Jenny Seyler introduced the speaker, Sorin Mutruc, a Flex Exchange student from Moldova, who is attending Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf this year. Sorin presented a slide show about Modolva, including that Moldova has a population of around 3 million people, there is no Modolvan language--the official language of Moldova is Romanian and Russian is still spoken with some people in informal settings using both languages. After World War II, Moldova was part of the Soviet Union. In 1991, Moldova gained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed. It has an old fortress on its border with Ukraine that was build to repel attacks from the Ottoman empire. The parliament has a lot of parties. Moldova has a female president,.and hopes to join the European Union. Moldovan food consists of many different dishes from various minorities--famous dishes include mamaliga made from corn meal and placinte, which is a pastry with fillings. Holidays include: Martisor (spring), Pastele Blajinlor (Easter), and Independence Day. Landmarks and nature include monasteries, churches, and the hills of central Moldova. Moldova is known for its wine and has Cricova, which is the largest underground wine cellar and Milestii mici, the largest wind collection. In Moldovan schools, children start learning English in second grade and start learning another foreign language around 6th or 7th grade. School classes are taught in Romainian, and the students do not change classes; instead, the teachers come to them. Students like Sorin have six classes per day and all students take the same mandatory classes in the same classroom. Sorin attends a public school. Members present had a few questions for Sorin, and everyone thanked him for coming.
Co-President Mark Patton called the meeting to order at 7:15 a.m. (on a weather challenged morning after breakfast and socializing). There were two guests brought by Jenny Seyler--Sorin Mutruc, a FLEX exchange student from Pleasant Valley High School, and his host parent, Rex Grove. Mark announced there is a club extension meeting at Knapps on December 16 (bring a canned good or paper product) and a can sorting party at Knapps on December 20. At the club meeting on December 23, there will be a gift exchange with a limit of $15 at the meeting. There are still opportunities to volunteer to wrap Christmas presents on December 24 (fundraising). Mark closed the meeting at 8:00 a.m.