Babushka Nina from Voronezh

Nina was sitting on the swing, reading a newspaper one a cold, damp day in Voronezh. As I walked by, she asked for the time, so I stopped for a chat. She said she was turning 80 and tries to get out every day for a walk, despite a bad foot. She said she had a stroke many years ago and refused to take her doctor’s advice to just stay in bed. Nina said that determination to keep moving helped her recover. She said she worked as an accountant at some engineering plant for decades till the turmoil of the 1990s, when around age 60 she was forced to became a merchandise trader – traveling to Moscow to buy goods and selling them for a profit in Voronezh. She said she did that to help her children and grandchildren. She said she took up sewing after her husband died in the 80s and that skill came in handy during the tough 1990s, when she often made clothes for her family. That turmoil may have shaped her philosophy of ‘live for today’ rather than saving money for the future (which can become worthless in times of crisis as she most likely knows from experience.)