From the category archives:

Russia

Of Russia, Citizenship and Memories

February 9, 2010

I’ve been writing a memoir of sorts. I know you’re thinking that I’m much too young and beautiful to reflect on my life, and you have a point, of course, but I’m forging ahead. The memoir is about my childhood in Russia and the process of emigrating to the United States when I was nine […]

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I am Going to Dedicate My Book to My Husband

November 23, 2009

I wake up on Saturday morning and announce to Husbandrinka that the first order of business is that I am going to write two pages of my MS. “That’s good,” he says.  “That’s how real writers do it.” “How do you even know that?” I ask.  Because Husbandrinka is very Kelcey when it comes to […]

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Thirty Three Streams, Not Counting Minor Splashes

November 16, 2009

It happened a lot more when I was younger, but invariably, whenever someone first learns that I was born in Russia, they’d ask me for Russian curse words.  At first I was all coy, like “I don’t know” and “I’m not really sure,” but then I started to become more bold. “Durak,” I would say,. […]

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Shh, the Genius is Working!

November 10, 2009

I’ve been working on my book. You know, about the whole immigration to NYC from Leningrad.  My writing partnerette told me that I need to start referring to it as my MS.  Which I really hope stands for manuscript. I’ve had to practice saying it a lot because right now when I say it, I […]

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The Illiterati

September 2, 2009

When I lived in Russia, and before I started school, I had an illiterate nanny who took care of me while my parents worked. One day she arranged to have me baptized behind my Jewish father’s back, because she did not want to be taking care of a child possibly possessed by Satan. I don’t […]

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Braht

August 26, 2009

My daughter calls her 8 year old brother “brat” and he fumes, saying that it’s super unfair and he shouldn’t have to live with such indignity and assault on his character. Of course, I agree. I tell my daughter that she shouldn’t use hurtful words and knock it the hell off, besides. “It’s not hurtful,” […]

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Departure

August 11, 2009

Before we left the Soviet Union on December 31, 1976, my parents had our entire apartment packed up in boxes, which were stacked in the middle of our bedroom. We lived in a communal apartment–the kitchen was shared, and one bedroom was occupied by my parents and myself and the other by my mother’s cousin […]

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Russians are Delicious!

July 29, 2009

Amy has a question and needless to say, she looks to me for wisdom and inspiration. As usual. Because apparently it’s not enough that I dispense life-enhancing advice on The Mouthy Housewives, now people expect me to turn over my personal space into solving their problems. Whatever. My daughter is moving to New Orleans where […]

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