Note: This is NOT an official website of the Department of State. The views expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Martisor
Martisor
The festival of Martisor begins tomorrow (March 1st) to welcome Spring. As I type this it is 18 degrees and snowing lightly in Chisinau, so I am sure many are ready for Spring to arrive!
Click on this link for more information about the festival.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
David Letterman on Moldova, and my response
I am a big fan of the Late Show with David Letterman (I even posted my own "Top Ten" List on this blog recently!), but when I saw this recent monologue, I felt compelled to clear up the misinformation about Moldova.
First, as far as the geography is concerned: Moldova is situated between Romania and the Ukraine. (A map is posted on this blog; see 2 July 2010)
Second, Moldova does not have a King. Moldova is a Parliamentary Republic. To learn more about the government, click here
http://www.gov.md/homepage.php?l=en
And for more information about Moldova, click here
http://www.moldova.md/en/home/
(Moldovan (Romanian) is the state language, but those sites are both the English versions)
Third, I am not sure about the highest per capital alcohol consumption figure (although I can understand why this would make a funny joke on late night TV). Regardless of its veracity, I can say that there are many wonderful facts/figures/facets of Moldovan life and culture, and for those, I suggest you scroll through some of my blog entries.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Vice President Biden heading to Chisinau
Vice President Biden is heading to Chisinau on March 11th
From the White House Press Office:
The White House
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release February 16, 2011 Vice President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden to Travel to Finland, Russia and Moldova
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Finland, Russia, and Moldova during the week of March 7, 2011. In each country, the Vice President will meet with key leaders to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues. In Helsinki, he looks forward to consulting with our Finnish partners on our shared regional and global priorities. In Moscow, he will seek to build on the reset in U.S.-Russian relations, with a focus on ways to further the prosperity of our two countries. In Chisinau, he will signal our support for ongoing democratic and economic reforms and for Moldova's aspirations for European integration.
Additional details about the Vice President and Dr. Biden's trip will be released at a later date.
See also
http://politicom.moldova.org/news/vicepreedintele-sua-joseph-biden-vine-in-martie-la-chisinau-217207-rom.html
From the White House Press Office:
The White House
Office of the Vice President
For Immediate Release February 16, 2011 Vice President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden to Travel to Finland, Russia and Moldova
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Finland, Russia, and Moldova during the week of March 7, 2011. In each country, the Vice President will meet with key leaders to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues. In Helsinki, he looks forward to consulting with our Finnish partners on our shared regional and global priorities. In Moscow, he will seek to build on the reset in U.S.-Russian relations, with a focus on ways to further the prosperity of our two countries. In Chisinau, he will signal our support for ongoing democratic and economic reforms and for Moldova's aspirations for European integration.
Additional details about the Vice President and Dr. Biden's trip will be released at a later date.
See also
http://politicom.moldova.org/news/vicepreedintele-sua-joseph-biden-vine-in-martie-la-chisinau-217207-rom.html
Live webcam, Chisinau
Check out Publika TV's live webcam on Stefan cel Mare:
http://www.publika.md/camere
http://www.publika.md/camere