Sammy begins by describing the hardships he faced after returning from military service in 1968. Shortly after his discharge, his father’s wife, Nini, suffered a severe injury, which led to a devastating cancer diagnosis. Sammy details the struggles of caring for her, from carrying her down flights of stairs to hail taxis to securing heavily restricted pain medication. He also reflects on the limited and inadequate Soviet healthcare system, which made her final months especially difficult.
While balancing these responsibilities, Sammy quickly found work as a draftsman in an engineering firm, leveraging his technical school education. Despite having a stable job, he knew a university degree was essential for career advancement, leading him to enroll in evening classes at the Institute of Civil Engineers in Leningrad. He shares insights into the Soviet education system, including its strict curriculum, mandatory ideological courses, and how students creatively shared notes to ease their workloads. He also discusses Soviet propaganda, limited access to Western media, and the underground ways people learned about life outside the USSR.
The episode concludes with the story of how Sammy met Dina. In the fall of 1970, through a chain of family connections, he was set up on a blind date with Dina at Pushkin Square. He recalls their first conversation, his initial impressions, and how they navigated the early days of their relationship despite the challenges of staying in touch without easy access to phones.
