Town Hall Meeting for Americans in Moldova at the Ambassador's Residence

On Tuesday evening I attended a Town Hall Meeting for Americans in Moldova at the US Ambassador's Residence. The US Ambassador delivered remarks, giving an update on the Embassy's work and his assessment of the current political and economic situation here.

It certainly is a fascinating time to be living and working in Moldova, and I feel fortunate to have been placed here at such a pivotal time in Moldova's political history.

The Ambassador's remarks were followed by presentations by the Security and Consular sections of the Embassy. And then all in attendance were invited to introduce themselves and were invited to ask questions. It was a larger gathering than I expected; attendees were working with PeaceCorps, USAid, FreedomHouse, ABA ROLI, Fulbright, or as missionaries, among other things (one couple in attendance moved here when they retired). I especially appreciated the opportunity to meet the country directors for the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the International Republican Institute (IRI), and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and to speak with them about electoral politics in Moldova.

The Town Hall meeting was followed by a reception, which came as quite a pleasant surprise -- especially the hot apple cider!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

On Sunday Peggy and I decided to go back to Mall-Dova to see Tangled again. (A nice, cozy, indoor activity) Sadly, I didn't do adequate advance work. The movie times had changed since last weekend, and there was only one showing at 10:30 am (we were inquiring about tickets at 10:40 am) Not only had the movie already started, but also, it was sold out.

So, we decided to see The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This movie was also in Russian (as they all are here), but this time we did not have the benefit of the Romanian subtitles.

Still, we enjoyed it a lot. We may have missed the nuances of the dialogue (well, to be frank, 99% of the dialogue -- unless they were saying spasiba, pazhalsta, da, nyet, zdrastvuytye, or dasvidanya, we would not literally understand what they were saying) Nevertheless, we were able to follow the plot

And we both enjoyed it. There were times when I worried whether Peggy would follow along, in Russian, but the movie (and its action/special effects) held her attention the whole time

Our fun also included lunch at KFC, a latte at Roberts (for me) and a carmel sundae at McDonalds (for Peggy). And a visit to the toy store, because we *needed* more mermaid dolls to pack into our suitcases.

Of course, I hate that we are seeing Hollywood movies and eating at American fast-food restaurants in a mall while we are here in Moldova. And as we ride the taxi home I think how glad I am that we made the most of exploring Chisniau (and Moldova) when we had beautiful weather -- and waited until we were here for more than 4 months to hang out at a *mall.* (gasp) (But with less than 2 weeks 'till Christmas, can you really blame us?)

Хроники Нарнии: "Покоритель Зари" [трейлер B]

EAC Conversation Group

On Tuesday I delivered a presentation at the Educational Advising Center in Chisinau.

The Educational Advising Center provides resources to students interested in studying in the US.

For more information about the Educational Advising Center in Chisinau, see

http://www.eac.md/

It is part of the network of EducationUSA. See

http://educationusa.state.gov/

"EducationUSA is a global network of more than 400 advising centers supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes mutual understanding between the United States and other countries through personal and professional ties between private citizens in the United States and abroad, as well as by presenting U.S. history, society, art and culture in all of its diversity to overseas audiences. U.S. and foreign students alike can prepare for leadership roles in today’s world through an international education."

I noticed also on the EducationUSA site that the U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs is Ann Stock. When I first started working at the White House, she was the Social Secretary. Exciting that she is able to work with Secretary Clinton in this new role.

Many of those in attendance at my presentation were a part of one of the English conversation groups that the EAC facilitates. Though their interests were diverse (architecure, medicine), all were interested in studying in the US. My topic was civic engagement in higher education in the US, but I spent most of my time answering basic questions about American government and politics

I enjoyed my tour of this facility and learning more about the work of the EAC - and I will make sure that all of my students at ULIM know about the services offered here

Supreme Court Oral Argument at ARC

This semester's Commerce Clause hypothetical was modeled after Florida's challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's "individual mandate" provision. Students debated whether this provision of the health reform legislation was within Congress' powers to regulate interstate commerce

While I still need to finish grading the attorney briefs and bench memos, I found that on the day of the simulation my students rose to the challenge - and I was proud of the work they put into learning relevant Commerce Clause precedents

Supreme Court Oral Argument in US Constitutional Law

On Tuesday in my US Constitutional Law course, students participated in a Supreme Court Oral Argument simulation. Some of the students were attorneys arguing the case (or amici) and others were Supreme Court Justices.

The simulation provides students with the opportunity to take what they have learned in lecture (in this case, about the Commerce Clause) and to put that knowledge of Supreme Court precedents to the test. Students develop a deeper understanding of the precedents as well as oral advocacy skills.

At home I am able to make arrangements for my Constitutional Law 1 class to use one of the courtrooms at Stetson College of Law. (And, on occasion, to make arrangements for my Constitutional Law 2 class to hold a mock oral argument in the chambers of the Florida Supreme Court!) I was hoping that we could make arrangements for my class at ULIM to be able to use a courtroom as well, but that was not possible.

Instead of our usual lecture hall, we appreciated the use of the conference room of the American Resource Center, which we were able to re-arrange to set up as a courtroom

This was the first simulation that these students had participated in -- except for those who participated in the mock US Senate Judiciary Committee Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing in my Judicial Process in the US course. Sample feedback from the Simulation Evaluations:

"In our country we don't have this kind of courses to learn how our judicial system works. I enjoyed it!"

"We began to learn how to implement our knowledge in practice"

"I have never done this kind of simulation, but it is beneficial to see how we react right in the situation, face-to-face with concrete questions and challenges."

"This experience is unique, because in this way we apply our knowledge that we gain during the classes. In this way we practice"

Spirit Week at QSI

Last week was Spirit Week for Peggy at QSI. Monday was "Wear Your Parents Clothes" Day: here is Peggy sporting Ramsay's USF St Petersburg polo shirt. And here is Peggy on Friday sporting her QSI Chisinau shirt. Looking forward to seeing the group photo of all the kids at QSI wearing their QSI shirts in next week's school newsletter! (Sadly, we were running too late on Wednesday morning for a photo of "Crazy Hair Day" . . .)