All input accepted

I lived in the cee and yes communism has had an effect on the people in their 30's onwards but really they are more educated then most of us and are really great people; I dont know who you are meeting but yes they do also look for ways out of a situation they are in but some dont. I would be as careful there as one would be anywhere people are people! I wish you luck in your endeavours

Thank you whoops!

We got through things that people out of the Iron Curtain can't imagine. We survived. Yes we are different. You would be too!
But we aren't monsters. We still struggle. And we hope for the best like everyone else!

Jana, so I can begin to understand can you tell me how you're different? She tells me her most tramatic part is the double lives that were lived. They would keep quiet outside the home and share the truths inside amongst themselves. thanks

sands the most terrible thing about communism was the total control. That's why it's defined like TOTALITARISM. They controlled the information, the economics, the culture, your private life, your beliefs, the language, the behavior, EVERYTING! So some people of the West now call us paranoids and "poor things" which is deeply unfair.

Anyway, an important part of the control was to keep people poor, the so called "equal" part of the theory of marxism-leninism (in socialism/communism we all should be equal). Yes we were equally poor except the high-level party members. They went for shopping to the West.
Another part of the control was to make us feel guilty all the time. Guilty of everything. So people feared and led double-life like your friend told you. There were people who sold truth and their beliefs for privileges. There were a lot of people who got used to the low standard and lack of freedom. Some of them still claim that it was great that the Party (the only party existing here then, the communist party) gave us some low but stable standard. Yes it's true that prisoners also have some not brilliant but stable standard in jail, no? Some long-term prisoners even get phobia of the outer world and want to get back to prison. So there are such people here too. And thirdly, there were people who never agreed with communism mostly not because of lack of high standard, but mostly because of lack of freedom.

It's a long and very complex topic. Many historical and other factors are involved.

thanks 10k and Whoops for your comment. Whoops that's how I see it she's smart, funny, kind and we really have a great time trying to understand our differences.

That maybe explains her love of the arts. I guess I'm going to see many Operetos I told her that I would support any of her interests. I just have to figure out a way to stay awake.

sands you are a great man :) I wish I met someone like you who d be so loving and caring!

You ll stay awake! People do everything for love

Jana, thank you. As for her music, you're exceptionally well at writing.

Thank you sands!
Music was one of my ways to escape too :) Well, rock music mostly! It symbolized our inner protest... We called it inner emigration...

Ha! Rock every countries way to protest...interesting.

But rock for us had an exceptional meaning, just can't describe it! Some of those bands were literally worshipped here, like Deep Purple and all Richie Blackmore's projects, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Dio, Kiss, Van Hallen, Judas Priest, Pink Floyd and many others... also, we had some difficulties with getting their music so we valued it a lot!

thanks bsooner and pacificfans

scram good advice I am trying very very hard not to have my emotions rule here, the brain is in charge that's why I'm trying to find out as much as I can. This website has been remarkable with everyones insite and support.

Oh, just give in to love sands if its as good in real as it is on phone. Thay are just normal people like you and me.

that should have read "no" hope that the light will shine again.

Jana, good morning/afternoon, all things come around full circle, sooner or later the world gets it right. But, unfortunately, many have to pay a price. Sometimes that price is sometimes death.I admit that I lost track what was happening in Eastern Europe with all the changes in country names it was challenging to keep up. But, as they say.."I'm back"...trying to understand the changes that have occured. Like my friend from Latvia tells me "my constitution" is European born to Italian parents with my father being born in Italy. So, maybe I'll be going back to my roots somehow.

Here's a question for you two woman, I wish to bring her two girls a gift when I arrive they're 17 and 19. I thought of gloves because it's so cold there, but to many size posibilities.Any ideas? thanks

sands, the American Empire is so strong, that you don't have anything to worry about. People all around the world are most of the time sick and tired of American dominion and 'war business' (as one my German friend said: 'whenever USA has political and economic problems - it makes another war somewhere in the world and solves them quickly') but cannot do anything about it. USA is just too strong. Even if the Empire falls, the USA itself will remain a strong and rich country. Although it is responsible for many bad things in the world, USA will remain one of the most stable country for living in the future too, I think.

The materialistic attitude towards life is everywhere and you cannot escape from it. The consumer society. It's in our human relationships too. That's why we are so unhappy and lonely. If one looks at people like 'goods' (s)he wants to use - what good can it bring to him/her?

If the world comes to an end in 2012 we wouldn't have to worry about this any more. Unfortunately, we're not that lucky I guess.

Sands, it is a bit risky to buy things that have sizes. You may ask their mother about the size if you thin it's appropriate. If not, choose some gloves that don't have size or something else! Maybe you can ask about their interests?

Well there's one thing for sure, technology as breached the gap worldwide and I think we are all becoming as one. Which one I'm not sure And as many bad things about this country you have to admit America has stood by many countries and always tries to mend the broken fences, but like children sometimes, maybe observing is a better choice than directing. But, to be able to communicate with her on Skype, she's on Facebook and I'm sure will be tweating at some point, communism wouldn't have survied years ago, the change is here...now if we all could figure out how to get these countries out their debt we could have a great 2012 (Aeterna, the bible says I believe Matthew, we will not know the time or the day....so let's think happy and go with that. thanks Jana, thanks to an unknown guest here who sent me an email I will take them to the "mall" and shop for the girls when I get there.