Soroca

On Saturday we braved the snowy day and slushy roads to travel to Soroca, home of the impressive medieval Soroca fortress

As explained in my Lonely Planet travel guide, the fortress is "part of a chain of military fortresses built by Moldavian princes between the 14th and 16th centuries to defend Moldavia's boundaries, it was founded by Stefan cel Mare and rebuilt by his son Petru Rares from 1543 to 1550. The limestone walls. . . are more than 3m thick. Four towers plus a rectangular entrance tower still stand. Strategically placed at Moldavia's then northeastern tip on the banks of the Dnister River, Soroca (founded in 1499) was a key military stronghold."

Our first snow of the season! (27 November 2010)

How fun to wake up on Saturday morning to see the first *snow* of the season! Always makes it seem that much warmer and cozier inside.

Thought about canceling our big trip to Soroca (about 2.5+ hours north of Chisinau) since the roads can be a challenge sans snow, but we are so glad we didn't.

Friday Field Trip, Ethnographic Museum

On Friday, Peggy's class took a trip to the Ethnographic Museum. (If you scroll back to our September posts, you'll see more photos of the exhibits.) It was great that Ramsay was able to go along for the adventure.

I stayed home to work while they went on the field trip, but we met up for lunch at our favorite cafe (the "yellow chair restaurant") so Ramsay could enjoy our favorite zama de gaina and Moldovan meatballs. Despite the cold and rainy weather, we stopped by the McDs on Stefan cel Mare on the walk home so Peggy could get her favorite dessert (caramel sundae!) and have some play time in the playroom upstairs.

We are so pleased that Ramsay is here for a visit and that we can share all our favorite Moldovan/Chisinau things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for. Especially this Thanksgiving, when we picked Ramsay up at the Chisinau airport and were reunited as a family for the first time in 3 months.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Special Lecture on Thanksgiving

My Judicial Process class meets on Thursday, and this Thursday (Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.) was no exception.

However, we decided to have the lecture at my apartment, followed by a sampling of a batch of chocolate chip pancakes and *real* maple syrup. (Thanks again, Beth, for the care package!) I have not found chocolate chips here - so I thought this would be a nice American treat on an American holiday.

(Ramsay has brought with him supplies for us to have a Thanksgiving "feast" during the break of my US Constitutional Law class on Tuesday, so the Thanksgiving festivities will continue!)

Faculty Senate meeting; Diploma of Excellence

On Wednesday I was honored at the Faculty Senate meeting with a Diploma of Excellence, recognizing my "valuable contribution in teaching at the Faculty of Law" at ULIM.

I have found ULIM to be a vibrant and engaging place to teach, and I appreciate how administrators, faculty and staff have worked hard to facilitate all arrangements for my courses.

And I so enjoy my students! They are bright and enthusiastic -- and they have impressed me with their ability to complete challenging assignments in English (e.g., my U.S. Constitutional Law students briefing cases weekly and drafting their responses to the hypothetical case on the Mid-Term exam).

A special "shout out" to the students in my Judicial Process class, who are not getting academic credit for the course. They attend my lectures (early in the morning) on top of their other courses and work responsibilities, simply out of a desire to learn.

I will certainly treasure this memento of my wonderful teaching experience in Moldova!

Liberal Party Event at ULIM

Students asked if they could leave U.S. Constitutional Law a few minutes early on Tuesday to attend an event at ULIM - a Liberal Party GOTV rally/event. Of course I said Yes, and I wanted to attend as well.

The Liberal Party is one of 4 parties in the governing coalition, and the current/interim President of Moldova, Mihai Ghimpu, is the leader of the Liberal Party. (The Vice Rector of ULIM, Ana Gutu, is a member of Parliament, also from the Liberal Party)

The Rector of ULIM introduced the speaker, Dorin Chirtoacă, who is the Mayor of Chisinau and a Liberal Party leader. The large lecture hall (pictured here is only one half of the lecture hall) was filled to capacity with interested students and faculty.

The young and charismatic speaker acknowledged the current election fatigue in Moldova, but encouraged students to get out and vote. In this election students will not need to return to their villages to vote; they may vote in Chisinau if they show their student ID along with the other necessary documents.

The Mayor covered a broad array of topics, and answered many questions submitted by students.

In the interests of tine, click here for more about the Liberal Party:

http://www.pl.md/

The Rector encouraged students to become informed about the parties and to participate in Moldovan democracy and vote

Click here for a listing of all of Moldova's political parties (that includes links to those parties' websites):

http://www.parties.e-democracy.md/en/