The history of Muscovite, who moved to Los Angeles and became a producer

Photos from personal archive

Tatyana from Moscow went to Los Angeles for a few days and decided to stay there for the rest of her life. She lives in the United States 6 for years, she studies at the New York Film Academy and works as a producer. As part of a series of materials about compatriots who have moved abroad, "Lenta.ru report»Publishes her story about the City of Angels.

I was born in Moscow, but I lived in Simferopol for quite a long time. She graduated from the Financial University under the Government of Russia with a specialization in “financial law”. And after receiving a diploma in my life there was a turn, which I had not even dreamed of.

My grandmother has been living in America for more than a quarter of a century. Back in 1997, she applied for family reunification with her son, my father. The US Embassy only reviewed our case in 2011 and approved green cards. By that time we had already forgotten about the intention to move to the USA, but still decided again.

I was not going to live in the United States, but was traveling only behind a green card. After approval of the case, the emigrant is obliged to come for her within six months. Often this process takes up to 8 months. I was lucky - I waited just 2 week.

Later, I thought about how I would have gone if I did not have a green card. The answer is no: no. I would not like to constantly worry about what will happen when the visa ends, and whether they will evict me from the country.

Photos from personal archive

We flew to Florida, and after a couple of days I decided to see Los Angeles. She took a few days for the trip, but spent two months there. Already in the first minutes in Los Angeles, I realized: this is my city.

He has his own special mood. Here everyone considers himself an actor, director or dancer, but everyone works as waiters. A bunch of crazy people walk the streets, but in 6 years they even became their own for me.

Recently I saw statistics that Los Angeles has been in traffic jams for the longest, but this is not felt here. In this city, people are not in a hurry. Every morning you wake up in a good mood, because there is wonderful weather outside the window, and in the 20 minutes from the house - the Pacific Ocean.

Here are 360 days of the year sun. Rain is an apocalypse for locals. The average daytime temperatures throughout the year are 27 degrees. In winter, at night, the thermometer may drop to zero, but it is still hot in the daytime. The climate is very mild and comfortable. But despite this, most of the year the ocean is cold, and you can swim only from mid-July to October.

First difficulties

When I returned from Los Angeles to Moscow to report the move, my parents did not believe it. They were afraid to let me go alone and tried to dissuade me, but later resigned.

I decided to get a second degree in Los Angeles. But after the first school day I packed up and wanted to go to Moscow. It seemed to me that I could not live here. The mentality of the Americans was too different from what I was used to.

Photos from personal archive

They have a peculiar model of behavior: Americans can tell the whole story of their life in the first minutes of their acquaintance, and after a second they can turn away and pretend that you are a past stage. They are very open, but do not take anything to heart and rarely become attached to people. They have little interest in other people's problems. Even after years of 6, I didn’t get American friends.

The second problem arose completely unexpectedly. My English was at a good level, but it was still difficult to communicate. At university I studied in an international group, and everyone spoke "in his English." And the Americans have a special accent and incomprehensible slang, which is not taught in Russian schools.

But then I realized that there were difficulties everywhere, and decided to stay in the City of Angels.

Life Bonuses

I settled in Santa Monica. I really enjoyed living on the ocean, waking up every morning and watching the whole city run along it. But before the university was far away, and I moved. Now I live between Beverly Hills and Hollywood. In the 20 minutes from my house, the ocean is raging, and right across is the oldest farmers market in Los Angeles.

In this city there is no division into visitors and local - everyone is equal here. Los Angeles is very bright and wonderful, so it attracts the same people. It is absolutely not important how much money you have and what you are wearing. And if you need help, you will definitely have it. The coolest feature - you never know who you meet. A world-class star or a famous producer can sit at a nearby table in a cafe.

I feel my own here, but I don’t want to marry an American. I don't care if the Russian men are closer in spirit, especially since there are enough of them in Los Angeles.

Photos from personal archive

I can no longer live in Russia, because there are different rules. If I need water, I will order it for home delivery. And do not think about how they will bring it and whether someone will be at home. Everything is so automated here that there can be no such questions.

When I linger on the shooting, I call the dog walker through the application on the phone. On the door of my house there is a lock with a special code where the employee enters the necessary combination, after which the key drops out. Through this application, I can track where my dog ​​is, or ask me to throw me a photo of him.

And this is just one of the many life bonuses I’m used to. The comfort zone in America is developed to the maximum.

The financial side

Russia has a weak middle class: we either have money or not. And in the US, the middle class is 50 percent of the population. They can afford a lot, because all of America lives on credit.

Credit history is everything for an American. If it is not there or is spoiled, it is almost impossible to live. Often, visitors are very difficult because of the lack of credit history. We need to swing it from scratch in order to then buy a car or take an apartment in the mortgage.

An old house in Beverly Hills can be purchased for one and a half million dollars, and outside of Los Angeles - for two hundred thousand dollars. Prices are different, there is a choice for any buyer.

But Americans are in no hurry to buy their own housing. They try to live where they work. For them, relocation is not a big deal, Americans are easy-going. If they find work in another area, they change their homes without thinking.
Rent a small room will cost 500-600 dollars, and for an apartment they ask for 1200 dollars and more. Housing bills come every two months - this is about 150 dollars. Living in Los Angeles is great for heating up - there’s simply no need for it.

But there is a huge need for a car. The whole of Los Angeles is literally going. You can buy a car for 1000 dollars and absolutely no complexes about this. Here, few people pay attention to the cost - for Americans it is not the most important.

On the streets are often homeless. But they became such rather by conviction, and not from a hard fate. The state provides them with unemployment benefits in the 1000 dollars region. They have a starting capital for which it is possible to exist, but often they are fighting for something and abandon the usual way of life.

"Platinum" medicine

In America, there is no free medicine. Insurance costs me about 500 dollars per month and covers almost all the costs. At first glance it seems that my insurance is worth fabulous money. However, when you start to understand the system, you understand that there is no point in taking insurance cheaper. She can cover little.

Photos from personal archive

Such insurance beats even the middle class, not to mention the poor. For this segment of the population there is a so-called Obamacare - A program that makes medical care more accessible. Insurance companies can not compete with such a system, so they have expensive insurance. Or very cheap, but almost useless.

To live without insurance is impossible. A doctor's appointment will cost at least 150 dollars. Last week I needed to see a doctor. If I didn’t have insurance, I would get an 392 dollar bill plus a separate check for 430 dollars for tests.

Pros of American education

I am delighted with the American education system. Learning boils down to the fact that everything can be experienced in practice. Some universities offer to take several classes to try themselves in different directions. At the university, where art professionals are trained, in the first year they are taught to make jewelry, blow glass and even create an animation clip. And only a year later it is proposed to choose a specialization.

Professors do not impose their opinions and are always ready to listen to the assumptions of students. I think this is clearly not enough for Russian universities.

However, such education is much more expensive than Russian. Undergraduate costs an average of 150 thousand dollars. Students take a loan from the state, and then give it away from their salaries. Many people do not go to the magistracy - this will only increase the debt.

Photos from personal archive

I always wanted to connect my life with creativity, so I went to the production department in New York Film Academy. Now I am the executive producer of the directorial works of Alexei Vorobyov in the USA. At the same time I shoot video clips for Russian artists, films and student works. For 6 years in the USA I managed to work in the film companies of Nikita Mikhalkov, Timur Bekmambetov and other famous directors.

Dad still cries when he escorts me to the airport. And each of my arrival persuades to stay. I was in Russia last time a year ago. New sensations or nostalgia at home is not experienced. I did not regret for a second and did not think about staying in Moscow. Moreover, a week later I wanted to return to Los Angeles.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Interesting, but expensive: Russian impressions of San Francisco

Revelations of a Russian woman suspected of cruel murder: an interview from an American prison

“Can you not come to the USA? Do not come. Immigrant from Russia - about life in America

“There are no janitors or trash cans here”: the story of a Russian woman who moved to live in Japan

Success story: how a former drug addict became a millionaire in the USA

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.