Being Russian in USA and Podari.Life

Being Russian in America, means that I miss my native language and culture a lot. I am definitely not the only one, so from time to time we gather for special Russian events. Last weekend, I had a unique opportunity to see a famous, gifted Russian actress, strong and beautiful woman, and warm, wonderful person Chulpan Khamatova who visited the USA on tour. Seattle was one of a very few cities where Chulpan stopped (others being New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles). 

Chulpan Khamatova. Poster of her performance Пунктиром (The Dotted) in Russia

Chulpan Khamatova in The Dotted in New York

I really am thankful to the organizers for making this rare opportunity available to me. That evening was everything I love about my native culture - it was an evening of genuine connection. It was a quiet, intimate, lyrical performance that included some personal stories, both funny and sad, reading Russian poetry (Boris Pasternak, Bella Akhmadulina, Yuri Levitansky, among other great poets), video clips of Chulpan's movies and theater plays, and beautiful piano improvisations by Polina Kondratkova.

If you read my Facebook or Instagram, you might know that I haven't really planned to purchase this dress. I actually went window shopping, and I mean literally - I was looking for curtains for our windows. But this dress sneaked into my shopping cart, and while I don't tolerate intruders, I admit, it is the most charming intruder one can encounter. So it went home with me, and since it is a tiny bit too small for my windows, I just have to wear it! So simple and straightforward my story is! I paired this charming intruder dress with my golden heels, and (since evenings are cool) with my Russian Pavlovoposadsky platok (shawl), a gift from my dear parents. 

But not only the unique dramatic talent, beauty and rare sincerity makes Chulpan Khamatova such a remarkable woman. She was named the most influential women in Russia for her charity organization "Подари жизнь" which she co-founded with her friend, actress Dina Korzun, over 10 years ago (and about 15 years since they organized their first charity concert, gathering many famous talented Russian musicians). The goal of their charity is most noble - helping children in Russia who fight cancer. The frightening number of chances to survive from cancer in Russia shook me as much as it shook Chulpan many years ago. While in the rest of the civilized world, children have a pretty high chance to get well, namely 80%, in Russia, it used to be only 50%. As it says on their sister organization's website, in 2006, "two famous Russian actresses, Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun, joined forces with a team of volunteers to help more that 30,000 children and their families get treatment, support and rehabilitation. This public charity based in Russia's capital city of Moscow, provides medications and medical equipment to many hospitals in Russia, promotes and organizes blood drives and develops volunteer networks countrywide." Since then, two sister organization were created, Gift of Life in London (since 2011), UK, and Podari Life in Boston, USA (since 2015).

I am donating MY BOOKS, Anya and Her Wings ("Аня и ее крылышки") and Anya and Her Wings: Color and Create! ("Аня и ее крылышки: Раскрашивай и рисуй!") to children who are now in hospitals fighting cancer in Russia, in addition to donating money. If you can, please consider helping children either by sending money, or volunteering, or maybe doing something else, just contact these organizations - they will be very grateful for your help. With your help, however small it might look, we can change that frightening statistics. 

Photos by Justin

Dress - Target

Russian shawl - gift from my parents

Shoes - Clarks 

Clutch (Cole Haan), earrings, necklace - old

Linking with Visible Monday

ПОДАРИ ЖИЗНЬ (Russia)

GIFT OF LIFE (UK)

PODARI.LIFE (USA)

SUPERSEAL, our new bilingual book, is coming in 2017!

Illustration by Andrei Lialin

Find our books at

AMAZON or INDIE BOOKSELLERS 

in Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, Washington

Connect with me on

INSTAGRAM     FACEBOOK     YOUTUBE

* * *