European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18dear Gorbachev Here s to without the bugs a Libby Gui my Scalf writer Appy new year president Gorbachev an d bes t wish e s for 199i, s i Nee things sure Arentt easy for you and the soviet people right now. First a belated thank you for Glas nost. And in a glad we americans Are going to. Help out with up to is billion in farm credits now i would like to ask a Small favor from you. Id like to make my second trip to your neck of the Woods however 1 am a bit apprehensive co Sld Cring what happened to rhe the first time id hate to have a repeat of the following a its my bad Luck that you weren to in Power when i travelled to Leningrad from Helsinki by train in Early january 1984,1 hear now that journalists can travel with a regular tourist visa but Back then i had to get a special one. As a result i was ordered to hand Over my notebooks and and. Dress Book to a conductor on the train a reporter Friend told me later that the pages were probably photocopied with a portable machine what use could it possibly be to the Kab to know my childhood  sex husband s address in Paris of an old College boyfriends brother a address in Copenhagen a it was scary to have my possessions taken away a at the time i did no to know if id Ever get them Backbun what came next was even scarier. I was taken into an empty compartment and strip searched. What frightened me the most and docs to Liis Day is that in a not sure the huge uniformed soviet official was a woman. Everything was searched and i mean everything a including tampons and ballpoint pens needless to say i was beginning to wonder if i should have travelled in the other direction from Helsinki. A my room was bugged. Of that a Normal you say. Normal the room was full of cockroach so each night i picked at least four of them out of my bedsheets. Seven years ago $60 a night seemed like a Tot of Money to pay for a tiny single room. The Price was mandatory under in tourist a policy for travellers like me who chose to Brick the group system and go it alone. I just wish the cockroaches had left me alone. A i like to feel As Welcome As the next tourist but please no need to go overboard about it. When j walked Down Nevsky pros pct Leningrad a main thoroughfare the pedestrians coming toward me parted like the red sea. My Gore Tex jacket and . Bean boots were giveaways that i was a tourist but i Felt uneasy a As if was supposed to be Royalty rather than an Ordinary Amer. Ican. A a a a a lets not beat about the Bush anymore when it comes to politics and semantics. A soviet journalist graciously took me to lunch and escorted me around the City. He spoke perfect English so there were no communication problems. At least there weren to any until i looked up at an apartment window and saw an Evergreen decorated with ornaments and lights a Why in a surprised to see that Christmas tree a i remarked. A a that a no Christmas tree a my Host corrected me a a it a a new years  a with perestroika in full swing i Hope the salespeople at the Westcom currency brio aka shops have been the first to sign up for courses on a free Market Economy. Lesson no. 1 done to close for inventory during a regular shopping Dayl cafes take note anxious to get in a lot of sightseeing i decided to postpone souvenir shopping until my last Day in Leningrad when id have an  the morning before checking out of my hotel and getting the train. A those Little wooden nesting dolls and lacquered spoons looked so Nice in the windows of the brio aka shop in the Hole Hobby. Unfortunately window shopping is As close As i got to soviet souvenirs. All of the shops lights were out and a sign on the locked door said in. English a closed until tomorrow for  trouble was i did no to have a tomorrow in Leningrad. A a a. A Quot but the main memory that i will cherish is the warmth and friendliness of the russian people i met journalists waitresses an older woman bus a tour guide and even the Black marketeer who. Sidled up to me on the Street and said in his Best dickensian English a they How a bout some rubles for those dollars a that is one part of your troubled land that does no to need to be changed president Gorbachev. Feedback where would you like to be one year from now Linda i Lawkins cafes employee Lajes Field azores wherever i am i try  the most of it. So i think id like to be somewhere j Haven to been 5b i can experience another culture and see the Beauty that area has. Sgt Acie Bryan military traffic management cd Felixstowe England i would really like to be in Drill sergeant status i have plans to be a Drill sergeant b Ryan s photo was 1 misidentified in an earlier feedback sgt. Oscar Peterson military traffic management come Felixstowe England the same place i am  enjoy where in a at the. Responsibilities i have and the people j work with. I done to think i could go someplace else and find the same Caliper of people. Marlowe Banks Nelms military family member Lajes Field azores i would like to have a Nice paying Job and to have furthered Quot my education. And id like to weigh about 40 pounds. Less than i do now. Staff sgt. Lorry Bell substance abuse control official Lajes Field azores on top of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee with More wealth than 1 can handle. -. Compiled by situs and strikes staff to plus sunday december 30.1990 a by /