Danica: As I walked along the Brighton Beach Boardwalk, all I saw were elderly people sitting in groups on benches along the side. The women, mostly dressed in either fur coats or in velour jumpsuits, whisper words among themselves, which I assumed was gossip, as the men sat around tables in front of a café, smoking cigarettes and playing chess as they spoke to each other in Russian. We turned to our right down Brighton 6th Street, and Igor pointed to different store signs written in Russian and said them out loud. Two women passed by us and one said something to the other in Russian. Igor laughed and said, “She just made fun of my Russian.” While I found it funny, it made me realize that people do recognize us outsiders. I just wanted to blend in.
We turned on to Brighton Beach Avenue, and the sounds were coming from all directions- the Russian spoken by people all around us, the subway train running overhead, and the cars honking in traffic. I smelled the fruits and vegetables being sold in the market on the corner, and as I took a full 360-degree turn to make aware of my surroundings, I saw the colored signs hanging over stores and restaurants mostly written in Russian. It’s as if I was not in Brooklyn, New York anymore. At least, it felt like I was not. We walked past a bookstore that had a sign that said, “WE SELL BOOKS IN ENGLISH,” and it struck me as funny. We entered M & I International and received many weary and strange looks from both workers and customers. Before, I was so ready to pester Igor or Aleksey to speak to them in Russian and ask for an informal interview, but at that moment I was too afraid to even walk up to the counter.
More than anything else, my observations and field notes showed how much Brighton Beach is a place completely separate from its surroundings. Just going by the several sorts of attire worn by people on the boardwalk is enough to express how these people are living in a world of their own. Even in fifty-degree, windy weather, men still played volleyball in their bathing suits. I think that this is representative of how Brighton Beach is a home away from home as these people dress how they want to dress and do what they want to do despite the weather conditions.
Hearing Russian being the only language spoken throughout my visits to Brighton Beach made me feel like I was in a separate world. I have never felt like such an outsider, and I think it shows how much Brighton Beach has become a home away from home for many people, how it has become a “Little Odessa.” The fact that Igor, who is Russian and who speaks the language fluently, was made fun of by one of Brighton Beach’s residents, shows how being Russian isn’t necessarily enough to be part of this world. There is a dynamic relationship between the food places planted her and the people who live here and visit these places regularly. It’s as if not being part of this dynamic relationship means not being part of the world of Brighton Beach. Igor and Aleksey both had to buy me food, and it made feel even more of a foreigner. Having to basically play telephone in order to buy food showed how one needs to assimilate in order to live at Brighton Beach, how one needed to get used to the culture, practices, and even the language used there. It shows how Brighton Beach will not change for anyone, especially as those who are willing to preserve the Russian culture stay there. If I were to go to Brighton Beach alone or if I were to live there, I would have to adjust, assimilate, and change.
