The National Congress of Physiopneumology of the Republic of Moldova; October 1-2, 2009

-

-

Setting the scene...

Within my time studying at the Central Municipal TB Hospital in Chișinau, I was offered the opportunity to attend the National Congress of Physiopneumology.  The event was presided over by Dr. Iavorschi, the Director of the "Chiril Draganiuc" Physiopneumology Institute.  Other notable participants included: Dr. Vladislav Erohin, Director of Central Tuberculosis Institute of the Medical Academy of Sciences in Moscow;  Dr. Victor Punga, Chief of Department at Central Tuberculosis Institute of the Medical Academy of Sciences in Moscow; Dr. Traian Mihaescu, Chief of the Pneumology Clinical Hospital in Iași, Romania; Dr. Dmitri Sain, Coordinator of the Moldovan National Tuberculosis Control Program; Dr. Maria Cetulean, Director of the Central Municipal TB Hospital in Chișinau; and Dr. Aurelia Ustian, former Director of the "Chiril Draganiuc" Physiopneumology Institute and current head of the Physiopneumology Department at the Central Municipal TB Hospital.

Aside from these "big-hitters," numerous physicians and hospital directors/chiefs from across Moldova presented research and policy positions.  In addition, all of the residents and fellows currently training within the Chiril Draganiuc" Physiopneumology Institute presented their research findings.  It was a fairly in depth view of the research and concerns from across the Republic of Moldova, as well as a look at research from Germany, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine.  I am lucky enough to now be in possession of a book containing 147 research abstracts from around the region (already translated into English!)

Milling Around Before the Show Starts....

-

Dr. Aurelia Ustian conversing with Dr. Traian Mihaescu of Romania.

-

Dr. Ustian welcoming Dr. Vladislav Erohin of Russia.

-

Dr. Cebotarenco from CoRSUM was a participant as well!

-

On with the Show!

-

-

Dr. Iavorschi making opening remarks.

-

Dr. Ustian's Opening Remarks

-

Dr. Maria Cetulean with a gift of flowers to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the "Chiril Draganiuc" Physiopneumology Department.

-

Dr. Cetulean presenting data regarding the epidemiology of TB in Chișinau between 1955 and 2008.

-

Dr. Sabine Rusch-Gerdes of Germany made a presentation regarding diagnostic technologies.  She pointed out that there is one player who continually impeeds progress and gets between the other players, and that "we all need to get rid of."  I'll let you guess which person she highlighted with her laser-pen...

-

This is Dr. Veaceslav Kulev; he was the physician who has instructed me one-on-one during my time at the TB Hospital.  Here he is presenting his data on the impact of migration on TB in Chișinau.

-

Taking it all in... yes, this is just evidence of me paying close attention.  :^)

-

Dr. Cetulean convinced me to get in for a picture with the "big hitters."  The minds at the center of both the Russian and Moldovan struggles against TB are present in this picture.

-

Of course, no meeting is a success until its participants go home happy, healthy, and full of food.  This was one of the lunch tables on Thursday... as you can see in this photo, we all grab a plate and plasticware, then stand around the table and eat from the small-plates.  Very cool way to encourage conversation...

you truly "share a meal."

And so concludes my first experience at an international pulmonology conference.  As you can see, it was a very neat couple of days... at Thursday night's dinner I even did a traditional Moldovan circle-dance.  Sorry, wasn't able to snap a photo of myself... and sadly I didn't take a picture of the dinner tables either!  Let it be known that I am experiencing a disappointment-factor of  around 7 on a 10-point scale.  But I hope you enjoyed the pictorial nonetheless!

Until the next time...

Brushing up on Language Skills

I am currently in between the first two phases of my research project.  A week ago I finished my clinical studies of the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) at the Central Municipal TB Hospital in Chisinau.  This first phase comprised the first 6 weeks of my time in Moldova.  I am now moving into the policy phase of my research, working most closely with the Coalition for the Safe and Rational Use of Medicines (CoRSUM.)  There are a couple of policy issues I will work on with Dr. Cebotarenco of CoRSUM throughout the remainder of my time in Moldova (international clinical networking on behalf of migrants, and student volunteering/networking.)  As another major component of the policy phase, I have chosen to map the network of organizations available to clinicians and patients to aid in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of TB.  I am currently organizing meetings with major governmental and non-governmental organizations to begin the process.  This will also synergize with the efforts through CoRSUM to increase student community involvement, as it will undoubtedly identify organizations that might appreciate additional, skilled, human resources.

But, just as important, I am also currently focusing on the development of my language skills in order to prep for the third, and final, phase of my study (volunteer clinical rotations.)  I have given myself 2 weeks to really polish up... but right now, I need a break.  :^)

So, back to where I left off...

Tuesday, of the "4 weeks prior to this last Tuesday" Variety - Sep. 29, 2009

It was on that fateful Tuesday that I first traveled outside of Chisinau.  Dr. Kulev introduced me to a friend of his who happens to be a surgeon by day and a pharmaceutical representative by... well, other days.  A special note to readers:  I would like you to think "potential conflict of interest."  But, as a second thought, why would a surgeon need a "second" job?  (By the way, the pharmaceutical gig pays more than operating on people in Moldova... think "even bigger conflict of interest.")  But I digress.

So, there I was... presented with an opportunity to travel with a surgeon-drug-rep through the countryside of Moldova as he called on his physician colleague-clients.  And do you think that yours truly was up for such an adventure?  Right on.

-

-

7:15 am, bright eyed and bushy tailed... Ready to ride shotgun in a Skoda!

On the way out of town we filled up with gas...

-

-

 ...by which I mean: we pulled in and he filled up the tank.  Wow, it's not that long ago that we had full-service in America.  But long enough that I thought you might like a picture to remember it by.

And... now for your first view of the Moldovan countryside:

 -

-

Moldova has a lot of hills and farms.  Here you see a bit of morning haze...  I will try to capture the full beauty in photos from later adventures.  For now, just take my word for it being very beautiful

So... after stopping at a few small clinics in villages that straddled the main road, Jon (pronounced "e-yon" with a long "e" blended with the "y" followed by a long "o") pulled the Skoda onto a dirt road to lead us into a more secluded village.  It is hard to read, but this is the only village that I have a name for:  Todirești.

-

 -

Each village we visited had one of these crosses at its entrance.  I have forgotten what they are called... if any of you know, please let me know and I will add it to the post.

-

 -

Above:  A home in the village.  You can see that it is harvest season.

Below:  The clinic.

-

-

 

-

 Above:  The clinic's water well.

Below:  A view out the physician's office window.  I do not know to whom the turkies and geese belong, but that is definitely the clinic's property.

-

-

On the way out of the village we came across...

-

...hitch hikers!  Apparently this is a very normal occurrence in Moldova.  We gave these two ladies a ride in to Ungheni (they waited patiently in the car while we stopped at two more clinics on the way...) and then they chipped in a few lei for gas.  Trust is still abundant in Moldova.

-

Also on the way out of town (and with two patiently waiting hitch-hikers,) Jon decided to show me how to operate a water well.  This one, as it turns out had dried-up in the last couple of years.

-

-

At this point I must apologize, I did not take enough photos of the adventures in Ungheni (which I sadly realized in looking back through the pictures.)  So, I will narrate for a bit...

Jon and I first stopped at the main polyclinic.  Polyclinics are giant out-patient centers.  This particular polyclinic was 6 stories tall.  On the way in, Jon stopped to chat with the front-office staff.  After trading some good natured jabs, he left the ladies with "what, this man comes all the way from America, and you don't offer him tea?!"  After visiting a few floors-worth of physicians we were headed out the door... and the girls offered me tea... and chocolate, and wafers.  So we set up shop, right there in the front office and enjoyed some tea.

-

-

Next on the agenda was lunch.  We walked over to the town center and found a nice little cafe.  But first things first.  "Do you have a water closet?" ... "Oh, yes," replies the waitress "right outside around the corner is a public restroom."

-

-

 A hole in the ground?  No...  Public?  Very much so.  I carry a pocket-pack of kleenex with me when I should be carrying clorox, a mop and rubber gloves... my camera's flash really brightened up the place though... no real way to capture the true filth and grime.

-

After lunch we headed to the town's hospital, where a young physician named Elena had just received the good news that she had obtained her Canadian visa!  Such news is cause for celebration; and celebrate we did.  We sat down for more tea, chocolate, wafers (I think Moldovans may be within an arm's reach of tea, chocolate and wafers at all times) and... Moldovan brandy.  By the way, Elena was not on duty or call...  but Jon was, so I was left with Elena talking about Canada and drinking brandy by the tea-cup full while Jon finished his sales rounds.  After finishing one bottle and starting the next, Jon returned.

The three of us decided to tour the town, and stop for a beer or two to celebrate Elena's good news.

A few highlights from the tour of Ungheni:

Basilica

-

-

-

-

-

-

Train

-

-

Graffiti: "Slip Knot" (an American heavy-metal band)

-

-

More graffiti...

-

-

Mihai Eminescu, a fantastic poet!  (And then I read what they wrote about him... punks.)

-

-

Some local kids, hanging out on the train after school.  "Say hello to America!"

-

And that does it for my pictures... none of Elena... none of the three of us sharing stories and beer at the outdoor cafe... and only one from Jon's parents' house!  Jon's parents' house you ask?  Well during the course of our stay at the cafe, Jon's dad called and said that the new wine was ready... that, and Jon's mom was preparing a rabbit with wine, served in white sauce, which would blow away my previous "Iepure cu Vin in Sos Alb" experience.  Not one to argue, I accepted an invitation to dinner... and off we go!

-

 Jon's mom, stepping back into the entryway.

-

After driving over some very-much-country roads we arrive at Jon's childhood home.  I was much too excited (and buzzed) to notice that I was not taking pictures.  In fact, before going outside to see the farm animals I set my camera down... I know this because I remember seeing the ten tiny pink piglets and saying to Jon "don't let me forget to come back out and take pictures of the piglets after dinner."  I was also supposed to milk the cow, but somewhere in there we started drinking wine, eating amazing iepure cu vin in sos alb (let me repeat:  AMAZING) and of course, shooting țuica.  It took three shots of țuica before I waved off another; which Jon's dad was happy to delay... until he offered me the fourth shot (again) five minutes later.  Well, if I am anything, I am polite.  So I politely obliged him another shot of țuica, and the rest is history!

Lesson #3 from Brian's Guide to Living in Moldova:  do not drink țuica in multiples immediately prior to riding on Moldovan country roads... Although another piece of advice would be to consider brandy, beer, wine and țuica as being good for four days of fun instead of one.   :^)

If I Were a Journalist, I Would Fire Myself...

...but I'm not, so I will continue where I left off...

The last four weeks have been quite busy, so lots to write about with little time to write!  But, no worries... I have planned a nice quiet weekend in which to catch up on:  sanity, laundry and the blog (but not necessarily in that order.)  To keep some semblance of chronicity I will make sure to include the date of happenings in the next few blogposts.

Editor's note:  no water as of today... which will affect at least one of the aforementioned priorities, potentially two.  Lucky for the remaining readers of Moldovan Adventures, neither my computer nor the internet requires water to function.  So... on with the blog!

Sundays are also for...

Laundry!  I don't think I am going to make it to the park today, as I have a few loads of laundry to do.  First up was boxers...

-

I am lucky enough to have a machine...

-

-

 ...and something I forgot to point out in the original tour I gave you all: right outside my kitchen window...

-

-

 you can find the fruits of my labor.  :^)

-

-

Just finished bringing in my boxers and hanging a load of darks (order of importance:  boxers for cleanliness, dress socks for work, whites for tee-shirts and continued cleanliness, jeans for lounging... etc.)  It is okay by me to have chores to do around the house, because I also have a bit of reading to do for both my clinical work and my language lessons.

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday, laundry and all!

Sporting

This last Friday, my language professor (Alexei Acsan of Casa Limbii Române) called to invite me to go sporting with him and his son Daniel on Saturday.  So, when Saturday rolled around I packed my towel and bathing suit, and at 14:00 I hopped on maxitaxi #129 to make my way to Casa Limbii Române.

Alexei and his son showed up with duffle bags slung over their shoulders, and off we went to the rec-center of the Universiatea de Stat din Moldova (USM to locals.)  Once there, Alexei and Daniel changed into tee-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes in the vestiar (sort of like a locker room, but without lockers... a changing room.)  Then we hit the courts.

The rec-center has a multi-use gymnasium, with two parallel basketball courts that double as either two volleyball courts or can be used across the width for indoor soccer.  When we arrived, one of the courts was in use for volleyball, and the other was split into 3 badminton courts (I forgot to mention that the gym also accomodates badminton...) So we grabbed a volleyball and a soccer ball and putzed around in a little bit of free-space.  We bump-set-spiked the volleyball between the three of us until the badminton players were finished, and then we cleared  the nets away and took shots on goal with the soccerball.  Futbol is Alexei's passion, and his energy level is as entertaining on the court as it is in the classroom.

It turned out that Alexei meets a group of 9 other men each saturday to get in a few volleyball matches.  The originators of this group have been meeting every Saturday for 12 years; Alexei joined up with them 8 years ago.  Daniel and I continued to bump-set-spike, and also spent a fare share of time watching the matches.

-

Bump!  (Alexei is the gentleman in the foreground, white shirt...)

-

-

Tracking down the ball for a spike (ball is up near the right-most light)

-

-

After volleyball, it was time for a quick sauna (which is also the Romanian word for it) and shower before hitting the pool...

-
 The pool entrance from the locker room.
-

-
An outdoor view...
-

-
And "Hello America!" from Alexei and Daniel
-

-

After an hour in the pool, it was off to have beer with the guys.  We took a short jaunt down to a bar, where Stefan ordered up some grapes, peanuts, tea and beer for the group.  I would tell you the name of the bar, but as Valeriu explained to me, they had been coming to this bar for 12 years and never found out its name.  To them it is "the gas-station bar" (because it is next-door to a gas-station.)  What's in a name, anyway?  For these guys it is just the perfect place to finish off a perfect day of fitness.

We toasted cognac to one of the men's mother (her 76th birthday was on Friday,) later toasting to three more as-yet-unidentified occasions (I'm pretty sure it was just to shoot more cognac)... and after four shots of cognac, a beer and some fine Moldovan cuisine, I was off to home for the Michigan game against the Indiana Hoosiers.  It was a great day, and some great insight into how similar Moldovan and American men really are.

Ride it Like You Mean It! Lesson #617 from Brian's Guide to Living in Moldova - Mastering Moldovan Maxitaxis

An essential component of living in Chisinau is to master the public transit system.  My first instinct was to use taxis to get to my important destinations.  Why?  Because I was assured that I would step out of the cab onto the right doorstep.  But, such convenience feels a bit like cheating... and at some point a person should try to do as the locals do.  Locals do not pay 35-60 lei ($3-$5.50) to ride around alone in a taxi cab!  Quite the contrary, they kick it up a notch and pile into what is called a "maxitaxi."

Maxitaxis are tall vans that accomodate upwards of 20 people... tall so that you can stand in the aisle (and fit more people.)  There are multiple routes, and riders are basically sharing cabfare to go anywhere on the route.  A rider is able to get on and off at any time along the route, and the cost is 3 lei ($0.25) to do so.  The cost of 3 lei is unrelated to distance traveled (one block or thirty... 3 lei.)

-

-

A maxitaxi at 4:00pm; not yet rush hour...

-

 Routes...

The first thing you have to know:  the route you need.  If you are meeting someone at a specific address, do not be afraid to ask them which route you should take.  But, if you are feeling exceptionally independent, and do not feel like bothering someone to design your route for you, here is a helpful link I found:

http://www.md4ever.com/maps/index.html

1.  To the bottom right corner of the map, click on "find street"
2.  Scroll through alphabetical street names, select your destination
3.  The street will be highlighted in flashing red, and a list of the maxitaxi, bus and trolley routes will be displayed to the right of the map
4.  Click on the number of any of the routes, and the route will be highlighted.  Note the cross streets the route hits, as most routes will not run the entire length of the street you highlighted.
5.  Find the route that comes closest to where you want to hop on and off... presto!  You are ready to ride... almost.

-

-

Route #162, as indicated in the lower-left corner of the windshield... the next van back follows Route #110.

 Hail Yeah!...

I know, you're getting excited... you have your route ready, you know which corner you are going to stand near...  now we hail the maxitaxi.  First, please understand that there is more than one maxitaxi running each route.  I have no idea how many, but you will only wait a few minutes between opportunities (actual time depends on route and time of day...)  Also, the route numbers are not going to be in any sort of sequence:  all vans are in a free-for-all on their route.  With that in mind, keep an eye on the vans as they approach... you will not have much time to react (the drivers start, stop and drive with great fervor.)  When you see your route number, make eye-contact with the driver and stick your hand out.  To prevent confusion, and multiple vans stopping, hold your hand in the direction of the van you are hailing.

"What?!  I did exactly what you told me, and that van just kept on truckin'!"

Welcome to rush hour... I have watched many people get passed up at 7:30 am because the van is already full.  But don't fret.  Often a packed van has "scrubbed the route" and the next van may be close to empty... which is why the drivers are so aggressive in jockeying for position.  Know when the city is bustling, and give yourself extra time during those hours... business and school hours overlap in Chisinau, and there are a lot of students in this city.

But, when the van stops...

Get On and Get Ready...

As mentioned before, the van will come skidding to a stop.  At this point the driver will be simultaneously pushing a button, or pulling a cord he has rigged, which opens the door.  Hustle!  Leap up the steps, with one hand on the door to close it behind you (if no one else is following of course...)  If you are hustling, the driver will be more patient with his start-up... but don't think he is going to turn and look to see that you are ready to go.  When it is time to go, there is only one speed... fast.   So, plant your feet, grab onto the handrail and brace yourself for acceleration.  Worry about paying the driver after you are acclimated to the motion.  And keep in mind that acceleration may be followed by rapid stopping at any moment (next pick-up, drop-off, competing drivers, etc.)  By the way, I like to have my fare ready in my pocket before boarding, such that I am not scrambling with my money clip, etc. while the van is moving.

The Stance

Riding a maxitaxi is much like surfing... except, it is probably more akin to surfing in a typhoon.  Most sudden motions will occur in the front to back direction (starting and stopping.)  So, imagine that the aisle is your surfboard.  You are going to put your feet perpendicular to it's length, with your legs slightly spread in the parallel plane... your back leg will absorb pressure during acceleration and your front leg will brace against sudden stops.  For the normal lane changes and swerves, your core muscles (abdomen and lower back) will do most of the steadying... but use your arm strength and the railing to brace yourself through more violent changes in direction.

Etiquette

1.  Do not crowd the door.  When you get on, move out of the view of the driver's side-view mirror... he needs it.  And as people get off the van, move to fill the back.  When you are nearing your stop, move to the front again.
2.  Pass the money.  A pretty interesting phenomenon is the passing of money.  Riders will pass their fare from anywhere on the van, up to the driver, after getting themselves situated.  The driver will then make change which gets passed back to the original passer.  I am not sure yet as to how the driver knows who has paid or not, but I'm guessing the system involves a lot of honor.
3.  Little old ladies...  if you are sitting in the front row and a little old lady, or mother with an infant, boards the van, please stand up and give them your seat.  Chivalry is not dead on public transport.
4.  Armpits... do not worry about body odor.  Although moldovan women wear perfume, the men are distinctly deoderant free.  So when you raise your arm and have to put your armpit near someone's face, do not fret:  you're pit is probably much less odorous than what they are used to.  :^)

Well, you are now ready to ride.  Good luck, and have fun exploring!

What's for Lunch?

I agree, it has been too long since I last mentioned food.  A few notes for you:

Number one, the diet here seems to consist mostly of dairy (milk, cream, butter, hard cheeses, sour cream and yogurt,) pork of some variety, and vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, cabbage, carrots and mushrooms.)  An example of a vegetable dish I tried recently:  Ciuperci grătinate în sos de smântână... grilled mushrooms in a sourcream sauce.  A very good dish!

Number two, every salad I have had here is a chopped salad of some sort, be it mayonnaise or oil-and-vinegar based.  By chopped, I mean made with julienned or shredded vegetables... not a bed of lettuce.  An example:  I went to an Irish Pub (which played American hits from the eighties, and offered neither Irish- nor pub-food...) and ordered a salad with salmon and avocado... how's that for Irish?  :^)  Well, this salad was served as a large scoop of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, topped with some sort of cream/mustard sauce, and on the side are five slices of smoked salmon complemented by five slices of avocado and whole black olives.  I must admit, it was a fairly strange assortment of flavors.

And the third note?  Pelemeni is fantastic!  When Artiom and I sat down for a beer the weekend before last, he was nice enough to accompany me to the Fidesco afterward.  One of the best pieces of advice he gave me to date:  "try the pelemeni."  The pelemeni I get from the grocery is frozen... just add it to boiling water for 5-7 minutes, drain, add a bit of butter, and... presto!  Dinner is served.  Pelemeni is either ground chicken or pork, stuffed with finely chopped onion and black pepper into a pasta shell, which is crimped to make a sort-of miniature dumpling.

Alright, a couple more quick notes before I move on to the actual topic of this post (lunch.)  The traditional soup I couldn't remember the name of last Monday... zeama.  Zeama is a semi-sour version of chicken noodle soup.  It is fantastic, and highly recommended. Also, I have noticed that a lot of menus have rabbit... a good way to keep them under control out on the farms, I suppose.  I tried the "iepure în vin cu sos alb" (rabbit in wine with white sauce) and it was quite tasty.

Now lunch...
I decided to stop at the Fidesco on my way home from the hospital today, and while inside I came across some pre-made salads I had not noticed before.  Well, my curiosity quickly turned into "I'll try them all..."

-

-

Alright, from the left:  salată de vinete, an eggplant salad (like Mama Ica makes;) a salad named asorti "solaris," which is basically an assortment of vegetables pickled to a sweet flavor much like "bread-and-butter" pickles; salată din varză, a vinegar-based cabbage salad spiced with dill; morcov potrivit picant, sweet-n-spicy shredded carrots; and on the other side of the plate, sarmale rolled in two varieties: with sour cabbage and with grape leaves. 

And on the plate?  Well first, a nice piece of crusty French bread (21 cents for a small loaf!)  And that chocolatey thing-a-ma-bob?  OK, you got me... that is a gogoase (doughnut) coated with condensed milk and cocoa, and filled with some sort of caramel-like cream.  Mmmmm....  A man cannot live on vegetables alone!  :^)

And that was lunch today...

Sundays are for Dancing!

Well, yesterday afternoon I made my way down to the park again.  As you may recall, Dr. Cetulean suggested that I check out the band in which her husband plays... open air + free music = I'm there.  :^)

Just as the weekend prior, I found the sidewalks along the first 5 blocks of the route to be nearly deserted.  But once again, within 2 blocks of the first park (with flower vendors) the activity picked up.  It is obvious that Chisinau-ans love their parks...

As I approached the intersection of Stefan Cel Mare I could hear quite a commotion to the left.  Approximately a block down the boulevard I could see a massive crowd gathered around a soundstage, complete with a DJ hurling encouragements to someone brought from the crowd to dance onstage... and by "dance" I mean "crazy-dance."  I filed the soundstage away as a place to come back to.

-

 This is a shot looking back toward the crowd... (the soundstage is out of view to the right...)

-

-

Inside the park were numerous little vendor tables, some that seemed planned, and some that seem to have been set up spontaneously.

-

A photo booth:  Dress up like royalty (dresses on left...) and have your picture taken on a throne.

-

-

An organization of some sort, promoting something historical, of some sort, with a golden bell and golden statues of some sort... sorry, wish I could read Russian...

-

-

And in the heart of the park, I found the band.

-

-

And what do you think all of those people do when the band fires up a tune?  That's right...

-

-

...they waltz.

It really was a beautiful day in the park.  And there is something liberating about watching 100 people gather for no reason other than to dance with their loved one.

Now, as I was taking in a few Russian oompa-waltzes, I could hear some bass off in the distance... and if my ears didn't deceive me, it was the all-too familiar tune "In da Club" by 50 Cent (...for those not down with the lingo, pronounced "In da Club by Fitty Sint.")  OK, follow this link for reference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vXgpBVK24o

After listening to the first 2 minutes of the song, you can see why it stands out in a Moldovan park.  Yes, it is a very American song.  And yes, it created a complete dichotomy of my moment in the sun.  I'm watching a generation who is enjoying every moment in the arms of their lover... and off in the distance is a song with the chorus of:  "I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' luv."

So, I take a last glance at the band and its congregation of waltzers, and head off to find out what activity in the park requires an American anthem.  I'm half expecting a birthday bash with Moldovan champagne poppin', half expecting a random BMW defiantly parked with a bunch of hippsters gathered around.  But, on just the other side of the central fountain I find... 

 -

 -

 ...an organization promoting awareness for African refugees.  This young man grooved up and down his little patch of the sidewalk, and plenty of people were intrigued enough to stop and watch.

-

-

So, one stop left... it's time to go back and see what is going on with the "crazy dancing."

To set the scene... Stefan Cel Mare is a six-lane boulevard, and opposite to the two parks there is what I can only describe as an extended shoulder to the road... a very-much-exteneded shoulder.  Imagine that solid white line to the side of the road, and instead of 4 or 5 feet of pavement, give it 50 or 60 feet.  I only mention this because on Friday I noticed this "shoulder," with a police car or two parked in its confines, and wondered to myself:  "What do they do with this little strip?"  Well...

First, they close down the street...

-

-

...otherwise those lackadaisical pedestrians would last about 5 milliseconds before being mowed down by a ranting maxi-taxi driver, a steamrolling trolleibuz or your garden-variety, lead-footed, curse hurling, Audi driver...

...then, they set up a stage and put on a show...

-

-

-

Apparently the "crazy dancing" was only an intermission.  The main show was a whole lot of wheeled stunts.  And yes... I tried taking at least 30 pictures... caught literally no tricks mid-air... and these are the three most action-packed photos I have.  I'm not a photographer... work with me people.  :^)

For those of you interested in the town's architecture, I'll leave you with a random photo I took on my way home...

-

-

Next post:  "What's for Lunch?"