At the end of the 1980s, a business sprang up in Lithuania producing what became known as “consumer goods”. I decided to join the ranks of these new entrepreneurs, and became involved in a business that was becoming trendy: sewing women’s tights. I bought myself a sewing machine and put it in the kitchen. With my new workspace set up, I was ready to make my first million. It turned out that someone I knew, a girl who worked at the local clinic called Bronya, was also making all sorts of beautiful creations on her own sewing machine. We became friends, and she taught me how to make tights from yarns of wool. After two or three lessons, I began to sew these in-demand garments myself. I enjoyed thinking up different patterns and sewing them into the design. The end result was some beautiful white tights with lace patterns on the sides. But every woman in Klaipeda already had tights like those. Where could I find more legs to put my creations on? My mother wrote to a friend of hers, Olya, who lived in Alma-Ata (present-day Almaty) in Kazakhstan. Letters travelled quickly in those days, and we soon received a reply from her, with an invitation for me to visit her. Olya told us that the only people selling tights in Alma-Ata were a couple of Latvian ladies in the bazaar. Here was my chance to start an international business! I bought 200 new pairs of tights from other seamstresses, then went straight to the Aeroflot office and bought a ticket to Alma-Ata, with a return flight two weeks later.
Today we talk about Nurse Stories, a book by Aldona Grupas published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Aldona Grupas to get to know her better, the moment she decided to write her book Nurse Stories, as well as the sensations she felt by reading her life on the pages of her book.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- When and why did you decide to write your personal story?
I decided to write my stories in 2016 and published my first book “Nurse, give me a pill for Death…”. There I wrote about my decision to go to the UK to work as a nurse. My profession is a nurse. I am proud of my profession and wanted to share my experience working in the UK. The seventh book “Nurse stories” which was published in 2023 is also my autobiographical book covering my previous life in Lithuania. My experiences in travel, business, studies, work in alternative medicine. I want to share my experience, to inspire hesitant people to pursue their goals.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
The feelings were mixed. Some of it seems funny now, but I didn’t find it funny at the time. As I read my story, I was proud of myself for following through. I always had a goal and I always pursued it. Reading my stories now, I see how brave I was.
- What would you like to hear from your readers?
My books are read by nurses and people dealing with nursing at home and just those who are interested in my books. I get thanks for the advice and my experience that I write in the books. I am happy to hear from a reader that I helped with my advice, my life experiences. This is my goal. To help a person make a decision in certain situations.
- What was the first book you read and what did it teach you?
I don’t really remember the first book I read. But Latvian writer and poet J. Rainis’ fairy tales and poetry remained in my memory. When I was 7 years old, I read his poem on stage at the Riga Ballet and Opera Theatre. It was very memorable for me. Then, as a teenager, I read a book by a Norwegian writer (I don’t remember the name) about teenage life and adventures in Norway.
- Are you planning to write more books you can tell us about?
Yes, I wrote a love novel “Sinful Love”. I tried myself in a new genre. This book is currently in Lithuanian and will be published in 2024.
Europe Books thanks the author Aldona Grupas once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Nurse Stories. We wish her the best of luck for her book and for her future works.
To you, my dear reader may the advice and life experiences here told be to your precious support in specific situations where a good help is definitely welcomed and convenient.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!