Tag #113761 - Interview #95602 (Alexandra (Shifra) Melenevskaya)

I was engaged in extracurricular activities. We had a pioneer room, different tasks, competitions. I also studied at art school, which was situated next to our house, and my mum did not know that I studied there. I went there myself, I showed them my drawings and they admitted me. But one day we were modelling something from clay and I cut my hand with a piece of glass, and then I gave up. I also studied to play piano (private tuition). At home we had a piano, but I did not want to play at home too much. Later I went to sing in a chorus in the Palace of Pioneers. In 1936 the Palace of Pioneers was opened and it was very difficult to get there for studying piano, so my mum sent me to the chorus, thinking that I would gradually pass to piano studies. At that time we were just able to make do. If we could have dinner and if we could have a piece of sausage with mashed potatoes or potatoes, the dinner was considered to be very good. We were just able to make do at that time and it was considered to be normal. At that time Torgsins (2) were still functioning. There my mum changed silver wine-glasses and forks from our home for money, to make our life a little bit easier.