Yesterday, I visited Transnistria, a country in the middle of Moldova. At least, it acts like a country. It has a border patrol, a military, a government bureaucracy, and currency. It calls itself a country. And actually, it no longer calls itself “Transnistria” because its leader directed residents to use its Russian name, “Pridnistrovie.” This is one of the most complicated cases of national identity I’ve ever heard of, or actually never heard of.
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I know, I know, you’re not going to North Korea! But maybe you are interested in a little about my experience there in April 2012. It was the week of Kim Jung Un’s investiture as Supreme Leader, with celebrations and military parades. It was an incredible learning experience and, as usual, there is more to the story than we get from politicians and mainstream media.
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Busy street in downtown Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.
On my first day in Taiwan, I asked a young Taiwanese woman in my hotel what she thinks about Taiwan’s relationship to China. She looked the other way and lowered her voice to a whisper. The next day, my taxi driver eagerly downloaded his decidedly progressive political views until I asked him about Taiwan’s future. Then he paused and lowered his voice.
Because sometimes in life, the best way to deal with disagreement is to just keep a low profile and do what you want.
I have just arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where the national government doesn’t care what one of the little people says about Russia to the folks back home. And if anyone actually cared, I don’t have much to say that would get me In Trouble. The American media is saying it way better than I could. But you never know. Steven Colbert just left Moscow so there could be a heightened sense of indignation about sardonic Americans. Continue reading
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
I am spending the week in beautiful St. Petersburg, Russia. It is a city designed by and for royalty, full of large palaces, giant churches, gold spires, and grand boulevards. The feeling of the historic center is formal and aristocratic, and the city seems all about the buildings. No graffiti or garbage or village dogs. Continue reading
Camino Milagro 