Thank you, the wonderful trio !

I have finally caught up with my American adventures and reflections, some of them at least. Looking thru the pages of my "American notebook," I realize I have much more to say and to share. I'm going to do it. But right now I'm on the verge of leaving: Hungary and Montenegro are waiting down the road. From tomorrow on, it means new adventures. But today, before I hit the road, I must say thank you, Ms Ava Smith, Ms Tonija Navas (who by this time must have become a mother), and Ms Katie Irvin, for a nice trip. It's been very fulfilling. Thank you, the wonderful trio!

Why do African Americans love Russia?

I started to suspect it back in D.C. The suspicion grew in me throughout our trip, in Phoenix and Tucson, in Portland and New York, in Philadelphia, and now in Atlanta it blossomed into a realization of the truth, pure and simple: man, African Americans love Russia and Russians! Well, not all of them, perhaps. I mean, I didn't have a chance to speak to every one of them.

We were warmly welcomed in the African American community of Atlanta. After a while, our hosts showed us to the church hall. As we stood awkwardly in the hall during a religious service and people stared at us, I felt somewhat uncomfortable. But then our hosts interrupted the minister, apologized and said: "Brothers and sisters, these people are from Russia." In a moment the hall exploded! Some people started clapping, others were cheering, still others were stretching their hands for a handshake. It was both astonishing and very pleasing.

Here are a few quotations: 1) “We appreciated what the Soviet Union did for us. It was our friend and ally. Today Russia is our friend. It’s kind of hereditary”; 2) “The US used to fight for everybody’s rights. If you are such a champion of human rights and freedoms around the world, how about your own country?”; 3) “Our children don’t carry that baggage and that burden any more”; 4) “Will Obama become President? Who can tell? To move up, you sometimes have to move out. The question is: are Americans ready to accept all of its parts as a part of a whole?”; 5) “Obama energizes young people”; 6) “Sunday 11 a.m. is the most segregated time in America. Blacks go to their church, and whites go to their church, and Hispanics to theirs”; 7) “Bush wants Russia’s neighbors in NATO. What arrogance! What idiocy! They put Putin into a corner. And, of course, he says Russia will point their missiles at America. And what did they want? Obama, in my opinion, will bring more credibility and more thinking into policy.” [The summarized opinion of all I had seen or heard in America is this: if Obama becomes President, relationships with African, Asian countries and Russia may become warmer, given he can act on his own and not be told what to do. The way African Americans welcomed us in the South makes you believe they do remember what the USSR did for them.]

On the streets of Philadelphia

I liked the streets of Philadelphia. They are nice. I walked them "till my legs felt like stone."

And the parking lots! Walls of houses are painted, and when you park your car after a long working day you look at the picture, and feel something deep inside, something unfathomable, and bump into another car but don't mind it and think and think.

The Cradle of the American Revolution

Philadelphia is the "Cradle of the American Revolution." Everything breathes history here.

I finally received an answer to my long-time question: why is the Independence Day celebrated on July 4, and not July 2. The answer of our guide was: for no reason at all. It's a kind of historic mistake. The Declaration was voted for on July 2, and on July 4 saw just a few anendments. Then the text was carefully written by hand and rewritten because of mistakes and occasional smudges. The final version appeared a month later, in August.

Anyway, it was great to rub sleeves with the shadows of the Founders (Founding Fathers of the United States). Now I know why people in Philly all look quiet and strangely serene.