On 24 February my one and only twin sister Zsuzsanna Gecse had to face the fact that she no longer had a job – she worked with Russian all her adult life. Unlike me, she focused on one thing since our teens and she became pretty good at it. She did her PhD in Moscow, worked at various places in Russia then moving back to Hungary she went on doing interpreting.
Despite all this, on the 24th of February it was not a question which side she would take. She started her personal little campaign to enlighten people in her network about what’s really happening in Ukraine. Including her Russian speaking colleagues, hardly anyone was willing to face the situation and that they should stand up for what’s right. Her success was limited or none at all in most cases but she persevered.
And now the twin part…
A couple of weeks ago my sister was contacted by the mayor’s office in our home town because they expected the arrival of 80 Ukrainian refugees. In the blink of an eye she had a job helping those who managed to escape Russia’s brutality. It’s safe to say that she is one of the few lucky ones now who still has a paid job using Russian. This only shows to me that it is worth to speak up and stand up for what you believe in.
Because temporarily we are in the same, relatively small town and she is now in contact with various authorities and with a wide range of people, the first thing she had to do was telling everyone that she is a twin. Don’t laugh…
It has caused problem not once in the past when people cheerfully greeted me on the street and I accepted them quite morosely or even worse, I walked on not even noticing them. I am usually immersed in my toughts when I am out alone, hardly seeing anyone around me so it’s a must to let people know that the unfriendly version of my sister is actually me. If I don’t even know you, you have no chance to reach me.
If something similar happens to you, don’t be too quick to judge, you never know if you see the person who you think you see…
#freelancing #values #lifeasatwin #ukraine