Let’s face it, growing up in a Russian family and household is a great time; but there are some challenges that go along with good. Here’s a list of some of the challenges I’ve faced growing up Russian in America
1. Learning English for the first time in kindergarten
The first day of kindergarten will always be a vivid memory of mine. I remember opening the door with my mom by my side and hearing a language that I never heard before. Not really sure how I made it without getting an accent while learning English but I did it. I had a translator come with me to class and help me with communicating with my teachers and my friends. Fortunately, I learned quickly and was no longer scared of the English language. Also, I am still to this day best friends with my best friend from kindergarten who accepted me for who I was and helped me adjust and make friends during recess and lunch. This was definitely a hard stage in my life but I appreciate that my parents allowed me to grow up speaking Russian at home because now I still remember the language and am able to use it rather than forgetting it.
2. Always being the kid with a questionable meal at the lunch table
It’s stressful enough finding a group of kids who you can sit with in middle/elementary school during lunch. Try adding the pressure of knowing that your lunch will most likely stir up a couple of looks and strange faces when they see or smell what’s in your lunch box. My typical lunch would be a sandwich with lots of Russian cold-cuts, sometimes potatoes, a couple Russian pastries, and some days I would have a can of borsht. (ew)
3. Having friends over (translating everything)
It would always be a big step in a friendship for me to bring over friends to have play dates at my house. This was because I’d be embarrassed of having them feel awkward or uncomfortable not understanding my parents when they spoke to me in Russian. I was always worried they would think we would be talking about them. I would always translate for them to make them feel more comfortable if there was any Russian being spoken in the house. But still, this was super stressful and made me feel really self conscious and anxious to bring home friends. (Shout out to my friends who survived their visits at the Balonik residence.)
4. Always reminded of my family’s immigration hardships
To this day, whenever I complain about something being too hard or me being stressed about work or anything really, I am always reminded of my family’s immigration hardships and the struggles they faced. OK, I get it. I understand and appreciate greatly how much they sacrificed and the struggles they faced starting a life in a new country; but come on, I can be stressed and overwhelmed sometimes too! Give me a break! I hope after reading this post, I can get a pat on the back instead of a response like “Come on Alexa, when I came here I had to … ”
5. Having to balance two cultures
Last but not least, a struggle that I face daily is having to balance my two cultures. This is something that I am still learning how to do, but am appreciating every second of it. For example, when I go home during breaks at school, I speak Russian at home, eat Russian food, and go to Russian restaurants or events with my family. But when I go back to school it’s a whole different world. But, I enjoy both of these worlds and appreciate the fact that I can combine them.
This post is dedicated to one of my inspirations for this blog, “Garik Suharik,” you may know him from his well known “Baba Fira” youtube videos. Follow along with the English subtitles as you’ll learn some typical Russian Grandma phrases that I, and all Russian kids growing up in America, hear on a daily basis.
sources:
ww.youtube.com/watch?v=gg2im185s4E
Bring on the Borscht 
I loved that you included a picture from My Big Fat Greek Wedding because that’s exactly what was going through my mind while I was reading this. Your story is really interesting and I can’t imagine being thrown into a situation like kindergarten when you couldn’t understand that. It’s cool to see how different your experience yours was from mine.
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