Forgotten memories

Our memories, like paper boats, are delicate and easily shaped or torn apart by time. Even the most fragile memories leave their mark on us. Some moments remain vivid, while others fade or shift, much like paper dissolving in water. Intact or fragmented, each memory influences us, shaping our identity and guiding our personal growth.

For me, the paper boats mirror my own relationship with memory. I grew up in Russia but emigrated to Europe with my mother when I was fourteen. Those years spent in a new country greatly influenced how I see the world, and how I view my own past. My hometown remains unchanged in my memory, frozen in time, even though life there has moved on. Today, I look back at my past through the lens of current reality and find the simple fact of where I come from to be more complicated than it once seemed.

The past doesn’t change, but our perspective on it does. My memories—like paper boats—continue to stay with me, shaping who I am, even as they take on new meanings over time