American Corner, Ungheni

On Monday I travelled to Ungheni to make a presentation at the American Corner at the library Dimitrie Cantemir.

The American Corner has an impressive collection of books and movies. Those interested have a wealth of materials at their fingertips. The American Corner also provides computers and internet access

For those of you wondering about Moldovan geography, Ungheni is to the West of Chisinau, on the border with Romania. (It is on the River Prut, which separates Romanaia from Moldova on the West)

The other American Corners are in the North (Balti) and South (Ciadir Lunga), so these American Corners, along with the American Resource Center in Chisinau, are a great outreach effort on the part of the US Embassy here in Moldova. (You can see my blog for photos of the Balti (October) and Ciadir Lunga (November) American Corners.)

When we stayed in Iasi, Romania (for the vist to the painted monasteries in Bucovina), we were quite close to Ungheni. (Which made me wonder why we crossed the border in Leuseni and not Ungheni, but apparently the distance might be shorter crossing at Ungheni, but the roads to Leuseni take less time?)

As we approached Ungheni we drove by a big Soviet tank on display on a hillside, and I was reminded of the battles fought here during WWII. (Back in September I blogged about the big diorama of the Iasi-Chisinau battles of 1944 at the Museum of History in Chisinau)

You can find more information about the American Corner from the US Embassy's website:

http://moldova.usembassy.gov/american-corner-ungheni.html