Moldova - Countryside and Teaching

And I thought it was a while between my two previous posts...I have booked off a couple of days here to get back on top of my outside communications and that will include getting caught up on some important blog posts. I will try to do the past weeks in three or four installments.

Moldova Countryside

Our trip to the countryside was very, very interesting. The students took us to this valley with a ridge running right through the middle. Within the ridge there are old tunnels which were dug out by Moldovians who were hiding out (we never found out exactly who they were hiding from). On top of the ridge was an old church and a massive cross overlooking the cliff below.

After the outing our students took us to a small picnic area where we had lunch before heading back to Chisinau.

Teaching

Classes are being held from 9am to noon and we usually use half the time for a lecture and the other half for teaching the business case that was assigned for that particular day. Attendance fluctuates but the students who come are always engaged. By popular request I will teach three extra tutorials in this second week. The first tutorial will be an IFRS accounting overview, the second a modelling and proforma creation tutorial, and lastly a tutorial on valuation at a very high level.

Chisinau

So it has been a little while since my last post and that is partially due to being busy but also to the fact that my computer is in high demand among the other members of my teaching team and I don't get as much time as I would like to send out updates.

Moldova is quite an interesting place. Our accommodations are quite nice here but we have come to the conclusion that they are in no way representative of the typical living conditions in Moldova. Our students are extremely keep to learn but some of them are negative about Moldova's (and to some extent their own) prospects. Aside from being the poorest European country, Moldova is also extremely corrupt. Hopefully we can have a positive impact and instill some confidence in change while we are here.

Today we are going to visit an international fair which celebrates some sort of holiday. I expect to find foods and merchandise from different cultures at this event. Tomorrow we are planning on going out to the countryside with a couple students and I am really looking forward to this because we will finally be able to see the other side of Moldova. Up until now we have been in the Capital and, although it is very undeveloped, I am hearing that the countryside is an entirely different world.

I'll post some thoughts later about our weekend and hopefully I can get some of our pictures uploaded before then to add to the collection.

Moscow

St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square

Red Square with May 9th decorations

So we have had a pretty great time in Moscow (round two for Jimmy and I) and I am finally taking off tomorrow morning for Chisinau, Moldova.

Moscow has been an amazing time. Moscow is a perfect city to visit if you want the true Russian experience. We have noticed many men dressed in suits standing around/sitting in cars and just generally being sketchy. May 9th is Victory Day in Russia and is a very big deal. There have been test runs on several mornings with the air force flying jets and helicopters (some spewing colored tails outlining the Russian flag) flying right overhead, tanks driving down the central street (Tverskeya Promenade), parades, and massive banners lining the streets. The plans for May 9th are truly epic and the day will be a sight to behold.

Today I visited a Russian circus and, although it seemed backwards and slightly barbaric in some ways, it was a great experience. The circus was classic...They had seals, tigers, dogs, contortionists, clowns, and acrobats.

Well, I'm off to bed now but I am going to try and make a post with my first impressions of Moldova.

St. Petersburg - May 5th, 2010

Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood

The perfectly symmetrical street

(definitely necessary as part of your palace)

I just returned from St. Petersburg tonight after a few days touring the city and a brief stint in the Hermitage. St. Petersburg is probably the most impressive city I have ever visited based on its beauty, consistency, and amazing show of wealth. The Tzar actually brought several of Europes great architects of the time and whenever someone wanted to build a new building, it was mandatory to use one of these architects. Although controlling, this has created a very consistent and amazing city.

We toured the hermitage today and St. Pete's is worth visiting solely for the purpose of visiting that museum. Its located in the Tzar's Winter Palace and the building itself is simply obsured. Some of the walls in certain rooms are entirely guild'd in goal and each room seemed grander than the last. Apparently if you spent 1 minute at each exhibit at the Hermitage, it would take you 75 years to see everything. We were only able to get a small taste of the museum but it was amazing.

We are going to visit Red Square tomorrow which should be very cool and hopefully I can make another post soon.