BLOG SUPERGROUP: freedom of speech

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!