| Emily, et al, I certainly can't and won't speak for Peeter and his experiences, but I can only imagine, sorta second hand. My wife grew up in Vilnius, Lithuania, and came here about fifteen years ago, married to her first husband, who is Lithuanian-American. My wife has similar stories to tell, and it's VERY fascinating to visit Lithuania and see all of the changes - changes from Soviet times to now, changes from a couple of years ago to now. I sincerely enjoyed visiting my wife's grandmother's home a few years ago, to get a sense of rural life in Lithuania. But, I rarely hear my wife's family complain about the difficulties; they're just thankful for the changes and progress, and they also seem to have a longer view of history than do we in much of N. America, especially when Vilnius has been around for about a thousand years! My wife frequently tells me of all of the fun that she had growing up... But, the person who is most fascinating is my father-in-law. He's now approaching 70. When he was about 14, his family was shipped off to Siberia because his father was considered to be more on the proletariat side. A sibling was born while on the train to Siberia, and died shortly thereafter. They managed to survive the rugged conditions and then returned to Lithuania... I've also had the benefit of visiting E. Berlin about twenty years ago, and Vietnam in 1990. It's just amazing how differently we all live our lives, and how we all thrive. Compared to my wife's upbringing, I've had it relatively easy and am very thankful... Tim! Tim Mulholland Illuminata Photo Fitchburg, WI 608/628-2925 www.TimMulholland.com The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Since life is growth and motion, a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one. ~~ Brooks Atkinson, American drama critic, (1894-1984) On Nov 18, 2007, at 10:09 PM, List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students wrote:
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