Authorpreneur Dashboard – Lara Gelya
Camel from Kyzylkum
Biographies & Memoirs
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.
Book Bubbles from Camel from Kyzylkum
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.
