Hello! My name is Elvina and I am an ethnic Azeri born in Russia and have lived here all my life. My parents immigrated to Russia about 35 years ago during the Soviet era. I was born and lived for 17 years in Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. Therefore, I believe that my home is exactly Naberezhnye Chelny. However, this is not the end of my feeling of being at home and where I am from. At the age of 17, I moved alone to St. Petersburg to study at the Pushkin Leningrad State University as a teacher of English and German languages! :)  I have been living here for 4 years now and I can say that St. Petersburg is a wonderful city that you fall in love with at first sight! If you once visited St. Petersburg, you will remember it forever. I love this city a lot, so often when i am being asked "where are you from" I name Saint-P. And then I always add "but generally I come from Tatarstan". Do I feel my connection with Azerbaijan? Yes. Until 2016, my family and I went to Azerbaijan every summer for a month. We visited all our relatives and spent time in a village where my mom and dad lived in their youth, even before they moved to Russia. We often traveled to the capital of Azerbaijan - Baku and spent a lot of time there too. We also visited other cities where our relatives live. In Russia, I am very closely attached to the culture of Azerbaijan. At home, my parents speak to me in Azerbaijani. I understand everything, but I answer them in Russian, since I understand the Azerbaijani language only at a passive level. We celebrate all Muslim holidays, keep in touch with friends of our family, who are also ethnic Azerbaijanis. It is precisely because of my close connection with the culture of Azerbaijan and my roots that I cannot help but name it when I am asked "where are you from." Therefore, after naming St. Petersburg and Naberezhnye Chelny, I always say Azerbaijan.