Maria Zabozlaeva with her mother Taiba Ogushevich and brother Michael Ogushevich

My mother Taiba Ogushevich, my brother Michael Ogushevich  and I, Maria Zabozlaeva. This photo was taken  by my husband Georgi at the porch of our house in Saratov in  1954.

My mother was very kind and handy: she could sew, embroider and knit. My mother made her clothes herself. She didn't wear any shawls or hats. She also made clothes for her acquaintances.My mother was a housewife and did everything in the house. There was no specific religiosity in the family. My mother was a terrific cook. She made delicious Jewish food.

My mother and father had three children: I was the oldest and was born in 1929, and my brother Michael was born in 1936, in 1941 my younger sister Vera was born. We actually didn’t socialize with other people. Only my mother’s clients came to our house. For celebrations we got together with the family and there were usually about 12 people sitting at the table. I also remember that when there were 13 people sitting at the table my mother didn’t sit down. We had a close family. 

When a senior pupil I attended a history club in the House of Officers. Boys from a school for boys attended it, too. In  1945, when I was in the 8th form I met my future husband Yuri (Georgi) Zabozlaev. He was born in Saratov in 1929. I finished school in 1947 and entered the Pediatric Faculty at the Medical College. I passed my entrance exams and got all excellent marks. My Jewish identity didn't play any role I finished this college in 1953. After finishing the 10th form Yuri was sent to a pilot school in Balashov [over 800 km from Moscow] in Saratov region. We got married after I finished my third year in college. This happened in summer 1950.

My husband and I lived separately for many years. I was finishing my studies in Saratov and he studied in Balashov. He finished his military school with honors and worked there as pilot-instructor for few years. Upon graduation from Medical College I worked as a doctor in a children's hospital, nursery school and was a district doctor. We rented an apartment in the outskirts of Balashov. In 1952 our daughter Sophia was born.

In 1944 my brother Michael went to secondary school # 30 and music school to learn to play the violin. He became a young Octobrist, then a pioneer, joined Komsomol. After finishing the 7th form Michael entered the mechanical Faculty at the Aviation College in 1951. He studied well and played in the college orchestra. He finished college in 1955 and entered an Automobile Faculty at the Polytechnic College of Saratov. In this college Michael also played in the orchestra. In 1960 he finished college and joined the Party. Michael worked as an engineer in various companies of the automobile industry in Saratov.  In 1969 he was appointed as director of the design office of Privolzhskstroytrans trust.  In 1971 this design office was transformed into Saratov affiliate of the OMTS (Organization, Mechanization and Engineering Support of Construction) design institute and Michael became its director. He worked as director until 1992. When he was a student Michael married his co-student in 1957. His wife Ludmila Zotova, born in 1937, was Russian. Michael and Ludmila had two children.