MYTH ONE: "LEAVING IS EASY"
In the past year, it has become more difficult. The reason is not even that there are more Indians or Chinese who work just as well but demand less. Requirements and visa quotas have tightened. Lawyers who handle work visas for America charge a decent amount for processing documents – several thousand dollars, although their work is to competently write a petition about the candidate's merits and fill out a few papers. Getting a work permit is difficult; more precisely, if you don't have acquaintances on the other side, your chances are almost zero.
MYTH TWO: "ABOUT EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES"
They may be smarter, but their knowledge often does not help them. Their ingenuity is not repaid by their social maladjustment.
This maladjustment is connected to previous experience, and nothing can be done about it. People, for example, are not used to paying for themselves. They are not used to what is called "privacy" in America, to the fact that in America it is appropriate to say "excuse me" even if you did not push someone in transport, but simply accidentally touched them. People are not used to remembering everything about themselves: insurance numbers, phone numbers, access codes, accounts, licenses – all that might be needed in the most unexpected places. My wallet bulges with various cards; sometimes I want to throw them all away. You have to become overgrown with some unimaginable bureaucracy. You cannot get used to it; you can only adapt a little so that your "otherness" does not stand out. If you are over seven years old, it is not worth trying to break yourself.
MYTH THREE: "STAYING IS EASY"
A work visa is valid for three years. It can be extended for another three. By the end of this period, you either need to pack your bags or get a "green card." To do this, you need to go through several more agencies, which is now again more difficult. This is due to the large influx of immigrants from Mexico and Asian countries.
The easiest way to stay is to marry a "native." Work visa holders are in the most unenviable position when obtaining green cards. Of course, it also depends on the state – in California, where there are countless immigrants, getting a "green card" is harder than in the Midwest. On a work visa, your family members can come with you. As a rule, they are not allowed to work.
MYTH FOUR: "LIVING IN CALIFORNIA IS EASY AND PLEASANT"
It is pleasant to be in the Valley, rather than anywhere else in America. Working is interesting, but you should understand in advance what you want to do. Americans work much less frantically than our people. This is probably due to the peculiarity of education: theirs consists of routine memorization plus in-depth study of one subject. Our education is more fundamental but less practical. I gained a lot of new knowledge during my work. I think working in the Valley is useful, even if you do not plan to live there long.
It remains to add that out of two dozen of my acquaintances, only one could not settle properly in San Francisco. But even he seems to be getting by now.
AMERICAN DREAM
"Russian American Dream" is not quite the same as the "American Dream" in the original. As a rule, initially Russians' desires focus on satisfying material wants – a car, a house, credit cards.
CAR. Driving a car there is not at all like driving one here. Americans drive slower and more carefully, and most importantly, you need to remember that "greasing the palm" of an American policeman is impossible. I took the driving test five times and know that this is not the limit.
CREDIT CARDS. They are very convenient, but you should not get carried away with spending on credit. It is better to pay credit bills immediately. When you make purchases, it is useful to keep receipts – in case some error occurs or, worse, theft. The optimal way to use a card is to pay for everything immediately, since interest increases with delayed payments. Cards that require paying over 15% per year are robbery, and it is better not to use them. It is convenient to have several cards of different systems, but even then you must remember that debts will have to be repaid. In general, living on credit is a popular idea in America. Credit oppresses you until you start perceiving credit payments not as debt but as... rent.
HOUSE. You can rent it or buy it. To rent housing, you need a guarantee from your employer. The cost of housing depends on the state: in California, for example, prices are astronomical. It is considered normal to spend from a third to half of your salary on housing. That is a lot of money, but everything else, except the car, is cheap. The main thing is not to try to live luxuriously from the start; it still won't work. A studio in San Francisco can be rented for about $700; a one-bedroom apartment costs a little over a thousand. The most expensive housing is in a good suburb: there is full electronic equipment, gira switches, and plumbing is in order. Changing housing is a big loss of money because rental prices rise. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy housing than to rent. An apartment will cost at least $100, a house in the suburbs $200, and a house in the city from $300 thousand. A standard mortgage for buying a house is 6.5-7.55% for 30 years.
ABOUT THE SAD: LONELINESS
Living in the Russian community without trying to "integrate and dissolve" into American society is, of course, wrong and boring. But you need to get to know Americans carefully. Do not overestimate their cordial reaction – most likely, they do not want to be friends with you as much as you want. If people talk to you on the street, if you manage to chat about trivialities in a cafe you usually visit, that is already something. It helped me that I settled in the city from the very beginning, not in the Valley, where people live in separate houses, drive to work and the store, and do not go out much. At first, I just rode buses and watched people, observed how they live. It is easier to meet someone in a bar, cafe, disco, or possibly at a stadium.
Meeting girls is a separate story. The pose of male superiority is inappropriate there. They most likely have no less money than you, and probably more. You can meet a girl, just start talking, even on a bus, without any tension. They can show great spontaneity regarding physical love; it can even be shocking: it is quite possible that after meeting a girl in a bar, you will immediately go to your place. But in the morning she will get up and leave without asking for your phone number, and not at all because she is a "prostitute." American women are uninhibited, but not more accessible because of that. More often, our programmers bring Kyiv wives with them. They rarely marry American women.
PROGRAMMER'S WIFE
She learns to drive a car to go shopping herself. That is a joke with a grain of truth. The situation where a wife has to stay home because she cannot go anywhere on her own is terrible. Until the wife has a car, it is better to live in a city with public transport. Again, when I talk about the city, I mean San Francisco, because most American cities are not pedestrian-friendly. Many "programmers' wives" start studying somewhere, but problems usually remain.
ABOUT THE PLEASANT: ENTERTAINMENT
Bus trips to casinos are especially popular among the local population. A Kyiv grandmother I knew, a former homeopath, was involved in such business: once a week she went to Las Vegas and then told how much she managed to win. Many go skiing in the mountains (an overnight trip costs about a hundred dollars) or just to nature – nearby are mountains, the ocean, huge parks.
My most intense sensations are related to flying in an airplane. I was in the air for a little less than an hour, and I was even allowed to "take the controls." To get a license and actually fly a plane, you need to log 30-40 hours and pass an exam.
COLT .45 CALIBER
The right to kill another is an integral part of American democracy, and you need to be ready to exercise it. I went to practice at a shooting range. You need to bring identification documents (driver's license). The time spent at the range, after renting a weapon, is unlimited. Targets are either "human" figures or wooden circles. The whole pleasure costs a few dozen dollars. I shot a Colt .45 caliber. The first thing those who come to my home see is a target stuck in a prominent place, in which, oddly enough, most hits are in the center.
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