Aleksey: I was born in Kharkov, Ukraine – and my family came over to Brooklyn in 1995. Both of my parents were in their early 20’s, and they had an awkward command of the English language, times were tough. Coming to a new country is a very difficult thing to do, but my parents never relied on the existing Russian Community to find jobs, as they feared being exploited.
I remember going to Brighton Beach when I was very young. We would buy everything we needed there. Since my family’s monetary capabilities were very limited at the time, going to the Russian neighborhood to walk around and enjoy the beach was a very common weekend activity. All the stores had very low prices, and everything was affordable for the massive swarms of recent immigrants that occupied the streets.
Everyone tends to romanticize the past, and I am no different. As I came to Brighton Beach for the first time in a decade, I realized that little has really changed. I walked around for a long time eavesdropping on conversations and buying food. The whole experience took me back to my childhood, but I resent the neighborhood for the same reason as my parents. Brighton Beach is the shadow of Soviet memories, throwbacks to a place that no longer exists. Even now, I doubt that Brighton Beach could really be the same haven for recent immigrants that it was just ten years ago.
The boardwalk has become very exclusive. Expensive high-rise apartments have gone up all over the place, and the stores have raised their prices. I feel like Brighton has become a commercial gallery, which profits on the nostalgia of Soviet refugees. The presence of a Starbucks solidified my fears, but really there is nothing I can do -except enjoy the Pirozhki (pastries).
