I have a bit of explaining to do for those who haven't read any articles about me for around 20 years :)
I have spent the last 20 years living my life rather quietly, as unfortunate circumstances in my childhood forced me to live an anonymous existence for a while. This in large part was because of the mess my dad created when he took my sister Julia and I away from our chess careers in N.Y.C. and got into legal problems in Canada. When a journalist heard of the problems and saw an opportunity to write a big article, the focus in the media suddenly went from our chess talents to our poor abused lives. Definitely not what we wanted.
My sister and I were taken away into "protective custody" after the bad press, but we felt much safer after a couple of months when we ran away back to our father. This was because the same agency who took us away had my half brothers sexually abused years before under their care. When we ran back to our father, we had to assume false names and live quietly in order to not be taken away by child authorities again.
Being publicly humiliated and looking around paranoid that people were going to try to apprehend us, we had to make a transition from being well known chess talents, to scared confused fugitives. Frankly the years from 10-20 years old were mostly not pleasant, as I grew up feeling more isolated from society than I did even before, when I was at least being accepted for my chess talent. Spending time in Europe during part of that time period was good for me though. I traveled around as much as possible and focused on languages, cultures and sports. This was the best way for me to deal with my family situation.
Well, we all grow up at some point. Childhood being short is sometimes a blessing, when you come from a difficult situation. Only in the last 10 years or less have I felt free to live my life in a way of my own choosing. I have grabbed almost every opportunity to learn new skills, travel and reflect on what my beliefs are in life. I feel as though I have made up for lost time. Those last years were very positive and the one thing I have always taken with me be it in sports, business, or education, is a desire to really try my best and be focused, whatever it is I am doing. When I am awake, I like to truly be awake and sharp. I know where I come from and I appreciate every moment of being free and able to pursue positive activities. I love to listen and learn and I am happy when other people around me share that form of appreciation as well.
I feel that I have opened up more as an individual, as negative memories from my past are now much easier to deal with and understand, now that I have had many years of positive productive life. I have been blessed to be supported by people who have taught me to trust, love and feel like I actually have my place in this society. Because we are all different and none of us truly "fits in" anyways :)