USA
The topic of emigration is gaining momentum more and more, so we meet a new story about a country that no one has written about yet: the USA.
I publish at the request of mmmm1982 habraiser , which itself can not publish for the same reason as many other authors. Therefore, the plus signs - to him.
Further narration from his person.
')
It would seem: the USA is a country of emigrants, and no one has yet written about migration to the states! Although I am sure that Habré is full of people temporarily or permanently living in America.
My story is far from ideal and similar articles about successful relocation to Australia, Taiwan, Canada, etc.
But nonetheless…
Even 10 years ago, unrestrained crowds of people rushed to the United States to become part of the "American Dream". The country, completely founded by immigrants from other countries, did everything possible and impossible to restrict the flow of legal and non-legal immigrants. I, in turn, like many other students of the late 90s, went for the summer to earn money on a J-1 student visa. Freedom (first of all from parents) struck the 18-year-old kid in the head and didn’t even spend the money spent on the ticket, but having spent a good three months on the Atlantic coast, I decided to stay in the states. The decision came unexpectedly and very clearly: I want to be here! It was a tough 2001 and autumn came in the summer, and September 11 came in the fall, with which all hopes of legal emigration fell to dust. So I became an "illegal". In America, it is hard to legalize, especially if you already cross the line of the law; but it is not impossible. The main ways are to win a lottery, get married to a citizen of the country, ask for political asylum. There are many other ways, but they are not so popular and I will not talk about the lottery because I do not know all the details. So, if you marry an American, after a year (or so) of paperwork, you can get a residence permit - a green card is not citizenship, but only a permit for legal work and being in the country with all the ensuing consequences; and after 5 years you can already try to become a citizen. Political asylum is received according to my information by immigrants from Belarus and other countries with a totalitarian regime, gays, lesbians, Jews, pacifists and similar oppressed minorities.
So living here for more than 7 years, I received my residence permit only this year. I hope that this fact will not cause violent indignation, but will simply show how difficult the life of an emigrant can be far from the homeland.
The fact that we are in school for a long time and persistently learn English - time thrown to the wind. Only when you come to an English-speaking country do you really understand how bad English is. And the matter is not even in the absence of vocabulary or grammar - the whole problem is in the correct pronunciation. You can be an English teacher in Moscow, but when people come to you, people simply don’t understand, because “this is the table” isn’t always “a matter of teabble”. According to my observations, 18 years old is a turning point, after which a foreigner will not be able to get rid of the accent and will always speak clumsily; but if a teenager came here at a young age, then there is a possibility that he will be able to speak both languages ​​perfectly, especially if there was an opportunity to go to school here and there.
There are of course exceptions. For example, if you live in Brooklyn, then you do not need to know English, because everyone already speaks Russian.
Over the past six months, due to the economic crisis, the number of vacancies has decreased dramatically. Less and less you can hang the inscription “we are looking for workers”, but before that it hung on every store: front and back. The demand for specialists in a particular professional field has not fallen particularly, but now the selection process for applicants has become much more stringent. On the other hand, since I came here before the crisis, I have never had problems finding a job. The longest I've ever spent looking for a job is 3 days. It was always possible to find work without problems in a store, restaurant, hotel or similar service industry. Starting bid ~ $ 7 .. $ 8 / hour Now it is not so simple, but at least something can be found. I, in turn, all my life was interested in computers and everything connected with this, I was engaged in self-education. Only for this reason I managed to find a job in the technical support service without a diploma, and now, having changed several computer works, I have reached the database administrator.
Most employers do not know or do not pay attention to the legal status of an employee while he is working hard, and simply ask to bring a “photocopy” of a passport.
The standard of living in the United States varies greatly as in any country and may be cardinally opposite for two nearby people. You can see the homeless people hanging out next to Ferrari, parked at the store. I managed to live in very rich areas and in poor ones too, but I made one conclusion: diligence and hard work (for myself, for my uncle ..) brings reward.
All higher education institutions in the United States are private and not sponsored by the state. The system of higher education makes me admired and is very effective. Prices for education range from $ 1,000 to $ 25,000 or more per semester, depending on the prestige of the university and the number of subjects studied. There is a whole system of state financial support for students (not universities!) Depending on their talents and financial situation. Today I had my first day of study in the last 8 years. I decided that due to the opportunity and obtaining legal status, I had to start learning again and finish university this time. I was given a state scholarship that completely covers tuition fees, and even a little remains.
In general, local education can be talked about a lot and persistently, and there were already comparative posts on this topic on Habré, but I will not go into details.
On average, prices are probably comparable to Moscow. The main items of expenditure are housing and utility bills. In big cities like New York, even tiny apartments cost big money and the price of a small room can be as high as $ 700 a month or more. At the moment I rent a 3-room apartment (2 bedrooms and a common room) for $ 860 / month and I think that this is not very bad. By utilities, I mean electricity ~ $ 35 .. $ 40 / month, gas ~ $ 30 .. $ 100 (in winter) / month, sewage and water supply ~ $ 22 / month, mobile phones ~ $ 70 .. $ 80 / month for two, dedicated Internet ~ $ 50 , insurance on the car ~ $ 25 / month. The 91st gasoline now costs ~ $ .67 / liter and, with a moderate ride, winds up $ 60 .. $ 70 / month. Any products are cheaper than anywhere else in Russia, and if you don’t bluntly, you can cost $ 400 .. $ 500 / month for a family of 3 people.
As a patriot of my homeland, I can’t say anything bad about Russian nature, but the uncharted, pristine, pure, wild nature of North America that has been mastered in just the past couple of centuries has fascinated me with its beauty. The local hinterland does not have a multi-thousand-year history of settlement, as it happened in Europe. Moreover, almost 400 national reserves are scattered throughout the country, some of which are comparable in size to any small European country that is under state protection. So the potential for outdoor recreation is huge, the photos of wild life are incredibly beautiful, and the attitude towards it is incredibly respectful: you will never find plastic bottles or beer cans left after a picnic. Any self-respecting person will clean up after himself, or maybe even after someone else to come to this place again.
The daily concerns of the average immigrant may differ depending on personal interests and hobbies. The only thing that binds the majority of Russian-speaking immigrants from the former USSR is the desire to communicate with “their own”. In all more or less significant cities there are Russian-speaking communities. Starting with the famous Brighton Beach and ending with the insignificant RussianSLC, people want to communicate with their peers, speak Russian, and drink vodka in the end! So, leaving homeland, we do not forget Russian traditions, and the New Year is still the biggest holiday, even more than Christmas and birthday!
I apologize for all the grammatical and spelling errors made, because the language is forgotten very quickly, and learns very slowly. In general, I consider all my peers who came here just as I was a lost generation, because we are beginning to forget a great and powerful one, and we will never know the language of Hamlet and Shakespeare perfectly. And it doesn’t matter how good we are here, but sometimes we miss Russia anyway. Because the "mind does not understand" and "not measure a yard".
I publish at the request of mmmm1982 habraiser , which itself can not publish for the same reason as many other authors. Therefore, the plus signs - to him.
Further narration from his person.
')
It would seem: the USA is a country of emigrants, and no one has yet written about migration to the states! Although I am sure that Habré is full of people temporarily or permanently living in America.
My story is far from ideal and similar articles about successful relocation to Australia, Taiwan, Canada, etc.
But nonetheless…
Emigration process
Even 10 years ago, unrestrained crowds of people rushed to the United States to become part of the "American Dream". The country, completely founded by immigrants from other countries, did everything possible and impossible to restrict the flow of legal and non-legal immigrants. I, in turn, like many other students of the late 90s, went for the summer to earn money on a J-1 student visa. Freedom (first of all from parents) struck the 18-year-old kid in the head and didn’t even spend the money spent on the ticket, but having spent a good three months on the Atlantic coast, I decided to stay in the states. The decision came unexpectedly and very clearly: I want to be here! It was a tough 2001 and autumn came in the summer, and September 11 came in the fall, with which all hopes of legal emigration fell to dust. So I became an "illegal". In America, it is hard to legalize, especially if you already cross the line of the law; but it is not impossible. The main ways are to win a lottery, get married to a citizen of the country, ask for political asylum. There are many other ways, but they are not so popular and I will not talk about the lottery because I do not know all the details. So, if you marry an American, after a year (or so) of paperwork, you can get a residence permit - a green card is not citizenship, but only a permit for legal work and being in the country with all the ensuing consequences; and after 5 years you can already try to become a citizen. Political asylum is received according to my information by immigrants from Belarus and other countries with a totalitarian regime, gays, lesbians, Jews, pacifists and similar oppressed minorities.
So living here for more than 7 years, I received my residence permit only this year. I hope that this fact will not cause violent indignation, but will simply show how difficult the life of an emigrant can be far from the homeland.
Tongue
The fact that we are in school for a long time and persistently learn English - time thrown to the wind. Only when you come to an English-speaking country do you really understand how bad English is. And the matter is not even in the absence of vocabulary or grammar - the whole problem is in the correct pronunciation. You can be an English teacher in Moscow, but when people come to you, people simply don’t understand, because “this is the table” isn’t always “a matter of teabble”. According to my observations, 18 years old is a turning point, after which a foreigner will not be able to get rid of the accent and will always speak clumsily; but if a teenager came here at a young age, then there is a possibility that he will be able to speak both languages ​​perfectly, especially if there was an opportunity to go to school here and there.
There are of course exceptions. For example, if you live in Brooklyn, then you do not need to know English, because everyone already speaks Russian.
Job
Over the past six months, due to the economic crisis, the number of vacancies has decreased dramatically. Less and less you can hang the inscription “we are looking for workers”, but before that it hung on every store: front and back. The demand for specialists in a particular professional field has not fallen particularly, but now the selection process for applicants has become much more stringent. On the other hand, since I came here before the crisis, I have never had problems finding a job. The longest I've ever spent looking for a job is 3 days. It was always possible to find work without problems in a store, restaurant, hotel or similar service industry. Starting bid ~ $ 7 .. $ 8 / hour Now it is not so simple, but at least something can be found. I, in turn, all my life was interested in computers and everything connected with this, I was engaged in self-education. Only for this reason I managed to find a job in the technical support service without a diploma, and now, having changed several computer works, I have reached the database administrator.
Most employers do not know or do not pay attention to the legal status of an employee while he is working hard, and simply ask to bring a “photocopy” of a passport.
The standard of living in the United States varies greatly as in any country and may be cardinally opposite for two nearby people. You can see the homeless people hanging out next to Ferrari, parked at the store. I managed to live in very rich areas and in poor ones too, but I made one conclusion: diligence and hard work (for myself, for my uncle ..) brings reward.
Study
All higher education institutions in the United States are private and not sponsored by the state. The system of higher education makes me admired and is very effective. Prices for education range from $ 1,000 to $ 25,000 or more per semester, depending on the prestige of the university and the number of subjects studied. There is a whole system of state financial support for students (not universities!) Depending on their talents and financial situation. Today I had my first day of study in the last 8 years. I decided that due to the opportunity and obtaining legal status, I had to start learning again and finish university this time. I was given a state scholarship that completely covers tuition fees, and even a little remains.
In general, local education can be talked about a lot and persistently, and there were already comparative posts on this topic on Habré, but I will not go into details.
Prices
On average, prices are probably comparable to Moscow. The main items of expenditure are housing and utility bills. In big cities like New York, even tiny apartments cost big money and the price of a small room can be as high as $ 700 a month or more. At the moment I rent a 3-room apartment (2 bedrooms and a common room) for $ 860 / month and I think that this is not very bad. By utilities, I mean electricity ~ $ 35 .. $ 40 / month, gas ~ $ 30 .. $ 100 (in winter) / month, sewage and water supply ~ $ 22 / month, mobile phones ~ $ 70 .. $ 80 / month for two, dedicated Internet ~ $ 50 , insurance on the car ~ $ 25 / month. The 91st gasoline now costs ~ $ .67 / liter and, with a moderate ride, winds up $ 60 .. $ 70 / month. Any products are cheaper than anywhere else in Russia, and if you don’t bluntly, you can cost $ 400 .. $ 500 / month for a family of 3 people.
Nature
As a patriot of my homeland, I can’t say anything bad about Russian nature, but the uncharted, pristine, pure, wild nature of North America that has been mastered in just the past couple of centuries has fascinated me with its beauty. The local hinterland does not have a multi-thousand-year history of settlement, as it happened in Europe. Moreover, almost 400 national reserves are scattered throughout the country, some of which are comparable in size to any small European country that is under state protection. So the potential for outdoor recreation is huge, the photos of wild life are incredibly beautiful, and the attitude towards it is incredibly respectful: you will never find plastic bottles or beer cans left after a picnic. Any self-respecting person will clean up after himself, or maybe even after someone else to come to this place again.
A life
The daily concerns of the average immigrant may differ depending on personal interests and hobbies. The only thing that binds the majority of Russian-speaking immigrants from the former USSR is the desire to communicate with “their own”. In all more or less significant cities there are Russian-speaking communities. Starting with the famous Brighton Beach and ending with the insignificant RussianSLC, people want to communicate with their peers, speak Russian, and drink vodka in the end! So, leaving homeland, we do not forget Russian traditions, and the New Year is still the biggest holiday, even more than Christmas and birthday!
Conclusion
I apologize for all the grammatical and spelling errors made, because the language is forgotten very quickly, and learns very slowly. In general, I consider all my peers who came here just as I was a lost generation, because we are beginning to forget a great and powerful one, and we will never know the language of Hamlet and Shakespeare perfectly. And it doesn’t matter how good we are here, but sometimes we miss Russia anyway. Because the "mind does not understand" and "not measure a yard".
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/59912/
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