– Please tell us about your life in America. Where did you study and work before moving to Texas?
I moved to America relatively recently, only about a year ago, just before the start of the pandemic. Before that my family and I had been living in Madrid, the capital of Spain, for about 10 years. And before Spain I lived in Moscow, the place where I was born and raised, as well as received a higher education and had happily worked in my profession for around 7 years.
– Was Austin your initial choice, or was it a coincidence that you ended up there?
Yes and no. Due to the nature of my husband’s work, we didn’t care about the location and weren’t looking at a specific place. We looked at different states, including Illinois, Florida, Virginia, and Texas. The choice fell on Texas and Austin for several reasons: the closeness of my husband’s family, no income tax, good schools/universities, and the good climate.
– What do you like about Austin?
You know, I’ve grown to really love Austin in the short period of time that I’ve been here.
I like many things about the city. For example, the modern architecture of the city isn’t overbearing, but instead (in my opinion) fits into the beautiful surroundings and landscape. The environment is beautiful and there are extraordinary parks located both within the city and outside, but even those are close by. I enjoy the interesting and lively cultural life (in the “pre-covid” era, of course). It is also amazing that Austin is growing and developing not only as a place of culture and leisure, but also as an international business center.
– Please tell us about your profession as well as your work at the Russian School “Sputnik”.
By profession, I am a tax lawyer. I worked in this specialty for over 10 years: first in Moscow, and then in Spain.
When I first arrived in Spain, the first thing I had to do was learn the language (in half a year, from scratch). My love for studying law led me to obtain a law degree in Spain, to complete several Master’s programs, and to enter the Madrid Bar Association. After many years of studying and research, I was able to find my place in the Spanish legal world. I still keep in contact with the Spanish legal world and I am the representative of the Spanish law firm “Guerra Abogados”, which provides legal services to clients all around the world.
I hope that I will receive the status of a foreign legal consultant soon and will be able to advise in Texas on Spanish law. I also hope to find a job here in Texas in this field.
As fate would have it, when I moved to Austin I met the founders of the Russian School “Sputnik”: Dmitriy and Olga Ovcharenko. And to my surprise, they asked me to conduct Spanish lessons at the “Sputnik” school. Of course, I gladly agreed! It is a great honor for me to not only teach our fellow Russians grammar of the Spanish language (very important both in Texas and around the world) but also to share my knowledge of the culture, history, and traditions of Spain. Believe me, you’ll be surprised how many interesting things are hidden in the culture of this small country. Spain has become a second home for me, and through my lessons, I want to spread my love for this country.
– How is your relationship with your motherland? Do you miss any aspect of life at home?
Of course, I really miss both Russia and Spain. We travel to Russia once a year, despite the closed borders. I really miss my parents and friends: I want to hug them and spend time with them. I also miss the rich cultural life of Moscow (concerts, theaters, ballets, exhibitions). Maybe in the future, it would be possible to “bring” Russian classical theater, ballet, classical music concerts, and expositions from our museums to Austin for a bit? I would be very happy, and ready to help in any way I can.
– What traditions and habits do you keep from your life before Texas?
I haven’t really taken up “Texan” habits yet. We live as we did before, celebrating Russian and Spanish holidays, and preparing “our” dishes.
– Please tell us about your family.
My family is small but happy. I have two wonderful daughters (15 and 3 years old), an amazing husband, a hamster, and three goldfish. We also dream of getting a cat and a dog.
– Your daughter is a volunteer at the Russian Cultural Center in Austin, correct? Could you tell us about her projects?
Yes, she is. My eldest daughter took up journalism. She takes journalism classes both in high school and on various internet platforms (like Coursera). Recently, she had the idea to write articles in Russian for the youngest readers of the Russian Austin magazine. It was so nice that Olga Ovcharenko agreed to publish these articles. After all, it is so important for adolescents to be able to participate in the community.
Sofia has already written several articles on the history of Russia and its traditions/holidays. She also had plans to print recipes for the little ones and to do reviews of places around Austin. We hope that our young readers will be interested in these articles!
– What do you do besides work? What are your interests and hobbies?
Aside from work, I love being a mother. I devote my free time to my girls and my husband. I also love to play music (I graduated from a music school studying piano), as well as to draw and travel.
– What are your favorite books and movies?
I love to read. I like Russian classics. I don’t have a favorite book, but I do have favorite authors. For example, M. Bulgakov, L. Tolstoy.
As for movies, I’ll say this: I do not like horror movies. If you want to see horror, you can watch the news.
– What would you like to wish for the Russian-speaking residents of Austin and Texas?
First of all, I hope that we’ll be able to escape the global crisis soon (both “covid” and economic). I wish us health and positivity!
I would also like the Russian-speaking community in Austin to remain close-knit and friendly, always ready to help one another. It’s so nice to feel at home here. Let’s maintain this feeling!
It would be great for us to continue developing the cultural projects that we have already started and launch many more as well. For example, there could be a theater group, a choir, a museum of the Second World War (Great Patriotic War), dancing and cooking groups (for both Russian-speakers and not), as well as tours and exhibitions.
I really want our children to not only not “lose” their Russian “roots”, but also to sincerely love our culture and traditions!
Contact information:
Facebook: Catalina Kosova
Website: www.guerra-abogados.com
Email: ekaterina@grupo-deiure.com