– Natalia, please tell us about your story in America. Where did you study and work before moving to Texas? Was moving to Texas your choice, or is it a coincidence?
I moved to the United States from Siberia, from Novosibirsk Academgorodok. My husband and I both graduated from Novosibirsk State University, although in different specialties: I am an economist, and he is a physicist. Together we decided to continue our studies in the United States for our doctorates. Getting into the same university wasn’t easy, but luckily we were both accepted at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Texas was not a conscious choice, it so happened that my husband was offered a job at Texas A&M University (TAMU), and we moved to College Station. A year later I also got a job at the university, so we stayed in Texas.
– Please tell us about your work. Which of your projects are the most memorable, and why?
Soon it will be 10 years since I started working as a lecturer at the Department of Economics at TAMU. I love my job: it is creative, it always pushes me to develop and grow professionally, master new technology, and this year I even had to unexpectedly master video editing. I also love the fact that teachers have more of a free schedule than those in other professions do, including long vacations for the new year and summer. Rather than following projects, in teaching, there are semesters and courses. I remember how scary it was for the first time to go teach to a class where 250 students were sitting in the classroom at once. However, over time, it actually became more comfortable when there are a lot of students rather than only a few. When the hall is only half full, it’s as if something was missing. I remember when the semester went well, there was a lot of contact from students – at the end of the semester they come up to you to shake hands and say thank you. One year I tried to organize a Study Abroad program to take American students to Russia in the summer, and planned to show them Moscow and St. Petersburg. For the program to be approved, it was necessary to recruit 10 students. Just before spring break, there were just 10 people and the program was approved. Then during the holidays one student changed his mind and everything was suddenly canceled. It was very disappointing, and since then I have not tried again, but maybe someday in the future I will be able to implement this project.
– What do you like the most about Texas?
We have not lived anywhere but in the South of the United States, so it’s hard for me to compare. I love the Texas fall, winter, and spring – and the fact that most of the year you can leave the house without wearing warm clothes. Flowers blooming in the fields during spring. That you can grill food outside every day. I like many economic factors: relatively low prices, good labor market. We enjoy going to local events like the Brazos Valley Fair, Rodeo, and TAMU Physics Festival. It is very nice that people, organizations and the city all always try to organize family events.
– What traditions and habits have you kept from life before Texas?
We make sure to still prepare soups (borscht is our favorite) and pancakes at home, Olivier and other Russian salads for the holidays. In accordance with Russian tradition, we continue to celebrate the New Year more than Christmas. We want our children to know and love the snowy winter, and for this, from the age of 3 we take them regularly to the skating rink, and in winter we try to “snowy places”. It’s true that this year it did not work out, but the snow itself came to us in Texas, and a lot of snow fell so the children even built a snow fort in front of the house.
– How is your relationship with your homeland developing? Do you miss any aspect of life at home?
Yes, I miss it very much, I am always drawn to Russia, and I try to keep in touch with the friends who have remained there. But I don’t follow the news and usually find out about everything from friends and family. It is a great joy for me to visit Russia, I miss the changing seasons, the golden autumn and snowy winter, my hometown, friends and parents. We also miss the cultural life of a big city, we live here in a small town, there are not enough theaters, museums, and no city center to walk around.
– Please tell us about your family.
Our family gets along well: me, my husband and three daughters. It’s always fun at home and plenty to do. Soon it will be 20 years since my husband and I have been together. The eldest daughters are twins, they are 10 years old and the youngest is 8.
– What do you do besides work? What are your interests and hobbies?
I love to travel! Sometimes I enjoy artistic painting, draw, in the past I regularly did yoga, and ice skating, this year I got fond of tennis. I love watching movies and reading books, baking cakes, playing board games, and going to the Escape Room with my friends.
– What else would you like to tell about yourself?
Our family loves to travel, we try to go somewhere whenever possible. Last year we were in Montenegro and Russia, in winter we often go to Vermont, this year during the summer we went to Colorado, and in the fall we went closer to Lake Travis. We are tightly connected with Austin, since my husband has been working in General Motors in the north of Austin in recent years, and three years ago we seriously considered moving, however it did not work out, but who knows, maybe in the future we will still become residents of your wonderful city!
– How do you participate in the life of the Russian-speaking community in Texas?
Most importantly, I participate in organizing children’s events. College Station, unlike Austin, is a small city and does not have its own Russian school, so if we want to attend some Russian-language events for children, then the parents themselves need to organize everything. For five or six years now my friends and I have been holding a New Year’s party for children with Russian fairy-tale characters, Grandfather Frost, gifts, contests in Russian. We have a Russian-language children’s theater, also completely amateur, under the guidance of parents. We ourselves are directors, producers, make-up artists, sound technicians, and stage workers. We staged musical performances “New Year’s Adventures of Masha and Viti” and “Mama”, and last year they swung at “Buratino”, and, despite the coronavirus and a half-year break in rehearsals, we still staged a play recently in a street amphitheater.
Picture by Inna Krieger
We also actively participate in other events: we arrange barbecues in the park, celebrate Maslenitsa, as well as play “What? Where? When?” in the art gallery Degallery.
– What events were most memorable?
All our children’s performances have left vivid memories. Many instances were memorable. For example, farewell parties for the friends who were leaving the city forever, or last year a huge barbeque of Russian-speaking community in the park just before everything was closed due to the pandemic, and it became impossible to meet with a large company.
– What are your favorite books and films?
At different ages, different books. As a child, for example, I adored “The Headless Horseman” by Mayne Reid. The book is set in Texas and at the time it seemed so exotic – who would have thought that I would end up living here! In my youth, I was very fond of Eco, Fowles, Maugham, Bulgakov, Strugatsky, and Khmelevskaya. Then my husband got me into fantasy and science fiction, I was one of the earliest – long before the show – fans of “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R.-Martin, and even met him when he came to AggieCon at College Station in 2013. By the way, he chose our library at TAMU as the official repository of his correspondence, manuscripts and books. Now I mostly read children’s books again – it has come full circle. I often don’t have enough energy and time to read for myself, but sometimes it happens that I’m still reading something new. In recent years, Kurt Vonnegut has made the biggest impression on me. Not to say that this is a pleasant read, but it makes you think, and he knows how to surprise with unexpected plot twists. One of the most entertaining things I’ve read recently is Expanse (by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), at first I liked the TV series, so I wanted to read the book as well.
I also like the many different kind of films. Every New Year, for example, we always watch a musical comedy from childhood – “The Wizards”. I adore the old Soviet film adaptation of Maugham’s Theater with Via Artmane, Sherlock Holmes with Livanov and Solomin, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, in my opinion, in these films everything fits perfectly: actors, script, direction, music. Of all romantic comedies, I love Bridget Jones’s Diary (and the book, by the way, too), and of recent films – I won’t be original – I liked the mini-series Queen’s Gambit.
– What would you like to wish the Russian-speaking residents of Austin and Texas?
Health, well-being, to not forget the Russian language and culture and continue to keep Austin weird!
Contact information:
TAMU personal page: https://econ.tamu.edu/nataliya-pakhotina
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliya-pakhotina
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nataliya.pakhotina
Email: pahotina@gmail.com
Interviewer: Dmitri Ovcharenko
Editor: Natalia Ovcharenko
Publisher: Russian Cultural Center