Working in a different country and culture, especially given the socioeconomic landscape of Moldova, provides many challenges. Over the 18 month span of living and working abroad, I have encountered a diverse group of businessmen, entrepreneurs, government officials, volunteers, teachers, and students to partner with. Many have looked for the easiest route to success, yet…
Another year down in Moldova and yet another year of missing one of my favorite American traditions and holidays: Thanksgiving. Nothing makes me feel closer to (or further from) home than the Thanksgiving parties I normally have with the Millers and Purtells. I cannot wait to reunite with you all this summer and hope that…
On November 13, 2013 my business partner and I held a 1.5 hour training for 25 local high school students on communication and negotiation skills. The first segment detailed proper communication skills when interviewing with an employer, greeting someone in business, and negotiating terms of a business deal. From the start I felt these topics…
Dupa ați creat un cont de email puteți merge mai departe cu un cont de Facebook. Odată folosită că platformă de comunicare printre prietenii la universitate, Facebook dezvolta pentru toata lumea să utilezeze. Chiar întrprenderi mari, mijolcii, și mici crea pagini de afaceri pe Facebook să comunice cu clienții potentiali! Pentru dumneavoastră hai să incepem…
De ce este email important? De fapt, email este unul din cele mai repede, cele mai eficiente, și cele mai folosite metode de comunicare în lumea (mai ales în afaceri). Cred că majoritatea din voi aveți un calculator sau un mobil cu internet. Dar, știți toate programele și instrumentele care puteți utiliza cu el? Mai…
I had been struggling through college and thereafter to limit the distractions in my life and find true direction. It was not that I was an epic failure by the least. I managed to earn high marks in college, dedicate myself to all responsibilities, and make financial ends meet. The one thing I did not…
Clearing out my locker at Peace Corps’ headquarters last evening in Chișinau, Moldova I found two WorldView magazines, a National Peace Corps Association publication, sitting in my mailbox. I grabbed them, along with black track pants, iPod speakers, and laptop and tossed them in a green backpack found in a nearby storage closet as I…
The strangest, most awkward partnership assembled yet a thing of beauty. The day started off with a powerpoint project working with my business partner. He recently won an opportunity to participate in the Open World Leadership Center conferences in North Carolina, which provided only five other Moldovan leaders with invitations. September 7th marks the first…
A project which started in the cold, frosty month of February in the capital of Moldova is now receiving its finishing touches as eight volunteers of the Peace Corps in Moldova, otherwise known as the (self-proclaimed) Dream Team, will collaborate with 20 government and business officials to put together the event titled Storytellers. The event will…
Peace Corps The first motivating factor of my decision to look into graduate school programs was directly linked to our organization, the Peace Corps. In June 2010 after graduating from DePaul University in 2009 and accepting my first job with Vibes Media in Chicago, I realized that I wanted to serve others, learn a new…
25 years old, thank you. An incredible year that started in the Chi, took me to Istanbul & Paris, and allowed me to set up shop with the Peace Corps in Moldova. Thank you for teaching me how to feel like a minority, to experience incredible lows get crushed by incredible highs, to develop a…
– Rise in chicken feed prices will lead to 60% of the Moldovan poultry industry to go bankrupt in 2013. An estimated 15,000 jobs will be lost and $20 million dollar monthly losses will hit the agricultural industry. Reports say that the existing 40% of producers will dominate the domestic market along with increased poultry…
“The difference between the individuals that leave a footprint on this world and those who simply walk in those steps is that there is no unattainable goal. There are simply adverse avenues to greatness and smooth roads to mediocrity.” – A pack of cigarettes costs 6.5 lei (approximately $.50). – I spoke with the grandfather…
12-26-12 Dear Pat, I dug out these old Christmas cards I bought in 1994, thought you’d get a kick out of it. You were 7 years old when I bought them. Boy have you come a long way. This Skype technology is wonderful. I think I would have a much harder time with you so…
One thing that has really tested my patience here in Moldova is the differing norms on privacy and relationship building. At home and in Mexico locked doors are not uncommon. You would not offend someone if you did lock yourself in somewhere. It is simply a sign that you want to be left alone, are…
As evidenced by the picture I posted, I made a visit to the doctor’s office. I was not a patient but an invite. My new roommate Eugen is a general practitioner and offered to let me job shadow him for a few hours after lunch. He dressed me in a laboratory jacket and gave me…
– Translated a 7 page business document into the best Romanian I could muster. It was extremely dry to begin with so going through it in another language made me feel like a zombie upon completion. The funniest part is that I am not finished yet. I now have to find a native proofreader to…
– Welcome to the first day of Spring and Mărțișor (pronounced Mart-see-shore)! I walked into my business partner’s office only to be greeted with a gift. I was handed a pin-charm with two threaded snowflakes, one white, one red, and a woven leaf dangling from a metal pin. It is believed that the red string…
– Just 11 more days until I will not feel guilty about missing another day. As you can see I am really motivated with sticking to my word here. I think by missing a post on three occasions I further prove to myself and peers that motivation and content are two things I desperately need.…
I finally had the highly anticipated glass of soy milk made by the aforementioned hair stylist. It was a cold wet evening and I came inside the nearby salon to give it a try. She took my jacket and told me to have a seat at the table in the back room. I asked her…
Southeast Dispatch 