You are describing my childhood in the mid-90s Ukraine. Difference is, I never knew any different because I was 6 when the USSR collapsed, and by then even its

You are describing my childhood in the mid-90s Ukraine. Difference is, I never knew any different because I was 6 when the USSR collapsed, and by then even its version of "normal life" has been slowly decaying for a while. This decay accelerated in the 90s, but it was all normal to me. Hyperinflation, no hot water or heating for weeks, no electricity for 2-3 hours every evening (better not be stuck in an elevator at 6 pm when the blackout is scheduled to start!) Every piece of physical infrastructure slowly decays and doesn't get replaced. It was so strange to go from that to Canada at 12 years old.