Perestroika and Pitzer 24&25 A Walk for Peace: Back from the U.S.S.R. Katie Wheeler '82 willllever There are many aspects of other large sacrifices to afford the forget last slimmer, the summer she "working for peace," as the time and money to participate. and hllndreds ofother American Soviets call it. The trip was unlike Not surprisingly, the Americans, alld Soviet citizens trekked across the any I have experienced before: full in general, were more dedicated to western pan of the Soviet Union in oflearning, sharing, and the walk and clearer about what all international Walk p- Peace. adventure, all dusted with magic. they hoped to accomplish. Fl1J11t 011 There were moments of intense Odessa the Ukmilliall 'Is This the Enemy?' Black Sea to Moscow thousands of joy, frustration, anger, miles to the east, this is the story of compassion, optimism, gratitude, For the Americans, the walk her jOllnley. despair, and excitement. Often I began in Washington, D.C., with a was overwhelmed. four-day orientation to get There were times when we acquainted and learn more about Soviets and Americans just had the walk, the Soviet Union, and fun . No politics, no history, no nuclear weapons. For the Soviet talk of socialism versus capitalism. and American walkers as a group, But there were also serious the walk was to begin at 3 a.m. moments of heated political Soviet time on August 18, 1988. discussion and debate when our To begin with, our plane was four differences were blatantly clear, hours late. The weather was and we understood why it has drizzling and cold. As the plane taken our governments so long to descended in the middle of the negotiate effectively. runway, over in the fur corner of The walk was organized by the the lot we could just barely discern International Peace Walk, Inc. the shape of a crowd. We had been (I.PW.) and the Soviet Peace asked by our American leaders to Committee (S .P.c.). The wait at the bottom of the steps by Internationl Peace Walk, Inc., is the plane until everyone was off, an independent American so we could go over to meet the organization lacking funds. The Soviets as a group. Soviet Peace Committee is the Those of us who were off the opposite: a state-run, lucrative plane first waited. And waited. bureaucracy lacking autonomy. It Months of anticipation mounted. took a great deal of compromise, And mounted. The Soviets waved. dedication, and patience for these We waved back. A lone voice two very different groups to work yelled from the Soviet crowd. together efficiently. Several Americans shouted back. Both the Soviet and American More Soviets screamed their groups included a diversity of greetings, and many more occupations: teachers, business Americans hollered their hellos people, furmers, artists, journalists, back to the Soviets. Suddenly, students, and veterans. All ages there was chaos-never mind if were present, with a surprisingly everyone was off the plane or not, large number over 60. no one could restrain themselves As a group, the Americans were anymore, nor could security hold more politically left than the them back. Both sides ran toward norm, the Soviets closer to their each other. We met in the middle norm. The Soviet contingent of of the runway, arms outstretched, walkers had representatives from each person running until he or each of the 15 republics. The she found a counterpart to hug. participants were selected by the Soviet Peace Committee and did not have to pay any fees. The American walkers had representatives from 32 states and each walker raised $3,500. Many walkers quit their jobs or made Perestroika and Pitzer I Katie Wheeler '82 Soviets greeted Americans enthusiastically all along the International Walk for Peace route. 26&27 A Polaroid picture broke the tension in an English class that Wheeler visited. Names, faces, hometown, and occupation were insignificant. Are these the Soviet arms we've been warned to be afraid of? Is this the greeting one gives to an 'enemy'?, I wondered. The walkers were divided into 12 bus groups of 40, each one half American and half Soviet. Our bus became a tightly knit, rowdy group. The Americans on my bus were an exceptionally energetic, independent-minded group, experienced in political activism and a little bit crazy, in a fun way. The Soviets, in general, were more docile, rigid, and rule conscious. They had been taught to follow rather than lead, and to keep their political beliefs to themselves. It was exhilarating to watch us open up to each other. From the Soviets, we Americans learned about communism and socialism, the devastation war can cause, the patience required to wait in long lines, generosity and hospitality given to an excess, and Soviet and Ukrainian customs. We learned about the ethnic diversity of the Soviet Union and the faux pas of calling a Soviet a Russian. They are not the same. From us, the Soviets learned about democracy, the courage to be individualistic, and how to question authority. When the schedule or rules handed to us seemed senseless, we responded by ignoring or challenging them. I haven't felt so rebellious since I was a teen-ager! The S.P.C. tried to keep the • walkers organized and together, but it was impossible with such a diverse group of Americans deter­ mined to "do their own thing." The more the S.P.C. tried to clamp down, the more rebellious we got until they backed off. A Day in the Life frustrating game of charades­ produce was plentiful. We were trying to communicate through treated to the most delicious On the walk, a typical day began gestures, which was difficult to . watermelon I've ever had, as well with wake-up at 7 a.m. with the achieve beyond simple, superfiCial as plums, grapes, tomatoes, honey sound truck blasting music. Afrer questions and answers. fresh from the hive with an announcement of the day's The most commonly asked homemade bread, pastries, schedule and a quick trip to an questions were: What's your sunflower and pumpkin seeds, unsanitary, pungent outhouse and name? Where are you from? Are homemade wine, and strawberry a splash of cold water on the face, you married? Do you have juice. Occasionally, they filled our we packed our wet tents. Breakfast children? What do you think of backpacks or forced us to hand­ consisted of fresh vegetables, sweet the Ukraine? The Soviet Union? carry a watermelon (an item that's bread, and kasha- a delicious hot The Soviet people? How do these hardly known for its lightweight cereal of barley, rice, and other impressions compare with your characteristics when walking 20 grains. Then we'd make a expectations? What do you think kilometers with it!). People not "friendship circle" : hold hands, of Reagan? Gorbachev? Glasnost? yet carrying a watermelon soon sing, and walk in a spiral forming a All the Soviets wanted to know had their arms full with bouquets tigh ter and tighter circle until we what we do for a living and, even of flowers. We shook hands with were a small group in the center more, how much we get paid. thousands of people along the and could do a group hug. Whatever the amount, it seemed walk, wishing them "Mire e Next, we'd pile onto the buses. like a fortune to them, and it took druzba," which means "peace and Our bus entourage was led by a some effort to explain that most friendship." Many people had not militia car and trailed by our American people spend a large seen an American since World War luggage trucks, water trucks, percent of their income on II. Some cried when they saw us. service vans, food trucks, medical housing, insurance, and The diversity of our group of vans, and sound truck. education, items that are all free in Soviet and American walkers Once we arrived at a predestined the Soviet Union. They were manifested itself even in the way spot, we assembled the walk to envious of our wages but, even we "walked." Most people walked march. As walkers, in a group or as more, of the goods we have as one would walk down the individuals, we were treated as available to spend them on. street, but others jogged the celebrities everywhere we went. However, when offered some of distance without stopping. Some We were given flowers, postcards, these goods, they were the most bicycled. Some skateboarded. A books, and food. We were asked unselfish people I've ever few even rollerskated. The younger for autographs and addresses. (I encountered, and I envied their ones got piggyback or shoulder was even asked to autograph the lack of materialistic, selfish values. rides. Several carried guitars. Many dashboard of a car I rode in!) One In most places, 75 percent of the of the walkers were musical, and as man who had nothing to give, town came out to see us. Most we walked, we sang songs in English gave me the sunglasses off his head stood at the sidelines to cheer us and in Russian, accompanied by when I gave his daughter an on; others walked with us. In the the instruments and voices of American penny. In return for this small villages, farmers set up card other walkers or local townspeople: Soviet generosity, we Americans tables in front of their homes to When the walk had reached its gave away thousands of small serve us food as we walked by. The destination, we'd have a rally, with presents such as baseball cards, world-renowned Ukrainian speeches by local VI.P.s and pennies, postcards, flags , buttons, hospitaliry was warm and genuine.