Elmira is in love with Standerton
The couple has two sons, Omran, who celebrated his 24th birthday on October 7, corresponding with the Russian president and Adam, now in Grade 7 at Standerton Primary School.
Elmira Marzugi, born in Russia, and her husband, Hassen, a Tunisian, arrived in Standerton 15 years ago. Elmira has not been idle for a second.
Her accomplishments include a salon for massaging, needlework, crocheting, transforming an old shoe into something snazzy, doing mosaic work, knitting, embroidery, polymer clay and tatting and writing in Cyrillic.
She offered the Standerton Advertiser black Arabic coffee accompanied by a selection of dried fruit, water and chocolates the past week.
Hassen Marzougui is a doctor at Standerton Hospital and their story includes the African continent and Russia.
They have two sons, Omran, who celebrated his 24th birthday on October 7, corresponding with the Russian president and Adam, now in Grade Seven at Standerton Primary School.
It was tough initially for Omran, not fluent in English, to adapt to the school environment, but the resilience of young children prevailed.
“Children catch up quickly,” Elmira said.
She was born in Ulyanovosk, home of the former leader of the USSR, Vladimir Lenin.
After completing eighth grade at school, she was off to college, where her major subjects were accounting and management.
A stint of six years followed as a copy typist at a newspaper in the city, and she progressed from an electrical typewriter to the computerised age.
“It was wow!” she commented.
The newspaper was in the same building as the publishing house and she also worked as a courier, taking texts to the layout artists.
“Deadlines were crazy,” Elmira recalled the editor standing with his hands on his hips, watching everything.
The journalists, about 20, each had their own specialised field.
Maternity leave followed the birth of their first child, with Hassen already completing his medical studies at that stage.
When the family left for the capital of Tunisia, Elmira got acquainted with shorthand and lived with her in-laws in the south, while Hassen had to complete his memoirs in the medical field.
Opposites attract since Hassen likes travelling, while Elmira has a circle of close friends. Hassen then found employment at hotels in the tourist-attracted Tunis, treating the workers in the hospitality industry.
“He then applied for a job in South Africa without telling me.
“The interview went well and about a month later, they received a letter saying that he would work at Standerton Hospital.
“I began crying.”
She was comfortable with the family, who welcomed her and treated her well, and she did not see the need to change anything.
Hassen then said he would go for six months, carefully check it out and she then could join him. The rest is history.
Elmira’s mother is still in Russia and the 85-year-old and her daughter communicate via the internet. They have two cats, Shustrik and Migulya.
The latter became part of the family after sneaking at first into the kitchen and wiping Shustrik’s food bowl clean.
Elmira has finished six chapters in her book of a crime story in which she tries to connect Japan and Vladivostok, Russia.
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Elmira loves reading. Books from Stephen King are on the bookshelves. She read The Green Mile and saw the movie.
Her interest is now focused on the East.
“The Dalai Lama said Buddhism is not a religion, but a doctrine,” this Muslim commented.
Orthodox Christianity also appeals to her and at Easter she colours ordinary eggs. She makes various objects on request for those who request.
“I am not a seller, I am a creator,” Elmira summed up her way of life.
