Of course, I know everything that happens in Russia. But even at the most dangerous moment or the most negative moment now, it's still 10 times better than what it was in the communist state.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Russia can be quite a dangerous place sometimes, but I never think about it.
We were fortunate to have the Russians as our childhood enemies. We practiced hiding under our desks in case they had the temerity to drop a nuclear weapon.
Russia is now very far from being a communist country, but when I walked around Moscow, I kept glimpsing these haunting images. There were statues of Lenin and some neon signs of the hammer and sickle. I remembered myself then as a little girl, living under that oppression.
The real evil of the Russian communist state is not communism. It is the secret police and the concentration camp.
Russia itself is an extremely complex country, and sometimes I feel like all of that comes back to haunt me. I can see why so many Russian writers were so tortured.
If you don't know how great this country is, I know someone who does; Russia.
I had a minor in Russian history, and this was at the time when the big Cold War was going on.
Long term I do believe internationally there is a huge misunderstanding of Russia.
I thought that in general we in the United States were too optimistic in believing that the Soviets might alter what had been for a long time, as a matter of fact for centuries, fundamental Russian policies in respect to the rest of the world.
Throughout Soviet times, I understood what was really happening in the world around me.