I was born in the Far East of Russia, right next to China. My father is a hockey player, and during my childhood, we moved quite a lot between different post-Soviet countries. My mother is a businesswoman, and when I was around four years old, she started living with another woman. She has a son, and he then became my brother. The four of us lived together, happy and harmonious. My father was always around, visiting us from his hockey trips, and I had double the number of grandparents. It was truly a happy and loving childhood.
Right after elementary school, my mother and I moved to Phuket, Thailand, and began a new life there. I attended an international school following the Cambridge International Curriculum. During this time, English became closer to me than Russian, as my identity was shaped by speaking English. Russian remained secondary and was used as a family language, reserved for conversations with close relatives. With Russian friends, we conversed in a mixture of both languages, so when I returned to Russia, it was challenging to speak purely Russian.
Life on the island was wonderful and greatly influenced me. We always wore flip-flops and swimsuits, perpetually enjoying summer. This helped me grow up without the standard limitations and social norms inherent to many Russian residents. It's not better or worse, just different. My mindset and behavior differ from those typical of someone raised in Russia.
I successfully passed 11 IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) exams and moved on to university life.