Cadets in Moldova Visit the Nat'l Museum of Ethnography

Cadets Eli Garrard and Caden Anderson visited the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History as part of their semester abroad experience studying Russian in Moldova. Moldova offers cadets an interesting intersection of Western and Eastern European cultures. Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet influences converge in Moldova, yet the capital city Chisinau still provides a linguistically immersive environment for Russian studies. Visiting the museum provided visual context to topics they are covering in their classes. Exhibits focus on the cultural history of Moldova, ranging from the Greek period to modern times and natural history as well. Cadets learned about local customs and traditions as well as how these aspects of life have evolved over time. They will write a short essay about these experiences for their Advanced Language in Context writing course.