What are you doing in NYC? "I study fine art at School of Visual Arts, and work as a freelance model from time to time."
What are you doing in NYC? "I study fine art at School of Visual Arts, and work as a freelance model from time to time."
Why are you moving? "My family is moving from Russia to the US. We considered staying here, in Brooklyn, but the winters here are as cold as in Smolensk, my hometown. And even more windy. So we chose Florida. If deciding to move across the ocean, at least, it would make more sense to choose somewhere it’s warm all year long."
Why are you moving? "My family is moving from Russia to the US. We considered staying here, in Brooklyn, but the winters here are as cold as in Smolensk, my hometown. And even more windy. So we chose Florida. If deciding to move across the ocean, at least, it would make more sense to choose somewhere it’s warm all year long."
Why are your parents moving from Russia? "I would prefer not to answer, thank you."
Why are your parents moving from Russia? "I would prefer not to answer, thank you."
Do you want to come back? "For me personally, New York is like home among strangers. The mix of cultures makes it easy to blend in, no one questions your accent! I don’t know yet how everything’s going to turn out for me, and if I’ll ever decide to come back, but it’s definitely a very special city for me."
Do you want to come back? "For me personally, New York is like home among strangers. The mix of cultures makes it easy to blend in, no one questions your accent! I don’t know yet how everything’s going to turn out for me, and if I’ll ever decide to come back, but it’s definitely a very special city for me."
What is NYC to you? "It’s a place where I feel like I was accepted, and where I accepted myself in a way."
What is NYC to you? "It’s a place where I feel like I was accepted, and where I accepted myself in a way."
What have you found to be the scariest thing about living here? "Apartments and moving! Even if the building, the roommate and the room itself seemed fine at the first viewing, there will always be something I could never expect. Living with people you don’t know is tricky, but even if you choose to live with someone you know well, it could turn out to be a heartbreak and disappointment. Or maybe I just expect too much from people."
What have you found to be the scariest thing about living here? "Apartments and moving! Even if the building, the roommate and the room itself seemed fine at the first viewing, there will always be something I could never expect. Living with people you don’t know is tricky, but even if you choose to live with someone you know well, it could turn out to be a heartbreak and disappointment. Or maybe I just expect too much from people."
What is some of favorite things to do in the city? "Gallery hopping and museum visits are definitely the first on the list. I’ve been to The Met so many times, but I never look at the map and inevitably get lost there. MoMA is harder to get lost in, but I still enjoy it a lot. It was especially Greg when everything just started opening after the pandemic, and it was so empty. I remember when I went there for the first time and I was all alone in the room with Van Gogh’s The Starry Night for a while. Now it’s hard to imagine. Another one of my favorites is taking the train to Brighton Beach, getting Georgian food, shopping in Russian bookstore, feeding the birds and lazily reading the book on the beach. The stores have labels written in the mix of Russian and English, and many people around speak that kind of mixed languages. It’s a great cure for homesickness."
What is some of favorite things to do in the city? "Gallery hopping and museum visits are definitely the first on the list. I’ve been to The Met so many times, but I never look at the map and inevitably get lost there. MoMA is harder to get lost in, but I still enjoy it a lot. It was especially Greg when everything just started opening after the pandemic, and it was so empty. I remember when I went there for the first time and I was all alone in the room with Van Gogh’s The Starry Night for a while. Now it’s hard to imagine. Another one of my favorites is taking the train to Brighton Beach, getting Georgian food, shopping in Russian bookstore, feeding the birds and lazily reading the book on the beach. The stores have labels written in the mix of Russian and English, and many people around speak that kind of mixed languages. It’s a great cure for homesickness."
What made you want to move to NYC? "I just always felt like that’s my place to be. Since I was 12, I knew there would be a moment when I would come here. All my school notebooks had New York photos on it, I had shirts with the US flag print. I think I made it as clear as possible to everyone around me. I didn’t know what I would do here, I didn’t care if I wouldn’t have enough money, but I was very determined. It probably sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I knew I didn’t belong in my hometown, and I didn’t belong in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg. Nothing there interested me or attracted much. I felt out of place and had to do something about it."
What made you want to move to NYC? "I just always felt like that’s my place to be. Since I was 12, I knew there would be a moment when I would come here. All my school notebooks had New York photos on it, I had shirts with the US flag print. I think I made it as clear as possible to everyone around me. I didn’t know what I would do here, I didn’t care if I wouldn’t have enough money, but I was very determined. It probably sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I knew I didn’t belong in my hometown, and I didn’t belong in Moscow or Saint-Petersburg. Nothing there interested me or attracted much. I felt out of place and had to do something about it."
How is it different from where you grew up? "It’s almost the opposite of my hometown. My only shopping option as a teenager in Smolensk were H&M or Benetton, and the only place there to roller skate or ride a bike was Lenin Square with a huge monument of Vladimir Lenin that felt incredibly irrelevant. Teenage skaters would climb it and sit on his feet. My favorites were small art supplies shops, newly opened loft-style coffee shop in restored old building and movie theaters with $2 tickets."
How is it different from where you grew up? "It’s almost the opposite of my hometown. My only shopping option as a teenager in Smolensk were H&M or Benetton, and the only place there to roller skate or ride a bike was Lenin Square with a huge monument of Vladimir Lenin that felt incredibly irrelevant. Teenage skaters would climb it and sit on his feet. My favorites were small art supplies shops, newly opened loft-style coffee shop in restored old building and movie theaters with $2 tickets."
What is your favorite place to pamper yourself in the city? "Nail salons. It’s my kind of meditation. I know many people hate to spend an hour or more getting their nails done, but I don’t mind."
What is your favorite place to pamper yourself in the city? "Nail salons. It’s my kind of meditation. I know many people hate to spend an hour or more getting their nails done, but I don’t mind."
