Sala cu Orga

I was so pleased that I could bring Peggy to see a concert at the Organ Hall (across from our old apartment block, next to the Art Market)

For more information about the Organ Hall, see
http://organhall.md/

International Women's Club of Moldova

When thinking about the community service project for my Study Abroad course in the spring, I wanted to brainstorm with Kate Shannon of the International Women's Club.  I very much admired the work with the IWCM when I was living in Chisinau, and I knew that Kate would have good ideas about possible agencies/projects/community partners.

I was so pleased that Kate and I could meet over coffee to discuss the current projects IWCM is supporting.  If you go to the IWCM website and click on the 2012 grants page, you can also learn more about these projects.   http://www.iwcm.md/index.php

I wish my students could participate in the big IWCM spring fundraiser -- the Night of Art -- but that will likely be in April, and our trip to Moldova will be in March

When I was living in Moldova in 2010, I collected caps as part of an International Women's Club of Moldova project to assist the Regina Pacis Foundation.  When coming back to live in Moldova this summer, I resumed my collection of bottle caps (not really expecting an IWCM meeting to take place and not entirely sure when/how I would donate the caps).  When I met with Kate, I brought her the bottle caps!

The Regina Pacis Foundation sells the plastic caps to a local factory where they are recycled into closures for pipes. With the money raised, the Regina Pacis Foundation provides hot lunches for 200 elderly people.

60 bottle caps = 1 loaf of bread!

If you are living in Chisinau, please consider collecting and donating your bottle caps.

Click here for more information about the program from Regina Pacis Foundation
http://www.reginapacis.org/page/56.html

my collection of caps so far this summer

Human Rights Embassy in Moldova

I also interviewed the Executive Director of the Human Rights Embassy.
 
For more information about the work of the Human Rights Embassy, see
http://www.humanrightsembassy.org/index.php

HUMAN RIGHTS EMBASSY (Ambasada Drepturilor Omului / Посольство Прав Человека) is an international human rights nongovernmental organization established on the basis of voluntary membership, community of interests and the principles of the international community in preventing and ending grave abuses of human rights worldwide.

Human Rights Embassy was founded on 8 March 2011 in Chişinău, Republic of Moldova, and officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova on 17 May 2011 (№ 4993), has an active International Executive Committee and an operating executive structure based on the Human Rights Embassy Statute.

Human Rights Embassy operates throughout the Republic of Moldova and abroad, and shall organize on the territory of the former Soviet Union, as well as in other countries, initiative groups, which may become its' structural units (with or without legal entity). Human Rights Embassy is guided by the principles of the international community to protect human rights, the universality and indivisibility of human rights, impartiality and independence, and democracy and mutual respect.

The goal of the Human Rights Embassy is to contribute to the promotion and respect for human rights worldwide. To achieve this goal, the task of the Human Rights Embassy is taking measures to combat and prevent human rights violations through effective action for the individual victim, development of a democratic society and to provide support and promote the rule of law and human rights.

To fully achieve its declared goals, the Human Rights Embassy intends:

-to address governments, intergovernmental organizations, companies and other non-state actors;

-to disseminate results of research related to human rights undertaken by Human Rights Embassy and other local, regional and international organizations;

-to lead strategic litigation on cases of human rights violations on local, regional and international level and to publish the cases' results;

-to sensitize and mobilize society through advocacy activities with governments and other non-state actors, in order to stop human rights violations;

-to contribute to the adoption of legal and normative acts which ensure promotion and protection of human rights; to advocate for the respect of the rule of law, to advocate for the ratification and application of human rights standards;

-to conduct broad public awareness campaigns on promotion and protection of human rights;

 -to build the capacity of professionals on promotion and protection of human rights through seminars, trainings, summer schools, human rights programs, etc.;

-to establish effective partnership with governments, intergovernmental organizations, companies, other non-state actors and international and local human rights and other nongovernmental organizations for knowledge management and joint activities to promote and protect human rights.

Since Human Rights Embassy was founded in 2011, we mention our team's previous experience in human rights protection. At our Embassy work founding members of Amnesty International Moldova (AIM), as well as experts who successfuly implemented the program "Lawyers for Human Rights" and the project "Lawyers v. Torture" for AIM. Since October 2005, "Lawyers for Human Rights" and "Lawyers v. Torture" focused on Moldovan defence lawyers as the main actors providing legal assistance for torture victims. Training courses were provided on national and European legal mechanisms for the protection of torture victims, on gathering and securing of evidence on torture, as well as on interacting with mass media and human rights nongovernmental organizations. The courses which were attended by defence lawyers, human rights NGOs and university law professors significantly improved the state of human rights in Moldova.

However, due to its working mandate Amnesty International's activity is very limited within the respective country. Because of that, authors and experts of AIM's "Lawyers for Human Rights" and "Lawyers v. Torture" decided to found an international human rights nongovernmental organization, Human Rights Embassy, through which they could apply their experience and capacity.

Clubul Avocatilor: Guest Lecture

I interviewed the team at the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative in Chisinau for my project about the impact of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on legal/political/judicial reform in Moldova.

I was pleased when they invited me to deliver a guest lecture to attorneys in Chisinau as a part of their speaker series.

I delivered a lecture about the history and operation of the U.S. Supreme Court that included a behind-the-scenes tour.

attorneys who participated received a certificate

being introduced by Olimpia of the ABA

my lecture was simultaneously translated

now I needed the headset, while answering questions

Trivia Night to benefit Hospice Angelus

Every month I receive emails inviting me to participate in the Trivia Night to benefit Hospice Angelus at the Flying Pig restaurant in Chisinau.
 
Now that I returned to Chisinau, I was eager to participate in one of the trivia nights! 

Sadly, I don't think I was an asset to my friend Diana's team (Ramsay is the trivia guru in our household), but it was fun and it was a great opportunity to see friends from the expat community that I hadn't yet connected with on this trip.


Hospice Angelus is a "leading provider of care to children and adults with life-limiting illnesses in Moldova."  Each team makes a donation to the Hospice in order to compete in the trivia night.  I may not have been able to recognize celebrities in their childhood photos, but, at least I made a small contribution to a great cause.

Around Chisinau

My helper at the grocery store (the Number 1 at Sun City). Sniffing the toilet paper and helping me decide which scent to purchase.

We are not fair-weathered grocery shoppers. Walking a few blocks and up 4 flights of stairs with the groceries makes everything taste better.

Stefan cel Mare Blvd, from the vantage point of the statue of Stefan cel Mare

Peggy loves to be pampered!

Our favorite hairdressers were still at the salon near the Nobil hotel. (Peggy's old bus stop)

The Art Market.  We purchased one of these little purses from this artist.

St. Petersburg, Russia: Boat Cruise on the River Neva

After returning from Peterhof, we decided to do a boat cruise on the River Neva. The tour was in Russian (you can see a short video posted on this blog), but we were able to see from the water many of the landmarks that we had seen from the ground the day before.  These pictures were taken between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm.  We weren't in St. Petersburg during the White Nights, but we did have very long days when we were there!