Americans have the Statue of Liberty to remind them of their freedoms, but Soviets want to hear from their "king" as well as the President of the United States before they can celebrate independence.
"I think, first of all, Gorbachev has to give (Lithuania) independence. Everything depends only upon him. He is the king of this (circumstance)" said Yolanda Tsibulskis, a Lithuanian who came to Salt Lake City with her husband in January 1990.While the Tsibulskis wait for Gorbachev to move, another local Soviet is critical of George Bush's lack of support for the independence movement in the Baltic states.
A White House announcement Saturday intimating that Bush would come out Monday with a statement supporting the independence movement didn't change John Skujin's frustration over Bush's delay in vocalizing U.S. support.
"Of course he has to fall into the rest of the world. There have been already some 30, 40 countries recognizing the independence, and Bush cannot really delay that," said Skujin, a Latvian who came to the United States as a displaced person in 1949.
He also noted that Bush might have been reluctant because the "United States would be quite pleased to have just one country to deal with and that's his problem."
"If they would have recognized the Baltic states previously, I mean the whole thing would have happened much faster," Skujin said, "(and) it would have given (some) impetus to the Baltic people to organize themselves."
Last week, Skujin decided to express his anger with Bush's reluctance.
"I just sent a telegram (Wednesday) to President Bush," Skujin said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I asked a question. I said, `Are you awaiting permission from Gorbachev to recognize the independence of Baltic states?' And then I said, `The Balts will not forget the non-support from the USA at this time.' "
Skujin, who frequently travels to Latvia and maintains professional and political relations with his home country, said Bush's hesitancy to recognize Soviet republics' independence until the reform has proven successful is significant.
The delay didn't stop political action in Latvia, Skujin said. But it did affect the Soviets who needed moral support from the rest of the world.
Though he travels back to Latvia whenever possible - Skujin just recently participated in a workshop on the reorganization of a Latvian city - he enjoys living in Hyde Park, Cache County.
There he is close to Utah State University, where he has been a professor in soil biochemistry and biology since 1969. Skujin will most likely continue to reside in America - yet feels he has to help Latvia prove itself politically as well as economically.
"The United States is very nice, but I still feel I have certain obligations toward my country," he said.
Likewise, Yolanda and Saulyus Tsibulskis keep in touch with their Lithuanian homeland but are adapting to the American way of life quickly. They have been taking English lessons, and Saulyus serves as a volunteer with the Sandy City fire station.
"I'm very happy, and my family and other friends from Lithuania are all very happy," Yolanda Tsibulskis said. "We had no contact (with Lithuania) for a couple of days, and right now I'm trying to call home - but I have to wait until my mother is working."
The Tsibulskises came to Utah after they had participated in a daylong hunger strike, holding up a sign reading, "In the Soviet Union you are private property of the Communist Party." Their statement eventually prompted government officials to allow them to leave the country.
"Our families can now come here, because now they live in freedom," Tsibulskis said, noting that her sister just visited them in Utah.
Regarding their personal future, she said, "I would like to go (back home), maybe, for a visit first and then maybe to stay. It's hard to say right now. Right now I'm very happy because all things are going better."