First Day in Moscow

It's my first day in Moscow, and I'm thrilled to be here! I'm trying to conceal my enthusiasm, however, because smiling is not the done thing. Smiling is weird and suspicious and crazy.

One great outlet for smiling is the hostel where I'm staying. There's a good mix of people here, mostly from various parts of Russia and Asia, generally. 

Specifically, I met two medical students, one from Beijing and the other from Dagestan. Because Saturday is Victory Day, a huge celebration here, they wanted to discuss what U.S. students are taught about World War II.

Basically, they take issue with the idea that once the U.S. entered the war, it was the U.S. contribution which ended it. They believe Russia contributed the most, and the U.S. didn't really do all that much, only swooping in at the end and taking credit. They expressed this not with anger, but with sadness. They want respect from the U.S. Speaking of which, they are irked that no U.S. representatives will be attending the big celebration. Why can't we all get along? :)

I didn't start this conversation about WWII, and I usually don't purposefully enter into these types of things. But I appreciate the fact that I'm often the only American in sight when I travel to places like Moscow on the eve of Victory Day, or Lanzhou, China, for that matter. I guess people can tell I'm open-minded and respectful of their viewpoints. I want others to be the same.

The library, which represents the Russian classical style of learning.