Am I forever destined to think (and write) about Russia that once was, no longer is?

There was so much hope in the nineties. The irony: the darkest decade in modern Russia’s history, full of crime and turbulence, yet there was so much hope. The country was loved by the world: young, broke, and often troubled, yet there was so much hope. It was like an unruly teenager. Often ugly, but you hoped the turbulence would pass.

When I was a kid, I swam a bit. In the nineties, my hero was Alex Popov. Super fast, handsome, gracious. Beating America’s Gary Hall!