Living in Manhattan: Myths and Reality of the American Dream
'14.05.2018'
Source: bit.ua
Ukrainian Anastasia Ivanova is the winner and prize-winner of the XNUMXth International Exhibition Ukrainian Art Week “Topology of Contemporary Art”. It turned out that she lives in New York and flew to Ukraine for a week. Edition bit.ua I managed to learn from Anastasia what it was like to dream of conquering New York with basic skills of using Photoshop, and through 2 of the year to win the prestigious international competition.
ABOUT MOVING
I moved to New York 2 a year ago to study design. At that time she lived in Kiev, she studied at the Faculty of Economics of the KNU. Shevchenko and worked on the position digital-marketing-specialist. My responsibility was to create small promo websites, I liked it, and when marketing got bored, I decided to study web design / web development. I found a certified program in the US for the 3 semester - and left.
Before that, I had never been to the USA, moreover - in an English-speaking country, but I was not afraid at all until I got on a plane. I flew for the first time and dreamed that the flight would last longer.
I had a small room with all kinds of furniture, a bathroom and a kitchen on the other floor — I saw it all, called my mother, said that I was fine, hung up the phone and started to cry.
But everything went well - and here I am in New York. The university hostel did not give, so I found a private organization that provided me, as a student, a hostel for the first semester - it occupied several floors in a hotel in the center of Manhattan. I had a small room with all kinds of furniture, a bathroom and a kitchen on the other floor — I saw it all, called my mother, said that I was fine, hung up the phone and started to cry. I came to myself only an hour later, when I realized that I had neither a pillow nor a blanket - I had to gather my strength and go to the store.
The hostel was located on 34-th street - one of the central streets of Manhattan. I went out and realized that after a couple of blocks - Empire State Building, - and immediately calmed down. At that moment, in spite of everything, I did not want to go back.
ABOUT STUDY
In fact, my program was a full-time evening course. She was called Computer Graphics and lasted for the 3 semester, there were several directions and I chose web design / web development. At that moment I did not understand the difference between them, I only knew how to crop the picture in Photoshop, I knew the basics of coding (HTML and CSS) and thought that I would study just that, but when I started learning, I suddenly learned that designers make websites in Photoshop or Sketch. We chose classes ourselves, and I took a graphic design class, then motion graphics.
Many of my colleagues received a degree in Finish Arts or design, and at the time of release their level was much higher than mine. But study was ten times more expensive.
In our group there were approximately equally American and foreigners. The study was completely different than in Ukraine. Everything was in practice - and work in the classroom, and homework, and projects instead of exams. The relationship between teachers and students struck me - we addressed them by name, they easily went to the contact, sometimes even swore at lectures and no one paid attention to it.
ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE CITY
I arrived in New York in early January, and the first lesson was actually a month later. All this month I did not know anyone and just walked the streets alone. I am an introvert, it was difficult for me to find friends, but, on the other hand, I was comfortable with one thing - I watched people, walked around the city, constantly called friends and parents on the messenger. I felt like a heroine of the film, which came to conquer America - I reviewed all the films about New York, listened to all the songs.
Most of all in New York I like energy and people - they work a lot and are very sincere.
Now I spend my free time either with Ukrainians or with other immigrants. There are no close friends among Americans because they are hard to let themselves to. But at the same time I have good relations with my colleagues, who are practically all Americans.
ABOUT DIFFICULTIES IN THE NEW ENVIRONMENT
I was well prepared for TOEFL, I watched movies and TV shows in English and decided that I knew everything, but I came to New York and realized that the actors had a speech, and in reality everything was completely different. Since the locals in New York are less than half, the biggest problem was accents - for several months I could not get used to it. But there is a plus - I did not worry about my accent at all.
It is still sometimes difficult for me in the subway - a very complicated scheme, many crossings, trains go in different directions and stop at different stations. And in restaurants it is necessary to take into account the tip: 20% - if it was normal, 25% - if you liked it and 15% - if you didn't like it. And in the city it is very dirty - you get used to it over time, but I would very much like less garbage.
I really miss the old architecture, so I miss Kiev and Lviv insanely. And also by parents, mother's meatballs and friends.
I rarely travel around the USA - at first there was no money, but now there is no time. I like the country, but it is new, and if the building is 200 years old, then this is history. I really miss the old architecture, so I miss Kiev and Lviv insanely. The last time I came a year ago, but when I studied, I traveled more often - there was nothing to do on holidays, but I could not work because of a student visa. In the first semester as a student, you cannot work at all, in the second - on campus or party time, and it is prohibited to work during non-academic periods. After graduation, there is the possibility of an internship - on the same student visa. I am now at this stage.
ABOUT NEW YORKIANS
Distinguishing a New Yorker from an American is very simple - it's like people from different countries. Outside the city there are exactly the houses and lawns that are shown in the films, people are slower, everyone has cars, they have a standard working day and family. In New York, even with a marriage in a different way: people create families later, work long hours, have children late, and then move to Brooklyn, because there is much calmer there. If you go out of town and compare New Yorkers with the locals, you realize that they are atypical Americans in general - if they don’t like something, they will tell you about it in person, but they will always help and absolutely sincerely compliment the street.
Distinguishing a New Yorker from an American is very simple - it's like people from different countries.
Most of what we see in New York TV shows is not true. Firstly, New Yorkers do not have so much free time - I thought that in Ukraine I worked a lot, but no, here the pace is several times higher. Everything, as in the TV series "Friends", live with rooms because they cannot afford their own housing, but they rent very small apartments, and not for a few rooms. A journalist who publishes one article a week, as in “Sex and the City”, cannot afford such an apartment, so many shoes and free time. New Yorkers generally work a lot, but due to the fact that everyone goes to the goals and no one complains, there is no burnout.
Ukrainians in New York have their own community, but it so happens that I do not communicate with them - they mostly live in Brooklyn and work together. And I went to work in the American company, to learn the language and culture, and I live far enough.
ABOUT YOUR AMERICAN DREAM
I always wanted to do visual effects, work in post-production. Even in Izmail, I watched a program about artists - the authors of the eagle, on which Gandalf flew from The Lord of the Rings. I admired them, but did not even know that it was possible to learn this.
While I do not have the feeling of a realized American dream, I think I have achieved too little.
Now I work in a small creative agency and live in Manhattan. My work is related to installation and motion graphics - It turned out quite not as I planned when I flew to New York. While I do not have the feeling of a realized American dream, I think I have achieved too little. But just going in the direction of your goal.
When I was 18, I decided that I wanted to work in advertising, and found a list of the best agencies - among them was Leo burnettwhich I liked because of the pencil in branding. Their office is in New York, and I really wanted to work there - I remembered that after the move. At such moments, I think that I, a girl from Ishmael, could not even dream of living in New York, and yet I get something - 2 a year ago I didn’t know anything, but now my ads are shown on national television in USA. Sometimes I just don't believe in it.
List of places in New York where to go:
- West Village area. Very quiet and cozy district in Lower Manhattan, very much like Europe: narrow streets, lots of greenery, porches and shutters on all windows.
- Park Highline. The place is quite touristy, but very atmospheric. At an altitude of 10 meters above the ground, on the site of an abandoned elevated railway, a park was made 2 km long.
- Gantry Plaza State Park. The promenade in the area of Long Island City, in Queens. Here is the most beautiful view of Manhattan, and tourists practically do not know about this place.
- Bleeker Street Pizza. Pizza is very, very tasty, and New York is just famous for its pizza.
- Stone Street. One of the oldest streets in New York, to which, too, for some reason, tourists do not reach. On the first floors of all houses - very noisy Irish and German bars.
