Maryna Albert Ajaja

I'm part of a team that chooses films for the Seattle International Film Festival and I specialize in Eastern European, Russian and Middle Eastern films.

South Pas, Seattle, Port Townsend, La Conner Washington, Moscow and Saint Petersburg Russia

We lived on Via Del Rey - at the time a place that didn't have much history.

Annette Albert

We went to school in chaotic times (although maybe no more so than now), taking lots of chances, hitching and skipping school, hiking at Switzer, first loves and close friends, reading Walt Whitman

I wasn't much of a joiner in high school

Living in Russia in the 90's was a day to day challenge of surviving from point a to point b. Being lucky to be part of a great family in Seattle and in Moscow and coming to terms with parents death and surviving cancer. Life is worth living if you keep learning.

Reading, writing (no arithmetic) walking, music, art.

This is too hard to answer. I like such a variety of music, world, classical, rock, folk - I'm very expermental. My granddaughter thinks she's an opera singer. My husband is a rock musican from Moscow. We gather music from the web and hope our friends turn us on to things we haven't heard before

These days I like Comedy Central with Jon Stewart, Steve Colbert, Bill Maher from HBO and some HBO film series like Sopranos, Mad Men. I love poetry and books on Russian history and poets and books on film. All time favorite films "Andre Rublev" & "Paris Texas" and maybe "Being There." I like listening to the radio.

Have been working at a job I love for twelve years, traveling and viewing films not just for entertainment but to learn about other cultures and other points of view. Spending time with kids, being in a writing group, taking walks in beautiful fresh smelling Seattle.

I occasionally check out youtube to play funny clips for the grandkids.