How to (Not) Find a Boyfriend in Soviet Russia

Elvira Bary

Want to see me share my cringiest stories from the 11th grade in Soviet Russia?  👉 What World Leaders NEED to Know about Russia: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6d9EIByxz1AdkmIOYUlrDd0rmByq5zSN  High school was a wild ride, wasn’t it? In this video, I share one of my cringiest stories from the 11th grade in Soviet Russia. From jealousy to awkward phone calls with a wannabe Romeo, this story will take you back to the days of teenage angst and hilarity.   👉 JOIN ME ON THE JOURNEY Sign-up for news about the New Book here:  https://elvirabary.com/elvira-barys-newsletter/  MY HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK SERIES ➡️ Russian Treasures (a historical novel about the Bolshevik Revolution and Russian Civil War) https://amzn.to/43PutaM ➡️ The White Ghosts&#039; Empire (a historical novel about the Russian refugees who destroyed the myth of white supremacy in China in the 1920s) https://amzn.to/4owy45Z ➡️ The Prince of the Soviets (a historical novel about a foreign journalist who unexpectedly becomes part of the Soviet elite in Stalin’s Moscow)  https://amzn.to/47OXZyM  MY ADVENTURE / FANTASY THRILLER ➡️ The Girl from the Labyrinth (a dark fantasy novel about a young queen, cast from her throne

Transcript

00:00In 11th grade, my friend Mariana and I were secretly jealous of each other.

00:06I had a sizable bust, and she had a boyfriend to go out and chat on the phone with.

00:13He took the same classes. Mariana saw him all the time, and it was unbearable.

00:19Earlier, during recess, she and I would walk down the school hallways

00:23discussing each other's merits and other people's flaws.

00:26Now, her boyfriend took her to the dark corner near the school wardrobe,

00:32which was perfect for Casey.

00:34I desperately wanted to fall in love, too, but with whom?

00:38The cutest boy in our class, big-eyed Sergei, was slightly weird

00:43and talked about God all the time.

00:46Once, he took out a huge copper cross from his briefcase,

00:50big enough to kill a sinner.

00:52Do you feel their divine power, he asked me.

00:56I felt only one thing.

00:58Sergei and the dark corners were not a good match.

01:02Some of my classmates were already taken,

01:04and some looked fruiting, even though they had moustaches.

01:08The only option left was Vova.

01:10He had a cassette player at home,

01:12and I lied to him I was interested in pop music,

01:15so we had a topic for conversation.

01:19Vova was out to impress.

01:21When I gave him my number,

01:23he called me,

01:24put the receiver close to the player's speaker,

01:27and promised me a real concert.

01:29The tape was 90 minutes long.

01:32I had to listen to some trashy Russian pop songs,

01:35two pieces of sausages on the table,

01:37American boy, I'll go with you, and the like,

01:39and I never felt my shyness more acutely than then.

01:43I just could not send Vova to hell.

01:46It was not polite.

01:48A neighbor saved me.

01:50At the time, many families shared their phone lines,

01:53and if mine was busy,

01:55the neighbor couldn't call.

01:56Get off the phone,

01:57that barked after a rather unpleasant talk with the neighbor.

02:00My Vova exhaled with relief.

02:03The next day,

02:04I told him that our phone was broken.

02:07Forever.

02:09Mariana spared me the future painful search for love

02:12as she broke up with her boyfriend.

02:15We found a much more interesting hobby for ourselves,

02:18playing the guitar.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended