Katya Duft

I'm 15. My life has been crap for the last year. I absolutely have to do it. So when my dad turns away, I put all the equipment on these special metal shoes, and I bring a metal stick, and I started climbing. Good thing my dad got out of the house and he saw me on the horizon and he was like, oh God, she decided to do it. So he starts chasing me with other adults. They grabbed me off the mountain.

They bring me back to the house. They say, Katya, you don't want to die on your 15th birthday. And that's when I started bawling and saying, oh, my life just sucks. It's been nonstop for a year. It's so bad. I'm so depressed. Why, why, why, why did you take me away from my friends? You started this. And then my dad looks at me, he says, Katya, but you know what?

They bring me back to the house. They say, Katya, you don't want to die on your 15th birthday. And that's when I started bawling and saying, oh, my life just sucks. It's been nonstop for a year. It's so bad. I'm so depressed. Why, why, why, why did you take me away from my friends? You started this. And then my dad looks at me, he says, Katya, but you know what?

They bring me back to the house. They say, Katya, you don't want to die on your 15th birthday. And that's when I started bawling and saying, oh, my life just sucks. It's been nonstop for a year. It's so bad. I'm so depressed. Why, why, why, why did you take me away from my friends? You started this. And then my dad looks at me, he says, Katya, but you know what?

This is the worst event of your life, you think? Then after all, it can only get better. So look forward to going back to Moscow, going to a new school, and it will all be amazing from now on, I promise you. Except when we get on the train. and listen to the radio, the first thing we hear, there is a coup d'etat in Moscow. It's 1991. It's the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This is the worst event of your life, you think? Then after all, it can only get better. So look forward to going back to Moscow, going to a new school, and it will all be amazing from now on, I promise you. Except when we get on the train. and listen to the radio, the first thing we hear, there is a coup d'etat in Moscow. It's 1991. It's the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This is the worst event of your life, you think? Then after all, it can only get better. So look forward to going back to Moscow, going to a new school, and it will all be amazing from now on, I promise you. Except when we get on the train. and listen to the radio, the first thing we hear, there is a coup d'etat in Moscow. It's 1991. It's the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The train trip takes 36 hours, and every minute of the trip, we listen to the updates. And they say, oh, Gorbachev was arrested and taken away. Oh, now there is a provisionary government. All the power is taken away. And the minute the train gets into Moscow, we see tanks on the streets, people with guns, explosions, black smoke everywhere. I look at my dad and I say, dad, you promised.

The train trip takes 36 hours, and every minute of the trip, we listen to the updates. And they say, oh, Gorbachev was arrested and taken away. Oh, now there is a provisionary government. All the power is taken away. And the minute the train gets into Moscow, we see tanks on the streets, people with guns, explosions, black smoke everywhere. I look at my dad and I say, dad, you promised.

The train trip takes 36 hours, and every minute of the trip, we listen to the updates. And they say, oh, Gorbachev was arrested and taken away. Oh, now there is a provisionary government. All the power is taken away. And the minute the train gets into Moscow, we see tanks on the streets, people with guns, explosions, black smoke everywhere. I look at my dad and I say, dad, you promised.

You promised my birthday was the worst thing ever. What is going on? So when we come home and turn the TV on, they say, OK, coup d'etat was a failure, but Soviet Union has collapsed anyways. But it's not going to be that bad. But for me, it was more than bad. And I actually, I get so sick with flu. My temperature was like 103 or something. And for two weeks, I don't remember anything.

You promised my birthday was the worst thing ever. What is going on? So when we come home and turn the TV on, they say, OK, coup d'etat was a failure, but Soviet Union has collapsed anyways. But it's not going to be that bad. But for me, it was more than bad. And I actually, I get so sick with flu. My temperature was like 103 or something. And for two weeks, I don't remember anything.

You promised my birthday was the worst thing ever. What is going on? So when we come home and turn the TV on, they say, OK, coup d'etat was a failure, but Soviet Union has collapsed anyways. But it's not going to be that bad. But for me, it was more than bad. And I actually, I get so sick with flu. My temperature was like 103 or something. And for two weeks, I don't remember anything.

When I got out of this condition, I felt different. I felt like I was suddenly stronger or something. Because to be honest, it's been, what now, 28 years since that happened. And no matter what happened in my life after that 1991 summer, nothing shocked me anymore. And I think that really made me a strong person as I am now. Thank you.

When I got out of this condition, I felt different. I felt like I was suddenly stronger or something. Because to be honest, it's been, what now, 28 years since that happened. And no matter what happened in my life after that 1991 summer, nothing shocked me anymore. And I think that really made me a strong person as I am now. Thank you.

When I got out of this condition, I felt different. I felt like I was suddenly stronger or something. Because to be honest, it's been, what now, 28 years since that happened. And no matter what happened in my life after that 1991 summer, nothing shocked me anymore. And I think that really made me a strong person as I am now. Thank you.