The Russian Red Square is located in Moscow, Russia. The Red
Square, located in the heart of the city, is used for various civic ceremonies
and is a prominent part of the city skyline. When I visited the square it gave
me the opposing feelings of safety and vulnerability. This dichotomy reflects
the relationship between my National and personal identity. The feeling of
safety came from the representation of a large and powerful nation, of which I
was a part. The feeling of vulnerability was on a personal level, due to the
immense scale and empty volume of the square. Both conditions touch upon how
when we travel to a new place our perceptions of the place may be alienating.
This alienation is not only from a language barrier, but also from the foreign
situation and context with which we attempt to communicate with. We are not
only ignorant of what is expected in other countries, but ignorant and unaware
of the altered reception of our foreign "normal" communicative behavior. Therefore, to the foreign visitor, the "truth" of a
foreign culture can only be revealed once one sheds all preconceived ideas.
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