This Is Where I Come From

The Olympic City for Winter Games 2014

I come from a small family and have deep Russian roots. I was born and raised in Sochi, Russia. My parents decided to come look for a better life in the States, mainly because of my sister and I. You see, Sochi is a very tourist-oriented city, with hot summers and nasty rainy winters. The entire Slavic speaking population rushed for a chance to bask in the sun on the shores of black sea, there were no jobs, except to rent your two rooms to tourists and sleep on the 2x6 ft balcony. True story. My grandmother did it every year. 

My parents have totally different backgrounds - she, a third generation Christian and intelligent lady, and he, a divorcee with a kid and wild past. They tried to raise us the best they can - strict church attendance, close family relationships, cultural development with music lessons, art lessons, good grades and after school activities. Mom stayed home until I was in 5th grade and we were always learning, exploring and traveling.

As a family we traveled to Belarus every summer to see my grandparents and visit friends in Scandinavia (ironic because everyone else was rushing to Sochi not from it). Russian school ended on May 25th and started September 1st every year (still does), which gave us ample time to do whatever we wanted. 

My grandparents had a great influence on me and I still remember some of the greatest life lessons taught by my grandfather. Life was fun being a teenager on a farm. We didn't have TV, computers or even a phone so it was an unplugged summer every time. My grandpa read Bible every chance he had and listened to the news on an old soviet time radio, while commenting on how the Bolsheviks are taking over (although the Soviet Union was over by then). 

After we moved to the States, it was a long road to building a living from eight suitcases worth of stuff we came with to what we have now. Learning English on the spot and trying to fit in, discovering a totally new culture and trying to preserve our own. For me life was full of adventures: getting accepted by a few colleges and actually wining couple grants; getting jobs, dating and getting married to a fellow Russian.

A side note. I have nothing against American men but I would not be able to marry one. It's a cultural thing - you don't have to explain yourself every time you tell a joke or reference a Russian cartoon.

It  has been a tough road but it made me who I am today. 

Challenges bring out character and make us stronger. And I'm so thankful to my parents for uprooting their entire living at almost forty years old and bringing us here for a chance at better future.