My Lesson from Russia of Long Ago~~~
In 1991 I had taken a group of high school students to Russia for three weeks as part of a People to People International program. Started by President Eisenhower, People to People professed that if young people from the United States could connect with young people from other countries the seeds of diplomacy could be sewn.
When I traveled in the summer of 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of the still Soviet Union. Gorbachev promoted glasnost or transparency and perestroika or a restructuring of the economy and political system. Russia, as one of the Soviet republics or states, was also opening up to the West after about seventy years of being cemented in communism and dictatorship. We were in for a bit of a culture shock.
Enter: People to People Caravan
Very much as a Third World country, the people of Russia then did not have much and we were told to bring treats such as bubblegum for the children and make-up for the women. Wherever we went, the children followed wanting boobly-goom and the women would take a finger to trace their lips indicating their desire for lipstick and other related sundries. We came prepared for this but not for the person-to-person experiences we would encounter.
In addition to visits to various schools and landmarks, People to People lived up to their name. After our initial time exploring Moscow, we visited the towns of Ivanovo and Vladimir where everyone, including we teachers, had extended time with a designated family.
My first family visit was a dinner in Ivanovo with a mother and her children at their home. Their English was far better than my Russian so communication was simple for me. But greater than their words were their hearts.
I still remember Valentina to this day, her welcome and her warmth. Her delight in my presence and the love that she shared along with her meal brought me to tears. I was so touched by this veritable stranger halfway around the world.
Around the dinner table, my new Russian friends spoke about their admiration for Americans and America. I listened and then chimed in.
“You value our comfort and convenience but you have something more valuable that we have lost somewhat because of our material distractions — simplicity and the great joy of human connection.”
When it was time to go, we hugged and we cried; and I felt a little like Dr. Seuss’ Grinch whose heart grew three sizes that day. Little did I know that this was possible nor how it would be the beginning of a lesson from Russia with love.
Vladimir
Another day trip brought us to Vladimir where we would each spend a dinner and an overnight at a family’s home. Again, we teachers were afforded the same experience as our students.
A Russian couple picked me up at a drop-off point near their home. I learned later that they had borrowed a car to get me as they did not own a car. And their daughter was to stay with a friend that night so I would have a bed.
Before dinner, we sat around their living room trying to talk. Unlike Valentina’s family, their English was not good. Nor was my Russian. We laughed as we fumbled through our Russian/English dictionaries to come to some understanding of what was being said. And we smiled a lot.
After dinner, they indicated that we would take the dog for a walk. It was a lovely evening with a full moon. I decided to give up on the language and just enjoy the walk.
This very sweet couple chattered away in Russian to me now and again and the kicker is that I understood them! Could I translate the words? No. I wasn’t even trying. As soon as I let go of my head, my heart could hear their hearts. They were telling me about how they take this exact walk every night after dinner and how lucky we were with the weather and the pride of sharing with me came through and other bits and pieces I no longer remember.
It was extraordinary. It was a true language of love.
Postscript: Pen Pal
After the trip, a Russian teacher of the German language whom I had met there became a pen pal for a time. He was a singer and songwriter too, and his letters read as philosophical dissertations.
One letter about a year later stood out in particular. Eugene was reflecting on his country’s past as the Soviet Union dissolved a few months after my return to the United States. Then he drew a conclusion that brought me to tears. These Russian people always seemed to touch my heart.
For over 70 years we have been told there is no God. Now we learn that there is a God and we find the name of God is love.
The Language of Love
Love crosses cultures, is simple and universal, transcends words, can be heard in the quietening of the mind, connects us heart to heart, and unites us in spiritual aspirations.
“Each time the attention goes to the head wanting to solve something, I point you to the Heart, where everything is nicely dissolved in perfect Wholeness.”
This statement by spiritual teacher Mooji may sound simplistic but if we put the pause in all of our language’ing and take a couple of steps down from our heads into our hearts, war and political strife and personal turmoil could be diminished. Peace is possible, person by person, as we discover there is more that connects than divides us.
Thank you, my Russian friends, for being my teachers so many years ago, for softening the walls I had built around myself as my cultural constructs, for punctuating a significance of travel, and for teaching me more about a basic human gift — the power of love.