I sense there is a problem, that I believe the Ministry audience is disappointed, annoyed and even agitated; I tell them it's odd that we are not coordinating material at all across lectures; I tell them that there may be a higher level political battle going on that is derailing this very prestigious program.
These two woman barely let me get our the words as they vocalize their disbelief and denials and explain to me that they know exactly what is going on, and know exactly what they are doing, and that they've been told things are going well, and that I worry too much.
I think, hmm, maybe they are right, I've really only heard this from some specific people, they could just be the vocal or disruptive minority, maybe I am exaggerating and escalating things. Maybe I'm the pawn in the middle of a gross miscommunication. Maybe things are fine. Maybe it's another of those times when your intuition is just plain wrong and fooling you. Perhaps I am misinterpreting cues coming in a different culture. Look Mark, they say, seeming to pity me and my unsophisticated-ness, we run training programs all the time for civil servants; this is the setup and how it works; this is the way it always works around here; you may do things differently in your country, but here, this is what people want and need. I start to buy it. While those of you who know me know that the last thing I am is a person who worries too much, I figured that maybe I was not so much worrying as perhaps being snobbish and right-seeking, creating a stink that was not there. Perhaps I was exaggerating and thus getting everyone worked up over nothing.
Wednesday night Dec 5th
I'm at a nice function at the Ambassador's residence in honor of the new deputy POA, who will now take over duties administering the Fulbright program among other things. So we get invited. I'm hanging with Carly, and David and Sean and Norma, meeting their colleagues, and there's across the room is the Recteur from my Academy. Boy would I like to avoid him, given that a dissed him severely by not attending his lecture or his introductions on Monday. After a while I think I notice that neither the PAO nor the Ambassador have spoken with him. Something's up. During the evening I get pulled aside twice by the power brokers, asking me what the hell's going on over there? What's this big mess all about?
So there I am with the power brokers. I'm on the one hand feeling a bit vindicated, feeling that nice spiteful I-told-you-so feeling from the dark side. On the other hand I am thinking: oh shit I am in the middle of powerful political people damn getting worked up over each other and I probably should be far away from and this always ends up bad for me and what should I say should I try to be smart and show that I'm one of them and don't believe in power distance or should I just try to be humble and make believe I believe in power distance and nod and apologize because this might just be my fault, and just in case they think I should or it is and well it can't hurt I wish I were over there by the snack table mmm that smoked fish looks good. I eventually focus, and I end up doing both, alternating between trying to impress them with my sophistication (of which I have none) and be one of them and apologizing profusely in between. I sure I came out looking foolish and I deserve it. It was nice to hear them assure me this was not my fault, that I was doing fine, and that they agreed with me. Then again, I don't know if they were speaking straight or slantways.
Monday Dec 3rd 3:15pm
I start my lecture early because the Rectuer is finished early. The room is completely tense, overly formal, and full of stress. I refulse to start until the bosses leave the room. That was our agreement, and I decided to be a bastard about it. They are not happy with me, but I feel it's the only way to save the program. Stick to the agreement I made with the students. No superiors or subordinates in the room; fully confidential. Some students leave before my lecture begins, a couple say sorry we've got to go, others just dissappear. One takes me aside and tells me the group is nothing short of furious. What a waste of time the lecture was. How mad they are to be forced to leave work all afternood for this stupid welcome to the academy lecture. How they tried to be polite, especially because their superior was there, but boy that the group was ready to rebel. I was a bit shocked, but not that shocked. I felt a bit of that I-told-you-so pleasure, but then realized i was faced with an angry resentful group of ambassadors, like a bed of angry oysters closed up so tight there was going to be now way to have any sort of decent discussion.
I pulled out all of the tricks from my teaching bag and when out of those, I just made up new ones. After a hour, I think someone participated. By the end, I thought I kind of had them. If it could just be us from now on.... but it won't be. Damn.
More to come.
Monday Dec 3rd 2pm
I purposely do not go the the Recteur's lecture at 2pm that opens the program. I had told them I might show, but they said I did not have to be there until 3:30 when my lecture starts. So I decided against attending the Recteur's lecture. It was a show of disrespect, and frankly the only thing I could think of in my power to do to communicate my displeasure for how the program got railroaded, and the lack of communication and coordination, and my feeling that I want to be dis-associated from this portion of the program so that the students will see me as different from the authoritarian ego gratification and political currency seeking behavior of the administrators. At the time, that's how I felt, and that's what I did.
At 2:10 I got a call: WHERE ARE YOU! The Recteur is waiting to introduce you! I'm thinking: Well why didn't you tell me he was going to do this? Why didn't we coordinate? Why did you not even send me a copy of the program? What I did was calmly say, I'm not coming for his lecture, mine starts at 3:30 "I'll be there around 3:00pm. Panicked and insulted silence on the other end of the line. "Ok" they say. I feel badly, but not that badly.
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