Tag: Russia

Hiking in a New Country

Sunday is my favorite day of the week because it is my rest day. My family and I are used to having an active rest. On Sundays we hike. Our Sunday morning begins with a Russian lesson for my youngest son. He studies Russian every Sunday with a tutor because we don’t want him to forget his native language. While my son is studying, I prepare everything for the hike: I take out our hiking shoes, pour tea into each thermos, and prepare snacks. My son’s Russian lesson takes from 10 to 11 a.m., then we have family breakfast and hit the road. 

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Brought Up by Books

I was brought up in Moscow, Russia. All I remember about my early childhood is the feeling of total unhappiness and despair. At an early age, I was put in a special place for children whose parents were unable to take care of their kids for various reasons. I remember how much I hated that place and how much I wanted to go home. I remember our awful teachers, who established terrible rules we had to follow. Living there was real torture. It did leave an indelible impression on me.

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Train

I was 10 years old, and my grandparents and I were coming back from Sochi by train, after spending three weeks near the sea. There, we swam and sunbathed, and I tried to ride a motorcycle boat for the first time. That was my first long trip. To travel by train from Sochi to Omsk takes three days.

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