I was born on December 13, 1961 in a small town Kremenchuk in the former USSR (it was a country that knew how to make tanks, rockets, airplanes and submarines but did not do anything for people who lived there) in a working class family. Excuse me, when I've said : "did not do anything..." I'm mistaken: many millions inhabitants were killed for all history of my country. And unfortunately that bitter truth eclipses those achievements which our country was proud of. Yes, we can be proud of a space exploration or our theatres, but at this time most people in my country lived in a poverty.
My parents have named me Yuri because in that year the first man was in the space and his name was Yuri Gagarin, and I'm proud of that very much. All their life my parents worked for Kremenchuk automobile plant (KrAZ).

In 1969 I started school and in 1979 successfully finished it. Almost every winter my parents went to Moscow for to buy some good clothes and a lot of oranges for me. When I was a schoolboy each summer for three months I went to my grandmother in the country. Grandma lived in a very "deep" Ukrainian village. The houses of that village hadn't any water supply (only wells were there) or any heating (only special Russian furnaces for heating and cooking). There were only earth roads, and almost all peasant houses had straw roofs. There were no parents and teachers ... What else could a little boy dream about? Those were just great and fun times, so enjoyable to a young boy. We were fishing (for fun and ... of course for to get some food), swimming in great river, cycling, etc. And.... I have to say that besides having some fun there I helped my grandma to do some work for her vegetable garden. The garden was very big (the size was like a soccer field). Grandma grew a lot of vegetables (mostly potato, tomato, cucumbers, watermelons and melons) and fruits there. A lot of work to do for a whole summer. I did not mind helping, but I hated one thing .... digging potatoes, because of those "terrible" frogs ... it seemed they were everywhere, especially by evenings and after rains. I did not feared them, not at all, but they were so fat and disgusting (at least for that little boy) that I always feared stepping on them suddenly. Yikes!!! :-) ...So, sometimes I took some of that vegetables and fruits and brought them to my parent's house on a bus, and my mom preserved some vegetables for long winters. And sometimes I carried really heavy things for a child and maybe that is why I had some spine problems in my childhood ...

Fishing... hm... it was a favorite pastime for most men there. For old men just being as far as possible from their shrewish wives was just a wonderful thing :-), for us, little boys, it was just a fun and like an adventure. No, we did not like to use a fishing-rod. As I guessed then that boring way was for those, tired from the life, old men... We used our hands and tulle (or curtain lace)...Yes, we used it because of its holes and likeness to a seine. The first step for fishing was to find any boy who dared stealthily to take off that tulle in his home. Poor guy, he always knew what was waiting for him at home after fishing. But child's curiosity always won that fear :-). Then we went to one of numerous small lakes there. The lakes were overgrown by algae and silt. It was such a quiet and calm world. Interesting creatures lived there ... those fat and disgusting frogs, terrible snakes, abominable leeches, nice tortoises ... and of course ... that silly fish. They even did not know what was waiting for them sometimes when we went to there! :-) Some boys used their hands for to find any fish in the algae and silt... Yikes ... What if they find any snake by close... oh ... And others boys used that tulle horrifying all the inhabitants, especially poor fish, of that peaceful place. :-) I'll never forget the time I spent there.

Unfortunately I did not give due attention to studying the English language. My parents considered  mathematics and physics is more important for me. What did I find unpleasant at the school? It was the Pioneer and Komsomol conventions (it was such stupid meetings where young people were trying to show their devotion to ideals of communism) and writing a composition on a theme "What kind of person shall I be when I am 50 years old" for a history class with music of "Bony M". At that time I would have played soccer with pleasure instead of those boring studies. What do I still remember from my school? It was a stupid slogan "We thank the Communist party for our happy childhood". Is it possible to call such childhood happy? Probably not. I would say it in another way "Shit, Shit, Shit everywhere  -  we thank the party for that". What I dreamed about when was the child. No, I did not dream about victory of the communism on the globe, as we were being taught all that time. I dreamed about chocolate sweets, a bicycle, skis and many other kid's things ....

In 1979 I got to study at Dnepropetrovsk State University. Again there were the Komsomol conventions and endless studying of the materials of the communist congresses instead of studying an English language. What a bore!!!

In 1984 I started to work at a plant and was working there till 1995. What can I tell interesting about my work there? Hm ... Well, listen then! :-)
At that time I was working as an engineer-technologist, all the time with computer and a drawing board. Sometimes it was interesting work, sometimes - boring and sometimes - just weird. Why? :-) As you know, sometimes people die ... In that time we haven't in my country any services for to help people with funeral when someone dies. So, when people from our plant (I even did not know them in person) or from their families died, sometimes my boss told me (and some of my coworkers) : "Yuri, you should help with the funeral". No, I didn't mind to help people. But I responded to him: "Why always me?? I have my work to be done. I'm in a clear suit and shoes". And he replied me then : "You are an engineer at the plant. So, you don't produce any surplus value. Only labor do it. So, just do it and your work will wait ..." Can you imagine yourself my face when I've been told that? I dreamed about such a nice work all my life. I've got an University degree for to get such a wonderful job :-) (sarcastic grin). Well, I need to explain what that help meant for me to done. Sometimes we should dig the graves with a spade, sometimes - carry the coffins on our shoulders, sometimes - even to take the body from a morgue and then put it into a coffin (Yeah, it WAS). Only imagine yourself, me is sitting at the work and thinking about how to do my work better and after that I need to run to a morgue for to take some body. When I was a beginner in those acts they gave me only to carry coffins' covers :-). But when I've become a "professional" they started to commit me all that things I've said about already. Imagine yourself how it's nice to dig a grave being in a clean suit for example when it's raining. :-) To say the truth it was very often when I should use my "second profession" :-).
Communist party always told us that only the working class is the most important part of our society because they produce a surplus value and the rest is not important. So, if you have enough of imagination you can understand some things about bad economics in my country, etc. ... Sometimes I think If I would be a writer, I could write a very funny script for Hollywood movie. But now my English is very bad for to show all that atmosphere we lived in.

It was 1991. There was everywhere lines in that time ... People were standing in lines all the time ... just for to buy a TV, furniture, cars, motorcycles, good food, good clothes, etc. .... oh, too long list. In fact I hated them so bad, but sometimes used them 'cause I lived in that country :-)
So, someday I've decided to buy a motorcycle. I really don't know why... but really wanted it in that time. I just went to a store and asked a saleswoman: "When are you going to get motorcycles for selling?".
"Are you crazy? Don't you know that we have a few of them each time and there are so many people who want to buy it?," lady said.
"But I want to buy it so bad," I replied.
"Well, if you really want it, all you have to do is to be at least not more than 5th in line" was her answer.
After some conversation the saleswoman said: "Well, don't know why but I like you and will call you a day before we are going to get them in our store. And the rest is your persistence".
And some day she's called and said: "Tomorrow" . I was at the heaven. :-) So, I was asking myself : "What if she told that to other people too?" Being not sure in the answer this crazy guy already knew what to do for to be just THE FIRST in that line. :-)) It was easy, very easy ...
I just was near the store at 10:00 PM the day before and It was very cold January. The temperature was about -10 C... Of course, I was FIRST and only one person among the all crazy people there. :-) But I consoled myself from time to time: "Don't worry, very soon another crazy person will appear here and you will be not so lonely"... (silly guy).... I did not know all the truth that was the saleswoman did not tell anybody except for me about tomorrow's motorcycles ... :-) So, almost every minute I dreamed about someone would have the same goal :-) . I only scared to meet any policeman who would ask: "What the hell do you do here in this time? :-) But in that time all the policemen saw sweet or maybe unseemly dreams in embraces of their or maybe not their wives .... who knows :-). So, I was lucky in that line and did not meet any of them.
The time went slow ... very slow, especially in the first half of the night. I was trying to listen to my small portable radio ... to write a lyrics in my mind .... no, I wasn't John Lennon :-) so, I stopped to put to the torture my brain while it has only one recycled process: "WHERE IS THE NEXT GUY?" ... :-)
When the morning started and I saw the lights in the windows it was like a sweet balsam on my soul... soon .... soon ... But then I started to ask myself: "Listen me guy, and what if they will not get those motorcycle in this day?" ... The brain was answering: "Stupid thoughts are not for me in this hard time. Be strooong, guy" :-) ... The guy was strong but distrustful :-) ...
As you, dear reader, can guess the second person who appeared in that line was there by store's opening. :-) But unfortunately they've got those motorcycles only after a lunch time. So I was staying in the line till 3:00 PM. And after some money's procedures at 4:00 PM I was a lucky owner of that motorcycle.
No, it wasn't Harley-Davidson ...:-) and just a simple motorcycle I could get to work after 3 days' fixing its engine :-) Then I called to my friend and we've picked up my new monster to my friend's garage. So, I was staying in the line 18 hours without any break and can say that it was the longest and at the same time the shortest line in my life.
And now the situation is different, if you have money you can buy anything you want without staying in any line. :-) as ABBA sung: "money ... money ... money, would be funny, it's a rich man's world".

To be continue ... some day ... :-)