Album 10 
October 1952 - July 1956

Summary

Owing to the system of credits introduced in the Norilsk camp in 1950, Euphrosinia was released two year, in 1952, not in 1954. She was an exile with restriction of rights for 5 years.

Euphrosinia had known the mine since 1947, worked there for about six years and after being released went to look for a job there. They at the mines did not hire women but her former boss Kovalenko introduced her to the personnel department as an excellent worker. She got a job of a scraper operator with the lowest salary since the exiles enjoyed no rights. She had no place where to live and between working shifts slept in a bath house locker room but soon got place in a hostel.

Euphrosinia worked at the mine #15 for more than seven years until the retirement.

The most competent and clever miners were sent to the courses of shift attendants. After graduation with honours Euphrosinia returned to the mine as a deputy section manager. She became a white-collar worker (ITR). Her subordinates were convicts, former prisoners of war, who after the World War II were charged for high treason and sent to special prison camps with hard labour and harsh conditions. They were competent miner because worked at the coal mines after being taken prisoners by Nazis. Frosya helped them in any way she could, bought them food, wire-transferred money to their families. But she could not show more work than was done so that they could get more money than earned as in that case she had to lie and she always told the truth... And certainly she, unlike all the other managers, did not provide her subordinates with alcohol.

After Stalin's death on March 5, 1953, the changes started in the country. The Communist Party 20th Congress taking place in Moscow in February 1956, denounced Stalin's personality cult. Massive retrials of political prisoners resulted in their early releases. In September 1956, the Norilsk labour camp was shut down. At the mine the prisoners were replaced with the civilians. They were discharged veterans (the Red Army did not discharge soldiers until they signed up for work in the Arctic for three years) and "enthusiasts" from the Young Communist League. Euphrosinia found it far more difficult to manage those subordinates and to work with new, civilian, managers.

The lack of cheap labour - convicts - resulted in mothballing of mines and idle managers were looking for jobs. A section foreman from one of the mothballed mines was appointed on Euphrosinia's place. She could challenge that decision or to take an easier job of a scraper operator. She however chose a different path, seeing in the production chain a hole originating from the "enthusiasts'" unwillingness to drill she decided to prove that a woman could do that work and became a driller. The newcomers were ashamed and followed her example. She instructed some of them in drilling. It any case, that was the hardest work she had to do at the mine.

After the death of shift attendant Arzhba who perished a day before going home to Georgia where he had not been for 15 years, Euphrosinia thought that to die before visiting the mainland was unfair. The Gryaznevs family had a house in the city of Yessentuki, Vera Ivanovna invited Euphrosinia to spend a vacation there and she agreed.

The plane flew to Syktyvkar with a stop in Ukhta. In Moscow Euphrosinia visited the Tretyakov Gallery where a half of the rooms was given to the heroics of the revolution, collective farms and the World War II. Dmohovsky with whom she was at Norilsk showed her the Arbat Street and the Exhibition of Economic Achievements (VDNKh). She also went to see Myra Barsky who sent her oil colours to Norilsk and then departed to the Caucasus. She had never before drawn from nature but the south night in the city of Mineralniye Vody and the park in Kislovodsk impressed her and Euphrosinia started sketching landscapes in her album.

 In Essentuki she was welcome with open arms and started introducing the Gryaznevs junior to the southern nature demonstrating the gift of an educator. During the trip to the Mount of Razvalka near Zheleznovodsk she discovered the landscape of the Grand Caucasian Ridge, and Euphrosinia decided to see the whole Caucasus.