Why I left New York
'27.03.2019'
Source: Elena Bazu
For a year of living in New York, I changed my view on many things. Previously, I was a naive, not knowing emigrant person, constantly admiring the Empire State Building and enjoying my work immensely, but over time everything changed, writes Elena Bazu in her copyright blog. Despite the fact that the office offered me a new work contract, I still decided to leave America. Why did this happen?
Work
New York gives many opportunities, and I appreciate the experience that I gained here. However, office work, even if it is in New York, is not for me. I am too freedom-loving person, and I do not intend to lock myself in the four walls.
Rent
New York is a very expensive city. Half of my salary was spent on renting a room (!) In Brooklyn. Of course, it would be possible to find a job with a higher salary, but this would only encourage me to rent an apartment, the rent of which would “eat up” half of my monthly salary. Probably, many will object to this that one can stay in a room to save money. Yes you can, but what's the point? What for years to be cramped in a small room and sleep on a mattress?
Medicine
For me personally, medicine in the United States is not available. Yes, I have insurance, but it does not cover all costs for medical services, and often have to pay out of pocket. And the prices here still bite!
Consultation with a doctor costs 200 dollars, and treatment or a small operation costs fabulous money.
Our compatriots solve this problem by traveling home every six months to be examined by different doctors. But for me, this is not the level of self-care I was used to.
Beauty service
Accustomed to the high quality of service in beauty salons in the CIS, our compatriots are horrified by what is happening in New York: the lack of a good manicure and pedicure, questionable styling, incredible prices for body and face treatments (from 200 dollars and above).
For a whole year of living in New York, I did not dare to visit a hairdresser!
The only way out of this situation was to turn to Russian-speaking girls, as a rule, living on Brighton Beach.
Friends
I have many friends in New York, but not friends. Usually acquaintance with Americans turns into an interview - always the same questions: “Where are you from?”, “And how are you?”, Etc. The thing is that we do not have a common background (common cultural points of contact ). I didn’t want to get into the Russian diaspora either - to be friends only because you speak the same language is a dubious pleasure for me. Realizing how many people are waiting for me in Kiev, and how I miss everyone, I decided to return home. For a year, I realized that we are not happy with the cities, but the people around me — my friends and relatives are in Kiev.
Language
Once I condemned the emigrants in their desire to speak their native language, and now I understood how much I lack this. English is not my native language, and it is not always easy for me to understand the intonation of the speaker. Of course, I speak English and understand the meaning of what was said to my interlocutors, but not their feelings. Maybe I need more time, since I know some of our guys who are absolutely comfortable with making new English-speaking friends and only communicate with them.
People around
I only share my perception of what is happening and do not pretend to be objective. At first, I was fascinated that people in New York were open, they were easy to get in touch with, easily acquainted. But after a while, I began to notice that I felt uncomfortable among these people: they are not bad, they are just different.
I love New York, it's beautiful. You feel freedom and opportunities here, but this city is not for me. To understand this, it took me a year. Some of my acquaintances who have been in New York for only a week are surprised by my action: “How could you leave such a magical city ?!”. To such statements, I reply that tourism and emigration are two completely different experiences.
