Why I love America: three confessions of our immigrants - ForumDaily
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Why I love America: three confessions of our immigrants

Russian-speaking immigrants love America for the fact that here you can realize almost any of your dreams.

Russian-speaking immigrants love America for the fact that here you can realize almost any of your dreams. Photo: depositphotos.com

A country of great opportunities and houses with perfectly trimmed lawns. A country in which almost all climatic zones are represented - from the Arctic to the tropics. A country of outstanding businessmen, scholars and artists. A country where more than 325 live millions of people, a large majority of whom immigrated to start their lives from scratch and say over time - America, I love you. ForumDaily figured out why people leave everything and move to the US and why they are so nice to a new house.

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Over 61 million US residents as of December 2015, according to Center for Migration Studies, are immigrants or state-born children of immigrants. However, the number of those who want to move to the United States is much larger.

Portal research Gallup.com indicates that 150 millions of people around the world dream of moving to the United States.

The main reasons for moving include freedom of speech, the balance between salaries and living standards, cultural diversity, nature, the abundance of healthy food and the quality of medicine. Among potential immigrants, the majority are citizens of India, China, Mexico and the Philippines, but residents of the former CIS countries are far from last on this list. According to various sources, from 1,5 to 5 million Russian speakers settled in the United States, choosing to live in the largest and most expensive cities in America - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington, Miami, Denver.

In search of "their" place

Olga Khalkina wanted to live and study in America from the age of 16. From Rostov-on-Don she moved to Moscow and worked there as a waitress to help her family. She was unable to save money to achieve her dream. When Olga was 20 years old, one of her acquaintances told her about the program for Pacific Islanders at Bringham Young University on the island of Oahu (Hawaii). Olga got excited about the idea and submitted the documents. In exchange for tuition, the student was required to work in the center of Polynesian culture as a tourist guide for 20 hours a week. Although residents of Russia could not study under this program, Olga wrote a letter to the director of the admissions committee - in it she explained that she really wanted to study with them, but she did not have enough funds for this. It was incredible, but they made an exception for the girl and accepted her into the university.

“Many people helped me realize my dream. One person promised to buy textbooks while I was studying, an American friend gave me her scholarship for a year so that I could pay for a visa and tickets... It was like a miracle. If they had told me that this was possible, I would never have believed it,” the girl shares.

Olga dreamed of studying in America from 16 years and was able to fulfill her dream. Photo: from the archive of Olga Khalkina.

Olga dreamed of studying in America from 16 years and was able to fulfill her dream. Photo: from the archive of Olga Khalkina.

Olga assures that she is grateful to America in the first place for being able to get an excellent higher education, which she simply could not afford in her native state.

“I love America because it is a country of opportunity. In the USA, you can study at one of the best educational institutions in the state, even if you have no money. The main thing is knowledge, desires and determination!” Olga assures.

The girl did not want to stay in Hawaii; in addition, she wanted to try to study at different universities. She moved several times from state to state. Then she got married and started moving again - now because of her husband’s work. Olga lived in Houston, Texas, the small California town of San Ramon, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. But in the end she stayed in Denver, Colorado, where she still lives and raises 4 children.

“My ex-husband and I moved both before and after the birth of our children. This is a common situation for American families who often migrate for good jobs, and I also really like this about America. No one is tied to their place of birth. You can pack up all your things, furniture and move, changing your whole life in one moment,” shares Olga Khalkina.

Currently Olga lives in Denver already 3 of the year and is simply in love with the city.

“I can breathe easily in Denver. My historical homeland has the same climate and weather. The nature here is incredibly beautiful! Forests, lakes... And besides nature and weather, the state of Colorado has very decent, smiling and helpful people. Here I have never met people on “fake show-offs”, as was the case, for example, in California,” the city resident confesses.

Olga works at home, making accessories for girls, while her children are engaged in kindergarten and school. It is recognized that in Russia she would be afraid to start her own business, but here everything is calm and predictable. After graduation, she worked for some time as an accountant, and at night she sewed accessories for sale.

“Here I learned that you need to work for yourself. Even if the capital is small, you can start with something small. And while you are working for someone else, you can develop your own business at the same time. But when the profit becomes noticeable, you can safely quit your main job. That’s what I did,” says Olga.

An important point - the cost of living in the state. A woman says that tuition and extracurricular activities in Denver are very affordable. For example, a gym class costs $ 8-10, in Texas and California she had to pay $ 20 for this.

“I am pleased to know that I have settled in such a wonderful place where I can raise my children,” Olga Khalkina concludes her story.

Ocean view

In the US, you are free to choose - to live in a glass-asphalt metropolis or on a sandy beach in the very center of a sunny city. Artist, videographer and photographer Alexei Yaroshenko chose the latter and settled in the ever-warm Miami.

He came to 2012 in the year South Carolina from Dnepropetrovsk under the Work and Travel program, and he stayed there, changing the type of visa. Later, the guy moved to Miami.

“I never dreamed of living in America, but since my youth I thought about leaving Ukraine somewhere. Of course, I wanted to live in a country with a tropical climate. I was on the threshold of adult life and decided to start it in a new place,” says Alexey.

His first business, printing designs on T-shirts, did not take off. The guy did not despair and decided to try his hand at video shooting, which he had always been interested in. I bought the necessary equipment and began filming. By 2014, Alexey acquired his own company, and 2 years later he opened a second company that deals with wedding photography in Florida and California.

Alexey likes to live in America very much, because he can do what he likes and live his life. Photo: their archives Alexei Yaroshenko.

Alexey likes it a lot in America because he can do what he likes and live his life. Photo: their archives Alexei Yaroshenko.

Alexey has been living in America for 6 years. He received a green card and believes that it was here that he emerged as a person, became independent, created his successful business and learned to enjoy life, combining work and leisure.

“I really like the way money is made here. If you reach an average income, you can afford quite a lot compared to Ukraine - a good apartment, lease or loan a car, travel, go to restaurants, buy good food and clothes,” shares the Miami resident.

The guy admits that he also likes life in the USA because here he can afford to travel a lot both within the states and outside of America. In Ukraine, he could not travel further than Crimea - it was beyond his means.

“When I first came to America, I, of course, imagined that money would be lying under my feet, just go and collect it. Over time, my idea has changed. Here you need to work hard and efficiently and be passionate about what you love. I am very impressed by the hard work and determination of Americans. Steve Jobs, Henry Ford, Sergey Brin... Great American businessmen inspire me to reach new heights,” says Alexey.

He believes that creative people from the countries of the former CIS should, if possible, move to a more developed state and build life, business and career already there.

“If you are young and not burdened with children, go ahead and leave. If you have a family, but still dream of leaving, set a goal for yourself and go on a journey for a new life. If you are not happy with something in your home country and you look with envy at photographs of friends who moved to America, then you need to look for an opportunity and leave. There is no need to be afraid. Then you may really regret it!” Alexey convinces.

Start everything from scratch

Denis Novikov moved to New York from Odessa in November 2014, when military conflicts began in Ukraine. He dreamed of visiting New York all his life, but he decided to move only when the situation in the country became really dangerous. Denis worked for 12 for years in the field of journalism and worked as a TV journalist the last year before leaving.

In the United States, like many other immigrants, the man had to start all over again. In less than 2 years, he changed several professions - he started as a loader, worked in a company manufacturing and installing advertising signs, was an assistant electrician in a construction company for several months, and cleaned furniture for rich and famous people.

“I was always afraid of the question “What do you do?” from relatives and friends. In the first year of life, this question is not very pleasant, because you have just arrived, do not have the right to work, do not really know the rules of the “concrete jungle” and feel like an outsider. It was the same for me. At the moment I am doing what interests me - for several months now I have been working on a children's web series, which is published on the YouTube channel. I am both a cameraman and an editor there, and sometimes I write scripts for it. In addition, I’m working on creating my own social video project, which also takes a lot of time,” says Denis.

Denis believes that in the US you need to work hard to realize your dreams. Photo: from the personal archive of Denis

Denis believes that in the US you need to work hard to realize your dreams. Photo: from the personal archive of Denis Novikov

The journalist never ceases to admire New York. He describes the city with one episode from his favorite series about vampires: “In the story, vampires appear in the city, start biting people, everything burns, explodes. One guy, running into the police station to save himself, says to the policeman: “Some nonsense is happening there on the streets!” To which the policeman, without blinking an eye, replies: “Boy, you’re in New York, there’s always something going on here.”

However, Denis doesn’t quite like certain parts of New York - he doesn’t like Brighton Beach, popular among immigrants from the Soviet Union.

“I myself live in Brooklyn, but I try not to be in the southern part of it. I really dislike Brighton Beach for many reasons. Starting from the behavior of many people and ending with the fact that Soviet Odessa is around you. Why do I need Soviet Odessa in the USA?” Denis wonders.

The guy admits that in spite of all the difficulties that he has to face, everything in the USA is created for people, and this is exactly what he lacked in his native country.

“In America you live, not survive. And all you need for this is hard work and a little patience. In Ukraine, these qualities will not get you far. Accordingly, when your life is not complicated by any extraneous factors, you become more cheerful. This makes you look better and feel more confident. But when you are full of confidence, then you can and should conquer new heights,” says the New Yorker.

In addition, Denis likes the fact that in America he feels protected, unlike in Ukraine, where, as he believes, every day the authorities only complicate the lives of citizens with their decisions. In the US, laws are aimed at protecting human rights - are you an American native or an undocumented immigrant who arrived a few months ago. And the care of people is shown at different levels.

“I decided to quit smoking and found out about a program in New York State that helps people who want to quit cigarettes for free. I called the hotline, had a consultation, interviewed me, and now they are sending me nicotine patches, chewing gum, and so on by mail. Everything is dosed in accordance with your questionnaire. In principle, many services that you might think of are available in the US at any level. It all depends on your financial capabilities and requests,” clarifies Denis.

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It doesn't matter where you come from, how much money you have and who you were in your own country. In America, you can start a new life and realize any of your dreams. This will require a lot of time, labor, patience and effort, but the game is worth the candle. No wonder the United States is called a country of great opportunity.

See also:

How has immigration changed in America over 200 years

Immigration to the USA: five stories of people who won the green card

25 areas where immigrants work most often

Immigrants in the USA and their own business: fears and how to overcome them

immigrants immigration work in the USA Our people in USA Editor's Choice
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