Millions of people arrive to this
country every year, and despite all the negative things we see or hear about the United
States, more and more are coming. They come for a better life and better opportunities.What are the
things that charm everyone that first arrives here and at the same time what can make them feel extremely sad, lonely and even hate the new "country fellows'? Here is the story of one Russian immigrant.
First you think that you arrived in a paradise on earth. Everything is so clean, neat, comfortable. Food is available everywhere at any time at the very affordable price. Everyone smiles. No one is rude or angry. They (Americans) say "please", "excuse me", and "thank you" all the time. There are hardly any lines, but if there are some,
people keep the distance and you don't have to feel someone's belly pushing your back, or the opposite. Even if you make very little money compared to most Americans, you can buy food, clothes and have your basic needs satisfied; the little paycheck will keep you going. Nobody will push you (if it happens accidentally, they will apologize) or insult you at the bank, store, doctor's office, etc. In other words, you feel like a human after being neglected and insulted many times at all those places in Russia, where a hairdresser can tell you something like,"You want volume?! Give me a break, you have three feathers on your head, what kind of volume are you talking about?" The nurse at the hospital before making an injection may say to you," I need your ass closer". But once you get used to all the "good stuff", things start getting different and you become sober. Something that will cause confusion and even shock is the way coworkers interact with one another. Every attempt is being made to avoid confrontation, therefore informing the supervisor (boss) about another person's mistakes and errors is storngly encouraged. In Russia it has always been considered as something shameful and indecent. But you get used to it and eventually stop feeling betrayed.
Making friends is another tough thing for a Russian immigrant. Here friends socialize to have fun and relax together, to go out for dinner, take a trip somewhere, etc. It's great, but what about simply talking about your day, sharing your troubles and worries, success and happiness? People are usually too busy for that. If someone plays golf with another person once a month, that's friendship. If anybody goes to the restaurant with somebody every other month, that's friendship too. And don't get surprized, if after socializing with a person for a certain period of time whom you considered a friend,you stop hearing from, unless you call yourself and remind about yourself. They stop hanging out with you because "things became too hectic". People always ask each other "How are you?" when they don't care at all, and if, by mistake, you start telling them how you are, they will give you a look like you are "not quite there".
Finally, the most negative revelation for me was how easily people get fired, or "let go",how they put it. You arrive at work as usual, and hear the news that you don't belong there anymore. There was no indication of such a possibility or any warning prior to you job loss whatsoever; simply "in our situation
we (the supervisor) can't keep you here anymore". You can't complain to anybody about it because they have a right to hire and to fire anytime.
You may say,"if you feel this way, go back to Russia".It's not that easy. As time goes, your new country becomes your second motherland and you love it just as much as your birth country. You start accepting things the way they are and just try to do your best to make adjustments. After all, it's up to you to be a happy person. You can be happy anywhere if you want.