Authorpreneur Dashboard – Lara Gelya
Camel from Kyzylkum
Biographies & Memoirs
Camel from Kyzylkum is an award-winning memoir that chronicles the remarkable journey of immigrating from the Soviet Union during the late twentieth century. It delves into themes of hope, struggle, family, and loss, offering a profound exploration of the human spirit's yearning for freedom and self-determination. Through the author's compelling narrative, readers gain a deep insight into life within the Soviet Union and the immense sacrifices and risks individuals undertake in pursuit of a better life.
The memoir traces a gripping path from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan, and onward through Austria, Italy, and finally America. Along this journey, the author navigates personal truths and aspirations, illustrating the resilience and determination required to forge a new path in unfamiliar lands.
Book Bubbles from Camel from Kyzylkum
In Austria
Arriving in Austria...
Gomel, Belarus
I hated my life in Gomel. The city had many problems after the Chernobyl accident, and my salary was so low that I could barely provide for myself before the next paycheck...
Perestroika and Glasnost
Perestroika, (Russian for “restructuring”) was a program characterized by the desire to reform society, to overcome the spiritual and moral crisis of the previous era of “stagnation”. It was instituted in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Gorbachev, the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the time...
Yalta, Crimea
From my childhood to the time when I left the Soviet Union, Yalta in Crimea was my favorite place on Earth...
Chernobyl catastrophe.
1986 was also the year of the Chernobyl catastrophe. The disaster happened on April 26, 1986. It was the largest accident in the history of nuclear power.
The Earthquake
One of the most traumatic experiences in the Kyzylkum Desert was the earthquake...
Kara-Buran sand storm
Sometimes, a very aggressive and strong wind called an Afghan would blow over Zarafshan...
Zarafshan
Zarafshan is a city in the middle of the Kyzylkum Desert, I lived and worked there for many years...
The Gold Deposit in the Kyzylkum
The Muruntau gold deposit in the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan was (and still is) one of the largest worldwide...
Our Baby came to life
Two endless weeks still lay ahead before our baby came...
Navoi, Uzbekistan
The city of Navoi is nearly a midpoint between Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan...
Summer Internship
My summer internship ended with marriage.
Navigating the Dnepr River
It was the summer I passed the entrance exam to the Geological College. I had no place to go before classes were to start in September, so I got a job as a cook on the small service ship that was navigating up and down the river Dnepr, delivering various services to big river vessels...
Nicoletta Champitte
Italian family travels as tourists in a small Ukrainian city...
During the time of the Cold War
During the time of the Cold War between East and West...
Some things in life you'll never forget.
Some things in life you'll never forget. And some things are hidden so deeply in your memory, almost erased, and never be brought to the surface again...
The Kyzylkum Desert
The Kyzylkum Desert is the fifteenth-largest desert in the world. It is located in Central Asia, in the interflow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, a region historically known as Sogdiana. The desert is divided among Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and partly Turkmenistan. The name “Kyzylkum” can be translated from Turkic as “Red Sands.”
The Great Recession hit in 2008.
In Florida, the Great Recession was much more pronounced than in Northern Virginia. People lost their jobs, and every second house was for sale. When the house sale was unsuccessful, the home was simply left to the bank, and all belongings were sold via garage sale for pennies...
9/11/2001 through my eyes
September 11, 2001, appeared no different from any other late summer day in the big, metropolitan D.C. area...
How we met
I was busy at work but when I returned home after work, I felt lonely. I wanted to have someone special in my life, someone to love who would love me back, someone with whom I could share my life.
Emmes
The first week I had a job orientation period during which my boss, Stuart, explained the nature of my work to me...
Washington, DC
It was the spring of 1998. I still hoped to land a job in the IT industry.
Dot-Com Bubble
In the late 1990s, the euphoria of online commerce and services began...
Natasha's Arrival
After three years of separation, my daughter finally arrived in the USA...
Schools
Many schools I attended...
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
At that time Tajikistan was (and still is) a small mountainous country in Central Asia, lying side by side with Afghanistan...
Calumet Arts Cafe
I quit my job at Burger King and started to work in the "Calumet Arts Cafe" at night after school. The restaurant with live music became a very popular place for the Buffalo elite and intellectuals. I loved my work. I learned about American Life and the American people there.
Marvin
Marvin was a true gentleman and father figure for me...
Buffalo, NY
Arriving to the USA.
My Interview in Rome, Italy
Finally, the day came when I received a letter from the American Embassy in Rome with the invitation for the second and most important interview of my life...
Torvaianica, Italy
Camel from Kyzylkum: A Memoir of My Life Journey.
Arriving to Italy
Arriving in Italy after living in Austria.
My First Discoveries in Austria
I stepped inside and was amazed and saddened at the same time...
Austria
When I stepped outside of the big railroad station in Vienna for the first time, I was shocked—in front of me I saw the dazzling, magnificent world with classy, shining cars coming and going, beautiful ladies in stylish fur coats and high heels getting out of cars, and tastefully dressed gentlemen helping them out.
Perestroika & Glasnost in the USSR
At the time of Perestroika and Glasnost period in the Soviet Union, books that previously had been available only through the underground distribution, became legal. Excerpts were printed in many publications. I read a lot, and these books opened my eyes to the bloody recent history of the USSR -- from the 1918 Revolution to present days...
Exodus
There was a code world: "to leave." If you whispered it with a mysterious gravitas, there would be no need to ask further questions. To leave meant to flee once and for good. You knew well point of departure, but not necessarily your destination.
Chernobyl Disaster
I lived in the Soviet Union during the Chernobyl Disaster in April 26, 1986.
Three Special cities in the Kyzylkum Desert
There were three special cities in the Kyzylkum Desert--Navoi, Zarafshan, Uchkuduk...
Zarafshan in Uzbekistan
Zarafshan is a "gold-bearing" city in Uzbekistan.
On the Dnepr River in Ukraine
I got a job as a cook on the small service ship that was navigating up and down the river Dnepr...
Zarafshan
Zarafshan - the gold city in Uzbekistan.
Muruntau gold deposit
The Muruntau gold deposit in the Kyzylkum Desert is one of the largest individual gold deposits worldwide, it has been in operation since 1967.
Geological party #10
Working and living at Geological sites of the Kyzylkum Desert in Uzbekistan.
Kyzylkum Desert
Camel from Kyzylkum is a memoir about the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of immigrating from the Soviet Union in the late twentieth century. It touches on the themes of hope, struggle, family, and loss, while highlighting the compelling desire for people to focus on freedom and self-determination. Readers will gain a better understanding of how much work and risk people will endure reaching for a better life. Travel from Ukraine to the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan, from the Soviet Union to Austria, then Italy, and eventually America, all while following the author’s journey to find her truth and future.
Camels in Kyzylkum Desert
"Camel from Kyzylkum" is an inspiring real-life story of a woman's pursuit of a better life against all odds. Lara Gelya provides a vivid account of her experiences as a Soviet Union immigrant who managed to overcome extraordinary challenges and struggles to finally find her dream home.
Preface
Camel from Kyzylkum is a memoir about the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of immigrating from the Soviet Union in the late twentieth century.
Secret bunker in Vinnitsa, Ukraine
Adolf Hitler's secret bunker during the World War II in Vinnitsa, Ukraine called the Wehrwolf.
