Moldova

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SHOO DO GOOD Pants by Stacy Chong (Moldova)
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RPCV–made beer to help Ukraine
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Review — LENIN’S ASYLUM: Two Years in Moldova by A.A.Weiss
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Review — NOT EXACTLY RETIRED by David Jarmul (Nepal, Moldova)
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John Michael Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) Publishes Two Essays on Moldova

SHOO DO GOOD Pants by Stacy Chong (Moldova)

    As a Peace Corps Volunteer Stacy worked with local NGO APIUS (Association for Moldova’s Fashion, Apparel, & Footwear Industries) as a Small Enterprise Development Consultant for Moldova’s fashion industry. Primary work centered around the development of Moldova’s first fashion center Zip House, a USAID CEED II project; accomplishments include: (1) the creation and launching of Moldova’s first Textile and Sourcing Center, won a $10K grant and developed the textile center with student volunteers, acquiring over 2000 fabric donations and books from international communities; (2) the implementation of three successful internship programs where over 54 youths, mostly girls, learned professional skills and received career guidance; (3) the development of numerous workshops/seminars for industry professionals and university teachers – recruited international specialists, working closely with them to develop seminars/trainings in pattern-making, branding, marketing & sales; (4) personally conducting workshops and seminars on marketing, forecasting, and small business development. Additionally, taught . . .

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RPCV–made beer to help Ukraine

  ABQ brewery providing a ReSource for Ukraine by Elaine D. Briseño / Albuquerque Journal staff writer PUBLISHED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6TH, 2022 AT 1:46PM     Sipping on beer might seem like an unremarkable activity but one brewery is hoping that simple pleasure will help people on the other side of the world. The owners of ReSource Brewing Co., Stephanie and Shawn Wright, are releasing “Our Lady of Immaculate Fermentation” and categorizing what is usually called a Russian Imperial Stout as a Ukrainian Imperial Stout. The beer will be released Friday, April 8. Stephanie Wright said the brewery will donate 100% of the proceeds to help the people in Ukraine. “Eastern Europeans are known for their love of strong drink,” Stephanie Wright (Moldova 1999-01) said. “Vodka and imperial beers among the top picks. Shawn and I thought it would be fun to take the Imperial Stout moniker away from Russia . . .

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Review — LENIN’S ASYLUM: Two Years in Moldova by A.A.Weiss

  Lenin’s Asylum: Two Years in Moldova by A.A. Weiss (Moldova 2006-08) Everytime Press 255 pages June 2018 $6.00 (Kindle); $16.95 (Paperback) Reviewed by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) • Lenin’s Asylum; Two Years in Moldova by A.A. Weiss (Moldova 2006-08) is superb writing: flowing and fast-paced, insightful, entertaining, humorous, and empathetic. It describes the author’s two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in a village in Moldova. A.A. Weiss is a gifted storyteller and uses crisp sentences, vivid descriptions, and abundant dialogue that are lively, revealing, and often funny. The writing is very personal; you feel the author’s frustrations and joys. Moldova is perhaps the most forgotten country of the former Soviet republics, a landlocked place sandwiched between Russia, Romania, and Ukraine. Moldova clings to Russian, Romanian, or Ukrainian language, culture, and traditions depending upon the region. Of note, the author remarks several times that he was appropriately . . .

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Review — NOT EXACTLY RETIRED by David Jarmul (Nepal, Moldova)

  Not Exactly Retired: A Life-Changing Journey on the Road and in the Peace Corps David  Jarmul (Nepal 1977–79; Moldova 2016–18) Peace Corps Writers March 2020 300 pages $15.00 (paperback); $9.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Sue Hoyt Aiken (Ethiopia 1962 to 64) •     This journey takes place over many years in the lives of the author and of his wife, Champa. It reflects some of their separate lives prior to meeting in Nepal and finally where their intertwined life led them. It begins where so many Peace Corp Volunteer stories begin: as young adults called to adventure. David traveled to Nepal with a friend and while there committed to be a volunteer. Many years later, after children, careers, and grandchildren, David in his second tour as a volunteer was once again reminded that President Kennedy’s dream was to set the Peace Corps apart from USAID by serving the world’s . . .

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John Michael Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) Publishes Two Essays on Moldova

John Michael Flynn’s Moldova A resident of central Virginia, John Michael Flynn (Moldova 1993-95) taught at Balti State Pedagogical Univeristy in Moldova and is now an English Language Fellow with the US State Department in Khabarovsk, Russia. His most recent poetry collection, Keepers Meet Questing Eyes (2014) is available from Leaf Garden. Two essays of John’s were published on-line this month. One essay is entitled Hai La Masa and is published in Proximity from Madison, Wisconsin: www.proximitymagazine.org. The second one is entitled, Ideal Village and is published in Limehawk located in upstate New York: www.limehawk.org. Lime Hawk Literary Arts Collective was started in 2013 to offer a creative space for artists to share their perceptions of current social and environmental issues. The quarterly online journal  publishes new fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art by a diverse and talented group of artists, both emerging and established. Proximity Magazine is also a quarterly publication focused . . .

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