From 4th Grade Prodigy to 5th Grade New Girl
A 10-year-old’s journey building herself up from the start again
Rain, salty soup, and an eleven hour plane ride. These three components are what 10-year-old Anna Kolomatskaia first experienced when she moved from America to Russia.
“Everything felt like a blur. I didn’t comprehend what was happening,” said Kolomatskaia. “Nothing felt real in my eyes.”
Moving from one city to another is hard as a child, but moving from one country to another can cause major shock. Kolomatskaia ended the fourth grade here in the United States, but started middle school in Russia. Her mother grew up in Russia, and they returned because of Kolomatskaia’s grandfather’s heart problems.
Unlike the United States which has English Second Language (ESL) and bilingual classes to accommodate, Kolomatskaia was left on her own as the American transfer, who did not know Russian.
“The cultural shock definitely affected me during my first few weeks in Russia,” said Kolomatskaia. “Societal norms in Russia would not be met effectively in America.”
Russia starts their school year on the first day of September, also known as Knowledge Day. All the children are dressed up and bring in flowers for their teacher, honoring the hardworking professionals.
However, Kolomatskaia was not able to participate because of the language and cultural barrier. She started her first day of school two hours after the ceremony.
This would be the start of many cultural differences that stuck with her.
Even walking to school, weird stares would attach themselves to how she looked, the way she walked, and even the food she ate. Her peanut butter sandwich met a distasteful end after Kolomatskaia found the sandwich stepped on in the hallway, rather than the safety of her lunchbox.
“Growing up I was always reminded to sit and dress a certain way. Especially in Russia.” Said Kolomatskaia, “Everyone judges you for the smallest thing, and feel no shame in hiding it.”
Everyone has the ability to adapt themselves to the new societal norms given to them. This was expected and done well on Kolomatskaia’s part.
After adjusting, she made friends and became comfortable in her Russian speaking abilities.
A year and eight months after she first arrived, she moved back to America, where it was back to square one. Kolomatskaia, once again, had to readjust to life in another country.
Bright sun, sugary lemonade, and another eleven hour plane ride invited her back to Lawrence, New Jersey, which provided a lot of internal conflict within the prepubescent Kolomatskaia.
Even if she had come back to a place she already called home before, the expectations Kolomatskaia had inherited from being at a Russian school and from her family stuck with her.
“I met a majority of my family, who have received higher education and became STEM majors,” Kolomatskaia said. “I feel that I need to become like them.”
This internal struggle to meet the expectations of her family stemmed from the move to Russia. Even though the uncertainty of what she wants to major in stands tall, Kolomatskaia proves that she was able to overcome and conquer those hardships.
Her strength from the beginning proves to continuously be fruitful, allowing her tranquility in times of need.
“Working hard has always been an outlet, and I’ll continue using it forever.”
