In part two of my conversation with Sammy, we pick up where we left off—his parents’ lives in post-war Leningrad. Sammy shares insights into his father’s post-military life, working various manual jobs before settling into a factory maintenance role, while his mother faced workplace struggles and blacklisting after an unfair dismissal. He recounts his early years, growing up in a communal apartment, forming friendships in the streets of Leningrad, and navigating the rigid Soviet education system. His academic success was met with systemic discrimination, ultimately steering him toward a technical school specializing in construction rather than his preferred field of early computing. The episode concludes with his abrupt conscription into the Soviet military just weeks after his graduation, setting the stage for the next chapter of his journey.