Natasha

Raised by her grandmother in the very house where her great grandmother lived her entire life, Natasha's roots are in Rostov Veliky, one of the oldest towns in Russia.

Natasha did her undergraduate work in psychology at The Jewish University in Moscow. Her graduate study was in women's health issues at the Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg medical school. It was there she met and fell in love with an American businessman who had been in an accident, and was stuck in the university hospital while his leg healed. After her graduation, she fled the Soviet Union with him to get married in the States.

Natasha has always been fascinated by the romantic story of her grandparents' life and in fact looks a great deal like her. She uses a muff and matching fur hat to many functions as a reminder of her heritage.

She is currently a gynecologist at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, where she was accepted into their international internship program. She places special emphasis on family planning and an interest in abused women. She often lectures around the country and her background in psychology is very helpful when she voluntarily attends to the medical and emotional needs of women and children in Baltimore shelters.

Natasha met the other girls on a literature discussion community on the internet. The group has been communicating regularly for 6 years-discussing various books they have read. This year they decided to meet and take a small vacation together in Longville, MN. They had read that Longville was the smallest town in Minnesota to have a public library, and had heard of Longville's turtle races on National Public Radio last year.