Insiders
Igor: My family came to Brighton Beach in the year of 1995 leaving Chernivtsi, Ukraine. We followed my mom’s sister who had already moved to Brighton in 1993. Along with us came all of my grandparents and even a great grandfather to come live on Brighton. My parents tell me we moved from Ukraine because they did not want me to be stuck in one place my whole life, as they fear I would have if we stayed. Coming to Brighton we knew close to no English, and without having such a big Russian community at our doorstep it would have been near impossible to assimilate. My parents began to get jobs, and even went to Kingsborough Community College along with my grandfather to learn English, all the while making friends and setting up networks in the community. Eventually my sister was born and the family was becoming bigger. This forced us to move out and we left Brighton behind moving to Sheepshead Bay. My cousin and his family, which had helped us move in, did the same, and moved to Staten Island. Even though we moved, both my mother’s parents and my uncle’s parents have stayed to live in Brighton Beach. I believe without the existence of a Russian community, my family would have not moved away from the Ukraine to the United States.
Though we no longer live on Brighton, we have long from forgotten about it. My grandfather still does all of the households shopping there on a daily basis. Further, I find myself often visiting Brighton some weeknights. I no longer now the area like I once did, but I can still find my way around its bustling streets. Each time I find something new, as the community is making a step towards a more modern lifestyle and the big stores are starting to move in.
