Author: Hettie D.

My name is Henrietta (Hettie) Dombrovskaya. I was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russian (actually, back then – Leningrad, USSR) in 1963, and immigrated to the United States in 1996. I love Saint Petersburg, the city I was born and raised in, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Similarly (but differently) I love Chicago, and can’t imagine myself moving somewhere else in the observable future. I have three children, Igor, Vlad and Anna, all adults living on their own, and one (so far) granddaughter Nadia. I also believe that my children are the best thing that happened in my life. As for my professional life, I am working in the field of Information Technologies. When I was twenty, I’ve declared that the databases are the coolest thing invented and that I want to do them for the rest of my life. Thirty plus years later, I still believe it’s true, and still, believe that the databases are the best. These two statements together imply that I think a person can have it all, and indeed, I think so! Keep reading my journals to find out how I did it.

Friends And Chocolate

I can’t be in Helsinki without meeting with my friend Natasha! I was so thankful that, even though she now works full-time, she still found time to stop by my coworking space after work, and we sat and talked for almost two hours! (And yes, I love that we could do it in the same space, and it was OK with everyone)

Natasha brought me a bag of Ukrainian sweets: there is a new store operated by Ukrainian refugees, and they ship directly from Ukraine. She was happy to support their business, and the sweets taste great (and it’s a terrific idea to mix all varieties in one bag – I can barely find two of the same kind!).

(I might still bring some of them home, althought I can’t guarantee :))

Nordic PG Day

It was a good event, although I had a feeling it was too brief: not much time before or during the breaks. I was hoping to have more talks with the fellow organizers, friends, and sponsors, and I simply didn’t have enough time, especially because I only skipped one session; otherwise, I was actively listening.

My talk was very well received.

It turned out that Boris mentioned at the last Helsinki PUG that there would be an opportunity to have the Query Optimization signed by two of the three authors, and several people approached us with paper copies. 😀

I attended several incredibly interesting talks, and I am planning to follow up with some people because I want to explore more of what they are doing.

Three out of four PG DATA Org committee members presented at Nordic!

After the conference was over, those who didn’t leave to catch their flights went for drinks at the hotel bar. Boris and I wanted to take a couple of people whom we knew and who were in Helsinki for the first time, for one more round of Finnish authentic food, and we walked to the Konstan Möljä restaurant. Since my friend Zoya introduced us to this place, we’ve loved it! Our guests also liked it!

Walking Around On Tuesday Morning

Boris volunteered at Nordic, so he had to be there half an hour earlier than I did, and I used that half-hour for a short walk because I didn’t have gym that morning and expected to be inside for the whole day.

In Helsinki

This year, Nordic PG Day was in Helsinki, which is why I submitted the talk, and I would actually go even if my talk won’t be accepted:). However, it is still a very busy time because all the other days are working days.

I arrived on Sunday, and Boris and I went to the Baroque concert in the Old Church. They performed a Resurrection Story by Heinrich Schütz. It was very interesting, definitely something I had never heard before, so I count it as a positive experience, even though it was difficult to stay awake after the long flight 🙂

On Monday morning, I went to VALO co-working, and as always, it was very welcoming, and the way their environment is set up really helps to focus on work.

In the evening, we went to the speakers’ dinner at Zetor. I passed this place dozens of time, and never knew that it is considered a big touris attraction. I didn’t have time to take pictures of the interior, because I was talking to people all the time, so the pictures are from the restaurant website:)

I think we were sitting in this section

I took some pictures of the food we were served. The salmon soup was not the one I was expecting, so this was an experience rather than a success:

The raindeer meat was awesome, as well as the dessert.

Boris and I went back home at the first opportunity, and I do not know how people who went to the bar afterwards, could participate in the conference the next day – this remains a mystery!

Time Magazine: 10-minute walk

Time Magazine: Why should you take a 10-minute walk? I am going to try it 🙂

Full text below.

Continue reading “Time Magazine: 10-minute walk” →

Do You Have To Struggle To Succeed?

This blog post, authored by someone I know professionally and personally, provoked many thoughts in me. While I completely agree with the idea that life shapes us and that the ability to overcome challenges builds character, I can’t fully agree with the statement that without necessity there is no drive and without struggle there is no “self.”

In fact, I repeatedly come across research showing that children from more privileged, more financially secure families have a greater chance of excelling academically and later in the workplace. That’s because their parents can provide them with opportunities for development, support their natural curiosity, and expose them to a variety of experiences. Granted, it’s not enough to have the means to support your children’s development; parents should have the right focus and right priorities. However, when money is tight, you are indeed focused on survival, and have no cycles to even think about children’s extracurricular activities, even if there are options of signing them up for free.

Financial stability is not the same as stagnation. Yes, a person might be aimless, have no goals in life, and pursue no interests when they “have everything.” But I strongly believe it’s not because they “have everything,” but because their curiosity was not encouraged and they were not challenged to reach out to the stars.

My children attended YMCA summer camps for several summers. These camps cost a fortune, especially multiplied by three. During our first summer in the US, I applied for financial assistance, and we were given 50% off. It was still way more than I could afford, and I borrowed money from people who cared about me and wanted to support me. I paid off my debt in six months. Next year, I will be better off and able to afford the camp without going into debt. Regardless of whether it was a struggle, my children benefited greatly from this opportunity.

I do not think life should be a struggle. Suffering does not make us better. Challenges do. And one more thought: when people ask me what the secret of my success is, and where I find the energy to do everything I am doing, I am always saying: I do only things I want to do, and never the things that I do not want but “have to do.” Although I often say that I had to teach my kids to be independent, walk and bike to their activities, cook and wash their clothes “because I didn’t have a choice,” this was still a choice :). The necessity was coming from wanting to do something else :), both for my kids and me.

On My Way To Helsinki

Actually, I already arrived and bought the most important thing:

Morning Biking, Season 6

This is going to be my sixth summer in Rogers Park. On May 9, it will be five years since I moved here, and six years since I discovered biking along Lake Michigan. That being said, even though it’s not even five years just yet, it’s definitely season six 🙂

Madama Butterfly At Lyric

OMG, what a beautiful performance it was! I read all about it before coming (except for reviews, of course), so I knew that it is set like Pinkerton being a modern life gamer, and he plays the story in virtual reality. And when he gets to the next level, he has to choose whether he is staying with his American wife or with Chio-Chio-san, and he chooses the former, and then the tragedy unfolds.

It’s so beautifully done! Everyone is so real! My neighbor said it’s the best she’s ever seen at Lyrics. She says this often :), but the performance was great, indeed.

ODS Dinner

This time, it was less than two months ago, but I still felt that it had been a long time since I was at ODS. Also, this whole week, I felt really tired to the point I started to question whether my energy resources are indeed endless.

There were a lot of good moments: we had three giant salmon halves, so there was enough fish for everyone, and more, and everyone was ecstatic. J. acquired new lemon/pepper seasoning, which was absolutely perfect for salmon, and we used it, and I want to get a similar one for myself. By now, J. knows all the steps and does not wait for my directions; I told her that soon I will just observe and let her do the rest.

I peeled the whole bag of potatoes and made mashed potatoes, and it was all consumed! Now I am wondering, how much will be too much, and whether there will even be too much.

Still, I couldn’t stay longer because of how tired I was, which produced slight disappointment. Usually, it goes like this: first, the residents eat, thank you, and you think that’s it, and after a while, they turn to conversation. I learned not to run out twenty minutes after dinner is ready, but on Tuesday, I just couldn’t stay longer, so I apologized and said I would be back in two weeks.

We are going to decorate Easter eggs next time, and this activity can be a huge success or a huge miss, and I had both. I ordered more dinosaur decorating sets and more “faces” sets, so I hope it will be exciting 🙂