Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interaction, migration and change
Race and social relations 267 the yearly anniversary of his death. The two men each talk about Vera affectionately and do their best to watch out for her. One director has helped her secure unofficial part-time employment that will not compromise her welfare benefits, while the other calls on her periodically to see if she needs anything. These feelings are mutual, as evidenced by the fact that Vera keeps photographs of the two men, as well as several other former volunteers, in her bookcase, next to pictures of her relatives and her beloved husband. Similarly, Aleksandra Petrovna carries in her pocketbook a small photograph album filled with pictures of her “children” - the African directors and volunteers from the CCM soup kitchen she attends.13 When she shows this album to acquaintances, Aleksandra Petrovna describes the individuals in the pictures as her “sons,” “nephews,” or “grandsons.” In turn, when these volunteers talk about Aleksandra Petrovna, they refer to her as their “mother” or "grandmother.” In the toasts at one of her birthday parties, several volunteers emphasized the deep respect and affection they felt for her by specifically calling her their “Mother." One young man claims that he telephones Aleksandra Petrovna when he is lonely and needs to feel loved, while others turn to her to ask for advice or to share their good news - sometimes before they tell anyone else, including their family members or close friends. Several volunteers who have left Russia and returned to their homes in Africa periodically telephone Aleksandra Petrovna to chat. Although among Russians the use of kinship terms does not necessarily denote familiarity or even respect, but can be used as social markers of address for strangers (see Pesmen 2000), the consistent employment of such titles between CCM recipients and volunteers, coupled with professions of emotional attachment, indicates that they carry different meanings within the context of the soup kitchens. In particular, the inclusion of endearments, diminutives, nicknames, and possessive pronouns, as well as the use of the informal form of "you” (fy), suggest intimate and affectionate relations between individuals. For instance, Marina, another recipient,
