Collaborate with us on Grisha’s backstory by detailing his kind disposition and how he rose the ranks of the Russian space system while maintaining such a nice guy attitude.
Hi, my name is Grisha, and I work on the International Space Station (ISS). How did I end up here? Well, that's a long and pretty funny story.
I was born in Naberezhnye Chelny, where winter lasts nine months, and the other three are just continuous snowfalls. My mom was a cashier, and my dad was in the military. I was a pretty ordinary guy, and when the time came to serve in the army, I went without much fanfare. But let's get to the interesting part.
When I turned 22, I was job hunting, and believe me, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, only the needle was a decent job, and the haystack was short-term gigs. I worked as a security guard at a store where my mom worked and as a loader in a seed warehouse, thanks to my stepsister’s connections. Life was simple, and I spent my free time with friends, doing fun but risky things that only someone who grew up in Russia would understand.
The turning point in my life came thanks to my neighbor, a girl I really liked (yes, the same one I now work with on the ISS). Her mother worked on the ISS and knew I was struggling to find a job. One evening, she invited me over for dinner. During the meal, she suggested that she could talk to her boss to help me get a job. I jumped at the chance, not just for the job but also to impress the girl.
So, I went for an interview. Picture this: me, in my best (and only) pants, sitting in front of a stern panel asking about my physical attributes. Suddenly, one of them asks, “How’s your physical fitness?” Realizing my two years in the army, where I spent more time eating porridge than doing pull-ups, wouldn't help much, I quickly replied, “I can eat a whole tube of toothpaste in five minutes!” The panel exchanged glances, and someone said, “Let’s give him the tests.”
Two days later, I was in the gym. It was serious: pull-ups, squats, pedaling with wires attached to me. At some point, I thought they wanted to turn me into a cyborg rather than send me to space. But after finishing, I felt like a hero.
On the way out, they mentioned I needed to come for a medical test. I thought, easy peasy. So, there I was in the clinic, giving urine and blood samples. Suddenly, the nurse asked, “Do you have any allergies?” Without missing a beat, I replied, “Boring jobs!” She laughed, and I felt like a winner.
A few days later, they called and told me I was hired. I couldn’t believe my ears! I did a little victory dance right there in the living room, scaring our cat, Mr. Whiskers. Then I grabbed a spare shirt, a lunch in a container, and headed out for my first day. I even packed an extra sandwich, just in case I met someone who looked hungry.
So there I was, standing at the gates of my new workplace, feeling like a hero from a sci-fi movie. As I walked in, I couldn't help but think, "Grisha, you're really doing this!" I went through the security checks, hoping they wouldn’t find the emergency chocolate bar I had hidden in my sock.
My first day was a whirlwind. I got lost three times and accidentally walked into a meeting for the advanced rocket scientists. They all looked at me, and I said, "Sorry, wrong room. I was looking for the bathroom." They laughed, and I knew then I was in the right place.
By lunchtime, I had already spilled coffee on my spare shirt and dropped my sandwich on the floor. I thought to myself, "Well, it can only get better from here." And it did. I met my neighbor, the girl who got me here, and she smiled at me like I was some kind of hero. Maybe I was, or maybe she was just amused by the coffee stain that looked like a map of Russia.
That’s how my space career began. From the first awkward steps to finding my way around the space station, I embraced every moment with a mixture of awe and humor. And yes, I think I did impress the girl too. Who would’ve thought that a simple dinner invitation would lead to me orbiting the Earth, navigating the ISS, and even learning to appreciate space food? Life is funny that way.