De-Briefing with the US Embassy

On Wednesday, I left Ion Creanga University to head to the American Resource Center to attend a meeting with the Public Affairs staff of the US Embassy (which oversees the Fulbright Program) for a De-Briefing about our experiences here in Moldova.

One of the things I found most helpful in preparing for this trip was the reports of the previous Fulbright Scholars (I think I reviewed about 10-12 Reports from past years) and the break-out sessions at the Fulbright Orientation in DC with last year's Fulbright Scholars. I will certainly put a lot of thought into my Report, as I hope it will be similarly instructive to future Scholars headed to Moldova.

In preparation for this meeting at the ARC, I had started a listing of the dozens of guest lectures I have delivered and the events/activities I have participated in here in Moldova

I have tried to make the most of my time here, teaching at the university and exploring Chisinau, Moldova, the region, meeting as many groups and individuals as possible. Trying my best to be a sponge, soaking up as much as I could about Moldovan politics and culture. Of course, there never seems to be enough time to do *all* the things one would like to do. . . .

On the one hand, I felt like I was very much still "in the moment" here -- still teaching my classes, delivering guest lectures -- and wasn't yet prepared to step back and reflect upon my experiences for an official De-Briefing. On the other hand, it was a good time to have another look at the goals I set for myself -- and to see what there was on my To Do List that I had yet to do -- while there was still time for me to try to do it.

I think the words embossed on the Album that my ULIM students gave to me sums up my thoughts on this subject: "Precious Memories Forever."

More than treasuring these precious memories of my time (and especially my students) in Moldova, I hope that these experiences will inform my teaching and research back home -- and that, through technology (skype, email, facebook) -- I can maintain my connections with faculty and (former) students here in Moldova for many years to come

I have many ideas for future projects and activities linking my work at USFSP with Moldova -- and I am planning to keep this blog "live" in order to show the long-term benefits of this exchange program