Belarus after 14 years of living in New York told what the Big Apple tastes like

Alexander Begansky from Belarus lived in New York for 14 years. He decided to share his story by telling about the first years of his life in the USA: about adaptation and people, about his favorite places, and also about how he managed to visit many countries thanks to his work. Details shared by the magazine "Big".

Photo: Shutterstock

About moving

Alexander decided to move to New York without a specific goal. “I went because my mother lived there,” he explained. She emigrated to the States even earlier, and they had not seen each other for a long time. Although he still had one goal: he wanted to look at another world.

Alexander spent most of his life in the USA in New York. Only eight months he lived in Nevada, in the town of Reno. “He is also called the smallest biggest city in the world - it is a small casino town. Employers called me there: they transported their business to a place with a more favorable tax policy - and I followed them, ”he said.

Alexander said that in Belarus he studied law, but did not manage to graduate from the university. After moving, he did not continue his education, because "he smelled American money and simply plunged into earnings."

About adaptation in the USA

The first time after the move, the young man admits, it was difficult and wanted to return to Belarus. Therefore, he earned money in the United States, and then returned to his homeland and lounged for 3-4 months. Friends pulled him back, and from a new place of residence drove difficulties and loneliness.

Before the move, Alexander did not speak English. Therefore, it was not easy for him to find himself in the USA. “At first I talked mainly with Belarusian emigrants. After some time, I got a job in a company where English speakers worked, and my circle of contacts expanded, ”he recalls.

Many Russian-speakers, Alexander noted, after moving to New York, settle in their community - not far from Brighton Beach. These people, as a rule, are in no hurry to learn English and join the local life. “People boil in their small little worlds-towns that they built for themselves,” says Alexander. “But I did not see the point in such a move.”

About work in America

Living in the States, the guy changed many jobs: he was a waiter, worked in the advertising business, at a construction site with Poles in Manhattan, and was engaged in many other things.

His first job was helped by acquaintances, paid little. “I got a job in the Georgian restaurant“ Pirosmani ”. Niko Pirosmani is a famous primitive artist. His reproductions hung on the walls, and the Georgian public sat in the restaurant. It was interesting to encounter their culture. They can walk! ” - admires Alexander.

He also worked for a company that produced wheels. “The organizations conducting the seminars sent us files. And we recorded training programs on disks, made a beautiful cover, ”he said.

Five years, Alexander worked at the airport, in the company Delta Air Lines. “We followed the air corridors and the luggage lines - this is a whole automated city. I had a large insurance package and fly benefits. If there are free seats on company flights, then employees can fly almost for free. Only on international flights you have to pay a small airport tax, ”said Alexander. Thanks to this work, he flew somewhere every second week, often in business class. “On the internal website I monitored the occupancy rate of the flight, came to the airport and waited for all passengers to take seats. I flew all over America, the Caribbean, I was in Barcelona, ​​Berlin, Venice, Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, ”he recalls.

Alexander noted that if he had not lived in New York, he would have chosen San Diego - the climate and rhythm of life in him are “very to his liking”.

About the places and atmosphere of New York

Today, a Belarusian immigrant continues to live in the Big Apple. Here, despite the frantic pace of life and a huge number of people, you can easily find calm and unusual places to retire. “I have two favorite neighborhoods: Red Hook in Brooklyn and Havanus are former industrial centers,” he explained. “There used to be a port area in Red Hook, and the cranes that unloaded the ships were equipped with red hooks.” Hence the name of the area. And Havanus was so named because of the canal of the same name, which is located there. In old American films, it was there that Italian gangsters dumped corpses. ”

At one time, Alexander loved the industrial center - Williamsburg, which, according to him, is now a very expensive and fashionable place, so he lost his former atmosphere. “These areas are somewhat similar to our Oktyabrskaya street. There are a couple of places where you can safely walk, have a beer and even smoke in the backyard, ”he added.

In summer, New York is unbearably hot, the temperature is constantly kept at +35 ° C, and humidity is above 80%. The only salvation is to travel to the ocean. Alexander said that on weekends everyone usually goes to Coney Island, Long Island or Brighton Beach. “The subway runs to Brighton Beach, the beach is dotted with people, and the water is dirty. We prefer to swim at Breezy Point - it is an open ocean with clear water. All the hipsters from Williamsburg come here on bicycles, ”he said.

Access to the ocean is via Bedford Avenue. This is Brooklyn's longest street. It is interesting because driving through it you can see how people of all nationalities live - from Jews to Russians.

About people

Americans, according to Alexander, are very open people. It is easy to find a common language with them, even if you do not yet speak English perfectly. In this case, the Americans will listen to you and will not correct you, unlike those who are not native speakers, they will definitely point out your flaw. “Then people get a dog complex when you understand everything, but are afraid to speak,” Alexander explained.

Read more at ForumDaily New York.

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