Author: dvasilevski

The Outline and Plan for Our Project

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

The objective of our project was too explore Brighton Beach and record details about the area without displaying bias. In our experiment we each visited Brighton Beach at least three times total during the winter and early spring. During every expedition, we would take pictures of the surroundings, the type of people we’ve encountered, conversations with the locals, as well as record our five senses. Since we are Brighton Beach residents who have a strong connection to the area because we’ve lived there for over a decade, we tried to be as impartial as possible. To experience the five senses, we had to visit different restaurants; we covered every part of the beach and the boardwalk; we interacted with both tourists and locals; we dug deep for problems that haunt our community. Before we would go out on a quest to Brighton Beach we would first read some articles that would help us understand some of the modern problems or phenomenons that are occurring in the neighborhood. Comparison is the main theme that we focus upon in our experiment. We went to Brighton Beach both in the winter and the spring to compare the atmosphere of the community during these two different seasons and notice if anything dramatically changed, especially our five senses. Another comparison that we did was to compare the past of Brighton Beach to modern Brighton Beach. We made a timeline to list the history of Brighton Beach all the way from its early beginnings to the recent third immigration wave. Also, we compared pictures of Brighton Beach of different eras to show the audience how dramatically the area has changed in some aspects but not in all. Our project includes a lot of videos that demonstrate the five senses because our audience needs to visualize what we’ve encountered first hand. During the early formation of this website, we wanted to present our material as coherently and attractively as we could. We envisioned a website where the viewer can easily interact with our material without getting overwhelmed. Each of us contributed equally to gathering all the necessary information, sharing ideas, and utilizing the resources in WordPress to craft this website. First, we wanted to introduce ourselves to our audience in the “About Us” category. In that category, we tell the audience who were are, where we came from, and how we connect to Brighton Beach. Then, we incorporated our fives senses into our field notes. Next, we made an Instagram to connect with different people whether local or not and to show them visuals of our journey. Afterward, in our reflection papers, we summarized how our attitude towards Brighton Beach may have changed and how this magnificent experience may have altered our perspective of our community. Lastly, in the annotated bibliography we introduced all the sources that helped guide us in our tremendous examination of Brighton Beach as well provided information that we would not have discovered on our own. It was not easy analyzing Brighton Beach so extensively, but we’ve learned a lot in the process and want to show the world what we’ve learned.

Here is a Google Maps visual of Brighton Beach. We’ve covered the Brighton Beach Boardwalk, Brighton Beach Ave, and more.

Gathered Statistics on Brighton Beach

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

We approached 51 people, asking about their origin. The results are as follows:

For a larger picture, go to https://www.meta-chart.com/share/country-of-origin-6

We also counted the different stores on Brighton and recorded what kind of stores they are

For a larger picture, go to https://www.meta-chart.com/share/type-of-stores-on-brighton-beach

Interview With a Street Book Seller

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

Seller: Before there was a large immigration, a lot of people came.

Diana: When is “before?”

Seller: Mid ’90s. Beginning and mid ’90s- there was a large immigration from the USSR territory. It so happened that I suddenly ended up in a Muslum country. It used to be USSR and then all of a sudden this. I had a profession that prevented me from working there, so I retired. I was in the military, held a high position. My whole life I caught and arrested people, I worked in Judiciary Police. And then, I had to do something to feed my family. My kids were young and went to school. So when there was the large immigration, we worked at a company where our owner would give us one 40ft container of books every three months. Guys, can you imagine? It means, four containers per year, so in one year we would get 150,000-160,000 books, and practically 50%-60% would get sold.

Diana: What did you do with the other books that did not get sold?

Seller: Well, we would put them in catalogs, send them out, and people would still buy. It’s just new books must always be arriving. If you don’t have new books coming, then people won’t be buying the old books. Some people like to read detective genres… my whole life was a detective genre. Some people like love books, some like classics, for kids. I started selling books for kids now, that’s the only thing that still makes business. With years, the generation that could read- elderly people- they either physically can’t read or they died already. That’s why this is a dying business.

Diana: Yeah, especially with the internet being used as a popular source right now.

Seller: Well I personally like books. I have those computers and iPhone where I can read everything, but I like to physically flip through the pages of the book. It’s a pleasure that can’t compare to anything. When you feel the texture of the book, it feels nice. Over the last couple of years, it’s only private publications. Take a look, swipe your hand on the book (As he hands Diana a book). It’s German typography, Finland’s whitened paper, German paint, and Russian labor. And it’s a specialized publication.

Diana: Are those calendars?

Seller: Yes, those are calendars. Hello, Borya! (he said Hi to his friend). This is a former pilot, fought in Afghanistan, rewarded with medals. Lived in Riga (Latvia). And then it so happened that the USSR fell apart, so we moved here. There are a lot of different [people] here, you can talk to them. Ebba (points to the woman in a stroller that works with him) is not the “last” person [in the society]. She held high job positions, was a good economist. This person (points at another one of his friends) graduated a conservatory, performed in ensembles. It just so happened…..so, immigration is not all poor and uneducated.

Diana: No no, of course, that’s understood.

Seller: And with the books, not a lot of people read, the ones that used to read died or physically can’t. Young people, in my family, for example, Russian and English are two native languages. And then French and Spanish- that’s obvious. So they use Spanish to talk to me, and I am clueless because I don’t know what it is. And French they just like. My kids read.

Diana: Thank you so much! It was a pleasure talking to you!

Seller: You’re welcome! Study guys! The most important thing is to get a good education. Once you get it, everything will be easy, I know from the example of my kids. It was so hard, financially, and we all always worked, I remember all of that. My son is now an international lawyer, he is studying in Europe, for 10 years already. My daughter is a speech pathologist. Guys, study, and everything will be great! Just don’t get married too early, get your education and then everything will be okay. Good luck to you!

Diana: Okay, thank you so much! We appreciate it!

Aspects of Brighton Beach that Became Noticed

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

When I was 5 years old my family and I immigrated to the United States from Belarus. We lived in Williamsburg and would sometimes dedicate a whole day just to go to the beach on Brighton in the summer. Little did I know that one day I would live 5 minutes away from that same beach. After one year of elementary school in the US, I continued my education back in Belarus until 5th grade. This gave me a strong background in Russian traditions, language, and education. At the age of 10, I came back to the US to continue my education, and at that point, my parents already moved into an apartment on Brighton Beach, two minutes away from the famous boardwalk, and four minutes away from the water. It indeed felt, and still feels, like mini Russia. It is the only neighborhood where you can find people that lived in the US for over 20 years, and yet still lack basic English skills. It is the neighborhood where you don’t have to adjust to anything, you bring your own ideals and ideas. It is diverse in that there are Russian speakers from all over the world, but it is very secluded in that it is only Russian speakers. I’ve lived on Brighton for almost 10 years already and this project changed my viewpoint on the neighborhood and the people.

When I heard the many stereotypes associated with Brighton Beach I would sometimes get upset, as most of them would not be pleasant. Throughout the years I lived and shopped here with my family, yet I never got the impression that the people were rude and disrespectful, until now. I realized that although I lived on Brighton Beach for a long time, I was never truly a part of the community. I spend most of my time away from the neighborhood and therefore only had short interactions with its settlers and never truly noticed the unpleasant interactions.

Prior to the first field trip with my friends, I was very excited. We were going to conduct interviews and ask people about where they came from. However, it was the “people” part that completely ruined my idealistic expectations. Most of the people I approached were very rude and mean. Although I was ready for rejections, I wasn’t ready for the impoliteness that came with it. The first person I approached was an old woman with a walker who seemed to be taking a walk. “Excuse me” I approached her, “Can I please ask you a question?” “What?” she replied with an attitude. “What country did you come to the US from?” “Why do you need to know?” she replied rudely again. As I proceeded to explain to her that I need it for a project for college she said “No” in the nastiest voice, turned around, and walked away. I would’ve not used this situation to judge the people of Brighton had it been the only one. While jotting down people’s responses, I also jotted down the number of rejections received. And while we got 43 responses, we also got 8 rejections, and that’s about 16% of the total surveyed population.

I also noted that the whole population we encountered were elderly men and women, with an exception of a young tourist couple. “One need only stroll along the boardwalk to notice the disproportionate number of gray-haired babushkas and jowled older men lounging on its benches” (Kordunsky et al.) They mostly had unhappy faces on, were pushing each other to get through without remotely saying something even close to “excuse me,” “sorry,” or “thank you,” and I realized that this really is a rude population. Their rudeness spreads in a chain reaction, and I’ve witnessed it firsthand. When I walk into our out of my building, I tend to hold the door for other people (mostly elderly), and although a small number of them say “thank you,” the majority just walks through as if it’s a given. Other times, those same people see me coming, but won’t hold the door an extra five seconds for me, and that tends to get me frustrated. Subconsciously, I already don’t want to hold the door the next time for the next person because I am not looking for a rejectful response. I believe that this is what happens with the majority. When people try to be nice in stores or on the streets, they see that it’s not working, so they start acting the same rude way they saw others act before. Instead of being polite, they push each other and take it as a given that everyone should be out of their own space.

I felt that the elderly population created a secluded environment where any outsider automatically gets a rude treatment. Although I have a strong Russian background and excellent Russian language skills, I believe that I was an outsider to them because of the significant age difference. As Michael Idov states in his article “ The Everything Guide to Brighton Beach,” the neighborhood is “stuck between two worlds, with its own culture, slang, radio, TV, magazines, and illicit pharmaceutical industry (think less meth and more FDA-unapproved heart drops)…its secrets are still secrets, and its past is never far away.” I agree with that statement because upon settling in the neighborhood, the immigrants didn’t want to adjust and take on the American lifestyle, and instead, established their language, traditions, and culture. “The newcomers hailed from across the former USSR, bringing with them the accents, customs, and food that have come to define the area” (Kordunsky et al.). Brighton Beach is the only neighborhood in America where people will look at you weird and know that you’re an outsider if you come into a store and start speaking English. More than half of the people will not even understand you.

However, there was an uptake to my experiences on Brighton Beach. There were a few very lovely people that I got to talk to and interview who differed significantly from the majority of the population. I also realized that Brighton is a rich neighborhood facilities wise. It has a lot of trees, a park, a public library, stores, an afterschool facility with a lot of activities, a long and famous boardwalk, and a great beach. Once the weather got warmer, the atmosphere got lighter. On the boardwalk, people are dancing, singing, sightseeing, eating, drinking, doing yoga, and interacting with their friends. Although the people are old, they are active and I sensed a young spirit from them. Perhaps, the people I encountered were busy in their daily routines and were hostile because of that, because the ones on the boardwalk had a very different energy to them (both when it was cold and warm weather).

During my field days, I sometimes stood in one spot and observed. By appealing to the 5 senses I was able to intake and interpret Brighton in a way that I’ve never seen it before. Besides the unpleasant experiences, I also noted how relaxing and nice the atmosphere on the boardwalk and the beach is. I also noted how constantly loud the streets are during the day, with constant music, conversations, and train sounds. I touched the different textures on Brighton and was impressed by how much history the buildings carry. I was able to make conclusions and analysis based on the things I saw and became used to as a part of the daily living. The street vendors and ladies that sell pirozhki were always a mundane thing to me, but as it turned out, one of the biggest “cool” things for tourists visiting Brighton.

The article “An Air of Russia and Ocean Breezes” by Fran Pado reflects on the different activities one can do when on Brighton, and indeed, all those things are constantly going on. Although Brighton is a secluded community, it is one of a kind. It makes newcomers from the former USSR feel more comfortable due to the lack of the language barrier.

Once known primarily as a Russian-Jewish enclave, the neighborhood over the past two decades has taken on a more diverse mien as a new wave of Russian-speaking immigrants has chosen to call the area home. These newcomers are drawn by the gravitational pull of the common Russian language, which is itself a legacy of the Soviet education system (Kordunsky et al.)

People who come to live on Brighton are almost guaranteed to already have friends who live on Brighton. The strong community helps out in finding jobs and activities to do, and I think that’s great. Upon my research, I encountered a website for Brighton Neighborhood Association, which is an organization run by active leaders designed to help residents with “quality of life” issues. I was truly surprised to note how many services the organization provides (for elderly as well as for the youth) because in my whole living of Brighton I never knew an organization like that exists. It was a pleasant feeling to know that the community reaches out and tries to help its residents.

References

Anna Kordunsky, Ariel Stulberg, Bingling Liao and Michael Larson. “Changing Face of Brighton Beach.” The Forward. N.p., 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://forward.com/news/162963/changing-face-of-brighton-beach/>.

Pado, Fran. “An Air of Russia and Ocean Breezes.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 June 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/nyregion/27stop.html?_r=0>.

Michael, Idov. Published Apr 13, 2009. “The Everything Guide to Brighton Beach.” NYMag.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://nymag.com/guides/everything/brighton-beach/>.

–, “Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association: Social Services. New York.” Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association: Social Services. New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://brightonbeach.com/>.

Diana Vasilevski- Field Note 2- Touch

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

There are many different textures that I experienced and learned about on Brighton during my field days. On my first field day, I noticed the materials of the different buildings and shops. Therefore, on my next field day, I concentrated on that and was surprised by the variety I encountered on my way. I touched and took pictures of all the different textures I encountered. Overall, I noticed that brick was the most popular texture, but there were a lot of variations to it. I also noted that many other materials were used that I never payed attention to before. Some were more appealing to my touch and others less, some looked newer than others, and some were very damaged.

My first “touch” was the building I live in. It is about 100 years old. It’s made of brick and has a slightly dirty look to it. When I swiped my fingers across it, it felt very rough, bumpy, and scratchy. It had no smooth surfaces. I could feel every rock in between the bricks and the hard, vertical patterns on the brick itself.

When I moved down the wall and looked at its lower part, I noticed that the bricks were now placed vertically, and their patterns were therefore horizontal. I also noticed a patch of newer bricks. Perhaps the wall was destroyed in that area and they needed to get replaced. The new bricks felt the same but were lighter (I assumed it’s because they weren’t as dirty).
I then noticed an area that had three different colored bricks with a mix of horizontally and vertically laid. I could tell that there were two patches to the original bricks. However, they all felt the same.

As I walked down Brighton 5th block towards Brighton Beach Avenue, I noted another house which was newer than my building. It’s structure was significantly different. Although also made out of brick, it was very soft and smooth. I could feel the pores in the bricks if I pressed my fingers harder, but overall, they glided on the bricks without a problem. The bricks also felt warm from absorbing the sunlight the whole day, while the bricks of the old building felt the same temperature as my fingers. The filling between the bricks was also sooth, compared to the grainy rocky filling in the old building. The photo on the left represents a close up of the bricks in the newer building. The photo on the right shows the old and the new brick walls side to side.

The newer building also had very smooth texture on the caps of its columns (picture on the left), while the older building had columns that were also stony, but rough and slightly bumpy (picture on the right).

The pictures below represent a wall on the corner of Brighton 5th and Brighton Beach Avenue. It is also made out of brick, however, it looks like the brick and its filling were all covered with paint to give it all the same dark red color. The bricks also felt very smooth, despite the rocky filling in between. Picture 2 shows the painted brick and the non painted brick on top of it, which did not feel as smooth and the filling was rocky. This wall caught my attention because it had a lot of different brick fillings. Although all of them are bricks, they differ in colors and in textures. However, I was not able to feel the light bricks on the top of the wall because they were too high.

Picture 1

Picture 2

The structures that I’ve seen on the buildings of stores also differed significantly. The ffirst picture(Picture 1) shows three different structures- plastic and metallic. However, they all felt the same- smooth and easy to slide a finger on. Picture 2 shows another series of smooth textures next to each other- plastic and metallic. Picture 3 was my least favorite structure to touch. It is cement covered with paint. However, the paint is peeling off, which caused my fingers to get stuck on its pieces when I slid it. I was scared that if I slid my finger any faster, I would hurt myself. Picture 4 shows a tile of a Pharmacy located on the corner of Brighton 5th and Brighton Beach Avenue. It felt very warm and smooth, however some of the tiles had a 3D structure to them, so I felt the creases. I could feel the breaks between the tiles as well, when my finger slightly

Picture 4

Picture 3

fell in-between the holes. Picture 5 is material outside of a restaurant. Although it looks like a brick, it is simply a plastic cover on the original wall. It feels smooth and like regular plastic. It made a loud noise when I knocked on it. Picture 6 is what I called the “sloppy brick.” It has a rough, rocky feeling to it, completely opposite of the material described before, and looks like it was very sloppily made. I, once again, felt that if I press my hand harder and slide it, I will hurt myself. Picture 7 is what I named the “neat brick.” It was the most visually appealing brick out of all. Overall, it felt very smooth (even the filling between the bricks), completely different from the brick in the previous picture. Picture 8 shows another kind of brick, which looked like “stone brick” to me. It was smooth to the touch, despite being made out of such “rough”

Picture 5

material. I could feel the curves on the stones, but I got the

Picture 6

impression that they were processed with sand paper to feel “soft.” Finally, Picture 9 shows the structure that felt the most pleasant to my touch. It is made out of a light layer of plastic and feels grainy, but very smooth and soft. It was also very warm from the sunlight.

Picture 7

Picture 8

Picture 9

Diana Vasilevski- Field Note 1 (Hearing)

May 22, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

It’s a never-ending commotion. As I stand there, I can pick which sounds I want to concentrate on. I can block out the conversations and only listen to the train, although when the train comes, the conversations get blocked on their own because it’s so loud. “Wait until the train passes” I hear somebody scream into their phone. It’s funny to me because the response of the person on the other line was probably “what?”

I hear music playing outside of a food store. It’s an uplifting tune, probably from 1990s. The man sings about the girl he loves and how their lives are complicated because he is a marine, but it is a humorous song, not sad.

As I enter a food market it’s a whole new mix of sounds. I hear people having their own conversations, kids screaming, cashiers screaming out “next.” Someone is arguing with the butcher that he gave them a bad piece of meat. Another customer is asking for “Litovskiy” hleb (bread). It’s an organized chaos.

I come on to the boardwalk. Someone is playing fetch with their dog and you can hear the stick falling on the sand every time the owner throws it. Following, come heavy breaths of the dog that’s running after it to bring it back. All that is covered by the sound of waves; so quiet yet so loud. You hear every wave breaking against the stones and washing up on the shore, but as soon as you’re ready to keep following up on that one wave and hear the sounds of water calm down and diminish, another powerful wave covers it over with a loud “woosh” and the first wave is nowhere to be seen or heard. The beach is quiet and peaceful. Because it’s so big, any conversation can be silenced if you walk a few feet away from it. People come to meditate, people come to jog, people come to play with their dog. As I stood in one spot, I heard a couple pass by me, they seemed to be on a romantic walk. I heard a jogger run by, breathing heavily with every thump his foot made when it touched the sand.

Standing on Brighton 3rd and hearing cars passing by, honking, and a conversation between 4 friends.

Music from one of the stores on Brighton Beach Avenue about the marine and his love.

Another song from a store on Brighton Beach Avenue. There is a sound of a train passing by at 00:35 which blocks out the song.

Diana Vasilevski

May 16, 2017 / dvasilevski / 0 Comments

My name is Diana. When I was 5 years old my family and I immigrated to the United States from Belarus. We lived in Williamsburg and would sometimes dedicate a whole day to go to the beach on Brighton in the summer. After one year of elementary school in the US, I continued my education back in Belarus until 5th grade. This gave me a strong background in Russian traditions, language, and education. At the age of 10, I came back to the US to continue my education and at that point my parents already moved into an apartment in Brighton Beach, two minutes away from the famous boardwalk, and four minutes away from the water. It indeed felt, and still feels, like mini Russia. It is the only neighborhood where you can find people that lived in the US for over 20 years, and yet still lack basic English skills. It is the neighborhood where you don’t have to adjust to anything, you bring your own ideals and ideas. It is diverse in that there are Russian speakers from all over the world, but it is very secluded in that it is only Russian speakers. I’ve lived on Brighton for almost 10 years already and this project changed my viewpoint on the neighborhood and the people.