Freedom

Rostov on Don airport, just before departure...

The human organism is an amazingly adaptable one. Its in our nature, in our genes, in evolution, in our spirits and hearts. You get used to anything. Anything.
I forgot how diffrent Russia is during my stay here. I got used to it. The most contrastic parts were upon arrivel and now - departure time. You enter the airport, hear the diffrent langueges flow through the air, and they carry warmth and are soothing to your ears, unlike the sharp, crisp, aggresive pronounciation of the Russian languege. But its more than that, much more. Its in the way you break every legal rule here, because you know you would be reaching into your pocket and paying the policeman anyways. Its in the registration procedures you have to go through as a tourist a couple of times a day, for the govermant (I should write Govermant here, just like the english use the capital G for the word God) to know your whereabouts at any given moment. (Its an old Soviet procedure that still exists, and no, I did not register at all when I was here, we just payed off the guy at the airport...)
The human spirit takes a beating here. The individual is not important, transparent. The system and order are the centrum of all.
I'm inspired by the Russians dislike of comfort but I'm also afraid of the side effects. Or is it the other way around?
My gift to these people is Capoeira - in a nutshell, the art of freedom. They need it so much, they just dont know it yet. Capoeira is such a strong medication it will even conquer the hearts of Russians. It has done so in other places, taking over the way of life, creating a comunity, effecting everyone around it, anyone that is willing to touch..
You wait and see, motherland R. Once your sons will get a taste of freedom, there is no turning back.
I was told that in Russia there is a hierarchy of freedom - starting with the only true freeman here - Putin, the president, and going down to the simple person on the street, that has his limited freedom. Well, it may be true, but you can create a protective bubble around you and live you life as a pseudo freeman. Capoeira is such a bubble.

I now know it is a strange place for us foreigners - beautiful and enigmatic, but at the same time heartless, dark and cold. This was my first time here, but if I had learned anything from the Russians, it is only the begining of a long lasting addiction. Dasvidanya.