Belarus after 14 years of living in New York told what the Big Apple tastes like

Alexander Begansky from Belarus lived in New York for 14 years. He decided to share his story by telling about the first years of his life in the USA: about adaptation and people, about his favorite places, and also about how he managed to visit many countries thanks to his work. Details shared by the magazine "Big".

About moving

Alexander decided to move to New York without a specific goal. “I went because my mother lived there,” he explained. She emigrated to the States even earlier, and they have not seen each other for a long time. Although he still had one goal: he wanted to look at another world.

Alexander spent most of his life in the United States in New York. Only eight months he lived in Nevada, in the town of Reno. “It is also called the smallest biggest city in the world - this is a small casino town. Employers called me there: they were moving their business to a place with more favorable tax policy - and I am following them, ”he explained.

Alexander said that in Belarus he studied law, but did not manage to graduate from the university. After moving, he did not continue his education, because "he smelled American money and simply plunged into earnings."

About adaptation in the USA

The first time after the move, he admits, was difficult and wanted to return to Belarus. Therefore, he earned money in the United States, and then returned to his homeland and lounged for 3-4 months. Friends pulled him back, and from a new place of residence drove difficulties and loneliness.

Alexander did not speak English before moving. Therefore, finding himself in the United States was not easy for him. “At first, I talked mainly with Belarusian emigrants. After some time, I got a job in a company where English-speaking people worked, and my circle of contacts expanded, ”he recalls.

Many Russian-speakers, Alexander noted, after moving to New York settle in their community - not far from Brighton Beach. These people, as a rule, are in no hurry to learn English and integrate into local life. “People are cooking in their little worlds-towns, which they have built for themselves, - said Alexander. “But I didn’t see the point in such a move.”

About work in America

Living in the States, Alexander changed many jobs: he was a waiter, worked in the advertising business, at a construction site with Poles in Manhattan and was engaged in many other things.

His first job was helped by his acquaintances, who were paid little. “I got a job at the Georgian restaurant Pirosmani. Niko Pirosmani is a famous primitivist painter. His reproductions hung on the walls, and a Georgian audience sat in the restaurant. It was interesting to encounter their culture. They know how to walk! " - Alexander shares.

He also worked for a disc production company. “Organizations conducting seminars sent us files. And we recorded training programs on disks, made a beautiful cover, ”he said.

For five years Alexander worked at the airport, for Delta Air Lines. “We followed the air corridors and baggage lines - this is a whole automated city. I had a large insurance package and fly benefits. If there are free seats on the company's flights, then employees can fly almost free of charge. Only on international flights you have to pay a small airport tax, ”said Alexander. Thanks to this work, Alexander flew somewhere every second week, often in business class. “On the internal website, I tracked the occupancy of the flight, came to the airport and waited for all the passengers to take their seats. I flew all over America, the Caribbean, I was in Barcelona, ​​Berlin, Venice, Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, ”he recalls.

He noted that if he had not lived in New York, he would have chosen San Diego - the climate and rhythm of life in which he is "very pleased".

About the places and atmosphere of New York

Today Alexander continues his life in the Big Apple. Here, despite the frantic pace of life and the huge number of people, you can easily find calm and unusual places to retire, he says. “I have two favorite neighborhoods, Red Hook in Brooklyn and Havanus, which are former industrial centers,” he said. “Red Hook used to have a harbor area and the cranes that unloaded ships were equipped with red hooks. Hence the name of the region. And Havanus got its name from the channel of the same name, which is located there. In old American films, this is where the Italian gangsters dumped their bodies. "

Alexander also loved the once industrial center - Williamsburg, which, according to him, is now a very expensive and fashionable place, which is why it has lost its former atmosphere. “These areas are somewhat similar to our Oktyabrskaya Street. There are a couple of places where you can take a walk, drink beer and even smoke in the backyard, ”he added.

Summer in New York is unbearably hot, the temperature is constantly around + 35 ° C, and the humidity is above 80%. The only salvation is to go to the ocean. Alexander said that on weekends, everyone usually travels to Coney Island, Long Island or Brighton Beach. “There is a subway to Brighton Beach, the beach is littered with people and the water is dirty. We prefer swimming at Breezy Point, an open ocean with clear water. All Williamsburg hipsters come there on bicycles, ”he said.

Access to the ocean is via Bedford Avenue. This is Brooklyn's longest street. It is interesting because driving through it you can see how people of all nationalities live - from Jews to Russians.

About people

Americans, according to Alexander, are very open people. It's easy to find a common language with them, even if you are not yet fluent in English. In this case, the Americans will listen to you and will not correct you, unlike those who are not a native speaker - they will certainly point out your flaw. “Then people develop a dog complex when you understand everything, but are afraid to speak,” Alexander explained.

He also pointed out the difference between Americans and Belarusians. Americans, he said, are more relaxed because they have fewer problems, they are better protected socially, and they have more financial opportunities. “Therefore, in communication it is more relaxed and welcoming. An American may not know you, but at the same time he will easily invite you to an after-party, ”he said.

The doors to American homes are also open to everyone. “Once on Halloween we got to some unreal party. All the lofts in the building were open - you could go to the home of New Yorkers, everyone treated you to something, ”Alexander recalls.

About New York

New York is a multinational city, people from different countries live here. And this, according to Alexander, is his problem. After all, every resident of the city has its own understanding of culture, "which often borders on lack of culture and lack of education."

“I don’t want to talk about the behavior of Russian emigrants - and without them there are enough examples. I talked with people from the Caribbean, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic - they have problems with the culture of behavior, - said Alexander. “They don’t clean up the trash after themselves, they just throw everything out on the street, they think that someone should clean it up after them. I have lost more than one acquaintance, simply because I asked: "Pick up, take away, please, behind you." And they answered me: "Come on, Alex!"

The Belarusian also said that he had clashes with African Americans more than once, who today feel quite free in New York. “They got all the rights to live like whites, but they don't want to. They are more suited to sit on social programs, - he said, adding that in New York in this regard - "explicit socialism."

The whole problem is that for people who earn little, the state provides everything necessary - medicine, food cards, affordable housing. Therefore, many African Americans live off such programs and are not going to change anything. At the same time, Belarus noted, if someone reproaches them for something, they immediately answer: “Is it because I'm black?”

On the subject: Belarus in New York: about living in the hipster district itself and finding yourself

“I remember once I met a group of African Americans on the street. They told me: “You white people can live anywhere, but not here. What are you doing in our area? " In such a situation, it is better to just ignore them, and not get into a skirmish, ”advises Alexander.

In New York, there is a lot of tension between whites and blacks, all due to the policies of US President Donald Trump. “New York is generally an anti-Trump city, so there is an outbreak on any news feed. Half of the media are owned by Democrats, the second by Republicans, and each side is holding its own line and showing only the side of the problem that it wants, ”said the Belarusian.

At the same time, he noted, there are channels to which residents of the city send videos of the events they witnessed. “And this real truth is interesting to look at,” he added.

About the Belarusian community

The Belarusian community in New York is very weak, Alexander noted. “Belarusians are scattering in America, sitting in their burrows. I would like to change this. I look at the Ukrainian community and understand that this is possible: it is very friendly, no matter how many Ukrainians I met in New York, they support each other very much, ”he said.

At the same time, among Belarusians there are also active ones - they arrange meetings in various bars. But all this is not as scaled up as we would like, Alexander added.

There is also a Belarusian church in the Big Apple. “But everything is very sad there. People of the old school go there, and they do not want to give the initiative to the young. Although they have an entire building in downtown Brooklyn, ”he said.

Alexander also said that he and the artist Mitya Pislyak are now considering the idea of ​​creating a space for the Belarusian community in New York. It is supposed to be an open space connecting several zones. “It is also a boutique where you can promote the work of young Belarusian designers, artists: bags, jewelry, clothes - whatever. This is also a community center where you can organize a concert, just have coffee and chat, ”he explained.

However, there are difficulties that do not allow the implementation of the plan, this is the high cost of rent. “To open such a space requires a fairly large investment. Although if you register it as a commune, you can get good discounts on rent. Now we are thinking about where we can get money in order to exist for at least the first year, while the space will gain popularity, ”says Alexander.

At the same time, he noticed that it is very easy to open a business in the Big Apple. You can register a business online in a couple of hours. Taxes are paid at the end of the year and are up to 35%. Moreover, the taxation system is flexible. “The first three years of the existence of the business, the tax does not bother you at all. They give you time to get on your feet, and you pay small sums. They also depend on whether you have a family or not. The more children you have, the less taxes you pay. The largest amounts are paid by non-family members and people who earn more than one hundred thousand dollars, ”explained the Belarusian.

About the (in) desire to return

Alexander said that he has several acquaintances of programmers who, having worked in New York, still think to return to Belarus. Here, he noted, they live for their own pleasure and do not count money, but there they have to count.

Alexander himself has no plans to return to Belarus yet. Although he has many friends there and he likes how things have changed in his homeland in recent years. He also notes that young people who have already seen a different world have become more progressive, liberated, and friendly. At the same time, he noted that he wants to come more often to see his family. “There was a period when I did not come to Belarus for a long time, and then I came and saw how much my aunts had grown old. I felt uneasy. And if earlier I missed all these “related events”, now I understand how important it is, ”he summed up.