She Felt Left Out
Throughout the rest of the interview, she elaborated on her childhood. “Despite their love and hard work, I remember feeling as if I couldn’t keep up with my peers culturally as a kid,” she said. One part of her childhood that affected her was her parents’ insistence that she bring towels to the beach. While her friends all brought Disney-themed towels, hers was “a glorified Slavic doily,” as she put it. It was a “smoke signal,” according to her, that signaled to everyone who saw her with it that she didn’t belong.
She Felt Left Out
Growing Up
Milana’s lack of a sense of belonging was exacerbated by the fact that she was 3 years old when she left her home country. She was also too young to recall anything about her life before coming to America. She was so young when she applied for her visa that she required the presence of her mother. This does not, however, imply that she has lost her Russian ancestry. It’s possible that it was amplified. She was raised in a staunchly Russian household. The household’s primary language is Russian, and the traditions are also Russian. Her parents still mostly speak to her in Russian.
Growing Up
