4 significant advantages of living in New York: the experience of a Ukrainian immigrant

Actress Tatyana Rodina immigrated to the United States in 2011. Over the nine years of her life in New York, she has accumulated a lot of experience, which she shares with subscribers on YouTube channel "Cinema, Wine and Dominoes."

1. Constant availability of hot and cold water in homes

When Tatyana lived in Ukraine, there were frequent interruptions in the water supply in her native Luhansk. “We haven't had hot water in our house for 15 years. And it was not only a problem for our house, but for the whole neighborhood, ”she recalls.

Therefore, many installed autonomous heating and boilers. But the capacity of the boilers is not large enough for all family members to have enough hot water, so they often had to wait for it to heat up again. “I lived like this for a long time,” said Tatiana.

When she gave birth to a child, she faced a new problem: there was no money for diapers, and she had to wash the diapers. “And imagine, I have no water. Generally. It was a disaster, ”says the Ukrainian.

When she moved to New York, she was able to truly appreciate the constant presence of hot and cold water in the taps. “It was a holiday for me,” admits Tatiana.

Even now, when she visits friends in Kiev, she often faces a lack of hot water. In New York, in the event of a breakdown, people are notified several weeks in advance of the planned repair. At the same time, they clearly indicate the time when it will take place, they bring a lot of apologies for the temporary inconvenience. “It happens so rarely, and they try to fix the situation during the day or even several hours during the day, when people are at work,” she said.

2. House managers

The presence of managers in homes (from the English. Supervisor, in America they are called "supers") - another significant advantage of living in New York. “Every multi-storey building has a person who watches over this building. He removes the trash and solves all the problems of the tenants. For example, if something happens to you, you don't think about who to call or write to. You go to the super, ”explained the Ukrainian.

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Such elementary problems as replacing a burned-out light bulb (and for older people this can be a difficult task) are solved by the manager. If there is a more serious problem requiring the intervention of a specialist, then it is the super that notifies the landlord (English landlord - "the owner of the building"). “It can be a private owner who owns a house, or a group of people (cooperatives),” the author explained. - So, the super turns to the landlord, and he should already solve your problem.

If the landlord cannot solve the problem, then you need to call 311. “And your problem will be solved instantly,” says the author. - I love it. I know that both in Russia and in Ukraine the ZhEK (housing maintenance office. - Ed.) - this is such an office in which it is very difficult to get through and get something from them. "

3. Repairs

Repairs in New York are carried out as quickly as possible, accurately and without causing unnecessary inconvenience to people. “We arrived, dug everything locally, did everything right there, buried it, sowed grass again, planted flowers. If it is asphalt, then the asphalt was quickly laid, rolled up. In short, you will never say that something was repaired here a day ago, ”the author notes.

When she lived in Ukraine, everything was completely different. “I remember changing the pipes in front of our house. They dug them up, and then they stood there for a month and a half, and no one did anything. As a result, those pipes were simply buried. There was so much dirt that it was impossible to enter the entrance, ”Tatiana shares her memories.

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After Hurricane Sandy, many parts of New York were devastated. The city restored everything in just two weeks. “The first thing that was restored was the metro. At first, water appeared in the houses, then electricity, and then it was already warm, ”Tatiana recalls. "If it happened in Russia or Ukraine, I can't even imagine how long it would take to restore it."

4. Small business environment

In Ukraine, Tatiana was a private entrepreneur. “I haven’t even had time to open up yet, everyone has already come to me: both the tax authorities and the firemen. If you open a restaurant, the sanitary station also comes to you. That is, you haven't earned a penny yet, but they have already come to you with a bunch of checks. At least before, when I lived there, we had it like that, '' she recalls. - Here, in America, when you open a small business, no one bothers you for two years. You are given time to develop so that you start earning some money. And then, perhaps, there will be some kind of check. "

The conditions for doing business in the United States are so comfortable that some even take advantage of it. For example, they open a company, turn around some schemes, and two years later (before the check comes up) they close the business. And then they open a new enterprise, and everything repeats itself.

“My life in New York has become much more comfortable compared to how I lived before. I have only talked about four points, but in fact this list consists of forty-four points. So it will be continued, ”the Ukrainian woman summed up.