Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
“I think that my refugee experience was very different than a lot of the people coming to this country now.
I was born in the Soviet Union. My whole family left Russia and got here when I was three.
I remember being a Russian person in America. Like I remember seeing kids who had English-speaking parents, or just like American things. They had American lunches, American beach towels. When you’re a kid you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people, because that’s how you understand what ‘normal’ is.
We had a lot of help when we got to America. One of the organizations that helped us, they had a record of all the money they spent on us for our health care bills, and education programs, and so my favorite thing that I’ve done is just pay them back, because they invested in us. It’s my karmic duty to help them, because we’ve been helped so much.
You know, there are moments in your life when you realize that you could do nothing, but if you do, you’ll probably regret it forever.”
--Milana Vayntrub, #LivesofWomen
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Lives of Women
Follow for more stories:
Facebook: facebook.com/livesofwomen
Instagram: instagram.com/livesofwomen
Twitter: twitter.com/liveswomen
YouTube: youtube.com/livesofwomen
Copyright 2017 Indigenous Media
indigenousmedia.com
“I think that my refugee experience was very different than a lot of the people coming to this country now.
I was born in the Soviet Union. My whole family left Russia and got here when I was three.
I remember being a Russian person in America. Like I remember seeing kids who had English-speaking parents, or just like American things. They had American lunches, American beach towels. When you’re a kid you’re constantly comparing yourself to other people, because that’s how you understand what ‘normal’ is.
We had a lot of help when we got to America. One of the organizations that helped us, they had a record of all the money they spent on us for our health care bills, and education programs, and so my favorite thing that I’ve done is just pay them back, because they invested in us. It’s my karmic duty to help them, because we’ve been helped so much.
You know, there are moments in your life when you realize that you could do nothing, but if you do, you’ll probably regret it forever.”
--Milana Vayntrub, #LivesofWomen
Want more stories? SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/LOWsubs
......
Lives of Women
Follow for more stories:
Facebook: facebook.com/livesofwomen
Instagram: instagram.com/livesofwomen
Twitter: twitter.com/liveswomen
YouTube: youtube.com/livesofwomen
Copyright 2017 Indigenous Media
indigenousmedia.com
