The following are hasty notes I scribbled down with my wife’s input last night, no time to edit as we are traveling today. Make of them what you will.
“Very nice conversation with young waiter, not young, 37. Talked to him two nights. Standoffish, reluctant totalk too much, not interested we’re just tourists. I asked him about 1989′ and he expressed no interest as if that too was a tourist thing. Sort of wrote him off disinterested, nothing wrong with that as we are no one of importance to him. tonight reengaged him further, and he was very communicative with my wife and slowly talked more about CZ. Says that borders are easy, too many people come from Romania, Hungary and that we have to be careful, and of course watch out for gypsies. He says that streets are dangerous at night, to be careful. He says there is a national park in CZ that is very pretty.
He asks about USA, I say it is very big and that people are very afraid. I said that is why we bomb people and he understood. He wants to visit US, see nature.Wants to see NYC. Told him that Canada very big and wild, and that if he wants to see nature in US, that he has to come out west. Also told him people are very nice and that we do not control our government. Being 37 he understood that.
He said there were cameras all around the square, motioning up there, that we were in, watching for criminal activity, but the way he said it seemed to indicate that he felt watched as well. We said that the US has many security cameras and metal detectors as well.
Went to Senato where they gave a pictorial history of events leading up to removal of Soviets in 1991. Almost all credit goes to Gorbachev, and Reagan was only pictured and mentioned once, along with SDI. MG is highly thought of, Reagan not thought of much as far as I could see,but not mentioned in negative light. interesting that they said that the pullback of Russian ground troops eliminated the threat of conventional war in Europe. they saw Soviet troops as a provocation, and not a defense. This is contrary to my view of situation. Must adjust thoughts.
It’s hard to know the general sentiments of a people being tourists. General impressions when visiting tourist areas are worthless. The feel, police presence, attitude of non-interactive workers are all useful but not that much. Secret presence of cameras really bothered waiter, and he mentioned them with only eye movements. Arms folded in defensive position, yet ingratiating and interested in our thoughts as we were his. Is this hangover, or is this the present? It is as if 1989 did not change his life much. Waiter seemed to want something better. Had bad teeth, and NY to him seemed a bit of an unachievable goal, like a pony. I Felt sad for him.
We talked for long time. He did not look over shoulder, and no one hounded him to get back to work. He offered hand of friendship before we did though we surely would have.
Tunisian man we met wanted to go back to his home. “
Piece of Mindful 