First, let me answer a few questions.
Q. I thought you were retired--what are you doing now?
A. About a year ago, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed my stay in Tokyo in 1994 as a Fulbright
scholar. Soon after, I applied for a Fulbright in eastern Europe citing a contact I had in Prague at the
Czech Republic. The Fulbright officer called and said while they could not place me in Prague, pobablby
many applicants there, they could place me in Moldova's capital city, Chisinau (Key shi now). I talked to
several people who had been there the year before and agreed to teach Business Ethics and International
Business at Modlova State University's Economics Department (Business Management Department).
Q. So, where is Moldova?
A. Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova emerged as an independent republic following the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The bulk of it, between the rivers Dniester and Prut, is made up of an area formerly known as Bessarabia. This territory was annexed by the USSR in 1940 following the carve-up of Romania in the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's USSR.
It is northeast of Romania and south of the Ukraine. Historically, it has been a Republic for several
hundred years. More recently, it was a part of the Soviet Union until the "fall of the wall" and became
independent again in 1991. Most of the people are Romainian, but there are also slavic people from the
Ukraine and Russia. The laguages are Romanian--based on Latin and most like Italian--and Russian.
Q. Do you know those languages?
A. No, I do not. I'll try to pick up some parts of Romanian based on my long-ago study of Latin and
Spanish, but I will teach in English. Most students will know English, but a translator will be available for
some students.
Q. O.K.--So when do you start sharing your Moldova Moments with us?
A. I'll arrive there on August 23rd and start classes a week or two later. I have a tempoary place to live
for a few days and will find an apartment during that time. Once I get settled, I'll share my moments on
this blog.
That's it for now!
La reverede (good-bye)
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