Teacher Appreciation Day!

My US Constitutional Law students surprised me on Tuesday with a bouquet of flowers for Teacher Appreciation Day. [I thought they were pulling my leg -- but -- did a quick google search for Teacher Appreciation Day Moldova -- and found on wikipedia that Teacher's Day is celebrated around the world on October 5th -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teachers'_Day -- so -- it must be true. Who knew?!]

I have very much enjoyed working with my students here, and I must say that I am finding the whole Fulbright experience to be thoroughly rewarding. (An understatement!) Here are the star students of my constitutional law course. (These are primarily 2nd year law students who have already studied Moldovan Constitutional Law.)

Also pictured: For the benefit of my students back in St. Pete who are wondering how I am surviving without the copypaper box on rolling luggage cart to schlepp my class materials around Chisinau. Well. Here I am. Professor Pack Mule. I have my laptop case, book bag, purse, etc. I walk down the 4 flights of stairs here in the apt, walk up 2 flights of stairs to get into ULIM, then up another 3 flights of stairs to get to the classroom. (I need to post a photo -- but also the door thresholds here are at least 1 inch above the floor -- so you have to step OVER the threshold of interior doors. That includes the doors inside our apartment -- and -- just about anywhere I have been here. Doorways are also very narrow.) I do not have my rolling briefcase (or, the even more attractive copypaper box on luggage cart) here in Chisinau. But it would really not be much good on the stairways -- or even walking through the corridors. So, I carry my bags up and down the stairs. Not a bad workout.

Also pictured: the keys and the remote control for Aula Azarbaijan. I have a Student Assistant in each of my classes who assists me in picking up the key to the classroom (all classrooms are locked when not in use) and the remote control for the video projector from the office on the 4th floor. This is a huge help! I bring my laptop and connect it to the projector in the classroom. Overall I've been satisfied with the technology in the classroom