What do you think and feel when you see cyrillic writing? It is like a little story of my life. In 1961 when the Berlin Wall was built, cyillic writing felt foreign and threatening to me. When later I was singing in a Russian Choir, this writing was interesting for me. When I was studying the Russian language at the Unniversity of Freiburg in Breisgau for a while I was fascinated by it. When in 2003 I visited Russia for the first time I was glad that I could read the street signs in cyrillic. Now that Russia has attacked Ukraine I feel the cyrillic letters like something threatening again.
I think the first time I saw cyrillic letters was on photos of those sign posts in Berlin: You are now leaving the American sector. Then the same in French. Then in Russian. And then in small print in German - the language of Berlin - as if it was not of importance.
It reminds me of the cold war and the many years we spent straddling the line between conventional wars and nuclear annihilation. It seems not much has changed in the Russian leadership. The guy trump adores is just as dangerous and cold-blooded as the old red brigade.
~ I see lots of graffiti around here ... I try to pretend that it's Cyrillic or hieroglyphs . Makes me feel better .
Maybe even more so. I wonder now whether members of the Republican Party are also forced to be in love with Putin to show that they are "good Republicans".
All of them until now. Any talk of a threat from Russia was counter to pledging allegiance to trump. Just the mention of Russia was ridiculed.
Today I have written a letter to Russia, Inside it is in German and in Latin letters. On the envelope I have written the address in cyrillic letters.