Why I left America: the story of a Russian who returned home

In times of perestroika, abroad seemed to Russians a promised land: in the US it is easier to make money, people there are exceptionally benevolent, education and medicine are top notch. Many were leaving. Some eventually decided to return. RIA News tells the story of Andrew (he asked not to give his last name), who after 7 years in the United States returned to Russia.

Photos from personal archive

I lived in the USA for more than seven years, most of the time spent in Houston, Texas. He did everything in a row - he started as a floor cleaner, at his last job he was a “safeguard” - he performed emergency openings of premises, cars, and made keys.

At first, everything in America seemed bright and interesting. Then I realized that without connections it is very difficult to achieve anything. Taxes on all crazy. They say it is easy to buy a house there, to be a private entrepreneur. Actually it is impossible! For example, to buy the simplest house you need to pay taxes for approximately two years in a row for approximately 20 thousand dollars.

In general, if you earn one or two thousand dollars in Russia, it is better to stay at home. In the US, to achieve the same level of wealth you need to earn 8-10 thousand dollars.

It is not easy - unemployment there is at least as much as in Russia. Accounts are simply incomparable. Here I’m paying 10 dollars for Internet and television. There, only the Internet cost in 80. Here for the phone I pay 5 dollars, there - almost 100. And so in all. You earn more, but you spend much more!

Medicine costs just space money. I once became ill, thought appendicitis. I called an ambulance, they gave me an x-ray in the hospital, put on an IV drip. The next day came for analysis, and I got an account rolled out on 15 thousand dollars.

They talk about insurance, but it is not cheap. If you have more than 3000 dollars per month for a family, then the policy costs 500 dollars per person per month. However, it does not cover everything.

In the USA I observed strong nationalism, racism, there are a lot of dangerous areas there. African Americans still feel that they are being bullied and humiliated. One black guy told me: “We have two paths - either into crime or into sports.” Military weapons are freely available. Any child, without any permission, can buy it on sites like our Avito.

We decided to return to Russia after the birth of our daughter. More or less normal kindergarten in the United States costs from 1500 dollars per month. The average salary my wife and I had was 600-700 dollars per week. It turns out that one spouse works for two weeks only in the kindergarten. In the kindergarten children are not fed. There are no cots, no sleeping places, the children sleep right in their clothes on the floor, on yoga mats.

My daughter was not friends with anyone. All American children are sitting at home, playing tablets, X-boxes. On the streets we had only ducks and squirrels from our friends. Nobody walks there, somewhere even there are no sidewalks - everyone moves by cars.

In Russia, we returned in the summer. I think the country has become better. Less wild trade, markets, tents of all sorts, many new beautiful shopping centers. On the roads, people are noticeably more polite. New playgrounds in the courtyards.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Our people in the USA: Meeting an American with an American airplane changed the life of a Russian journalist

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How Russians See America: 50 Facts About the USA

Why, after 25 years, the Russian woman returned from San Francisco to Saratov

History of Russians who moved to California, but returned home

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