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From Moscow to Atlanta Russian emigre recalls moving his family
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Even though Mark Borodovsky drove a car when he lived in Moscow, he did not drive in the United States until he needed to travel 260 miles from Atlanta to Hilton Head, S.C., by himself to attend a conference. The experience, he recalls, was "somewhat terrifying." And so it goes on the long road to assimilate into American life.
photo by Stanley Leary
Dr. Mark Borodovsky holds a faculty position at Georgia Tech and is
heading its new master of science degree in bioinformatics. His wife,
Nadia, is a research scientist at Georgia Tech, where she works in DNA
and peptide synthesis and high- performance liquid chromatography.
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But, after eight years of living in the
United States, the Borodovsky family is doing
a good job of "keeping up with the Joneses." For example:
Borodovsky has a successful research career in a hot new field and is called upon by
scientists around the world to aid them in decoding segments of DNA.
What a life, right? On the surface, it appears the American dream is alive and well
for the Borodovsky family. But to think there are no down times, times when they
miss their home or when they can't escape their past, is wrong.
"The blue-gray oak trees that loom now into the window of my office are the same
type of tree that were looking into the window of our apartment — also on the second
floor — back in my native city when I was a child," Borodovsky says, giving a hint to
how many memories he left behind when he came to a new country at 40 years of age.
He also lost grandparents to the Holocaust, and left behind family and friends.
"In Russia, I used to pick mushrooms — this is a wonderful thing, walking in the
woods looking for mushrooms. I also miss the Black Sea. The water is as green as the
Gulf of Mexico, and there are fabulous beaches at the Caucasus Mountains,"
Borodovsky says.
But even leaving everything they owned in Russia and starting a new life with no
money for a house, a car or clothes — "starting from zero point," according to
Borodovsky — the family has no regrets.
How the Borodovsky family ended up in Atlanta began with a simple scientific
meeting. Back in 1990, the family embarked on its first trip to the Western world, a trip
to the United States. The visit was supposed to be short, so the family brought only a
couple of suitcases. After the meeting, Mark was offered the opportunity to stay on and
work at Georgia Tech.
"This is a lifetime opportunity," he recalls thinking.
And so the family stayed on, renting an apartment in Atlanta. One thing
Borodovsky credits with his family's assimilation into American culture was the
moral support they received from the Atlanta Jewish community.
Earlier this year, Borodovsky returned to Moscow for a work-related trip. The
family's apartment is still there, exactly as they left it.
"When we left, we never thought we would not be back," he said. "But thanks to
our U.S. friends, we received support to start new and productive lives in the United
States."
And now, the Borodovsky family is comfortable in the United States. Indeed, it is
their home.
"I will always remember the day when I returned to Atlanta from my first trip
abroad in 1991," Borodovsky recalls. "At the airport, the immigration officer checked
my travel document and said, 'Welcome home, sir.' Nobody in the Soviet Union ever
told me those words."
He holds a faculty position at Georgia Tech and is heading its new
master of science degree in bioinformatics. His wife, Nadia, is a
research scientist at Georgia Tech, where she works in DNA and peptide
synthesis and high-performance liquid chromatography at the Institute of
Bioengineering and Bioscience. His daughter, Anna, received her
undergraduate education at Emory University and is now at Harvard,
working on a Ph.D. in molecular biology with the help of a prestigious
National Science Foundation scholarship. His son, Alex, graduated from
Paideia High School in Atlanta last May and entered Georgia Tech last
fall.
See main story:
Deciphering the Genetic Code
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