The World that I've seen ...

My lifelong journey across 3 continents (Europe, Asia and North America) began on July 31,1977 when I first saw the daylight at St. Petersburg, Russia (then Leningrad). After brief one-year stay my parents decided to move to Akademgorodok to work for Institute of Catalysis, so I had no choice but to move with them. Back then the brightest and the talented came all across the vast regions of Russia to settle in the this new Siberian town of science,located just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Novosibirsk, the largest Siberian city, where I lived until I was 14. During these memorable years I've acquired some of the best friends that I have ever had in my life. Snow and cold temperature made from me a real "Sibiriak" (Siberian man). Skiing every weekend and going to school 6 times a week was the way I usually spend the long and cold Siberian winters. Unlike the stereotype that developed here in states, Siberian winters do end and even some snow melts sometimes:). Because Akademgorodok is located in the southern part of Siberia, +30C (97F) is not uncommon during summers, but usually temperature tend to be around +20C(~80F). Walking in the nearby woods with my family, playing soccer and going for a refreshing swim in Ob' river were among my favorite things during summer.

Once a year, usually during summers, I flew to Leningrad to see my grandparents and grandgrandparents. St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city I have ever seen in my entire life. Anyone who has ever been there or knows anything about it can agree to the title that this city holds - Venice of the North. Build by Peter the Great in 1703 to defend against coming attacks of the Swedish army, it served as a capital of Russian Empire until the early 20-th century. Its beautiful parks, extravagant palaces and the famous museums attract millions of tourists from around the world. On the summer of 1992 I left Akademgorodok and Leningrad and moved to Winnipeg, Canada.

St. Petersburg 's Live Cams : 1 , 2

During my brief two weeks stay at Moscow, right before I left for Canada, I had a privilege to witness one of greatest cities in the world. The first mentioning of this old capital in 1147 AD is considered to be the birthday of mighty Russia. Last spring Moscow celebrated its 850 birthday! It survived through fires and sieges, tyrants and communism but it still counts as one of the most beautiful and important cities on Earth. The grand magnificence of great churches, Kremlin and other cultural landmarks instill a great sense of pride and patriotism for mother Russia.

Moscow's Live Cams : 1, 2, 3

The geographical location of Winnipeg, capital of Manitoba (Canadian province), is very interesting. Compared to Novosibirsk, Russia it is located exactly on the opposite side of World (I could not have moved any further then that!) There I experience my first culture shock. Everything was new, unknown and exciting. Even though I spend 3 years studying English in Russia, when I came to Canada I could not understand anything or say anything. So in a following year I dedicated all of my time and energy to mastery of English language. Because we were living in the English speaking part of Canada (French is spoken in the Eastern part) my brother and me were constantly exposed to it at school and everywhere else. This enormous exposure contributed significantly to our accelerated learning of language and culture. After a LOT of hard work I successfully finished 9-th grade in Acadia Junior High, even got special recognition for having an outstanding grades. Because we happened to be the first Russian students in the Acadia, we got a lot of dumb questions about Russia and especially Siberia. Everybody knew about harsh Siberian winters, but nobody believed that that in Siberia we had summers too. They thought winter was all-year-round thing there. And when I told them about 30C(85F) summers they jaws dropped to the floor! : ) In the following summer we moved again.

Our journey took us this time to the USA, to be exact, Dallas, Texas. We had never experienced summers as hot as there. Temperatures of 35C + every single day for 5 months in a row difficult thing to adjust to, especially after living all of your life in the "coldest places on Earth". My brother Lev and I finished 10-th grade there. Once again we met some great Russians and Americans families. But we only stayed for 1 year because we had to move on. Tyler was our final destination where I successfully finished school Tyler Junior College (TJC) with highest of honors and enrolled into University of Texas at Tyler. Before I got my own car (Ford Crown Victoria 89) my brother and I had to walk in the +40C heat during the summer time. Because in Texas cars replaced horses a long time ago, having my own transportation gave me the freedom from long walks and safety from scorching heat. Always having an affinity for computers, I decided to major in Computer Information Systems (it's simply a combination computers and business) at UTT to accommodate my desires of building my own business someday and being my own boss. Currently I am working as an intern at Trane company as a programmer gaining some valuable experience that will undoubtedly help me in the future.

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