SOME COOL LINKS:    Mostly about Moldova

Moldova.org  good for news and events in and about Moldova.

Clipa.Siderala  works to provide better lives for orphans.

Peter Myers' Blog contains the adventures of a Peace Corps teacher in a nearby village.

Mary Magoulick's Blog a colleague of mine from GC&SU, who is on a Fulbright in Croatia this semester.

The Moldova "Quasi-Blog" III:

 The Adventure Continues...and continues

Join "the Revolution" at my gym...

One of the kiosks that dot the city.

However, I sometimes wonder if the quest for consumer goods that is so evident here is due to the expansion of the free market economy is also encouraging deeper understandings of democracy.  My students, here, are very interested in discussing the recent elections in Belarus and so we have had several discussions both about whether or not the Belarusian elections were "free" and "fair" and about whether or not an elected government is good for the people.  Afterall, 93% of Belarusian voters turned out in the election and reelected Alyaksandr Lukashenka to a third term as President of their republic.  He won 83% of the vote--these two factors alone sound like Belarus is a successful democracy, especially where voter turnout is concerned, but the numbers are deceptive.

First, Lukashenka bullied the Belarusian Parliament into altering the constitution so that he could run for a third term (previously the President was limited to two terms).  Second, his opposition in the recent election was not given access to media or to resources to develop broad campaign appeals.  Press that has opposed Lukashenka in the past have seen access to government officials limited and have suffered repressions from the state.  Finally, there is reason to believe that the government may have been involved in election tampering.  This altogether smells suspicious to an American political scientist--and to many other Americans and Western Europeans as well.

More than one of my students has told me that while Lukashenka may be a dictator, the Belarusians have a higher standard of living than the Moldovans.  I have often thought that the fall of the former Soviet Union had more to do with the lack of availability of consumer products than it had to do with the triumph of western political ideals--I may be more right than I hoped I was.  One Moldovan has told me that "democracy" is a magic word for Americans and that we are happy as long as elections happen but are not concerned much with the basic needs of the people.  I don't agree--but I understand the perspective.

Besides, McDonald's there are some interesting intersections here between western commercialization and Moldova.  One was the day I walked into my gym and found it covered in "hammers," "sickles," and ominous Russian writing.  These symbols are not cataloged in my mind as particularly "pro-American," so I was quite curious about them.  I finally found out that they were a membership promotion called "Evolution of the Revolution" which offered discounted services for a three month time!  Lenin would be rolling over in his mausoleum to find out that the symbols of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union are now used in marketing campaigns for gymnasiums!  I joined the revolution, by the way--gotta work off those placintas!

A stable of the former Soviet Union was the kiosk--there is one or more near almost every apartment block all over the former Soviet Union.  Today most of them sport western cigarette advertisements--though they sell all sorts of things besides cigarettes.  Mary Kay and Avon are here too!  And, as I understand it, there is strong consumer demand and having parties for the women is quite lucrative (maybe especially for the women looking for western husbands).  I am still waiting to see my first pink Cadillac in Chisinau.

When Moldova declared and gained its independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the political situations was unstable to say the least (as was true in most of the other Republics) because no one knew what would happen.  Some here wanted Moldova to rejoin Romania (and this sentiment was of great concern to Russians and Ukrainians in the population).  Others wanted to forge an independent country that was to be both multi-ethnic and multi-lingual--a sort of federal state.  Still others hoped that a nation with the Russian language as dominant would be established.  Others hoped that Moldova would break into several countries along ethnic lines.

All over the the Soviet Republics, great efforts had been made to intermingle and intertwine the peoples and the economies--Soviet leaders always feared that nationalism would be the downfall of the nation.  Stalin in the 1930s  was pedantic in his quest to rearrange peoples with major resettling efforts eg. Moldovans moved to Kazakhstan or Armenians resettled to Belarus.  Russians were resettled into all the Republics and Moldova was no exception.  As the eastern part of Moldova was the most industrialized part of the country and this is where many of the Russians were resettled.  Automobiles were never fully manufactured in a single facility, rather component parts would be shipped from different places in the Soviet Union and assembled to a final assembly point.  This way, the nation was dependent on its various parts for survival.  Now, fast-forward to the breakup of the USSR and chaos ensued and the fears of the various ethnicities were ripe for exploitation by opportunistic politicians.

A short and bloody war was fought in 1992 when Moldova sought to exert control over the territory.  The Soviet (by then Russian) Red Army still maintained troops and weapons in Transneistria and they came to the aid of the secessionists.  In the end, a truce was signed to stop the bloodshed and a de facto border was established.  The Transneitrian secessionists set up an old-fashioned Soviet styled government and printed their own money and began to control their own "borders."  No nation, not even Russia, recognized the new government--officially the land is a part of Moldova by international law.  However, Russian troops remain and for almost 15 years the Transneistrian government has regulated the territory.

Transneistria is a major frustration for the Moldovan government.  First, the major industrial production centers of the nation are in Tiraspol (the capital of Transneistria) and Bendery (a "twin" city to Tiraspol)--this deprives the Moldovan government of its ability to recover taxes from these areas.  Second, all sorts of illegal commerce emerged in the area including gun smuggling, drug trafficking, and non-taxed trade in goods such as alcohol.  Some individuals in Transneistria have profited handsomely from its unusual status--and they are not interested in repatriation with Moldova (even if a form of federalism were allowed to the region). 

Today, relations are more tense because Ukraine has decided to refuse to allow exports from Transneistria unless they have an official Moldovan customs seal--the Transneistrian government refuses to pay the duties and affix the seal claiming that it is a sovereign state.  Since Transneistria's only outlet, besides Moldova, is Ukraine--this has increased tensions.  The U.S. Embassy has worked to have positive relations throughout Moldova and since this region is Moldovan by international convention, cultural and educational exchanges are encouraged and fostered--so I got to go.  We were invited to speak at the Transneistrian University in Tiraspol and were allowed to meet with several university officials.  Our hosts at the universities gave several long speeches that outlined Transneistria's right to sovereignty and treated us to a delicious lunch with several toasts of cognac--this is the good stuff.

The Transneistrian coat of arms over the flag.

Our delegation to Transneistria--(l to r) Dan, me, John Bailan (the new Public Affairs Officer at the embassy), Patricia, Irina, Marcella, and Fern--in front of the 1992 War Memorial.

   Mmmm...Bors with black bread and boiled buckwheat with chicken and eggplant.

 As mentioned, Moldova is a wine producing nation--Fern & Geoff Greenwell are enjoying a final glass before leaving Basarabia Restaurant.  Ziama, a typical Moldovan soup--chicken, noodles, and parsley with placintas in the background (and wine, of course)

One of the things that is different for me here is that I do not drive--at all.  I could drive, my license is valid, but the roads are not very good out of Chisinau and I can get everywhere that I need to go in the city by bus, taxi, or "Marshooka."  The embassy is arranging some speaking events in Tiraspol (Transnestria--a country that officially does not exist) and in Baltsi, the second largest city in Moldova (if you exclude the towns in Transnestria--which does not officially exist--so I am not sure if you should exclude it or not--more on that subject to come).  I am looking forward to seeing more of the country.

I did have a little excitement shortly after I took the picture of the bell tower in the top picture as I was stopped by the police and asked for my identification.  We had been briefed by the embassy after arriving that this is common in Moldova and that one should always carry a copy of their passport and identity card (which state that we are sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau and recognized by the foreign ministry of Moldova).  The police have a reputation for corruption here and occasionally have been known to try to extort money from foreigners claiming that their visas are not valid.  The embassy told us to call them if we were harassed (note to the would-be trouble makers of the world: THE U.S. EMBASSY CANNOT GET YOU OUT OF JAIL IF YOU BREAK THE LAW IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY--a little PSA for my pals in the Foreign Service).  I had my fingers on my cell phone should need be--the policeman very carefully examined my card--and I was on the ready for some excitement but, alas, he politely handed me back my ID card and said "poftim" (which means "here you are").  I said "Multsumesc"--meaning "thank you" and this was the end of my exciting international incident <grin>.

One of the more difficult cultural adjustments in a foreign land is food.  I find Moldovan food to be good--maybe too good!  I have developed a healthy appetite for lots of tasty items.  One of my favorites is bors (borscht in Russian) a sour soup with meat, cabbage, potatoes, and beets that give it a red color.  It is usually served with a dollop of sour cream on top and when it is stirred, it turns bright pink--almost like Pepto-Bismol!  I really enjoy it quite a bit (and it is good for you).  Moldovan meals usually start with a soup and then move to a main course.  Beef, pork, and chicken are all common here and side dishes tend to be starchy--potatoes, rice, buckwheat, or mamaligia (mamaligia is Romanian for grits--thicker and yellow--but grits nonetheless).   My fellow Fulbrighters, Fern Greenwell and Dan Fellner and I go to dinner on Saturday nights to try different restaurants in Chisinau--some very good, some not so good (we did the Mexican place and it was good--soon, we will try Chinese).

Placintas (roughly translated as "pies" in English) are Moldovan fast food.  Usually they are rolled up with cheese, cabbage, or potatoes inside--but some are sweet with cherries or pumpkin inside.  I like placintas quite a lot!  Wine is very good and cheap here and there are several wineries in area around Chisinau--hopefully I will get to visit when the weather is better.

  My "Stalin-ka."  My apartment is on the top floor at the right of the photo.

A "Khruschev-ka."

One of the best things that happened because of the Soviet rebuilding was that parks (large and small) were placed throughout the city and even the apartment blocks have large areas of green space nearby.  Even the "Gates of the City"--the monstrous high rises apartment blocks at the edge of the city are surrounded by parks and greenery.

On the down side, Soviet architects were never known for aesthetics in their work--they were functionalists and their architectural was influenced by political ideology as much as anything else.  Soviet regimes valued the concentration of population in cities and towns.  The taller the building, the more it was a triumph over capitalism.  There were two primary reasons for concentrating the populations in towns and cities.

One, the Soviets were bent on industrialization and having populations concentrated in urban centers.  It made transport easier to the factories.  Major pushes toward industrialization were made in the 1930s and the 1950s.  Fuel was dear in Soviet times (though today large supplies have been discovered in parts of the former USSR).  Economically, it made sense to have people live near their jobs and in later times the buildings were often produced in factories and "shipped" to their final destinations. 

Secondly, the Soviet Union was a "police state." This means the state kept tabs on people's movements, conversations, and activities and having citizens spread apart made it difficult to monitor their activities.  Marx wrote that for a period of time after the revolution there would need to be a "dictatorship of the proletariat" during which the citizens would be reeducated and be rid of their capitalist mentalities.  Under Josef Stalin (1924-53), this education took the form of complete oppression from the state.  Millions of Soviets were detained, deported (usually to Siberia), or executed for remarks made against the state, its leaders, or the Communist Party.  Religion was repressed as was free speech and other potential threats to the state and its ideology.

Chisinau was redesigned and rebuilt during the Stalin and Khrushchev regimes and many of the apartment buildings in the central area of the city are still referred to as "Stalin-kas" or "Khrushchev-kas."  A "Stalin-ka," like the one I live in is ornate (neo-classical architecture) and is usually only 3 or 4 stories tall.  A "Khrushchev-ka" is taller 5 or 6 stories and less ornate (usually no elevators).  In both styles, the walls were thin so that you can hear what is going on in your neighbor's apartment (thankfully mine was renovated).  It was also the case in the Stalin and Khrushchev eras that two or more families were forced to share an apartment--meaning even less privacy. 

In the 1970s with the state expanded housing and high-rises were built around the outside of the city center.  I have called these "Brezhnev-kas" but no one here gets the humor in it--perhaps because Brezhnev is not particularly well-regarded in Moldova.  Leonid Brezhnev was Soviet Premier (1964-82) and spent part of his early career in Chisinau as the First  Secretary of the MSSR Communist Party.  During Brezhnev's time here, he was responsible for the removal of as many as 250,000 people from Moldova to other parts of the Soviet Union--he was rewarded for his efforts by Stalin.  Anyway, the 1970s era buildings can be 15 stories or higher and have elevators (but they do not always work well).  They make up the bulk of the housing in the suburban districts.   

"An Idle Talker is a Godsend for the Enemy"

"TO TALK MEANS TO HELP THE ENEMY"

"BE ALERT"

There is a myth in both Russia and Romania that gives a special significance to March and the struggle of the old woman winter (Baba Dochia) and her rival the young, beautiful woman, Spring.  As the legend goes, the two fight in March for who will have control over the earth and that the battle turns a little bloody and the old woman injures Spring's little finger causing her to bleed into the white snow (her blood turns to red flowers, common here in Spring).  So the colors of March are white (alb in Romanian) and red (rosu in Romanian) and they symbolize both the battle of the seasons but also the friendship of people. 

All over Chisinau there are venders selling little bits of red and white thread made into designs of flowers, mostly.  The custom here is to give your friends these little lapel called "martisors" (as signs of friendship and reminders that spring is on the way).  Supposedly, only males can give to females and vice-versa.  Everywhere you look people have these little designs on their lapel (I have been fortunate to receive three already).  People continue to give them throughout the month.  As the month comes to a close, you tie all your stings to a newly sprouting tree limb and make a wish.  I think each little ornament means that someone cares about you and that is terrific!.

Another part of the myth is that Baba Dochia cleans her house in March and shakes all her rugs to get ready for the new season.  Since Baba Dochia is the old woman of winter, she gets snow in her rugs.  So any snow from here on out is the leftovers from Baba Nochia's house cleaning.  On March 1st, we got a good snow in Chisinau--meaning that Baba Nochia must have had a very dirty house (or so everyone here said)!  More snow in the forecast for tomorrow--but it is warmer now so it starts melting sooner.

On another note, orphanages are also a part of the Moldovan reality, a very tragic part.  Over 11,000 children here live in orphanages--most are abandoned by their parents and many have special needs.  I have come into contact with an organization called Clipa Siderala (something like Shooting Star) that works with orphanages all over Moldova to help to improve the lives of orphans.  It is a completely local initiative under the direction of a fellow named Salavat Jdanov--who thought orphans needed to go to summer camp, so he loaded some up in his car and too them to the Crimea 17 years ago.  Today the organization is filled with energetic young people that "brainstorm" ways to make life better. 

Baba Dochia had a dirty house on March 1st and shook her rugs...by March 3rd there was almost a foot of it!

ISPRI students (I have the nicest room at the institute).