Snovum Godum

Happy New Year

January 1, 1995

1/1/95, 6:55 pm

Anna is relearning her English from us. Karl commented on that a day or so ago, and now I notice that he is right. She frequently asks us for the correct word or phrase for the point she is trying to make. I find the exchange and respective gains (ours cultural, hers linguistic) in this whole situation to be fascinating.

As I write I am very tired. Yesterday was a very, very long day. We started out by going to the Kremlin and touring it, even going to Red Square itself. In Red Square was a huge monument to a general and a merchant, two men who united Moscovites at some point in history and led them to beat back the enemy--who had made it into the Kremlin itself. The statue originally was placed such that the general's extended forefinger pointed towards the Kremlin to indicate that their enemy had made it that far, and was there. When Stalin came to power, our guide explained, the statue was moved. After all, he didn't like the possibility that he could be interpreted as the enemy. Where did he move it? To the front of St. Basil's church so that it pointed towards (where else?) the West, to America.

It is an immense concept to deal with, that I entered and toured the Kremlin, Red Square, the lion's den of "evil" Communism for so many years to so many Americans. I remember all too well the day when I was hearing the news of the Cold War, of tension between our respective countries. "The Day After."

"The Day After."

The balance of terror between our nation and the Soviets was simply that--terror. We were so scared of waking up one day to find ourselves having an MX missile for breakfast. To think that we lived in such tense times and it seemed normal.

To think that in my short lifetime I have seen that come to an end. To think that I could visit the Kremlin, and walk where Stalin walked, and see the skyline which Gorbachev saw his last few days in power.

While we were there, we heard fireworks but thought they were gunshots. Also the KGB twice asked for Dimitri's papers and questioned him about our being there. All in all it was eerie and unsettling. I enjoyed the trip, and the tours of the icons from centuries ago, but I feel less comfortable in Moscow as time passes. While I am glad I came here, and I am having a good time, I'm not of any mind to spend more time here than necessary.

After the Kremlin was the newer of the Moscow Circuses. It was weird. Very weird. Sort of psychadelically weird. This place seems more and more like some surreal playback of the '60s--it's like I stepped out of my own dimension and into the Laugh-In Zone.

Russians celebrate New Year's much better than we do. The vodka flowed freely (lemon vodka, a superb type), as did the champagne. I enjoyed my share of both (5 vodka shots, 4 glasses of champagne). No hangover. Thank God.

The neighbors celebrated with us. At first I thought the man, whose son is a very talented musician, to be pompous. But I eventually saw that he is simply proud of what he has and tried to be his best infront of us. He was honorable and I was glad to meet him.

We got up today around 11:30 and met Kelly & Christy and MC and Renee to go shopping. The vendors were like hawks swooping down on us in search of our dollars. It gave me a very bad feeling to be there late in the day, with few people around. Night began to fall, and I badly wanted to leave. No premonitions were involved, simply sheer paranoia. I pissed MC off when I tugged at her to go, but I really felt that she did not understand our situation. Maybe I'm overanxious, but I don't want anything to happen to us. C'est la vie. We piss people off in life. It happens. She'll live.

I am now very sleepy. I must rest. Tomorrow, the folk art museum. Until then...

MGW


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Michael G. Williams