Newcomers from Russia – Lena and Andrei Davedianov – have absolutely fallen in love with Old Ottawa East!
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Editor’s Note: Most of the articles published in The Mainstreeter are stories that are either assigned by the Editor to our small army of volunteer reporters or proposed to the Editor by our reporters. However, some of our published articles, such as this submission by Andrei and Lena Davedianov, newcomers to our community, are submitted to us on an unsolicited basis – and we are always grateful to receive them. Oftentimes, these submitted stories add a delightful element of insight, surprise and originality to The Mainstreeter.
We hope you enjoy Andrei and Lena’s article as much as we did!
By Andrei and Lena Davedianov
Hello dear Old Ottawa East neighbours! Greetings from a Russian family!
We are Andrei and Lena Davedianov. I (Andrei) am doing my Interdisciplinary Ph.D. at Saint Paul University, while Lena is working as a freelance translator. Our three daughters, Natasha, Masha, and Nina came with us from Vladimir, Russia in June 2021. We settled down on Main Street and absolutely fell in love with this neighbourhood and with the community.
This is why:
1. Location: We were surprised at first when we learned that the street that is called Main is not exactly the main street in the City. But we soon learned that this place enjoys the best of both worlds. One can easily walk to all the touristy places and also walk to the river to enjoy the beauty and calmness of nature.
2. Community: You greet one another in the streets, you share with people in need, you support local businesses. Local artists are willing to share their work with their neighbours. All of this speaks volumes to your welcoming attitude to everyone. We have enjoyed our days so much in this area and we have met so many lovely people.
3. Environment: You care for nature; we have lost count of how many animals and birds we have already seen here in the middle of the City: squirrels, chipmunks, ducks, geese, groundhogs, robins, cardinals, and turtles. It is very unusual for us to see that you care so much for nature that you even put out bowls of water for pets and cover the hatching turtles nests for safety. We were also surprised to see so many tall trees in the residential areas. In Russian cities, a lot of trees get cut down since they are difficult to maintain. But you are resolved to care for them, and they reward you with their beauty.
4. Transparency: Most of the houses in Russia are surrounded by high fences for safety reasons. We have hardly seen any fences here. You share the beauty of your front yards with the passersby, and every walk along the streets of Old Ottawa East brings so much joy to us.
5. Care: Everything we observe in the community shows care for people: reduced speed for vehicles on many streets, special bicycle lanes, ramps for easy access everywhere, easy-to-use public transportation with multiple stops, clean and safe construction sites, potable tap water, well-developed sports grounds. And finally, the beautiful Flora walking bridge, saving everyone a lot of time on the way to Lansdowne. We wanted to share our experiences with you so that you can also count your blessings and be assured that you live in a wonderful place surrounded by great people. We are very glad to have been welcomed in this area. And we have grown to love you!
We wanted to share our experiences with you so that you can also count your blessings and be assured that you live in a wonderful place surrounded by great people. We are very glad to have been welcomed in this area. And we have grown to love you!
