A MEETING OF MINDS
Academics settle on Sud-Ouest
Yevgen Nazarenko hails from Ukraine and his partner, Chitra Narayanan, comes from the state of Tamil Nadu.
She grew up in Chennai (formerly known as Madras) and like Nazarenko, moved to North America to attend university. The couple met in New Jersey, where both were studying for a doctorate. Between them, they speak a slew of languages — from Russian to Hindi. (Chitra’s native tongue is Tamil.)
Following the awarding of their PhDs, the couple moved to Montreal, where they are engaged in post-doctoral research — Nazarenko in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at McGill University and Narayanan (she specializes in enzymes) at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Laval.
Involved full time in the academic world, Nazarenko and Narayanan live somewhat frugally (they freely admit their modest incomes have a bearing on their lifestyle), but they also like to travel whenever they can, taking weekend trips south of the border, or overseas when they have a longer break.
They’re keen proponents of “couch surfing” (an alternative to paying for accommodation) and it was on a trip to Montreal staying at the home of a McGill professor and his wife that they decided the city would be the ideal place to live and further their studies.
In 2013, Nazarenko and Narayanan rented a three-bedroom apartment in Sud-Ouest. They use one bedroom as their dining room and another as a guest room for relatives, friends and fellow couch surfers.
Q What was it that appealed to you about Montreal? Presumably, with your skills and languages you could have moved anywhere? Yevgen: It was really a convergence of interests. I’d actually visited the city back in 2004 and liked it then, so during my PhD studies, I learned French with a view to eventually moving. At McGill, I’m studying the effect of pollutants on snow and how that might impact human health. I have a personal interest in the topic as well. I love snow. It’s so easy to get out into the mountains from here and Chitra and I both love to ski.
Q How did you find this particular apartment? Yevgen: We researched online and then came here from New Jersey on three separate weekends. We visited 15 different apartments before settling on this one.
Q Why did you chose Sud- Ouest? Chitra: We quickly discovered the McGill Ghetto was expensive, so we targeted places along the métro Green Line and that’s how we ended up here. Also, the apartment has a large kitchen. That was very appealing.
Q You like to cook? Chitra: Both of us do.
(The kitchen is, indeed, a chef ’s dream. There’s enough space for a dining corner — although the couple mostly eat in their converted bedroom — a washer and dryer, fridge and stove and two microwave ovens, as well as plenty of floor area. Umpteen drawers
and cabinets, above and below the granite countertops — installed by the landlord along with other modifications before they moved in — provide ample storage, along with a pantry, a rarity in most apartments.)
Q Did the apartment come with appliances? Yevgen: Actually, no. We had to buy those. That took us by surprise because in New Jersey, even an unfurnished apartment comes with a fridge and stove.
Q Speaking of furniture, did you ship your things up here from the States? Chitra: I hired a van and a couple of guys to help me load it. One friend came with me close to the Canadian border, then I drove the van the rest of the way.
(Chitra and Yevgen lead me from the kitchen around the other rooms, pointing out all the things they had in their previous abode — bookshelves, the dining table and chairs, side tables, chests of drawers and so on. In the master bedroom, where they sleep on a mattress on the floor, they have a vintage stereo system with massive speakers.)
Q Do you like sleeping on the floor? Yevgen: (Laughs.) It’s good for our backs. Also, years ago, in India, Chitra used to sleep on the floor. That used to be common there, but the real reason is there was no room in the van for the bed frame.
(In the corner of the living room, beside a large window, stand a couple of desks — a home office space for the industrious pair who like to bounce ideas off each other when they have to work in their apartment. Their one concession to having a seating area for themselves and for guests is a white leather couch. Narayanan crocheted the covers of the scatter cushions.)
Q You have a rather elegant sofa. Yevgen: That’s the one piece of furniture we actually bought in Montreal. We got it second hand for $60.
We quickly discovered the McGill Ghetto was expensive, so we targeted places along the métro Green Line and that’s how we ended up here.