I came to America from Russia, St. Petersburg. It was fourteen and a half years ago. I was 68 and didn’t want to change my life, so hard. Moreover, my older son had seven children, and I helped his family with them. Three of my granddaughters studied in school that we could see from my kitchen window. So, after lessons they came to me. I fed them dinner, helped with homework, and in the night, I escorted them home.
My younger son married late, at 30, and his wife dreamed about America. It was her “blue bird”. She was happy to receive an invitation from her father-in-law who lived in New York at that time.
They went to Seattle, it was cheaper. By this time they had a daughter, two-years-old. Soon she understood she was expecting another baby and asked me to come to Seattle to take care of it. First they invited me to visit them and appreciate this place to live.
I like everything. The climate, the green environment, the lakes, the mountains and especially the friendly faces of people whom I met on the way.
By Alla Ginzburg (z”l)
Alla studied ESL with Leslie Taub and her group of dedicated students. Alla died earlier this year.
Feature photo by Peter Stevens.
