In 1990, I visited the Soviet Union (Russia, specifically). Instead of taking any tours or just seeing popular sites, I strayed from the beaten path and went into the neighborhoods. I wanted to see how people were really living. Important context: I grew up during the tail end of the cold war. The Soviet Union was “the evil empire,” and communism was oppressive and deadly. I had never been out of the United States, and I had no idea what to expect. But I wanted to see it for myself. No surprise, I learned a great deal from my…

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