A Little Later than Columbus…
America… Lots of people dream about exploring this country. So did
I. In my childhood the most desired trip was to New York City. The city attracted me with
a taste of freedom, the greatness and magnificence of its famous skyscrapers. But it was
just a dream; I didn’t know then that it would come true in the nearest future.
When I was a second-year student I got to know about the “Work and
Travel” program, which offered students a chance to go to the USA for 3–4 months to
work for American companies in a field of service and after that to travel around the
country. Lots of Russian-speaking students go to the States every summer. This year over
22,000 people participated in “Work and Travel”. And what is more exciting, a visit to
the United States can be absolutely free or even profitable. I got excited. My dream can
happen, yeah… So I started collecting information about the procedure of applying to the
program, as well as reviews and comments of participants, etc. When I got my parents’
permission, I applied to one of Moscow’s agencies, which helped students get a visa and
other necessary documents, passed an English proficiency interview, and became a “Work
and Travel” USA participant. By the end of spring 2005, I already had a visa, a job
offer at a beach store on the Atlantic coast, and air tickets from Moscow–New York.
My America trip started with trouble. It was really cold
and raining hard in the place I was supposed to go to. In June 2005 many employers
didn’t hire students, saying something like “Come back in a few weeks; we are not
interested now, sorry”. Guys were coming and coming, there was no job and no place to
live; money was going to end soon. So many of them decided to catch their American dream
somewhere else and left the city. My friend Ruslan and I knew the situation in advance and
decided not to tempt fortune. When we arrived in NY, I called our sponsoring organization
office and asked for support. They found positions for us in a supermarket in a small
town, Somers Point, New Jersey. Nobody knew about that city; we couldn’t find it on the
map, and were really worried. It was about 9 p.m., we were in the centre of that fast
moving and crowded New York. We hung around with heavy bags, being tired after a 9-hour
flight, and a little bit disorientated by the difference in time. But my eyes were wide
open and I felt really excited. “My America; it has started. I’m here, in the capital
of the world as I dreamed. I’m practically alone 7000 km away from home; don’t know
what to do and where to go. But I’ll do it, everything’s gonna be all right,
definitely”.
 The summer of 2006 I succeeded in working as a cook in a good seafood
restaurant. I like cooking, did it well, and eventually became the head of a department
with 3 workers as subordinates. Also, I worked in a supermarket as a slicer, executing
customers’ orders for lunchmeat, cheeses and salads. As my major is trade, it was useful
to work in American retail. I worked in that place two summers in a row and it was a place
where I met people whom I can call my “American family”.
The most fascinating thing in America is communication with native
speakers. Everyone who comes to the States has the aim to improve their English, to see
how Americans live and why they are so rich.
First of all they look different (facial expressions, manners, styles
in clothes) and they think differently. Practically everyone has heard about the famous
American smile. It’s true, they always smile; it’s a tradition. Sometimes you meet an
unknown girl, she looks at you like you are the best man in her life. You can count all 32
shining teeth in her mouth – excellent job of a dentist. In most cases that smile means
nothing, you can sometimes notice how a smiling person turns around and suddenly becomes
indifferent. Some Russians get irritated by that artificial sign of friendship, but I
think that the American open smile is better than the grey and angry faces of our society.
You get used to it, smile in response, and the exchange of smiles sometimes really
improves your mood.
In general, Americans like Russian students who come to the USA for the
summer. They are good hosts and friends and ready to help. American guys are crazy about
Russian girls. Our ladies are usually slender, dress tastefully, wear make-up and what is
exotic, they behave like natural women, without the desire to be equal with men in
everything. They are very interested in everything surrounding them, active, smart, like
to have fun, and very sexy. Americans go crazy. All my American friends say they are in
love with Russian girls and especially like that charming Russian accent.
Concerning American girls, I would say they are not so great: too
emancipated, think simply, have poor taste in clothes, and eat too many hamburgers.
“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, life is plastic, it’s fantastic” – that
song of the band Aqua is about lots of American girls.
The young generation of Americans lives with the slogan “Sex, drugs
and rock’n’roll”. They usually have no goals to reach, have no will to know more and
try themselves; they are interested just in fun. Lots of them don’t want to get an
education. It’s very expensive in the US and not really necessary, because you can live
well and work without it. It’s easy to take a loan in a bank, buy a house, several cars,
all you need, and pay for it your whole life. It’s a typical American dream.
Don’t think that all Americans are exactly as I described. There are
lots of exceptions, you meet really nice, smart and interesting people of both genders. I
also became close with some mature people, who have interesting life experiences to share.
The majority of Americans has never left North America. They live in
their comfortable world and don’t care about stuff surrounding them. They are sure the
USA is the best place on earth and everybody wants to stay here. When you answer “No”
to the question “Do you wanna stay here???”, they look very surprised. I usually say
America gave me a significant life experience. I realized who I am and what I am worth,
but I don’t want to live here forever because of the different mentality. I don’t feel
myself at home there, I always would be an alien, because America is for Americans. It
would be cool to get an education in an American college or business school, to live in
Russia, and make business trips to the States from time to time.
There were light and dark times for me in America; sometimes I was
really strained, tired of the endless routine of work, but now I remember only the good
moments.
Night by the Atlantic Ocean walking along the beach – it’s an
incredible feeling of freedom, when you forget about all your troubles and are happy like
a child.
New York, New York, I will never forget its busy streets, traffic,
highest buildings, lights and advertising everywhere, the Statue of Liberty (that is
actually not so high) and certainly the Empire State Building. I’ve been to the top 3
times and if I go to NY once again, I will go back: a huge megalopolis, stone jungles that
never sleep, are like on the palm of your hand; it’s unforgettable. Green parks, museums
and monuments of Washington, DC; a touch of history in Philadelphia, first capital of the
USA; the charm of New England in Boston, the outstanding student atmosphere of Harvard
University; the power of nature of Niagara Falls, when you are completely wet but feel
wild enthusiasm; lots of other places, people, things. They are in my mind and heart.
That’s my America, and I discovered it not so long ago, a little bit later than
Columbus.
By Alex Zotov
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