By Ilya Magid

2001

The Beginning of my Adult Life

1. My First Job Home
2. Architects Nightmares
3. My First and Last Lave

Editor Steven Siegel

The Beginning of my Adult Life

1. My First Job and Home

I finished the Polytechnic Institute in Leningrad in 1951. At this time I lived in a student hostel.

After the institute, the Ministry from Moscow directed engineers to their jobs. Young engineers had to work on their first job for 3 years. The director of the plant couldn't refuse to give him them a job. Maybe less than one half a year before I finished the institute I received an appointment for my first job in the city of Novosibirsk, an academic town. A scientific center was created there. In my appointment document there also was written, "Make available a hostel." I bought a warm coat for Siberia. One month before I finished the institute the Ministry changed my appointment. They changed the previous appointment and wrote a new one to, "Plant POB 782a." I knew that plant was located in Leningrad. The notation on my appointment, "Provide this young specialist with a hostel" remained.

When I went to the plant, nobody gave me a hostel. The director of the plant chuckled at me. That was an anti-Semitic action. I continued to live in the hostel of the Polytechnic Institute more than half a year. I had a problem with the manager of the hostel and had to leave. Then I rented a bed in the home of a private woman.

2.Architect's Nightmare

After finishing my studies at the Polytechnic Institute in Leningrad in 1951, I rented a bed in one apartment for a season. That apartment was located in a dilapidated two-story brick building. Around that building there were some one-story wooden buildings.

On one side there were located nice buildings of the Polytechnic Institute (nice architecture, built in the 1900s during the Czar's time). On the other side there were located buildings at the Hydraulic Engineering Institute.

On the first floor, where I rented the bed, there were three apartments. I do not remember who lived on the second floor of the building. I saw only a dilapidated staircase going up. There was one big common kitchen, where there were three tables, one for each apartment. Each table had an electric lamp. The tenants turned on only their own lamp.Toilet was in the yard.

My landlady was a wealthy woman. Landlady was a member of the party. In the blockade time, 1941-44, she and her daughter worked in a bread factory. At the time of the blockade one million people died from hunger. The entire factory was guarded. All workers who left the plant were searched with a fine toothcomb. But women had special places in which they would hide dough. She had a three-room apartment (two-bedroom apartment). She lived together with her daughter, son in law, and granddaughter. Her son-in-law was a drunkard.

My hostess hid her valuables in a pawnshop because her son-in-law would have stolen them to buy vodka. She had a problem because there was always a time when it was necessary to pay money for the next pawnshop.

At that time the government announced a program, "familiarization of virgin land in Kazakhstan". The son-in-law with his family went there. But my hostess continued to use the pawnbroker to hide her valuables.

In another apartment one woman lived with 6 children. She didn't have a husband, but she had many boy friends. Her current 'husband' was a young man released from prison. She did not work. Maybe the government gave her some money, as a mother having many children. Bread and grain were cheap in Leningrad in that time. Six children ran around the kitchen bare foot and were never ill, but our granddaughter was ill many times.

In the last apartment an old couple lived. I saw once, the old man, argue with a young boyfriend. I thought that the old man abused his 'wife'. The young boyfriend shouted, "I will put a knife into you, and receive a new prison sentence, etc." The old man ran into his apartment.

Later the young boyfriend received a subpoena from the draft. Active duty was compulsory in the Soviet Union. His wife gave him an excuse that he had 6 children dependent on him. He was not taken by the draft.

Another case: There was one government electric meter on each floor. The apartment of my hostess and the apartment of the old couple had their own meters. The apartment with the mother of many children did not have its own meter. Maybe it was very expensive for her to buy own meter. They received a combined bill and paid the government. Once they had a conflict and the wife refused to pay her part. The official cut the electricity on that floor for all apartments and we lived under candles maybe for one month.

At my job one Russian construction engineer had a problem where he was living. I advised him to rent a bed in my landlady's apartment. After two months he received a room in the plant's hostel. (That was a dream for me because it was more comfortable and very cheap).

It was very interesting that I did not feel anti-Semitism there.

3. My First and Last Love