Our hotel in Moscow is Hotel Balchug Kempinski. This is our view from the hotel. What a view! I am excited about this, but thinking of the view, I began to ponder the American view of Russia. As our travel date fast approaches, many people have shown an unusual interest in my travels. Russia has been in the news a bit lately, and unless you live underground, you have heard about Putin's "aggression" toward Crimea and the "situation" in Ukraine. These people who ask me about my journey are surprised that the whole thing has not been called off.
Their questions include, "aren't you scared?" "are you still going?" "what if they detain you there?" The American view of Russia is not nearly as good as the view from my hotel room in Moscow. I know in American culture, we manufacture anti-Russia sentiment, but I certainly don't know if the Russians do the same with us. Just recently my son Conrad and I were watching Gravity, and he asked me, "Mom, why are the Russians always doing hurtful things?" If you remember, in the movie, the Russians blew up their satellite which created the debris field. I explained to him as briefly as I could the history of the Cold War, and the background of our feelings toward Russia.
As of now, we leave March 29. Our travel is not cancelled. I am pretty confident the Russians won't detain us. I am truly not scared. I am sure the Russians we meet will want to engage us and learn about us just as much as we with them. We are being sent to investigate the world and recognize their perspective. Upon our return as teacher ambassadors, we will communicate our ideas to everyone we know. We will reach out, take action as globally competent citizens and teachers, and hopefully in a small way, change the perspectives of those around us.
We are extending our diplomacy and offering a view beyond that which we see in the media. We will be offering a new perspective, a room with a view.
Their questions include, "aren't you scared?" "are you still going?" "what if they detain you there?" The American view of Russia is not nearly as good as the view from my hotel room in Moscow. I know in American culture, we manufacture anti-Russia sentiment, but I certainly don't know if the Russians do the same with us. Just recently my son Conrad and I were watching Gravity, and he asked me, "Mom, why are the Russians always doing hurtful things?" If you remember, in the movie, the Russians blew up their satellite which created the debris field. I explained to him as briefly as I could the history of the Cold War, and the background of our feelings toward Russia.
As of now, we leave March 29. Our travel is not cancelled. I am pretty confident the Russians won't detain us. I am truly not scared. I am sure the Russians we meet will want to engage us and learn about us just as much as we with them. We are being sent to investigate the world and recognize their perspective. Upon our return as teacher ambassadors, we will communicate our ideas to everyone we know. We will reach out, take action as globally competent citizens and teachers, and hopefully in a small way, change the perspectives of those around us.
We are extending our diplomacy and offering a view beyond that which we see in the media. We will be offering a new perspective, a room with a view.