Slavic Culture Lives On With Me

As a child, you don’t see the point or comprehend the importance of upholding certain traditions passed down from your parents. You don’t quite understand why all of this

along with the language is being pushed onto you, but you know it’s necessary no matter what. At least, that’s the experience many children of immigrants go through.

I understand now that all of this is a privilege. I even understood it back then, when I eagerly learned to read Russian storybooks so I could enjoy the stories my parents grew up with.

The aroma of a fresh pot of borscht sitting on the stove, the associations with certain dishes tied to the stories my parents shared at the dinner table all of this contributed to my desire to preserve most of these customs. There’s a certain independence that comes with being a first-generation American. It’s on you to meet everything halfway so that you don’t lose yourself in trying to preserve your culture along with the one you find your own way.

My parents understand my need to succeed in the way I see fit. They allow me to take things into my own hands, because they once had to do the very same thing for themselves. But it was my grandparents who had the greatest impact on upholding a very Slavic household. I would spend many nights listening to their stories and the stories of their parents. These moments influenced my desire to voice my thoughts and advocate for change in the world.

I learned so much about the breaking of the Soviet Union and about my great-grandfather’s suffering during Stalin’s reign over the USSR. People were punished for being Slavic Jews. My great-grandfather lived, and with that survival he and my great-grandmother passed on their traditions and customs first to my grandfather, then to my mother, and now to me.

Today, I read many books by Slavic authors and still enjoy the music I grew up with, as well as new music I’ve discovered myself. I enjoy everything from Chekhov’s plays to Gogol and Dostoevsky. I love The Master And The Margarita. My favorite Russian rock band is Kino, but I appreciate almost everything my parents introduced me to. Culture has shaped me into the person I am today