My Family

I am Alex Sidorov. Alex is my first name and Sidorov is my surname. I am under 19. I want to tell you a few words about my family. It is rather large. There are 6 of us in the family: a mother, a father, a sister, a brother and a grandmother. Almost all of us are biologists.

My mother is a teacher of Biology. She works in a college and likes her profession. She is a good-looking woman with brown hair and green eyes. She is in her late forties but she looks much younger. She is tall and slim.

My father has assumed as assistant director of research institute. He is finishing his dissertation now. He is a broad-shouldered, tall man with fair hair and grey eyes. He is 46. My father often sings and when we are at home and have some free time, I play the guitar and we sing together.

My parents have been married for 26 years. They have much in common, but they have different views on music, books and films. For example, my father likes horror films and my mother likes “soap operas”. My father is fond of tennis. My mother isn’t interested in sports. But my parents have the same opinion about my education and upbringing.

My parents are hard-working people. My mother keeps house and takes care of me and my father. She is very good at cooking and she is clever with her hands. She is very practical. My father and I try to help her with the housework. I wash the dishes, go shopping and tidy our flat.

`My grandmother is a pensioner. She lives with us and helps to run the house. She is fond of knitting.

My sister Helen is in her middle twenties. She is married and has a family of her own. She works as a marine biologist. She studies marine populations and physiology at the oceanography center. Her husband is a biochemist. He spends most of the day in a lab, analyzing tissue samples and designing and carrying out research projects to test new hypotheses. They’ve got twins: a daughter and a son. People often confuse them because they look very much alike. They go to a nursery school.

My brother Boris is eleven. He is a schoolboy. He wants to become a doctor but he is not sure yet. Three months ago he dreamed of being a cosmonaut.

As for me, I think I take after my father. I’m tall, fair-haired and even-tempered. I always try to be in a good mood. I’m a third-year student of the faculty of Biology. But I have a part-time job. I work as a biological technician at my father’s institute. I operate equipment, conduct tests and record data for more senior researchers. I spend significant time performing routine tasks. The hours can be long, and most time is spent in the lab.

In conclusion I should say that all of us love what we do. We put in long hours, compelled by our dedication to work beyond the requirements of our job. Significant time at the lab, in the field, and at lectures and conferences all contribute to many biologists’ lack of a personal life outside the discipline. Biologists often choose to spend more time with other biologists because they better understand each other’s devotion to their work.