31 August Street (well, sidewalk) on 26 January 2006.

The government building in Chisinau

1/26 Yesterday was my first class meeting at ISPRI and I have to say that I was impressed by the quality of the facilities, the faculty, and the students. The students are very knowledgeable about the US and are quite inquisitive and critical--they will be fun to teach!

Today, it warmed up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit so I took a long walk around Chisinau and took some pictures and had a cup of tea at a cafe under an upscale grocery store called Green Hills. The store was nicer than anything we have in Macon and in the lower floor was a clothing store with every sort of designer labels and a coffee shop tucked away in a corner. Well, as we all know, I have never been one to dress to impress--which makes me stand out like a sore thumb here. While I was in the very upscale store, I got to thinking about how everyone here wants to impress those around them--its important. Perhaps this is a legacy of so many years of not being able to make many choices.

After class, yesterday, I talked with some of my students about how privileged they feel to be able to go to university. It is a point of pride because in the Communist days only a few slots were allowed and few of their parents could study. And even when they could go to university, the government decided what degrees they could pursue. The students are worried about what life will be like when they graduate because there are few jobs to go around. It amazes me that they all speak at least three languages fluently and are quite bright and they worry that instead of dynamic careers, they will wind up as maids in Italian hotels or working construction in Portugal. But their fears are, unfortunately, quite reasonable.

A recent survey indicated that Moldovans are the least happy people on earth. Not surprising when the average wage is less than $100 U.S. per month. This is an educated and sophisticated population and their average standard of living has been nearly cut in half since the fall of the Soviet Union 15 years ago. This is worse than for people in the other former Soviet countries who have mostly seen their average standard of living bettered over these years. Sadly, Western European nations are not open to Moldovan immigration because they already have an influx of Eastern Europeans from EU member states. To compound matters, there are few natural resources here and no reliable domestic energy source (but they do have some very good wine). Let alone the fact that you can die just walking around the city (whether you slip on the ice or fall into a missing manhole cover)! Add on to those factors--high levels of corruption in government and a well developed trade in the trafficking of humans--you can understand why Moldovans might not be too happy. On the other hand, I find the people here to be very warm, open, and genuine--far happier than one might expect. One of my students calls Moldova the land of Paradox--out the mouths of babes...

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	*Adventures of an American in Chisinau*