Katya Duft - My Summer of Growing Up

 

When I was 14 years old, my parents decided it was a great idea to get me out of school and move a million thousand miles away from the far east of Russia, close to Moscow, so I could go to a great college several years later. I didn't want any of this. I liked my school, I liked my skiing, I liked my rock climbing, my friends. So, when they just moved me to Moscow, I got very depressed. In addition to everything, once we moved, we had a little bit of savings, but they suddenly all disappeared because of a financial crisis. 

 

So, when I came to my new school, not only we were poor, but also, I had no friends. It's all my fault. I was very grumpy about moving and I didn't want any friends. [audience laughter] But the first year in the new school was extremely miserable. So, for my 15th birthday, my dad told me, “I know what you'd like as a birthday present. Let's go camping with a bunch of other adults and kids. And this way, you can climb the tallest mountain in Europe.” Most girls for 15 years old, at 15, they want probably a dress or a pair of shoes. For me, it was an amazing idea, yes, I really want to climb the tallest mountain in Europe.

 

So, we go on this trip, which was not very well planned, honestly, because it was 10 parents and about 15 kids. We didn't bring enough food for all of us. [audience laughter] It was nonstop camping for a month. We lived in tents, bathing in rivers. And for the last two weeks of our trip, we completely ran out of food and we were in the mountains. So, we had to stop at different villages, asking highlanders for cheese and milk. [audience laughter] And that was our diet for about 10 days. We all lost about 10 pounds, I'd say [chuckles] and we were completely emaciated. But for my birthday, I said, “I'm still climbing that mountain.” 

 

So, we spend the night in a wooden house, all of us, and they tell me, “Katya, the weather doesn't look very well. You know, they promised like a little bit of rain for tomorrow and maybe a little bit of a storm.” I say, “No, we are going. It's my birthday. I absolutely have to do it.” So, next morning, when I get out, I realize that there is no electricity because all the electric cables lay on the ground after a storm. My dad tells me, “Katya, you are not going. No, you're not doing this.” I say, “No, it's my birthday. I'm 15. My life has been crap for the last year. [audience laughter] I absolutely have to do it.” 

 

So, when my dad turns away, I put all the equipment on this special metal shoes, and I bring a metal stick and I started climbing. Good thing, my dad got out of the house and he saw me on the horizon and he was like, “Oh, God, she decided to do it.” So, he starts chasing me with other adults. They grab me off the mountain, they bring me back to the house, they say, “|Katya, you don't want to die on your 15th birthday.” And that's when I started bawling and saying, “Oh, my life just sucks. It's been nonstop for years. It’s so bad. I'm so depressed. Why, why, why? Why did you take me away from my friends? You started this.” 

 

And then, my dad looks at me, he says, “Katya, but you know what? This is the worst event of your life. You think then, after all, it can only get better. So, look forward to going back to Moscow, going to a new school and it will all be amazing from now on, I promise you.” Except when we get on the train and listen to the radio, the first thing we hear there is a coup d'etat in Moscow. It's 1991. It's the collapse of the Soviet Union. [audience laughter] The train trip takes 36 hours. And every minute of a trip, you listen to updates, and they say, “Oh, Gorbachev was arrested and taken away. Oh, now, there is a provisionary government. All the power is taken away.” 

 

And the minute the train gets into Moscow, we see tanks on the streets, people with guns, explosions, black smoke everywhere. I look at my dad and I say, “Dad, you promised. [audience laughter] You promised. My birthday was the worst thing ever. What is going on?” So, when we come home and turn the TV on, they say, “Okay, coup d'etat was a failure, but Soviet Union has collapsed anyways. But it's not going to be that bad.” But for me, it was more than bad. Actually. I got so sick with flu. My temperature was like 103 or something. And for two weeks, I don't remember anything. 

 

When I got out of this condition, I felt different. I felt like I was suddenly stronger or something, because to be honest, it's been, what now, 28 years since that happened. And no matter what happened in my life after that 1991 summer, nothing shocked me anymore. [audience laughter] I think that really made me as strong person as I am now. Thank you.