The night before I was supposed to fly back to Baltimore in August there was a heavy thunderstorm. I recorded my grandma singing Russian lullabies to my sisters, one of whom was very scared of the thunder. My grandma would sing the same ones to me when I was little, and we also sang them together during car rides when she would drive me from Brooklyn to New Jersey or the way back. At one point I moved over to Moussia's bed to comfort her. The poor thing eventually fell asleep in fear, cradled in my arm. I struggled to get out from underneath without disturbing her, and was successful but unwilling to say goodbye to my sisters and grandma yet.

Transcribed Audio from Track 1:

Grandma: Quieter, quieter, its good to sleep to the sound of the rain

Me: Mm hmm, Mouss', don't be scared

Grandma: Moussia why did you clench yourself up? What a nightmare, what a horror, its horrible -

Yita: What?

Grandma: To be so cowardly. Its a scary thing.

(Yita laughing because the word trusihoi sounds like trusi which means underwear)

Me: She didn't say underwear

(Laughing and shushing more)

Yita: Moussia is underwear

Grandma singing with Yita chiming in
(Song about a blue boxcar)

(Song about a smile)

Grandma singing with me for some parts, and Yita too
(Song about pioneers and the Russian landscape)

Grandma: Papa's sleeping. Oh its already the 12th hour!

Me: Papa went to sleep already?

Grandma: Yes, and you should be going too. Go, I'll stay here a little longer.

Me: Well, I want to record some more

Grandma singing with me accompanying, and Yita toward the end
(Song about a sea captain)

Grandma singing with me accompanying... and Yita with some quips
(Song about friendship)

Grandma: So, enough?

Me: I remember we sang this a hundred times in the car. And at night too.