I am fairly sure I didn’t read the city names other than Moscow when I was here in 2018, or if I did it was via Google Translate. I didn’t think about the hierarchy.

This is the Belarusian side of Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border. It’s a beautiful area, including a national park with old growth forest. It is within this forest that refugees are suffering and dying in order to reach the EU.

I walked by this street sign, stopped, thinking it looked strangely familiar, then realized I could read it. I’ve been having this experience continually. Being able to read simple words rather than having all meaning opaque really opens up the world of course.

Pre-war home of the father of my Pennsylvania childhood friend down the street. A local man was nice enough to spend an hour showing me various buildings and foundations of buildings. At one point I remarked that once this had all been Poland. Yes, he said, until 1939.

1939. The Great Patriotic War didn’t start until June 1941 of course. I always get a kick out of displays like this one at the State Museum. „Reunification“. Smiling children greet smiling soldiers.