The Story for the Last Name

By Deana Price

“They changed their entire identity to fit themselves into America, and although they had done the right decision, it changed their lives forever.”

I had asked my mother how it felt like to live in Soviet Union at such a time where it was hard to make money, and to get out of the hell that they have been through. She had told me that she was making money but not enough to get her two children and her husband out of the Soviet Union. So what her tactic was, was she started to make jewelry. She had made these roses out of clays that she had handmade and she started to sell them. They were first as broaches and then as hair clips. Some of them could have been earrings and necklaces, and she had been able to save enough money from her job, and from my dad's job, and from her jewelry business. They were able to, all four of them, get out of the Soviet Union, and they were able to save up enough money and get the tickets, and also to save enough money to get food on their long journey.

And on their long journey, they had realized that they had forgotten all the food and all the sausage that they had left on their porch the day before so it wouldn't rot, because there were no refrigerators at the time. Realizing this, she called her mother, my grandmother, and told her about the horrific news that they had no food and basically no money. My father scrapped up a little money as he could and bought canned foods of whatever he could muster. And in doing so, they had a very long train ride and plane ride ahead of them with basically no food.

But they had mustered up enough strength to get to America where they had to rename themselves, not only by status, but also by name. My sister, and brother, and mom and dad had to change their last name from [Name] to Price. In doing so, they changed their entire identity to fit themselves into America, and although they had done the right decision, it changed their lives forever.