The first photo depicts me and my boyfriend in the background sailing along
a lake in St.Petersburg, very close to where we live. Luckily there are
quite a lot of parks in the neighbourhood. I can't call them unspoilt, but
at least they can be peaceful and quiet on a summer day like this (July
2005).
The second photo is the same setting, but has a different mood.
The third one shows my boyfriend and I visiting our mutual friend in her
brand new flat. I feel that her husband hasn't learnt to operate his camera
properly yet! (June 2005).
The fourth is a photo of the students I used to teach at a technical school
before I got a job at the state university. They are a great lot, and we
regularly meet at my parents' place for a little rave-up. Don't be surprised
that there are no lads: they are late as usual! (September 2004)
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Your name at IPC
Ekaterina (Kate) Morilova
Your name now
Ekaterina Morilova. The only noticeable change is that most of the people I
meet nowadays call me Ekaterina Sergeevna (that's my patronimic, or my
father's name), which is a customary way to address university lecturers in
Russia. Sometimes it makes me feel older than I really am—seventyish, I
guess.
Country of origin
Russia
Country where you live now
Russia
City where you live now
In St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful and controversial cities in
Europe. It's mystical like Prague, it's romantic like Paris and dubious like
London. If you haven't seen it yet, your vision of the world is definitely
not complete. I have two homes in St.Petersburg—my parents' three-room
flat which I use as a study and a studio (they don't mind!), and a tiny flat
we are renting with my boyfriend. We are hoping to buy our own one-room flat in the near
future, but it's expensive and we still don't know where we are going to
live with the baby.
Email
76more@ctinet.ru
What term did you attend IPC?
Autumn 1995
What do you do?
I am a university lecturer—well, I used to be one, because soon I will be
on a maternity leave. Our midnight discussions with Helle turned out to be
very fruitful—now I teach English at the department of design, and some
people are surprised to hear my British accent. I also got my PhD in June—into my fourth month of pregnancy. As for other jobs, I used to work as a
translator for several Russian and foreign companies, like International Paper, but
teaching appeals to me more than interpreting.
Are you married? Do you have children?
Actually no, I am not. After looking for Mr Right for many years, I ended up
falling in love with Mr Far From Being Right (as it usually happens). His
name is Yuri. We have lived together for three years and our
relationship is so strong that it can even withstand occasional
fifteen-minute arguments. Like many couples, we are like chalk and cheese.
He is into oriental healing techniques and philosophy, wood carving, Russian
music, sports and American action films. I am into completely different
things, like art, design, flamenco and Latin American music. Nevertheless,
in most cases we manage to be on the same wavelength. In fact, I haven't
believed in marriage since I was twenty one; I feel that it's a convention I
don't need. As long as our feelings are alive, we will be together; if the
feelings die, no marriage will prevent us from breaking up.
We are expecting our first child (they say it's a boy, and Yuri has already
seen him turn and toss at the ultrasonic scanning whereas I haven't! I could
not see the monitor). I am over the moon, and I feel wonderful and can't
stop eating :) I would like to have at least two children, or probably I am
overestimating my abilities as an educator and round-the-clock teacher.
[BABY UPDATE: On November 30th, I eventually gave birth to a baby!
It's a boy, 3.06 kg and 50 cm, but as I am breastfeeding I hope he will grow very soon. He's an angel, relatively calm and relatively active, just what you would wish for.]
What are your best memories from IPC?
Quite a few memories. Listening to discussions in Sudhanshu's classes,
singing in choir, walking on my own around midnight Helsingor and getting
lost... Even bitter memories of disappointment and failure seem precious to
me now.
Who have you met up with since IPC?
No one, actually. There've only been random e-mails. But I would like to see
you folks! If you wish to come to St.Petersburg this September or early
October, I can be your tourist guide—I won't be working at that time and will be happy to
show you round the city.
What was the greatest thing you learned at IPC?
Tolerance, I guess. We all present different worlds that overlap only
partly, and complete understanding is virtually impossible, so the only
thing we can do is try and tolerate each other. When I was at IPC, I would
condemn some students whose behaviour seemed outrageous to me. It was much
later that I realised that it was their way of expressing their identity and
they didn't mean to hurt anyone.
What message do you wish to give to everyone from your IPC term?
A difficult question. I hope you will find your place in this world and feel
comfortable. Happiness is too much to ask. And I hope to see you some day
and have in-depth conversations over a glass of red wine! Don't rule me out!
Bio last updated November 30, 2005
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IPC Alumni Bio:
Ekaterina (Kate) Morilova