Translated material
Little Odessa
Little Odessa-the area in Brighton Beach, populated by immigrants from the USSR-not only a place on the map of New York, but at the same time, the state of mind. The inhabitants of Little Odessa nostalgic in their homeland left in the past, trying to recreate what they had once had. They cling to a Soviet way of life, which almost does not exist in the countries of their origin. This process began on Brighton Beach in the seventies-the first wave of Soviet immigrants rallied through a common language and pop culture, preserving the identity that did not allow them to adapt to the new world and modern American culture. Echoes of cultural kinship are still clearly heard in how local residents communicate, what they eat and how they dress. They stuck between the two worlds.
I chose the life of this community for observation because I also emigrated to the United States from Ukraine. Thanks to this, I was able to get to my heroes very close - the inhabitants of Little Odessa accepted me into their family. In many ways, their life reflects mine.