Gdansk -- the Post Office Museum

The first shots of World War II were fired in Gdansk (the Free City of Danzig (in German), an independent city-state following WWI, per the Treaty of Versailles)

As my tour guide stated, "The Polish Post Office was the scene of some of the most dramatic events of the first days of World War II. At  daybreak on 1 September 1939, German troops attacked the Polish Postal Administration that had its base here....For 15 hours the postal workers resisted the onslaught, but they were finally overwhelmed. On 5 October more than 30 of them were executed by Nazi soldiers...Their heroism is commemorated in the Post Office Museum and by a monument depicting an injured postal worker atop scattered mail, handing over his rifle to Nike, Greek goddess of victory..."

a construction crew found a mass grave that was identified as the grave of the postal workers (in the early 1990s)...here are some of the effects found in that mass grave

there is a working post office in the building that houses the postal museum ... I wanted to bring back some of these Disney Polish collector stamps...but it turns out they are not out yet

Tourism Review Article: "Moldova: Fascinating Destination Unkown to Seasoned Travelers"

http://www.tourism-review.com/destination-unknown-to-seasoned-travelers--news5028

I recently came across this article --  "Moldova:  Fascinating Destination Unknown to Seasoned Travelers" -- and shared with the students who traveled with me to Moldova on our Study Abroad course. I found the title amusing.  But it is true -- Moldova is fascinating.  And there is much to explore, for those willing to go off the beaten path.

 "Moldova: Fascinating Destination Unknown to Seasoned Travelers"

Moldova is perhaps the least known country in Eastern Europe. Enclosed in the north, east and south by Ukraine, it is bordered on the west by Romania. Home to 3.5 million inhabitants, Moldova is probably the poorest country of the continent. Despite of that, the destination unknown to masses hides true gems for any traveler.
A year ago, the country was rocked by a financial scandal. During the "theft of the century" more than a billion dollars disappeared from three major banks in the former Soviet republic. The mega-fraud is still unclear.
On the plus side, the country has a number of fascinating treasures including its varied landscape with forests and vineyards. The city of Chisinau with its many parks is among the greenest capitals in Europe. 700,000 people live there and the cityscape is characterized by wide streets. Most noteworthy are the Triumphal Arch, the Cathedral "Nativity of the Lord" and the concert hall for organ music.
Who would expect that close to the capital there are the largest wine cellars in the world, Milestii Mici? Originally, limestone was mined there for many years resulting in 200 kilometers of tunnels. In 1969, some 50 kilometers started to be used as a wine cellar with huge oak barrels. Currently, there are over 1,300 barrels, 500 of them full of wine, ready to welcome any visitor and wine lover.
Nowadays, with 1.5 million bottles of wine the cellars have the largest collection of natural wines. It was also entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
The cultivation of fine wines has a long tradition in Moldova. Since 1828 like wine was delivered to the Russian tsar. The champagne came from Crimea, but the noble grape juice from Moldova.
When Mikhail Gorbachev decided to curb excessive consumption in 1985 and enacted a general prohibition it destroyed 45% of the vineyards in Moldova. However, the farmers hid many of their best vines, in the hope of better times.
Another destination unknown to seasoned travelers is Transnistria in eastern Moldova. Although after a civil war in 1990 the region split from the rest of the country, it is not recognized internationally. Travelers however need to undergo the passport control when crossing the border.
In Tiraspol, visitors should get ready for prominent Soviet symbols like the hammer and sickle, and busts of Lenin and Russian tanks. The city offers a number of unique attractions including a fine green market.

Article Published with Larisa Patlis -- "20 Years of 'Autonomy' for the Gagauz" -- Romanian Journal of Comparative Law

What a treat to receive in the mail my hard copy of the latest edition of the

Romanian Journal of Comparative Law

(Revue Roumaine de Droit Compare; Revista romana de drept comparat)

Larisa Patlis and I have an article included,

"20 Years of 'Autonomy' for the Gagauz: Reflections on Devolutionary Trends in the Republic of Moldova"

Fulbright Conference presentation, "Cultivating Global Citizenship in Higher Education"

I enjoyed participating in my third Fulbright Association Conference. This year's annual meeting was held in Atlanta at the Omni Atlanta Hotel.

I presented my poster/paper presentation "Cultivating Global Citizenship in Higher Education: Internationalizing the Curriculum by Creating Collaborative Learning Partnerships."  I focused on the project I developed with Professor Gabriel Andreescu at the National School of Political Science and Public Administration in Bucharest, Romania (SNSPA). The students in my U.S.Constitutional Law: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights partnered with Dr. Andreescu's seminar on religion and politics at SNSPA to work together on comparative legal research papers comparing decisions of the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Supreme Court of the United States on topics related to religious freedom in the US and the EU. My students' dialogue with their counterparts in Romania, explaining the US Supreme Court precedents we covered in class to their Romanian colleagues and learning from them about the ECJ and ECtHR precedents, provided an opportunity for my students (and the Romanians) to challenge their assumptions about American government and politics and to think more deeply about the role of religion in politics and in society.

For more information about this project, please see my blog

http://europeancourtofjusticeproject.blogspot.com/

Presenting the paper in the atrium of the CNN Center:

It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with Fulbrighters from all around the world -- and especially Moldova! I met a Fulbrighter who is in Atlanta studying Public Administration at Georgia State. We have shared interests, and we look forward to staying in touch and to collaborating in the future.

The theme of the conference was  "Creating Pathways to Peace: Global Health and Education."  It was with great sadness that we learned at the reception on Friday evening about the horrific terrorist attack in Paris. The event underscored that now, more than ever, we need programs like Fulbright -- to promote mutual understanding and peace.

There was a wonderful reception and private tour at the World of Coca-Cola. Pictured with USF Professor Darlene De Marie

What a treat to learn more about the research of Dr. Madeleine Hackney during her Selma Jeanne Cohen Dance Lecture. She shared the results of her studies about how the tango can improve mobility of those with Parkinson's disease. She got us to do a few tango moves as well! I don't think I have done the tango since my husband and I danced the tango as our wedding dance. slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

With Stela, Fulbrighter from Moldova

The hotel was across from Centennial Olympic Park, which gave me the opportunity to visit my brick!

I was pleased that I was also able to visit the Civil and Human Rights Museum, which was located on the other side of the park.

at the interactive display at the lunch counter you can test yourself to see how long you could sit there and be insulted (the timers are lit in red)

in the theater with a video presentation about the Freedom Riders...here is the back of one of the "bus" seats used as theater seating

an exhibit about the Letter from Birmingham Jail

Coffee (selfie) with Stela to discuss future projects

Dr. King's notes for his acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony 

outside the World of Coca-Cola, the inventor of Coke, Atlanta pharmacist Dr. Pemberton

USF World, Certificate in Global Acheivement

The USFSP website recently featured an article about the USFSP faculty who were recognized at the USF World Global Achievement Breakfast.



Three USF St. Petersburg faculty members were recognized at the USF World inaugural Global Achievement breakfast on Nov. 13.
Drs. Judithanne Scourfield McLauchlan, associate professor of Political Science and founding director of USFSP’s Center for Civic Engagement, Tiffany Chenneville, associate professor and department chair of Psychology, and Martine Fernandes Wagner, associate professor of French and associate chair in the Department of Society, Culture, and Language, each received the 2015 Honorable Mention for Global Engagement faculty award.
The inaugural Global Achievement awards were given to faculty, staff and administrators around the USF System. The award is given to faculty who demonstrate active participation and promotion of student success in the global environment.
“This recognition speaks to the quality of our Institution’s faculty and their incorporation of a broad, global perspective in their research and instruction,” said V. Mark Durand, interim regional vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “We are proud to have these three scholars among the growing number of our faculty whose work is having an international impact.”
“There are a lot of really exciting things happening throughout the USF System to help develop global citizens,” said McLauchlan, whose work in globalizing course curricula was recognized during the ceremony. “Teaching overseas has changed how I teach here: I try to incorporate a comparative element in all of my courses now.”
McLauchlan was recognized for her work in several classes that connected USFSP students with others from around the world. In Spring 2013, her civil liberties class partnered with a class in Romania on human rights issues. In another class, she connected students with others in Moldova on issues of human trafficking. And when students can’t travel outside the U.S. she brings to world to her classes by helping them to interact with people around the world.
“I’m still teaching American politics classes, but I help give them an international perspective in those classes,” McLauchlan said.
Wagner, who was nominated for her global research on Francophone and Lusophone cultures and for her teaching and student mentoring, also has a strong focus on helping students study abroad. She helped co-design a summer study abroad program in France in collaboration with the Study Abroad Office.
She said she was surprised and proud to learn that she had been nominated for the USF World award by some of her students.
“USFSP students nominated me for the award without my knowledge,” she said. “It was an excellent surprise.”

Click here to see the USFSP article

International Exchange -- literally

Mayor Leslie Waters was heading overseas for an assignment in May/June 2015 -- to Prague where she would be meeting with women leaders from the Middle East.

We were so pleased that Mayor Waters was able to visit Chisinau, Moldova as well -- where she gave another presentation about "Empowering Women in Leadership" and to visit the Moldovan Parliament and other sites.

Mayor Waters was so kind to bring some small gifts to Moldova for our dear friend and colleague Larisa Patlis and her family -- and to bring some treats from Moldova back for us! A literal international exchange!

 

Peggy gives Mayor Water the packages to deliver to Larisa

And she brought back some treats from Moldova! Our favorite Bucuria chocolates -- and some

Маша и Медведь cartoons for Peggy -- THANKS Leslie and Larisa!

We loved hearing stories about Mayor Waters adventures in Moldova!

"Cultivating Global Citizenship" article published

I am delighted to report that the article that Larisa Patlis and I co-authored about our Joint Study Abroad course has been published in the international service learning journal Revista Internacional de Educacion para la Justicia Social (RIEJS)

"Cultivating Global Citizenship in Higher Education: Civic Engagement and Service Learning in Joint Study Abroad Courses"

You can read the full text here: RIEJS website