I was born in the foreign land of Kazakhstan along with my identical twin sister. This means that Russian is my first language. When I was 2 years old, my family moved to Israel in search for a better life. We lived there for 8 years and then immigrated to Canada with my younger brother. I loved Israel very much and did not want to move away.
In Canada, I was in a completely different country, school and house. Everything seemed so different.
The biggest adjustment I had to get used to is the freezing temperatures and 13 years later I still despise it. At my new school, I was that new girl who didn’t know English. I could barely understand or speak it. I have a clear memory of students asking, “do you speak Russian?” And with confusion I would reply saying “no”.
My twin sister was in the exact same boat. In this school, twins were not allowed to be in the same class. From being together 24/7 we were separated for the first time ever and this was an extra challenge. This meant that the students in the school did not know we were twins. Students from my sister’s class would see me lining up to get into class and would tell me I was in the wrong line. All of this led to a lot more confusion.
Back in my home land of Kazakhstan, my mom was on the national team for rhythmic gymnastics. At the age of 10, she let the both of us try this sport and we loved it!
Yet again I was that girl who stood out. The reasons now were because I started training at a late age and I also physically looked different than most gymnasts.
Most gymnasts start training between the ages of 4-6, but I was 10. Girls my age were doing such difficult tricks that I could never picture myself doing the same. I ended up working twice as hard and eventually surpassing gymnasts my age. Several years later I achieved my Olympic dream by competing at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Naturally, I have a very fast metabolism that lets me stay thin no matter how much I try to eat. Now I’m very thankful for this amazing gene. At our training gym we were labeled as the 2 new skinny twins. Not only we stood out at school, but also at our gymnastics practice.
Even now my friends tend to describe my personality as weird but in a good way. At first I got a little offended, then I realized that it makes me an interesting person that people like to hang out with.
Being different never actually bothered me because I always found a way to accept my self. Remember to always love yourself and don’t get preoccupied about what people think or say about you. Just do your own thing and most importantly enjoy yourself.
Anjelika Reznik, Canadian Olympic Rhythmic Gymnast.
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