Last year, when I was living in Russia, most of my students were adults (as opposed to this year, where all of my students are children). I was frequently asked questions about the US, and in every class, George Bush came up at least once. This is a pretty liberal blog, and you should all realize by now that I too am pretty liberal - I disagree with nearly everything that comes out of the mouth of our current President and I strongly dislike the man. That's not really the point of this post. The point is, when my Russian students would hear my strong, unapologetic expressions of disapproval for the Bush administration, they would grow quiet and exchange furtive glances. Then, inevitably, one would ask me something along the lines of, "Aren't you afraid to say that?" This happened in EVERY adult class that I taught. My students were all concerned that if I voiced my disapproval for Bush - even though I was far from home - something might happen to me. Granted, while some of these adult students were my age, many were far older, and had lived the bulk of their lives under the Soviet regime... but I rather suspect that this built in fear of speaking out against the government has a lot to do with the fact that Putin's popularity remains sky-high. (That and he has a black belt in judo AND looks like Dobby the house elf. Also... damn.) I *love* the fact that I feel perfectly at ease speaking out against the current US administration... and I think that very well may be my favorite thing about the US.
Second favorite? Just take a look at some of the places we own - and these are just from the few I've visited in my short life. It's such a HUGE country... and there's so much more out there for me to photograph - I love it!
Second favorite? Just take a look at some of the places we own - and these are just from the few I've visited in my short life. It's such a HUGE country... and there's so much more out there for me to photograph - I love it!
Intracoastal Waterway, off the GA coast
Sapelo Island, GA
Satilla River, Ware County, GA
THE Grand Canyon. 'Nuff said.
(Sadly, due to pollution, it's hazy like this most days of the year.)
San Diego, CA
Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Mt. Rainier, WA
My house!! :-)
Also, we're the land of Jack Daniel's!
Even our scary pollution can sometimes appear picturesque.
Rayonier Paper Mill, Jesup, GA
13 comments:
Ok, Putin is hot. But that has got to be a photoshop!
psssht, whatever. I choose to believe!
When I was taking German classes in Switzerland and any vaguely political conversation came up (even about small quirks in the Swiss system) the Chinese students all immediately stopped talking and faced the front with expressionless looks on their faces. I later heard from the teacher that her Chinese students all did that, to a fault.
Great blog, Jane. I have to say tho, while Putin might have nice biceps, that Dobby the house elf face has just got to go! It's also fair to mention that Russian journalists who speak out against his administration have a tendency to die mysterious and untimely deaths. Scary shit.
Yeah... I'd say that there is definitely a good reason why people there are hesitant to show dissent in any way. I'm definitely glad that we can still speak out against politicians and policies we disagree with without fear of reprisal.
ptoo, ptoo, ptoo. Or, as I would say, "No physical harm!"
I suppose since much of your post is on physical beauty in the US, it should be noted that the Korean word for America (미국 or Mi-gook) actually means "beautiful country."
Were you able to talk freely about Russian politics and world affairs like Chechnya and Russia's natural gas policy against its ex-member states? Or, were these taboo subjects? And, do the people have any real idea about what is going on in the rest of the world now that most television is state run again?
Honestly, I don't recall having an actual conversation with *anyone* about politics. To me it seemed more like apathy than fear (except for my students' reaction when I mentioned my dislike of Bush in class). I was actually in St. Petersburg during the 2000 elections, when Putin was first elected president. None of my friends, teachers or members of my host family voted - none of them were interested in the least. My host mother actually said, "They're all devils, so it doesn't matter who wins."
Also, yay 미국!
Your host mother sounds really smart. Too bad these devils control so much of the world's power and resources.
Well, I need to get some rest. I was involved in a bicycle/car accident yesterday after I saw Harry Potter magically sprout half a foot since the last time I saw him on screen.
My kids liked helping me dress my wounds yesterday and today and were quite upset that no money exchanged hands as they felt I was severely wronged and left to die with my gaping wounds (They were only bad abrasions and wrenched muscles). These youngsters all seem to know about AIG here though. Both of us were to blame for the accident, and even though the driver wanted to take me to the hospital as I was leaking blood like crazy, I was well enough to hobble to the pharmacy and back in time for my first class.
Be careful - Korea's a scary place to be riding a bike!
Well, my house is still in the ghetto, but luckily the people who were renting the house next door who were causing trouble for everyone in the neighborhood were finally evicted.
What I like most about the USA is Kansas. It gets the best damn thunder storms. So there!
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