American Corner, Ungheni, presentation

Pictured here: the Director of the American Resource Center (who oversees the American Corners program) and me in front of the painting of Dimitrie Cantemir (for whom the library is named) and Peter the Great of Russia. Pictured also is the coordinator of Ungheni's American Corner.

The topic of my presentation was "Campaigns in the US." Somewhat appropriate that in my last post I referenced the tank on the hillside, since the jargon/terminology used to describe campaigns (indeed, even the word "campaign": "a connected series of military operations forming a distinct phase of a war") -- the air war, the ground war, field operations (grassroots organizers who are "in the trenches" and "on the frontlines") is full of military references.

I was expecting to speak to a group of high school students who were studying English and to some members of the general public. Instead, I was speaking to a group of political party leaders from Ungheni, who were apparently all coming together for a meeting for the first time. This included representatives of all of the major political parties -- the Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Communist Party, and political reporters from the local newspapers.

I began with the lecture presentation I had prepared, but after about 10 minutes or so, it became clear that a seminar-style discussion would be more appropriate for this group of leaders. This presentation was to last about an hour; instead, more than two hours answering questions. I would have loved to have stayed longer so that I could have asked more questions of them about Moldovan campaigns. But I learned quite a bit from the questions asked of me (and the interactions among the various party representatives)

It was an honor and a pleasure to spend the afternoon with such a distinguished group of leaders, and I appreciate the librarian's putting together such a forum for this type of exchange -- between and among parties in Moldova -- and the US. I hope the participants found this to be a useful and interesting exchange. I think this kind of dialogue shows the value of the American Corners programs.

When I was leaving we brainstormed ways we might continue our discussion, through skype and email, and I am hopeful that with technology I will be able to maintain my connections and work with Moldovans even after I return to the US.