As a waiter from New York lives in Moscow

Don Corter studied Russian language and history, was a waiter in New York, and then came to Moscow and found work in Russia Today. Lenta.ru report publishes his observations on how life is different in Russia and the United States.

Photo: provided by the hero of the material

I am from the USA, New York City. I live in Moscow since September, moved here two months after I graduated from university. These two months I worked as a waiter, and came here because I wanted to find a new job. At university I studied Soviet history and Russian, and in America there is absolutely no work in this specialty. Here I taught English, then, by acquaintance, I settled in Russia Today. Now I work as a journalist.

Net interest

I began to teach Soviet history because I was interested. Then I realized that it is necessary to learn the language in order to read and understand Russian. It was not very hard. It seems to me that the most important thing is interest. I am interested in the Russian language and the history of Russia, so it was easier.

In America, it is difficult to find a person with whom you can practice Russian. My teachers are Americans, there are few Russians in America. Well, maybe there is a Brighton Beach, but I didn’t live there. Therefore, I simply watched Soviet films and listened to Russian music. There was also a friend. He is not Russian, but he speaks Russian very well, and we often spoke.

While studying at the university, I could not have imagined that I would work in Russia. But still living in America, I was looking for work on the Internet and found one private school that needed English-speaking teachers. I submitted the application, and they answered: “Well, come in September”. So I began to teach children English.

When I arrived here, I went to the store and realized that I really did not know Russian at all. The saleswoman asks: "Need a package?" And I don't know what it is - a "package." He studied language for four years, but he never reached that word. The first words I was taught were “the state” and “pharmacy”. And here I stood there, looked at her, and she shouted: “Is the package needed? Need a package?

I also did not understand what it means to “pass through”, because there are a lot of consoles in Russian. For Americans, it's just a nightmare. I did not understand why they say to me “come on, take off your clothes”, because it means “take off your clothes”. So at first it was difficult. But the people here are very kind, help, when necessary.

Photo: provided by the hero of the material

Propaganda

Honestly, in America there is a propaganda system against Russia. Many people think that Russia is a dangerous country, or that Russians hate Americans ... But I spoke to Russians and realized that this was not true. This is just another country. Good country. In America, more dangerous than here.

But the parents thought it was a bad idea: “Why do you want to move to Russia? Why not to France, why not to England or Spain? ” But I decided that this is my plan, my life. When I lived here for several months, they changed their view of things. Now they are even interested, they are not afraid of Russia. Mom said that maybe she would also come here to teach English.

There is a stereotype that Russians hate Americans. Not all Americans think so, but many, I am sure of it. Even Americans are sure that all Russians love Putin very much, and they believe that he rides bears. But a lot of wrong information comes to America. Many believe that the USSR still exists. There are people who think that Russia is a communist country, that Donald Trump is a Russian spy.

I remember when I lived in New York and worked as a waiter, almost every day they said on TV: “Or maybe Donald Trump is a Russian spy? Or maybe he loves Putin? " But in fact, I noticed that many of these stereotypes are wrong. In America, for example, there are more bears than in Russia.

Money question

In New York, I earned about two thousand dollars. At first glance it seems that this is a good salary, but in fact it is not enough. The fact is that in New York everything is very expensive. I rented a room and paid 900 dollars for it every month. Three more people lived with me in the apartment. And it was a dangerous area - Brooklyn.

When I came here and started teaching, I earned 1300 dollars a month. But now I live in an apartment with two neighbors, I have a very large room, and I only need to pay 400 dollars per month for it. Everything is much cheaper than in New York, so for me Russia is a country where it is easier to live. I feel better here.

There is a salary here, and you know exactly how much you will earn per month. And in America, the payment is hourly. In addition, there is easier to lose work. And here is not the case. In Russia, people work more hours a day, but less hard. And in America, I remember, I worked less hours, but it was more difficult. It was necessary to come to work very early, and if you are often late, you could be fired.

The food here is much cheaper than in America. But the clothes are more expensive, possibly because of the sanctions. In America, the prices in the H&M store are much lower than in Moscow.

In America, very expensive medicine. If you do not have insurance, it is simply impossible to recover from something. Is that for big money, and then - I do not know. But here I noticed that this is no problem. I can brush my teeth at the dentist without insurance, and it is very cheap.

Photo: provided by the hero of the material

If you compare ...

After moving to Moscow, I noticed how small New York is. You can get to the suburbs there in an hour, and in Moscow, during this time, I only take the metro from one end of the city to another. I have friends who live near Moscow, and it takes two or three hours to get there. This is just a huge city.

In Moscow, the mentality of people is almost the same as in New York; this is the mentality of a megacity. Although there is, of course, a difference. People here still read books, still go to the theater, they are very cultural. In New York, such things also exist, but they are not very popular. Many do not read books, they are not interested in ballet or highly cultured things. And then there is, of course, the difference between the Russian soul and the American.

Americans speak very loudly, Russians almost always speak very quietly. Many people think that Russians are not very kind, because they don’t like to smile, this is a popular misconception in America. But I noticed that this is not true. In the subway or on the street, people do not walk with a smile on their face, but this does not mean that they are angry. For them, a smile weighs more. No need to walk with a smile down the street, because you have to smile when you mean it. Even people in America smile a lot, because they think that it is necessary, it is their duty to be kind. People cannot be sad on the street, it’s like a cultural taboo. And here people show all the emotions.

Russian girls and feminism

Russian girls are completely different, not like American women. In my opinion, Russian girls are more beautiful and love sentimental things more. And in America we live in a society where a lot of girls want to be like men at work, at home. We just live in the era of feminism. And I am glad that there is no such feminism as there.

But this does not mean that here the girls are somehow disadvantaged. In Russia, a fair society. I noticed that women work on a par with men, they are leaders. I work in RT, and I have both heads - girls, as, in general, and in other teams. Here, people do not even think about it.

In Moscow, more shops that sell flowers. In America, you buy flowers for a girl, when you’ve done something and you have to apologize. And in Russia there is a culture of giving flowers, everyone is attentive to this. For example, you need to buy three roses or five or seven. You can't buy four or six. If you love a girl, you need to give her red roses, not green ones. And we absolutely do not know about it in America.

Russian girls love attentive men and those with whom you can live well. In America, it is not. There, girls are very often looking for men who would depend on them. There are also traditional girls, but this is unusual. But the biggest difference is the sex mentality. In the Western world, people are very open about sex. I did not think about it until I came here. Here, many girls say that you can not have sex before the wedding. Or you can not have sex the first four to five months of a relationship. They do not understand how you can sleep with someone you met recently.

Photo: provided by the hero of the material

American Dream

Russians often mention the American dream. I always tell my friends it's funny. The American dream is something from the past, modern Americans do not believe in it.

I did not notice some American problems until I ended up in Russia. And some of my friends who moved here felt the same way. Now in America there are different political movements - the fascists, the communists - and they are fighting with each other, American children are shooting at schools - and all this is normal. And what is happening here? People live steadily. This is a normal society. I wish it was in America. Yes, America is my homeland, I love America, but I do not want to live like this.

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